Anoplodera volyniensis, Vitali, 2023

Vitali, Francesco, 2023, New and little-known Lepturinae from succinite (Coleoptera Cerambycidae), Baltic Journal of Coleopterology 23 (2), pp. 189-203 : 189-203

Anoplodera volyniensis n. sp.

( Fig. 13 ) Holotype. male, Rovno amber, ex coll. J. Damzen JDC-9448 R, author’s coll. FS89BS57.

The insect is preserved inside a prismatic piece of amber measuring about 44x35x 18 mm. It is perfectly preserved but the posterior part of the corps is covered with a fine milky turbidity.

The amber piece also contains minute zoological inclusions: a specimen of Chrysomelidae Alticini, another identified beetle (only elytra visible), one Hymenoptera Encyrtidae and several dipterans of different families ( Cecidomyidae , Tipulidae , etc.)

Differential diagnosis

The identification at the level of genus was rather complicated due to the position of the beetle, which did not allow observing exactly the pronotal shape, especially, the basal angles. The pronotum is convex, almost

200 cylindrical, evidently narrower than elytral base, while elytra are parallel-sided and rounded at apex. This character set reminds some basal genera like Grammoptera , Alosterna , Anoplodera , Xestoleptura and Strangalepta .

Finally, the fossil has been identified as a member of the genus Anoplodera on the basis of the following characters: 1) pronotal base without transversal furrow and 2) with a small indentation at each side; 3) antennae angulated externally from the fifth article; 4) elytral base straight. The first character excludes Strangalepta , second and third ones exclude Grammoptera and Alosterna , while the fourth one excludes Xestoleptura .

The antennal proportions (article III longer than IV and a bit shorter than V) correspond to the extant Anoplodera ; however, this fossil does not perfectly fit with this genus. In fact it shows long temples (as Xestoleptura ) and a pubescence of semierect setae, such as several cerambycids in Baltic amber but no extant Anoplodera . Possibly, it belongs to a new undescribed (sub)genus, but I prefer waiting for further more observable specimens before proposing a new genus name.

Description

Undetermined sex, probably male; length 8.3 mm. General habitus small, elongated.

Head relatively short; cheeks almost developed but; clypeus and forehead complanar; antennal tubercles widely separated, fairly elevated; eyes relatively close to the base of the mandibles, emarginate at the upper side, uniformly convex at the under one, finely faceted; temples long, as long as the hind eye-lobes, feebly converging backward; neck one-third as long as temples. Palpi not visible. Antennae 11-segmented, almost robust, inserted between the eyes, hardly reaching the elytral apex, covered with dense recumbent pubescence; scape sub-linear; pedicle scarcely longer than broad, about one-third as long as scape; antennomere III one-fourth longer than scape; antennomere IV one-tenth shorter than III; antennomere V the longest, twice as long as scape; following antennomeres decreasing in length, except for the last one (proportions according to the formula: 3.2: 1.0: 4.0: 3.8: 6.4: 5.8: 5.8: 5.4: 5.2: 4.2: 4.4).

Prothorax elongate, cylindrical, (hind angles rounded), evidently narrower than the elytral base; apex straight and finely grooved; base with a small indentation at each side, finely grooved; disc convex above, without longitudinal furrow, everywhere covered with a fine dense puncturing and some oblique strong black setae. Scutellum small, elongate, forming an isosceles triangle.

Elytra long, 6.5 times as long as pronotum, flat above, parallel-sided, widely rounded at apex; surface covered with a coarsely dense puncturing, a fine short recumbent pubescence and a sparse pubescence of oblique strong black setae.

Ventral side convex, covered with a dense recumbent short pubescence; prosternum feebly convex in lateral view; procoxal cavities posteriorly closed.

Legs relatively short; femora slightly club-shaped; tibiae linear, rectilinearly truncated at the apex, densely pubescent; apex of mesotibiae armed with two sub-equal spines; apex of metatibiae with two unequal spines, the longest one one-third as long as metatarsomere I; metatarsi long, their proportions not guessable.

Etymology

The specific epithet refers to Volhynia, the historic region, today shared by Poland, Belarus and Ukraine, where Rovno amber is mined.

Figures

Fig. 13.Anoplodera volyniensis n. sp. Holotype