Electrolichas, Alekseev, Vitalii I. & Jäch, Manfred A., 2016

Alekseev, Vitalii I. & Jäch, Manfred A., 2016, Electrolichas circumbalticus gen. et sp. nov. (Coleoptera: Byrrhoidea: Ptilodactylidae) from Baltic amber, the first anchytarsine toed-winged beetle described from Europe, Zootaxa 4136 (3), pp. 593-599 : 594-595

Genus Electrolichas gen. nov.

Type species: Electrolichas circumbalticus sp. nov.

Diagnosis. Electrolichas gen. nov. can be distinguished from all other described Anchytarsinae genera by the combination of the following characters: (1) labrum transverse, (2) terminal segment of maxillary palps cylindrical, (3) antennae with non-articulated rami, (4) basal pronotal margin only very finely crenulate, lacking a median denticle, (5) anterior margin of scutellum not excised medially, (6) elytra not striate, (7) tarsi not pseudotetramerous, proportional lengths: 1.5: 1.2: 1.2: 1.1: 1.5, flashy pads on apex of first tarsomere as well as on tarsomeres 2–4 (bilobed).

Within Anchytarsinae , the new genus is very similar to Pseudoepilichas Armstrong & Nakane, 1956 , with which it shares the not excised scutellum and the cylindrical terminal maxillary palpomere. However, the new genus can be distinguished easily by the non-striate elytra and by the tarsi, which are pseudotetramerous in Pseudoepilichas (see also Table 1 ).

Electrolichas gen. nov. can be distinguished from Ptilodactyloides by the considerably larger body size, the shorter antennae (longer than body length in Ptilodactyloides ) and the shape of the rami (the antennal appendages in Ptilodactyloides are, according to the original description, distinctly longer and thinner).

Aphebodactyla differs in numerous characters, most notably the concealed head and the comparatively short and broad body form.

Etymology. The name of the new genus is a compound word: “ electron ” (ancient Greek word for amber), and “ lichas ” (Greek: Λίχας (servant of Heracles), referring to other ptilodactylid genera, e.g. Epilichas , Paralichas , Pseudoepilichas ). The gender is masculine.

Composition. The new genus is monotypic, represented by the type species only.

Tables

TABLE 1. Character matrix for identification of Anchytarsinae genera.

Genus	tarsi	scutellum male antenna elytra	terminal maxillary palpomere
Anchycteis	lobed	excised ramose striate	expanded, flattened, securiform
Anchytarsus	simple	not excised serrate striate	cylindrical
Byrrocryptus	simple	excised serrate striate	expanded, flattened