Sucinolivolia, Bukejs, Andris, Biondi, Maurizio & Alekseev, Vitalii I., 2015

Bukejs, Andris, Biondi, Maurizio & Alekseev, Vitalii I., 2015, Sucinolivolia torpida — a new genus and species of flea-beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae) from Baltic amber, Zootaxa 4058 (1), pp. 119-126 : 120

Sucinolivolia gen. nov.

Type species: Sucinolivolia torpida sp. nov.

Differential diagnosis. Sucinolivolia gen. nov. shares greatest similarity with extant Livolia Jacoby, 1903 and Orthaltica Crotch, 1873 . In agreement with Suzuki & Furth (1992) and Furth & Suzuki (1994), we consider these two genera as separate taxa. Considering the symmetric apex of the median lobe of the aedeagus (asymmetric in Orthaltica ), Sucinolivolia gen. nov. is more closely related to Livolia , with which it also shares the following characters: (1) antennae with antennomere 2 thickest and longer than antennomere 3; (2) antennomeres 8–11 always more or less enlarged; (3) large and hemispherical eyes; (4) head with impunctate or very sparsely punctate vertex; (5) elytral punctation clearly impressed, and arranged in more or less regular striae; (6) dorsal integument surfaces sparsely pubescent; (7) tarsal claws appendiculate, basally with one large tooth; (8) metafemora slightly swollen; (9) methathoracic wings without evident cubital or median crossveins but with small anal lobe. However, the new genus differs from Livolia in: (1) absence of antebasal pronotal sulcus; (2) lateral pronotal margins not crenulate; (3) genae very short; (4) more robust legs; (5) tibiae curved and more distinctly dilated distally.

This new genus differs from other flea-beetles described from fossil resins in having the combination of following characters: metafemora slightly swollen; head, pronotum and elytra with short, sparse, fine pubescence; pronotum without longitudinal basal impressions and antebasal transverse impression; pronotum with mediolateral oval, transverse impression on each side; elytral punctation arranged in regular rows; metatarsi attached on apices of metatibiae; small body size.

Etymology. The generic name is formed from the Latin word sucinum, for “amber”, and Livolia , referring to similarities with the extant genus; its gender is feminine.

Note. The new genus is monotypic, represented by the type species only. Therefore the generic description considerably overlaps that of the species.