Mirimordella, Liu, Ming, Lu, Wenhua & Ren, Dong, 2007

Liu, Ming, Lu, Wenhua & Ren, Dong, 2007, A new fossil mordellid (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea: Mordellidae) from the Yixian Formation of Western Liaoning Province, China, Zootaxa 1415, pp. 49-56 : 51-52

Genus Mirimordella gen. nov.

Type species: Mirimordella gracilicruralis sp. nov.

Etymology. From the Latin prefix miri-, strange, and the genus Mordella Linnaeus 1758 ; gender feminine.

Species included. Holotype species only.

Diagnosis. Maxillary palpi linear, last segment without distinct enlargement. Scutellum long, triangular or rectangular. Elytra arched, sharply tapering on apical 1/3; apex pointed. Epicoxa present in front of hind coxal plate and immediately juxtaposed to metepisternum. Hind tibiae expanded apically, with oblique truncate apex, as long as femora; hind tarsi longer than tibiae. Abdomen with 5 visible abdominal segments.

Comparisons. We assign this new genus to Praemordellinae based on agreement with the revised diagnosis of the subfamily. This new genus and the genus Praemordella share many characters including the wedgeshaped body, the body size, the sharply narrowing elytra, the pointed apex of elytra, and the abdomen extended beyond elytra, the hind coxae and femora less enlarged than modern mordellids, the apical ridges only on hind tibiae and tarsi, the simple penultimate segments of fore and middle tarsi, and simple claws.

However, the new genus can be distinguished from Praemordella by the following: 5 visible abdominal segments, less developed hind femora, hind tarsi longer than tibiae, apices of hind tibiae oblique, tarsal formula 5-5-4, and presence of epicoxa anterior to hind coxal plate and immediately juxtaposed to metepisternum. This new genus differs from the genus Cretanaspis (Mordellinae) in the following: 5 visible abdominal segments, penultimate segments of fore and middle tarsi simple, hind tarsi longer than tibiae, and apices of hind tibiae oblique.