Scydmoraphes

Jałoszyński, Paweł & Perkovsky, Evgeny, 2016, Diversity of Scydmaeninae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) in Upper Eocene Rovno amber, Zootaxa 4157 (1), pp. 1-85 : 71

? Scydmoraphes sp. 1

( Figs 32 , 215–216 )

Material studied. Late Eocene of Europe , Rovno amber: sex unknown; inclusion in elongate, subtriangular piece of amber 12 mm long ( Fig. 32 ), collection number K-6764 ( SIZK).

Description. Body ( Figs 215–216 ) elongate, moderately slender and convex, dark brown; BL 0.98 mm.

Head ( Figs 215–216 ) broadest at eyes, HL 0.15 mm; vertex and frons not visible; eyes large, oval, strongly convex; tempora seem shorter than eyes. Punctures and setae on frons and vertex poorly visible. Antennae ( Figs 215–216 ) much shorter than half BL, AnL about 0.34 mm, gradually thickened distally and relatively slender, scape and pedicel strongly elongate, shapes of remaining antennomeres difficult to define.

Pronotum ( Figs 215–216 ) elongate, broadest at base but with nearly parallel-sided lateral margins in posterior half; PL 0.28 mm, PW 0.23 mm; anterior margin strongly and evenly rounded and laterally confluent with lateral margins, so that anterior pronotal corners are not marked; sides rounded in anterior third and nearly straight in posterior half; posterior corners distinct, nearly right-angled, blunt; posterior margin nearly straight; base with one pair of shallow and diffused lateral pits ( Fig. 216 ; abp) connected by complete and uninterrupted transverse antebasal groove ( Fig. 216 ; abg). Punctures on pronotal disc ( Fig. 216 ) small but distinct, separated by spaces 2–3 × as wide as diameters of punctures; setae ( Fig. 216 ) sparse, short and suberect.

Elytra ( Figs 215–216 ) elongate oval, moderately convex, broadest near middle, EL 0.55 mm, EW 0.35 mm, EI 1.57; elytral base distinctly broader than base of pronotum; each elytron with one distinct asetose basal fovea ( Fig. 216 ; bef); punctures and setae ( Fig. 216 ) similar to those on pronotal disc.

Legs ( Figs 215–216 ) moderately long, slender, unmodified.

Remarks. Diagnostic characters of the extant genus Scydmoraphes Reitter, 1891 were illustrated and summarized in Jałoszyński (2015f). Characters of the Rovno amber specimen K-6764 that suggest it can belong in Scydmoraphes are as follows: the pronotum elongate, with rounded anterior margin, anterior pronotal corners not marked, posterior pronotal corners distinct; lateral pronotal margins developed as sharp edges or carinae ( Fig. 216 ; lpc), the pronotal base with one pair of lateral pits ( Fig. 216 ; abp) developed as shallow and diffused impressions connected by complete transverse antebasal groove ( Fig. 216 ; abg); and each elytron with one distinct and asetose basal fovea ( Fig. 216 ; bef). However, the most important ventral characters are not visible and the placement in genus is putative.

Figures

FIGURES 21 – 34. Specimens of Rovno amber with inclusions of Scydmaeninae. K- 8972, Rovnoscydmus sp. specimen 8 (21); K- 3322, Rovnoscydmus sp. specimen 9 (22); K- 15548,? Rovnoscydmus sp. specimen 10 (23); K- 8971,? Rovnoscydmus sp. specimen 11 (24); K- 6045, Euconnus palaeogenus sp. n. (25); K- 9126, Euconnus sp. 1 (26); K- 24859,? Euconnus sp. 2 (27); K- 24302, Stenichnus proavus sp. n. (28); UA- 2216, Microscydmus sp. 1 (29); K- 6943,? Microscydmus sp. 2 (30); K- 3657 a,? Microscydmus sp. 3 (31); K- 6764,? Scydmoraphes sp. 1 (32); K- 6274, Glandulariini gen. & sp. indet. 1 (33); K- 7089, Glandulariini gen. & sp. indet. 2 (34).

FIGURES 215 – 216.? Scydmoraphes sp. 1 (K- 6764) in dorsal view. Abbreviations: abg, antebasal groove; abp, antebasal pit; bef, basal elytral fovea; lpc, lateral pronotal carina.