taxonID	type	description	language	source
9143FD52E21AFF9D46D9FA1D6890F8A5.taxon	type_taxon	Type species: Ligaschonus succiniripae sp. nov., designated herein	en	Alekseev, Vitalii, Pankowski, Madeline V., Bukejs, Andris (2025): A new bark-gnawing beetle (Coleoptera: Cleroidea: Trogossitidae) from Baltic amber. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 380-386, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.10, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.10
9143FD52E21AFF9D46D9FA1D6890F8A5.taxon	diagnosis	Differential diagnosis. According to Kolibáč (2013), the tribe Trogossitini included 13 extant genera. However, a molecularly based phylogenetic study by Gimmel et al. (2019) proposed a merger of the tribe Gymnochilini with Trogossitini, resulting in eight genera being placed into Trogossitini that previously had been included in Gymnochilini. The specimen under study belongs to the tribe Trogossitini sensu Kolibáč (2013) based on the combination of the following characters: (1) eyes laterally situated, rather flat, only single pair of eyes present; (2) body surface without long hairs, scales or thick setae; (3) elytra without carinae, with regular rows of comparatively fine punctures ordered in striae; (4) pronotum without projected anteriad anterior angles; and (5) frontoclypeal suture absent. The combination of the above-mentioned five characters distinguishes the studied Baltic amber trogossitid beetle from ex-representatives of Gymnochilini, i. e., the genera Anacypta Illiger, Gymnocheilis Dejean, Kolibacia Leschen et Lackner, Leperina Erichson, Narcisa Pascoe, Phanodesta Reitter, Seidlitzella Jakobson, and Xenoglena Reitter. Despite the apparent similarity, we conclude that the studied fossil cannot be attributed to any Trogossitini genera, and thus we propose a new genus for this fossil beetle. Ligaschonus gen. nov. clearly differs from Nemozoma Latreille and Temnoscheila Westwood in lacking conspicuous sharp longitudinal groove in frons; differs from Airora Reitter, Alindria Erichson, Corticotomus Sharp, Dupontiella Spinola, and Euschaefferia Leng in the pronotum narrowed at base and about as long as wide (not subparallel and elongate, not distinctly cordate) as well as the weakly convex and not cylindrical elytra; differs from Elestora Pascoe and Melambia Erichson in not possessing conspicuously carinate elytra; and differs from Eupycnus Sharp and Tenebroides Piller et Mitterpacher in the constricted-at-base pronotum (in contrast to subparallel or distinctly cordate pronotum of the mentioned genera) and the body including head and pronotum distinctly elongate. Ligaschonus gen. nov. bears some similiarity to the extant endemic genus of the Canary Islands, Leipaspis Wollaston (non-grooved frons, elongate body shape, posteriorly narrowed pronotum, and generally non-costate elytra), but differs based on its smaller body size (about 5 mm vs. 8.5 – 9.5 mm in Leipaspis), tiny but distinct anterior pronotal angles (not extended in Leipaspis), protibia with little spines along the outer edge (reduced in Leipaspis), finer elytral punctation, developed metathoracic wings, and a small but distinct scutellar shield (in contrast to wingless Leipaspis having scutellar shield indistinct). The new genus shares the elytral structure with Temnoscheila Westwood, a heterogenous and especially diverse taxon in the New World with more than 100 described species (Kolibáč 2013); however, Ligaschonus gen. nov. can be easily distinguished from Temnoscheila by the frons without longitudinal median groove, by the smaller body size (9.0 – 26.0 mm in Temnoscheila), and by the form of eyes (flat, not exceeding contour of cranium in Temnoscheila). Ligaschonus gen. nov. represents the second known member of the tribe Trogossitini in Baltic amber. The first one, Seidlitzella hoffeinsorum Kolibáč et Alekseev, 2017, originally described within Gymnochilini (Kolibáč & Alekseev 2017), can be easily distinguished from the new taxon by the larger body size (9.7 – 10.5 mm long), the distinctly more flattened body, the carinate elytra with two rows of rounded punctures occurring between