Gratshevbelus, Soriano, 2009

Soriano, Carmen, 2009, First record of the family Belidae (Insecta, Coleoptera) in amber. New genus and species from the uppermost Albian amber of France, Geodiversitas 31 (1), pp. 99-104 : 100-101

Genus Gratshevbelus n. gen.

TYPE AND ONLY SPECIES. — Gratshevbelus erici n. gen., n. sp.

ETYMOLOGY. — Genus named in memory of the Russian paleocoleopterologist V. G. Gratshev.

TYPE HORIZON. — Lower Cretaceous, uppermost Albian ( Néraudeau et al. 2002).

TYPE LOCALITY. — Archingeay-Les Nouillers, Charente- Maritime, SW France.

DIAGNOSIS. — The placement of this new genus among the Eobelinae is supported by the following characters:

elongated body, rostrum longer than head and pronotum together, antennal insertion located in the first third of the rostrum length, middle and hind tibiae with apical spurs and flattened elytra and ventrites. Medium-sized eobelines with pronotum and elytra distinctly and densely tuberculate. Differs from all of the Eobelinae genera already described by the distinct clavate hind femora. The broadened foretarsi resembles Archaeorrhynchus Martynov, 1926 and Montsecbelus Zherikhin & Gratshev, 1997 , but the rostrum length in Gratshevbelus n. gen. is much shorter than in Archaeorrhynchus , and it lacks the characteristic dense punctation of Montsecbelus .

DESCRIPTION

Body of small size, elongate. Rostrum longer than head and pronotum combined, slender, almost straight; frons forming almost right angle with rostral base. Free labrum probably absent. Mandibles small and narrow, weakly projecting forwards. Antennae inserted in apical third of rostrum, first antennal segment not incrassate, almost equal to the second; funicular segments longer than broad, gradually shortening to club; last three antennal segments form a loosely three-segmented, long and rather broad fusiform club. Head moderately large; eyes relatively large, wider than rostrum, sub-oval and lateral in position; temples about as long as eyes. Pronotum transverse with basal arcuate emargination, densely and shallowy granulose. Forecoxae and midcoxae round, hind coxae reaching elytral margin. Elytra elongate, sides almost parallel, with coarse granulation.Abdominal ventrites almost equal in length. Forefemora relatively wide, almost three times wider than foretibiae; midfemora elongated, weakly clavate; hind femora broader and shorter, strongly widened at mid-length. Midtibiae straight, apparently covered by fine hairs; hind tibiae straight. Mid- and hind tarsi with first segment wider than the second, third distinctly bilobed.