Elektrokleinia picta, Ellenberger & Fanti, 2019

Ellenberger, Sieghard & Fanti, Fabrizio, 2019, New Cretaceous soldier beetle (Cantharidae) from Burmese amber with preserved coloration on the elytra, Zootaxa 4609 (3), pp. 594-600 : 595-597

Elektrokleinia picta ELLENBERGER & FANTI sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–3 )

Description. Adult, alate, rather robust. Male, for the last ventrite shorter and narrower than last tergite and the aedeagus is only partly visible. Head brown, pronotum testaceous (probably yellow in life), elytra black-blue with some metallic reflections, legs brown, urites brown-testaceous. Body length: 4.5 mm; head and pronotum: 1.0 mm; antennae: around 2.2–2.4 mm (difficult to say because are folded); elytra: 3.0 mm. Head globular, triangular behind the eyes, convex dorsally, partially covered by the pronotum, surface slightly rugous and with few and very long setae near the mandibles. Eyes are elliptical, very prominent, inserted laterally to the head, inter-ocular dorsal distance about 2.5 times greater than eye diameter. Mandibles brown with apex black, very elongated, falciform, with externally a long and thin tooth inserted at half length of the mandibles and which is brown with black apex. Maxillary palps 4-segmented, with the first palpomere triangular, second palpomere robust and 2.9 times longer than first, third palpomere roundish, last palpomere elongated and securiform with apex slightly rounded, first and second palpomere with long setae. Labial palps 3-segmented with the last palpomere securiform. Antennae 11-segmented, filiform, inserted in the upper part of the head and not particularly close to the eyes, short, slightly surpassing the first third of elytra; scape very elongate, globular at base, thin in the central part and enlarged from centre to apex; pedicel 3.0 times shorter than scape; antennomere III as long as pedicel but more globular at apex; antennomeres IV–VI about 1.8 times longer than antennomere III; antennomere VII triangular with apex slightly lobed at sides, flat, robust and about 1.8 times shorter than previous; antennomere VIII filiform, elongate, with apex lobed at sides; antennomere IX filiform slightly longer than antennomere VIII; antennomere X filiform, thinner than previous and the same length of antennomere VIII; antennomere XI, extremely elongate, thin; all antennomeres pubescent. Pronotum transverse, wider than head, posterior margin strongly bordered in the middle and less bordered near the corners, anterior margin rounded and slightly bordered, sides slightly less bordered than posterior margin and with small concavity in the first third basal, surface flat without pubescence. Scutellar-shield triangular with rounded apex. Elytra wider than pronotum, parallel-sided, rounded at apex, short and not covering the last two abdominal segments, surface slightly pubescent presenting coarse punctation gathered in striae. Hind wings are transparent, slightly longer than elytra, not surpassing the last abdominal segment. Ventrites strongly transverse, last two urites as a caudal appendage with the penultimate robust, last tergite narrower than penultimate tergite and with apex slightly concave, last sternite shorter and slightly narrower than last tergite. Aedeagus is only partially visible with a long and thin lobe that is probably the paramere. Legs robust and with pubescence; coxae short, globular, robust; trochanters elongated with rounded apex, metatrochanters almost clubbed; femora robust; tibiae thin, elongate, longer than femora, with two spurs at apex; tarsal formula 5-5-5; first tarsomere two times longer than second tarsomere and both with a small lobe at sides; third tarsomere shorter than second and with longer lobe at sides; fourth tarsomere bilobed with the lobes very elongate and extremely pubescent ventrally; fifth tarsomere elongate, thin, slightly enlarged apically; claws simple with an obtuse lobe not particularly close to the base.

Etymology. From the Latin “ picta ” = colored. In reference to the preserved black-blue coloration on the elytra.

Holotype. Male , in Burmese amber, Geological-Paleontological Institute of the University of Hamburg, Germany ( GPIH), amber collection, with the access code GPIH 4957 .

Type locality. Myanmar: Kachin state, Myitkyina District, Tanai Township, Hukawng Valley, Aung-Par-Hmaw mining area.

Type horizon. Lowermost Cenomanian (98.79 ± 0.62 Ma), mid-Cretaceous.

Syninclusions. Wood remains, gas vesicles (air bubbles), and three parts of antennae of unidentified insects.

Differential diagnosis. The new genus appears to be closely related to Burmomiles Fanti, Damgaard & Ellenberger, 2018 for the very similar habitus, with the probable sharing of the same ecological niche (e.g., nutrients, habitat). Elektrokleinia gen. nov. differs from the head by being slightly triangular behind eyes, the pronotum not expanded at the sides and more bordered posteriorly, and for the last urite concave at apex (Fanti et al. 2018). Furthermore, the new genus has antennae without “rami” (antennal processes), which is not always a diagnostic character at the genus level. The shape of the last urite looks similar to Hukawngichthyurus Fanti & Ellenberger, 2018 but in this latter genus the lobes are more elongate and the pronotum also shows depressions ( Fanti & Ellenberger 2018), while in Elektrokleinia gen. nov. the pronotum is smooth. The shape of the last abdominal segment is also seen in the living genera of Chauliognathinae Ichthyurini Champion, 1915 all of which have much shorter elytra and especially different conformation of the maxillary palps.

Remarks. The yellow amber piece measures 16x 7x 3 mm. The matrix is extremely transparent and the inclusion highly visible, complete (except for the right metathoracic leg preserved until the tibia), and without traces of emulsions.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Elektrokleinia picta gen. et sp. nov. in Burmese amber (GPIH 4957). A: Holotype, dorsal view, bar = 1.0 mm. B: Holotype, ventral view, bar = 500 μm. C: Holotype, detail of head and pronotum, bar = 200 μm. D: Holotype, detail of head, pronotum and basal part of elytra, bar = 400 μm.

FIGURE 2. Elektrokleinia picta gen. et sp. nov. in Burmese amber (GPIH 4957). A: Holotype, detail of elytra, bar = 500 μm. B: Holotype, detail of palps and head (ventral view), bar = 200 μm. C: Holotype, detail of the last abdominal segments (dorsal view), bar = 200 μm. D: Holotype, detail of the last abdominal segments (ventral view), bar = 200 μm.

FIGURE 3. Elektrokleinia picta gen. et sp. nov. in Burmese amber (GPIH 4957). A-B: Holotype, details of leg, bar = 200 μm.