Amelyris (Amelyris) elongatus Tshernyshev, Alekseev, Bukejs, Vasilenko, Legalov

Tshernyshev, Sergei E., Alekseev, Vitalii, Bukejs, Andris, Vasilenko, Dmitry V., Legalov, Andrej A. & Perkovsky, Evgeny E., 2025, First record of the family Melyridae (Coleoptera: Cleroidea) in late Eocene European ambers with description of a new tribe, a new genus and seven new species, Zootaxa 5696 (4), pp. 542-566 : 549-551

Amelyris (Amelyris) elongatus Tshernyshev, Alekseev, Bukejs, Vasilenko, Legalov & Perkovsky, sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:

( Figs 8–10 )

Type material. Holotype No ISEZh, sch_012, adult, male; Baltic amber . Complete beetle is inside flat, trapezoid semi-transparent piece of amber with approximate dimensions 25 × 15 × 3 mm, with the beetle situated in a middle of the piece. Underside and legs are not clearly visible due to rows of air bubbles in amber matrix beneath the beetle. Syninclusions are represented by a number of stellate Fagaceae trichomes and many detrital particles. Locus typicus. Southeastern Baltic Sea coast, the Sambian peninsula , Kaliningrad Oblast. Stratum typicum. Baltic amber, late Eocene.

Description. Integument unicolorous black (as preserved), at certain lighting showing greenish metallic sheen; dorsal setation white and brown; legs dark brown, antennae black. Body elongate, subparallel, flattened dorsally and not convex ventrally, gradually widened from humeri posteriad, with maximum width in about the apical third. Measurements: body length 2.82 mm; body width (in the area of the base of the elytra) 0.95 mm.

Head prognathous and elongate distally; compound eyes large, oval, convex, bare; frons and interocular area flat, lacking impressions. Antennae 11-segmented, short, reaching base of pronotum; antennomeres evenly dilated apically and forming indistinct loose club. Antennomere 1 swollen, oval-triangular, 1.5× as long as antennomere 2; antennomere 2 oval-triangular, elongate, 1.2× as long as antennomere 3; antennomeres 3–10 transverse, oval-triangular, moniliform; antennomere 3 slightly wider than antennomere 2; each subsequent segment very slightly longer, but distinctly wider than the previous one; apical antennomere 2.0× as long as antennomere 10, flattened, uniformly rounded, slightly narrowed towards apex. Surface of antennae sparsely covered with short, erect fine hairs located on periphery of the antenomeres. Clypeus slightly elongate; labrum distinctly elongate, longitudinal. Maxillary palpi elongate, narrow, palpomere 1 elongate, subcylindrical, palpomere 2 longitudinal, 1.5× as long as palpomere 1, last palpomere strongly narrowed at apex and elongate, narrow, 1.5× as long as palpomere 1.

Pronotum slightly convex, appears oval-quadrate due to arcuate protruding distal side and rounded low lateral carinae, with slightly rounded distal angles and acute posterior ones; lateral side of pronotum bicarinate: upper carina straight, lower carina slightly roundly prominent. Surface evenly and coarsely punctured; covered with small curved adpressed white hairs, which caused shaping of the cellular appearance of the surface; microsculpture distinct between punctures; margins of basal side and upper lateral carinae straight; lower lateral carina slightly prominent; all margins smooth and without denticles. Pubescence thin, white and curved, sparsely distributed around punctures, poorly visible. Disc clearly impressed at posterior angles, along lateral and distal sides.

Scutellar shield clearly visible. rectangular, with acute angles and straight lateral sides, distal margin with weak triangular medial emargination; surface appears cellular as in pronotum due to curved fine pubescence associated with air in amber mass; punctures sparse, distinct; sides not marginate; surface matt.

Elytra carinate, elongate, subparallel, slightly widened just below humeri, with maximum width near apical slope, evenly narrowed towards apex, with apices separately rounded. Base of elytra slightly wider than pronotum; abdomen completely covered by elytra. Elytra disc mat. Sides of elytra flattened from humeri to elytral tips. Humeri small and weakly prominent, distinct, slightly impressed at base, with narrow curved carina bent over humerus to third carina.Elytral epipleura very narrow, distinct along elytra from base to metathorax, with distinct microsculpture; edges of epipleura smooth, without denticles. Each elytron with five thin and not strongly elevated carinae, carina 3 more distinctly protruding. All carinae extending from base to apical part; first carina situated close to suture and complete from base to apex, carinae 2 and 3 reaching apical slope of elytra and not fused; carina 4 situated close to carina 5 and ends at slope of elytron, curving towards the carina 3. Carina 5 coincides with the epipleura and is distinct from base to elytral apex. Surface between carinae with three regular rows of distinct round punctures and distinct microsculpture; pubescence short, sparse and small, situated mainly on carinae and occasionally near punctures. Metathoracic wings well developed.

Legs elongate, thin and simple, femora slightly thickened and evenly flattened with thin long bases. Tarsomeres strongly compressed and elongate, thin, first tarsomere 2.0× shorter than second tarsomere on all legs, tarsomeres 2 and 3 equal in size; last tarsomere 1.5× as long as tarsomere 4. Tarsal claws thin and long, slightly curved, lacking appendages at base.

Underside convex, mat, finely and densely punctured, glabrous. Last abdominal ventrite slightly elongate and narrow.

Etymology. The specific epithet of the new species elongatus (Latin adjective meaning “elongate, oblong”) refers to the general elongate habitus of the species.

Figures

FIGURES 8–10. Amelyris (Amelyris) elongatus sp. nov., male, holotype, No. ISEZh, sch_012, microphotographs: 8—habitus in dorsal view; 9—habitus in left lateral view; 10—details of pronotum and head, left lateral view. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.