each pair of carinae, the projecting and acuminate anterior pronotal angles, and the protibia with four small spines along the outer side, etc. Additionally, Ligaschonus gen. nov. can be distinguished from the Cretaceous Microtrogossita qizhihaoi Li et Cai in Li et al. 2021, which has the general appearance of an aberrant Latridiidae, by the following characters: (1) presence of spines along outer margin of tibiae (absent in Microtrogossita), (2) fine sculpture of dorsal and ventral surfaces (deeply punctate and sparsely setose in Microtrogossita), (3) 11 - segmented antennae (10 - segmented in Microtrogossita), (4) distinctly asymmetrical antennal club (weakly asymmetrical in Microtrogossita), (5) antennal grooves present (absent in Microtrogossita), (6) finely faceted eyes (coarsely faceted ones in Microtrogossita), and (7) larger body size (in contrast to 1.93 mm of the Microtrogossita body length).	en	Alekseev, Vitalii, Pankowski, Madeline V., Bukejs, Andris (2025): A new bark-gnawing beetle (Coleoptera: Cleroidea: Trogossitidae) from Baltic amber. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 380-386, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.10, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.10
9143FD52E21AFF9D46D9FA1D6890F8A5.taxon	etymology	Etymology. The name of the new genus, ligaschonus, is derived from lygašonys (or ligusones), a caste of Prussian pagan priests that performed funeral rituals centuries ago “ guaranteeing passage from this to the next world ” (Balsys 2016). The name evokes the amber’s role in carrying this beetle from its Eocene world to ours today. The gender is masculine.	en	Alekseev, Vitalii, Pankowski, Madeline V., Bukejs, Andris (2025): A new bark-gnawing beetle (Coleoptera: Cleroidea: Trogossitidae) from Baltic amber. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 380-386, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.10, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.10
9143FD52E21AFF9D46D9FA1D6890F8A5.taxon	description	Description. The new genus is monotypic. Therefore, the generic description considerably overlaps that of the type species.	en	Alekseev, Vitalii, Pankowski, Madeline V., Bukejs, Andris (2025): A new bark-gnawing beetle (Coleoptera: Cleroidea: Trogossitidae) from Baltic amber. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 380-386, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.10, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.10
9143FD52E21AFF9D46D9FA1D6890F8A5.taxon	discussion	Note on the presumed paleoecology of the fossil. Adults of most Trogossitini hunt for xylophagous insects (e. g., Curculionidae: Scolytinae; Bostrichidae; and Ptinidae) on branches and logs while larvae dwell and hunt beneath bark or in galleries of xylophagous insects like bark beetles (Kolibáč 2013). Several ex-Gymnochiline genera are active species that fly, run, and even jump swiftly around fallen logs in forest clearings (Kolibáč & Leschen 2010), whereas larvae and adults of cylindrical species live in galleries of small Scolytinae. For the fossil species, a similar biology, i. e., an active predatory lifestyle and dendrophilous mode of life, can be assumed. The comparatively narrow and elongate body shape suggests a probable association of the extinct bark-gnawing beetle with wood galleries of scolytine as well anobiine beetles and other wood-boring inhabitants.	en	Alekseev, Vitalii, Pankowski, Madeline V., Bukejs, Andris (2025): A new bark-gnawing beetle (Coleoptera: Cleroidea: Trogossitidae) from Baltic amber. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 380-386, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.10, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.10
9143FD52E219FF9A46D9F8ED6F0CFB01.taxon	description	(Figs 1 – 2)	en	Alekseev, Vitalii, Pankowski, Madeline V., Bukejs, Andris (2025): A new bark-gnawing beetle (Coleoptera: Cleroidea: Trogossitidae) from Baltic amber. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 380-386, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.10, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.10
