Crepidodera svetlanae, Bukejs, Andris, 2014

Bukejs, Andris, 2014, A new species of the genus Crepidodera Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) from Baltic amber, Zootaxa 3815 (2), pp. 286-290 : 287-289

Crepidodera svetlanae sp. nov.

( Fig. 1 )

Type material. Holotype: “Nr. 014” [white printed label], “ Holotype / Crepidodera svetlanae sp. nov. / Bukejs A. des. 2014” [red printed label]; probably male. A complete beetle; ventral side of the specimen almost not visible because of structure of amber. The specimen is embedded in a relatively small, subrectangular amber piece (length 52 mm, width 26 mm, weight 6.6 grams). Many small gas bubbles and few cracks diffusely spread throughout the amber piece; other animals and plant syn-inclusions are absent.

Type strata. Baltic Amber, Upper Eocene, Prussian Formation.

Type locality. Baltic Sea coast, Yantarny village [formerly Palmnicken], Kaliningrad Region, Russia.

Etymology. The specific epithet is dedicated to my wife, Svetlana Bukeja.

Diagnosis. Prior to this study, C. decolorata from Late Eocene Rovno amber was the only known paleoendemic species of the genus Crepidodera . It differs from C. svetlanae sp. nov. in completely redish-brown antennae and legs, shape of pronotum, large and dense pronotal punctation (about as large as punctures in elytral striae).

Recent C. bella Parry, 1986 , C. lamina (Bedel, 1901) , C. populivora Parry, 1986 , and C. spenceri ( Lazorko, 1974) are close to the new species, but they differ in the large and dense pronotal punctation, pale (yellow, rufous or pale brown) basal antennomeres 1-5 and legs (in some species only metafemora dark).

Description. Body length 3.4 mm, max. width 1.7 mm; elongate, convex dorsally; glabrous, unicolorous black, shiny, with greenish-violaceus tint, antennae and legs black.

Head hypognathous, relatively small, distinctly narrower than anterior margin of pronotum, shiny; frons weakly convex, without distinct punctures and rugosity. Eyes laterad, relatively large, entire, convex, with distinct facets; distance between eyes nearly equal to 2.5 transverse diameters of one eye. Frontal ridge narrow, convex. Antennal calli smooth and shiny, contiguous, weakly convex; relatively wide, wider than diameter of antennal socket; well delineated from vertex and frontal ridge. Supracallinal sulcus deep, about 2-3 times wider than ocular sulcus; curved. Ocular sulci deep, straight, reaching frontal calli. Antennae 11-segmented, filiform; moderately long, extending nearly to middle of elytra. Scape longer and thicker than antennomere 2; pedicel thick, subcylindrical, about 1.75 times shorter than scape; antennomere 3 distinctly narrower and about 1.25 times longer than antennomere 2; antennomeres 4-10 moderately thin and long, about 2.0-2.5 times as long as wide, weakly widened distally; apex of last antennomere pointed. Distance between antennal sockets nearly equal to diameter of one socket.

Pronotum transverse, approximately 1.4 times wider than long, widest in anterior 1/3, moderately convex; lateral margins weakly rounded; anterior margin almost straight, posterior margin strongly sinuate; all margins with narrow bordering. Anterolateral callosities relatively large, posterolateral callosities weak; posterior angles obtuse. Base of pronotum distinctly narrower than elytral base. Pronotal punctation fine (distinctly smaller than elytral punctures) and sparse, at base more distinct, in anterior half smoothed. Antebasal transverse impression deep, curved in middle; longitudinal basal impressions short and deep, their length distinctly shorter than distance between impression and posterolateral callosity.

Scutellum small, triangular with rounded apex. Elytra oval, long, moderately convex; humeral calli well developed, distinctly projecting. Elytral punctures small and dense, arranged in regular striae; striae distinct throughout entire length of elytra; distance between punctures in striae equal to 0.5-1.5 times diameter of puncture; interstriae flat (only weakly convex at base), covered with very fine, irregular secondary punctation, distance between striae approximately 3-5 times diameter of a puncture. Sutural stria present. Elytral apices weakly rounded. Apical angles of elytra without teeth. Epipleura subhorizontal (well visible in lateral view), wide, reaching elytral apex.

Legs thin and relatively long; covered with short, pale, recumbent setae. Metafemora robust, swollen. Metatibiae thin, slightly flattened and expanded apically. Metatarsi attached on apices of metatibiae. Metatarsomere 1 short, about as long as metatarsomeres 2-3 combined; metatarsomere 3 deeply bilobed. Protarsomeres weakly dilated; protarsomere 1 about as wide as apex of protibia, distinctly wider than protarsomere 2. Tarsal claws relatively small, free and simple (not clearly visible because of beetle location in amber piece).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Crepidodera svetlanae sp. nov., holotype: habitus, dorso-lateral view (photo by Marius Veta).