Vanonus ulmerigicus, Alekseev, Vitalii I. & Grzymala, Traci L., 2015

Alekseev, Vitalii I. & Grzymala, Traci L., 2015, New Aderidae (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea) from Baltic and Bitterfeld amber, Zootaxa 3956 (2), pp. 239-257 : 245-246

Vanonus ulmerigicus sp. nov. Alekseev & Grzymala

( Figs. 10 , 12–13 )

Material examined. Holotype No. 138-1 [ CCHH], possible male ( Figs. 12–13 ). The beetle inclusion is preserved in a polished piece of transparent amber with a yellowish shade and the amber piece is embedded in polyester resin. The syninclusions are represented by three trichomes.

Etymology. The species is named after Ulmerigia (Ulmigeria or Ulmigania), the old name for the territory on the southeastern coast of the Baltic Sea.

Type strata. Baltic Amber. Eocene.

Type locality. Russia, the Kaliningrad region, the Sambian [Samland] peninsula, Yantarny settlement [formerly Palmnicken].

Description. Length 2.3 mm; moderately convex, elongate. Unicolored, dark gray, appendages lighter. Upper surface biseriate, clothed with pubescence, one seta arising anterad of each puncture, with additional setae between primary pubescence (pruinose pubescence). Body length 2.6× maximum body width. Elytral length 5.0× pronotal length.

Head. Eyes large, oval, with distinct anterior emargination, hemispherical, well-separated from hind margin of head; interocular space narrower than one ocular diameter; temples approximately 1/5 of ocular diameter; apical maxillary palpomere broad, triangular, slightly rounded; apical labial palpomere wide, possibly subquadrate; frons along fronto-clypeal suture with fringe of long setae; vertex covered by pruinosity similar to pronotal pubescence. Antenna filiform, robust; 11-segmented, pubescent, thickened towards apex; reaching basal third of elytra when folded backward; scape, antennomere III, and antennomere XI longest; antennomere length ratios: 8-5-8-5-5-5-5- 5-5-5-11; antennomeres III–IV elongate, VI–X subcylindrical ( Fig. 10 B).

Thorax. Pronotum ( Fig. 10 A) transverse, widest at middle, with one sinuate, shallow, sub-basal impression; surface partially concealed by dense white pruinosity; pronotal punctation visible, though fine and scarce. Scutellum campanulate, covered with white pruinosity. Elytron with biseriate pubescence, with primary and interstitial setae present, moderately convex, slightly depressed on disc; sides weakly rounded; width 0.5× length; punctation moderate, dense; punctures finer towards central area of disc.

Abdomen. Separation of abdominal ventrite I and abdominal ventrite II visible laterally, obsolete in medial third.

Legs. Metafemur slightly curved, with brush of thick setae ( Fig. 10 C, 13), extending from near base to near apex, approximately 1/2× width of metafemur. Metatarsomere I length 2.2× metatarsomeres II-IV combined, metatarsomere II bilobed, metatarsomere III concealed.

Diagnosis. Vanonus ulmerigicus sp. nov. differs from the extant European species V. brevicornis (Perris, 1869) by the presence of impressions at the base of the pronotum, the distinctly larger size, and the longer antennomeres. Vanonus ulmerigicus sp. nov. is closer in general habitus to the North American species of the wickhami -group ( Werner 1990) ( V. huronicus Casey, 1895 and related species) and can be easily distinguished by the long antennomere III.

Figures

FIGURES 10 – 11. Vanonus spp. illustrations. 10) Vanonus ulmerigicus sp. nov. A. forebody, B. antenna, C. metafemur; 11) Vanonus aestiorum sp. nov. A. forebody, B. antenna.

FIGURES 12 – 16. Vanonus spp. habitus photographs. 12 – 13) Vanonus ulmerigicus sp. nov. 12) Holotype, lateral view; 13) Holotype, metafemur and abdomen, lateral view. 14 – 16) Vanonus aestiorum sp. nov. 14) Holotype, dorso-lateral view; 15) Holotype, lateral view; 16) Holotype, ventral view. Scale bars = 1.0 mm for 12 & 15, 0.5 mm for 14 & 16, 0.2 mm for 13.