Malthodes (s. str.) henningseni, Fanti & Damgaard, 2018

Fanti, Fabrizio & Damgaard, Anders Leth, 2018, Fossil soldier beetles from Baltic amber of the Anders Damgaard amber collection (Coleoptera Cantharidae), Baltic Journal of Coleopterology 18 (1), pp. 1-32 : 21-23

Malthodes (s. str.) henningseni n. sp.

( Fig. 15 )

Holotype. Male, in Baltic amber, accession No. ALDC0459 /ALD. Ba.Can. 23

Type locality. Russia, Kaliningrad Region, Sambian Peninsula, amber quarry near Yantarny (previously known as Palmnicken). Type horizon. Middle Eocene (Lutetian) (47.8-41.2 MY) to Late Eocene (Priabonian) (37.8-33.9 MY) .

Differential diagnosis. The habitus, size and lobe-shaped last tergite could make it similar to the M. brevicollis group (Liberti

2016), but the last sternite shows a peculiar form, unknown in any fossil and Central European (and Italian) Malthodes .

Description. Adult, winged, robust. Male, based on the last urites modified. Body length 2.5 mm. Entirely brown without yellow spots on elytra. Head completely exposed, strongly rounded and convex, as wide as pronotum, equipped with scattered and strong punctation and with short setae. Eyes very large, round, convex and very prominent. Maxillary palps 4-segmented, unequal in length, with the first small, second elongated and apically enlarged, third robust, terminal one globular and distally very pointed. Labial palps 3-segmented with the last segment globular and pointed. Antennae filiform (the antennomeres are not completely preserved, but we assume to be 11 articles as for all species of the genus), scape extremely elongated, club-shaped and swollen from half length to apex; pedicel filiform and about 1.7 times shorter than scape; antennomeres III-VI filiform and robust; antennomeres pubescent. Pronotum transverse, equipped with a shallow punctation and scattered pubescence; apical margin straight and slightly bordered; sides sinuous and bordered; angles rounded; surface concave in the middle. Scutellum triangular. Elytra slightly wider than pronotum, long and reaching the middle of urite VII, wide at base and narrowed after half the length with roundish apex, surface rugose and pubescent. Posterior wings wide, long and evidently surpassing the elytra and the abdominal segments, dark and equipped with setae along the edges. Legs slender; coxae robust and very elongated; trochanters roundish and only slightly elongated; femora enlarged; tibiae cylindrical, very thin, longer than femora. Tarsal formula 5-5-5; tarsomere I long and robust; second flat and shorter than first; third triangular and about 1.2 times shorter than second; tarsomere IV bilobed; tarsomere V slender; claws simple. Penultimate tergite (tg9) elongated and not particularly transverse; last tergite (tg10) lobe-shaped and elongated with straight apex; last sternite (st9) long, curved from half length, apically flat and rounded and with an appendix (lamina) on each side which develops just after the curvature; sternal surface of abdomen and urites punctate and with pubescence.

Etymology. This new species is named in memory of the Danish author, critic, architect and designer Poul Henningsen (Ordrup, 9 September 1894 - Hillerød, 31 January 1967), in recognition of his cultural contributions.

Syninclusions. A few wood remains and two stellate trichomes.

Remarks. The amber piece measures 9 x 17 x 3 mm. The inclusion has damaged antennae, the right one preserved up to the second article (and a small part of the third) and the left one preserved until the antennomere VI, and also has three missing legs from tarsi, or tibiae and tarsi.

Figures

Fig. 15. Malthodes henningseni n. sp. in Baltic amber. A: Holotype, dorso-lateral view, bar = 200 μm; B: Holotype, ventro-lateral view with detail of urites, bar = 200 μm; C: Holotype, detail of urites, bar = 100 μm; D: Reconstruction of last abdominal segments, bar = 100 μm.