Baltimorda friedrichi ( Perkovsky & Odnosum, 2013 ) Batelka & Rosová & Prokop, 2023

Batelka, Jan, Rosová, Kateřina & Prokop, Jakub, 2023, Diversity and morphology of Eocene and Oligocene Mordellidae (Coleoptera), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 63 (2), pp. 451-478 : 454-455

Baltimorda friedrichi ( Perkovsky & Odnosum, 2013) comb. nov.

Mordellaria friedrichi Perkovsky & Odnosum. 2013: 177 . Holotype: Baltic amber.

Comments on identification. A casual examination of pictures of the habitus of Mordellaria friedrichi indicates marked differences from those of the West Palaearctic M. aurofasciata Comolli, 1837 . The explanation for this is an incorrect generic diagnosis of Mordellaria provided by PERKOVSKY & ODNOSUM (2013) in which they state that: ‘ Mordellaria is distinguished from the other tumbling flower beetles by the presence of fine and straight dorsal striae on metatibia that stretch from its base to its apical margin. Metatarsomeres 1 and 2 also bear fine and straight dorsal striae.’ The authors also compared their species with M. aurofasciata in which only a dorsolateral ridge is present on the metatibia and metatarsomere I. Although it looks like a simple mistake, it had a serious effect on the taxonomic conclusions of the authors. In addition, the situation is even more complex. In the generic assignment of his Mordellaria africana Franciscolo, 1956 , FRANCISCOLO (1956) points out that the delimitation of this genus was incomplete at that time. ERMISCH (1950a) established the genus Mordellaria based on Mordella scripta Fairmaire & Germain, 1863 from Chile, but as FRANCISCOLO (1956) correctly states ‘Ermisch indicated that the hind tibiae bear a very distinct dorsal ridge, but does not specify whether this type of ridge is present also on the first and second hind tarsal segments, as it is the case of Pseudomordellaria bifasciata Erm. from Brazil.’ As a consequence, FRAN- CISCOLO (1956) attributed his africana to Mordellaria , providing that in the type species of the genus ‘(a) the middle tibiae are exactly as long as the middle tarsi (shorter in M. scripta Fairm. & Germ. ); and (b) the first tarsal segment of the hind legs bears a distinct dorso-lateral ridge.’ But in the description, he added ‘the second [metatarsomere] bears a rudimentary dorso-lateral ridge (see FRANCISCOLO 1956: fig. L-4)’. This uncertainty about the key characters attributed to putative Mordellaria species distributed in South American, Euro-Asian and African landmasses raises doubts about their congeneric relationship. Examination of the type of Mordellaria scripta stored in The Natural History Museum, London has revealed that the dorsolateral ridge is present on the metatibia and metatarsomere I only, and that the differential diagnosis provided by PERKOVSKY & ODNOSUM (2013) is incorrect also with respect to the type species of the genus.

Because characters of M. friedrichi do not correspond with the generic characteristic of Mordellaria the species is transferred here into Baltimorda new collective group.