Poinarelektronmiles Fanti & Damgaard, 2020

Fanti, Fabrizio & Damgaard, Anders Leth, 2020, Fossil soldier beetles of the Anders Damgaard amber collection. Fourth update, Baltic Journal of Coleopterology 20 (2), pp. 125-139 : 131

Genus Poinarelektronmiles Fanti & Damgaard gen. nov.

Type species. Poinarelektronmiles ellenbergeri sp. nov. The genus is at present monotypic.

Etymology. This genus is named in honor of George O. Poinar (Corvallis, Oregon State University, USA), specialized in amber inclusions, + the Ancient Greek η λεκτΡΟΝ (elektron) = amber, + the Latin noun mīlēs = soldier. Gender: masculine.

NOTE: George Poinar was one of the first (together with Francesco Vitali), to trust the knowledge about fossil soldier beetles of one of us (Fanti). While, with the ending “ miles ” already exists the genus Burmomiles Fanti, Damgaard & Ellenberger, 2018 and could be used as a classic ending to indicate the representative of the family Cantharidae (soldier beetles), like “ myia ” for Diptera , for example.

Diagnosis. This genus is characterized by unequal maxillary palpomeres with the last palpomere very elongated and slightly securiform, head rounded behind the eyes with small depressions anteriorly, pronotum smooth without depressions or thickening, long elytra covering and very slightly surpassing the abdomen, and the pectinate antennae with the antennomeres III-IX equipped with a long antennal process. The only other genus from Burmese amber with long elytra covering the abdomen: Myamalycocerus Fanti & Ellenberger, 2016 has serrate antennae, the last maxillary palpomere strongly securiform, and a very different pronotum with depressions and thickening ( Fanti & Ellenberger 2016).