9143FD52E219FF9A46D9F8ED6F0CFB01.taxon	materials_examined	Type material. Holotype: No. KAM 9137 [KRAM]; “ * Holotype / Ligaschonus / succiniripae / gen. et sp. nov. / Alekseev, Pankowski / et Bukejs des. 2025 ” [red handwritten label]; adult, sex unknown. A complete beetle is included in a transparent, yellowish, amber piece shaped like a trapezoidal prism with dimensions of 21 × 9 mm and a maximum thickness of 7 mm. Organic syninclusions: several small fragments of wood dust, one of which is located above the elytra of the beetle. Amber matrix also contains numerous gas bubbles of different sizes. Locus typicus. Yantarny village (formerly Palmnicken), Sambian (Samland) Peninsula, Kaliningrad Region, western Russia.	en	Alekseev, Vitalii, Pankowski, Madeline V., Bukejs, Andris (2025): A new bark-gnawing beetle (Coleoptera: Cleroidea: Trogossitidae) from Baltic amber. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 380-386, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.10, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.10
9143FD52E219FF9A46D9F8ED6F0CFB01.taxon	description	Stratum typicum. Baltic amber, most probable from the Eocene amber-bearing layers of Blaue Erde (Blue Earth) within the Prussian Formation; estimated age: late Eocene. Description. Measurements: body length (from anterior tip of mandibles to elytral apex along midline) 4.98 mm, body maximum width across both elytra (at middle) 1.25 mm; head length 0.75 mm, head width (basally) 0.88 mm, head width (between mid-length of eyes) 0.75 mm; pronotal length 1.1 mm, pronotal maximum width (anteriorly) 1.1 mm, pronotal minimum width (at base) 0.8 mm; elytral length 3.13 mm, elytral width (at humeri) 1.13 mm. Habitus. Body elongate, 3.9 × as long as wide, flattened dorsally and ventrally; body uniformly black or blackbrown (as preserved); integument glabrous, punctate, without visible pubescence, scales, or setae. Head. Prognathous, slightly narrower than pronotum, weakly convex, punctate. Frons simple, without longitudinal median groove and without horn-like processes, with straight anterior margin. Frontoclypeal suture absent. Punctation of frons round, separated by distance of about 1.0 × as long as puncture diameter; punctation of vertex elongate, oval, dense, punctures separated by distance of about 0.5 × as long as puncture diameter. Compound eyes moderately sized, finely faceted, complete (not emarginated), situated laterally, round in lateral view, elliptical in dorsal view (ellipse with eccentricity 0.57), without interfacetal setae. Mandibles large, with two apical teeth. Maxillary palpi long, with penultimate palpomere cylindrical, 0.5 × as long as terminal palpomere; terminal maxillary palpomere spindle-shaped, 3.0 × as long as wide at middle. Antennae inserted under lateral margin of frons; antennal insertions not visible from above. Antennal grooves well-developed. Antennae extending to onequarter of pronotum, 11 - segmented, with asymmetrical, loose, 3 - segmented antennal club; all three segments of antennal club with sensorial fields at inner side; antennomeres 7 – 10 with erect long sparse hairs. Scape robust, much larger than pedicel; antennomeres 3 – 8 subequal in size, weakly conical; antennomeres 9 – 10 subtriangular; antennomere 11 rounded. Thorax. Pronotum narrowed at base, not cordate, about as long as maximum wide, with fine lateral carina and distinct basal margination, anteriorly wider than head and posteriorly narrower than combined elytral base. Pronotal anterior edge slightly arcuate; posterior edge arcuate. Pronotal disc evenly convex. Anterior pronotal angles not projected, distinct, obtuse, rounded. Posterior pronotal angles triangular, pointed. Pronotal punctation as in vertex, elongate, oval, dense; punctures separated by distance of about 0.5 × as long as puncture diameter. Notosternal suture between prohypomeron and prosternum well discernible. Prosternum in front of coxae about 2.0 × as long as length of procoxal cavity, convex, punctate; punctures round, medially sparse and laterally denser. Prosternal process extending behind coxae, subparallel, with widely rounded apex. Procoxal cavities