Cretopityobius pankowskiorum Otto, 2019

Otto, Robert L., 2019, Descriptions of two new elateroid beetles (Coleoptera: Eucnemidae, Elateridae) from Burmese amber, Insecta Mundi 702 (702), pp. 1-6 : 4-5

Cretopityobius pankowskiorum Otto , sp. nov.

Fig. 3–4

Holotype. Small , round, clear, polished yellow-colored amber piece with air bubbles, smaller insects, plant and soil debris intermixed with the specimen. Piece was excavated from northern Myanmar believed to be Cenomanian in age, approximately 96 million years old. Paratype. Small, round, clear, polished yellow-colored amber piece with debris, including disarticulated antennae intermixed with the specimen. Piece was excavated from northern Myanmar believed to be Cenomanian in age, approximately 96 million years old. Holotype is deposited in the Smithsonian Institute ( USNM), Washington , District of Columbia. Paratype is deposited in the Insect Research Collection ( WIRC), UW-Madison, Department of Entomology, Madison, Wisconsin.

Description. Holotype: Length, 5.5 mm. Width, 1.5 mm. Elongate and tapering towards the elytral apex; head, pronotum, elytra and venter dark brown; antennae and legs dark brown; head, pronotum and elytra clothed with long, erect setae ( Fig. 3 ). Head: Dorso-ventrally flattened; surfaces shiny with closely spaced, shallow punctures; remaining areas of head obscured by air bubble; dark brown. Antennae: Long, extending almost 2/3 the length of its body; dark brown. Pronotum: Convex; surfaces glossy and transversely, shallowly rugose; base sinuous; about 1/2 of surface obscured by air bubble; dark brown. Elytra: Surfaces somewhat shiny and transversely rugose; dark brown. Venter ( Fig. 4 ): Surfaces glossy with shallow indications of punctures; dark brown.

Variation. The paratype, although in its disarticulated condition in a piece of amber, is much larger and wider than the holotype at 7.0 mm long and 2.0 mm wide. There are no exoskeletal differences between the paratype and the holotype.

Etymology. The specific epithet is dedicated to the Pankowski family of Rockville, Maryland for provid- ing these interesting specimens for study.

Remarks. These specimens are assigned to the subfamily Pityobiinae based on the smaller antennomere III in relation to II, bipectinate antennae, and general appearance similar to Nearctic species of Pityobius . In addition to these traits, both genera also have impressed frons above the frontoclypeal region. The new species differs from Pityobius based on its overall relative size, being smaller in Cretopityobius (5.5–7.0 mm long), larger in Pityobius (15.0–39.0 mm long) as well as the placement of rami in relation to each antennal segment. The rami arise from the base of each segment in Cretopityobius , while rami arise from the apices of each antennomere in Pityobius .

Figures

Figures 1–4. Fossil elateroids. 1) Cenomana clavata holotype, dorsal habitus. 2) Cenomana clavata holotype, ventral habitus. 3) Cretopityobius pankowskiorum holotype, dorsal habitus. 4) Cretopityobius pankowskiorum holotype, ventral habitus. (Scale: 1–4 = 1.0 mm)