Aphebodactyla, Chatzimanolis & Cashion & Engel & Falin, 2012

Chatzimanolis, Stylianos, Cashion, Molly E., Engel, Michael S. & Falin, Zachary H., 2012, A new genus of Ptilodactylidae (Coleoptera: Byrrhoidea) in mid-Cretaceous amber from Myanmar (Burma), Geodiversitas 34 (3), pp. 569-574 : 571

Genus Aphebodactyla n. gen.

TYPE SPECIES. — Aphebodactyla rhetine n. sp.

ETYMOLOGY. — The new genus-group name is a combination of “ aphebos ” (Greek, meaning “past one’s youth”) and “ dactylos ” (Greek, meaning “finger”), suffix of the type genus for the family. The name is feminine.

DIAGNOSIS. — Male. Body broadly elongate. Head hypognathous, not visible from above, quadrate, densely setose; compound eyes large, inner margin notched around antennal base; frons heavily setose.Antenna 11-segmented, pectinate, rami arising from near base of antennomeres III-X, rami not articulated.Frontoclypeal sulcus apparently present (difficult to discern); clypeus triangular, densely setose; labrum subquadrate, apical margin rounded, setose but without apicolateral tufts; mandible relatively flat, sheet-like, strongly and abruptly curved at apex, bidentate (with small, poorly-defined subapical tooth); maxillary palpi long, reaching to apex of antennomere V, apicalmost palpomere elongate, subtriangular, with acute apex; labial palpi short, with acute apex; ligula apparently quadracuminate. Pronotum weakly convex dorsally, broad at base, narrowed anteriorly, projecting forward beyond head, anterior margin visible in dorsal aspect, densely punctured, punctures nearly confluent, posterior margin smooth (not crenulate), bisinuate with medial area projecting, apex of which bears a shallow emargination (i.e. bidentate, forming concavity which corresponds to rounded anterior border of mesoscutellum), lateral and anterior margins of pronotum strongly margined, margins roughly equiplanar, deflexed anteriorly into small “lip” (striking and uncommon, but not unique, for the family), posterolateral corners sharply orthogonal. Mesoscutellum setose, small, roughly cordiform, anterior margin rounded and smooth. Protonal hypomera with posterior corners notched; ventral “flange” projecting much more posteriorly than dorsal surface, densely punctured; anterior surface projecting ventrally forming lateral part of capsule to receive head. Episternum heavily setose, broad, flattened, reaching elytral apices; pleurosternal suture strongly marked. Prosternum projecting anteriorly, rimmed to receive head; prosternal spine only reaching middle of procoxae; mesosternum short, reaching middle of mesocoxae, apex widely notched, meeting anterior border of metasternum, not excavated or depressed, with ventral, longitudinal carina or weak keel; metasternum long, transverse metasternal suture present near metacoxae. Legs setose; metathoracic legs longer than pro- or mesothoracic legs; procoxae conical, projecting; contiguous; protrochantin apparently concealed; mesocoxae medially close but separated by posterior projection of mesosternum, globular, projecting, cavities closed behind; metacoxae transverse, without coxal plates but distinctly concave for reception of metatibiae; trochanters triangular; femora clavate, not grooved to receive tibiae; metafemur extending beyond elytra; tibiae elongate, narrow, slightly curved, with two, well-developed (i.e. not reduced) apical spurs; tarsi pentamerous (i.e. five tarsomeres) but appearing tetramerous owing to reduction of fourth tarsomere (pseudotetramerous); basitarsus (= tarsomere I) elongate, apically lobed below tarsomere II; tarsomeres II and III short, with apex broad and lobed below subsequent corresponding tarsomere; tarsomere IV simple, very short and hidden by lobe of tarsomere III; distitarsus (= tarsomere V) elongate; pretarsus bearing two simple claws (ungues), without arolium or empodium (“onychium” of Stribling [1986]). Elytra heavily setose; convex in lateral view; parallel-sided, rounded posteriorly, umbos rounded; anterior margins smooth; lateral margins parallel sided, rounded posteriorly, moderately explanate (the sharpness of the elytral margins, as with the pronotal margins, is striking and unusual for the family); setose punctures in stria, deeper laterally; hind wings present; epipleural fold present, moderate. Abdomen with five visible sterna, densely setose; tergum VI without vertical flange. Aedeagus with short parameres (i.e. not reaching to apex of median lobe), with short, ventrally-curved, non-melanized projections at apices, each apically bearing a few distinct setae (similar to Bradytoma ); median lobe without accessory projections.