externally closed. Scutellar shield small, rounded, about as long as wide. Elytra. Elongate, subparallel with maximum width at middle, about 2.5 × as long as wide, flattened, without carinae, punctate-striate. Each elytron with at least six regular rows of larger strial punctures at disc and irregular rows of finer punctures in interspaces between striae; lateral elytral punctation irregular. Interspaces between striae weakly convex. Epipleura narrow, reaching abdominal ventrite 1, widest at humeri. Mesoventrite convex, densely punctate, punctures separated by distance of about 0.3 × as long as puncture diameter, along middle with longitudinal narrow impunctate stripe. Mesocoxal cavities narrowly separated. Metaventrite convex, rather sparsely punctate; punctures irregular, separated by distance of about 1.0 – 4.0 × as long as puncture diameter. Metathoracic wings present (distal parts are exposed). Legs. Procoxa transverse; mesocoxa subglobose, projecting; metacoxa strongly transverse. Femora finely punctate; profemora subclavate, with flattened and smooth anterior edge for reception of protibiae; meso- and metafemora slightly widened from base to middle. All tibiae flattened, widened apically, rugosely punctate in dorsal view, with two apical spurs; length ratio of protibial spurs 4: 3, longer spur is weakly curved; spurs of meso- and metatibiae straight, equal in shape and length. Protibia with two spines in outer apical angle and two spines along outer edge (in anterior quarter and in middle of the tibial length); mesotibia with two small spines along outer edge; metatibia lacks distinct spines along outer edge. Tarsal formula 5 – 5 – 5, but seemingly 4 – 4 – 4 because tarsomere 1 is minute and retracted into apex of tibia. Tarsomere 5 longest, in all legs as long as all previous tarsomeres together, bearing small bisetose empodium between tarsal claws. Claws simple (without denticles), acute, curved, long (about 0.3 × as long as tarsomere 5). Abdomen. With five ventrites; finely punctate, punctures separated by distance of about 1.0 – 3.0 × as long as puncture diameter. Relative length ratios of ventrites 1 – 5 equal to 7: 7: 6: 5: 5 (measured medially).	en	Alekseev, Vitalii, Pankowski, Madeline V., Bukejs, Andris (2025): A new bark-gnawing beetle (Coleoptera: Cleroidea: Trogossitidae) from Baltic amber. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 380-386, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.10, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.10
9143FD52E219FF9A46D9F8ED6F0CFB01.taxon	diagnosis	Differential diagnosis. As stated above, for the new genus.	en	Alekseev, Vitalii, Pankowski, Madeline V., Bukejs, Andris (2025): A new bark-gnawing beetle (Coleoptera: Cleroidea: Trogossitidae) from Baltic amber. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 380-386, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.10, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.10
9143FD52E219FF9A46D9F8ED6F0CFB01.taxon	etymology	Derivatio nominis. The specific epithet succiniripae, used as a noun in the genitive case, is a compound word derived from the Latin ripa succini (amber coast) and meaning “ of the amber coast. ” The name refers to the poetic name of the southeastern Baltic seacoast.	en	Alekseev, Vitalii, Pankowski, Madeline V., Bukejs, Andris (2025): A new bark-gnawing beetle (Coleoptera: Cleroidea: Trogossitidae) from Baltic amber. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 380-386, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.10, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.10
9143FD52E219FF9A46D9F8ED6F0CFB01.taxon	discussion	Remarks. Mesocoxal cavities state (open / close) is not visible in examined specimen due to position of its legs (open mesocoxal cavities are characteristic for Trogossitini).	en	Alekseev, Vitalii, Pankowski, Madeline V., Bukejs, Andris (2025): A new bark-gnawing beetle (Coleoptera: Cleroidea: Trogossitidae) from Baltic amber. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 380-386, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.10, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.10
