Palaeocantharis gen. nov. ; Sanaungulus Fanti et al., 2018., 2021

Hsiao, Yun, Li, Yun, Ren, Dong & Pang, Hong, 2021, Morphological phylogenetics provide new insights into the classification and evolution of fossil soldier beetles from Mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber (Coleoptera: Cantharidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 193, pp. 1271-1293 : 1281

Palaeocantharis gen. nov.; Sanaungulus Fanti et al., 2018.

General characteristics: Body small (2.6–6.0 mm); head prognathous to slightly deflexed ( Figs 4A, B , 6A, B , 8A, B ); frontoclypeal suture absent; eyes large, hemispherically prominent; apical maxillary and labial palpomeres bilaterally symmetric, securiform; mandibles usually toothed ( Figs 6A , 8A, B ), sometimes simple ( Fig. 4A, B ); gular sutures close, nearly confluent (Supporting Information, Fig. S1A–C ); antennae 11-segmented. Pronotum simple, not elaborately sculptured, without lateral glandular pores ( Figs 4C , 6C , 8D ); mesopreepisternum contiguous; metaventrite with midline long, complete or near so, and branched. Elytra entirely covering abdomen ( Fig. 5 ) or shortened in various degree, with abdomen and hindwings partially exposed ( Figs 3 , 7 ); disc usually deeply punctate, sometimes forming coarse reticulation ( Figs 4D , 6D ), or sometimes smooth ( Fig. 8D ). Tibial spurs usually present, rarely absent. Abdomen with large lateral eversible glandular pores (Supporting Information, Fig. S1L ); ventrite 7 of male with apical margin usually entire or concave ( Figs 4E , 8F ), sometimes deeply emarginate; ventrite 8 of male symmetrical, forming narrow, elongate process. Aedeagus symmetrical ( Figs 4E , 8F ). Ovipositor with paired well-developed palpiform gonostyli ( Fig. 6E ).

Figures

Figure 1. The most-parsimonious tree inferred from the implied weighting (K = 10.0) (tree length = 92 steps; consistency index = 77; retention index = 87). Black circles indicate synapomorphies; white circles indicate parallelisms or reversals; character numbers are given above circles, and character states below circles. Image courtesy of Stephen Marshall (Cantharinae), Hua-Te Fang (Silini), Zhenhua Liu (Chauliognathinae), Reiner Richter (Dysmorphocerinae), E. Christina Butler (Tytthonyxini) and Chih-Wen Hsu (Malthininae).

Figure 3. Habitus of Cretocantharis veda: A, dorsal view; B, ventral-lateral view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

Figure 4. Details of body parts of Cretocantharis veda: A, head, dorsal view; B, ditto, ventral-lateral view; C, pronotum; D, elytra; E, caudal segments; F, tarsus of left hind leg. Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

Figure 5. Habitus of Palaeocantharis panna: A, dorsal view; B, ventral-lateral view. Scale bars: 2.0 mm.

Figure 6. Details of body parts of Palaeocantharis panna: A, head, dorsal view; B, ditto, ventral-lateral view; C, pronotum; D, elytra; E, caudal segments of abdomen, with gonostyli indicated by a black arrow; F, tarsi of hind legs. Scale bars: 1.0 mm (A, B, D); 0.5 mm (C, E, F).

Figure 7. Habitus of Hukawngichthyurus maha: A, dorsal view; B, ventral-lateral view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

Figure 8. Details of body parts of Hukawngichthyurus maha: A, head, ventral-lateral view; B, ditto, dorsal view; C, antenna indicated by a black arrow; D, pronotum and elytra; E, apical tergite; F, caudal segments, with the process of aedeagus indicated by a black arrow; G, tarsus of left mid leg, with the tibial spurs indicated by a black arrow. Scale bars: 0.2 mm (A, B, E, F, G); 0.5 mm (C, D).