Notocupes Ponomarenko, 1964

Strelnikova, O. D. & Yan, E. V., 2023, ON SPLITTING OF THE GENUS NOTOCUPES (COLEOPTERA: ARCHOSTEMATA): NEW DATA ON MORPHOLOGY AND TAXONOMY, Far Eastern Entomologist 488, pp. 1-28 : 18-19

Genus Notocupes Ponomarenko, 1964

Notocupes Ponomarenko, 1964: 61 , fig. 5.

Sinocupes Lin, 1976: 113 (type species: Sinocupes validus Lin, 1976 ); Ponomarenko, 2006: 90; Kirejtshuk et al., 2010: 792.

Forticupes Hong et Wang, 1990: 105 (type species: Forticupes laiyangensis Hong, 1990 ); Ponomarenko, 2006: 90.

Picticupes Hong et Wang, 1990: 107 (type species: Picticupes tuanwangensis Hong, 1990 ); Ponomarenko, 2006: 90.

Ovatocupes Tan et Ren, 2006: 225 (type species: Ovatocupes alienus Tan et Ren, 2006 ); Kirejtshuk et al., 2010: 788.

Type species: Notocupes picturatus Ponomarenko, 1964 .

DIAGNOSIS. Beetles with narrow body; body length to width ratio usually notably greater than 2, no less than 1.8. Antennae filiform, sometimes weakly serrated or moniliform ( Figs 38–41 ). Pronotum with rounded sides, maximum width at midlength; anterior margins are at least slightly protruding forward (usually rather distinctly); pronotal disc with rounded protuberance. Epipleural margin gradually curving. Humerus not protruding anterolaterally, rounded. Epipleuron often wide, abruptly narrowing at elytron base; rarely narrow, almost not narrowing towards elytral apex, only N. caudatus and N. daohugouensis have wide and almost not narrowing epipleuron. Pronotal sides and/or elytron could be dentate at basal third. Veins 2 and 3 curving, not forming parallel rows, could merge before reaching elytral apex ( Fig. 1 ).

COMPOSITION. The genus consists of 28 species from Jurassic of Germany, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China and Lower Cretaceous of China, Mongolia, Spain and Russia, namely N. reticulatus (Oppenheim, 1888) [ Procarabus ], N. alienus (Tan et Ren, 2006) [ Ovatocupes ], N. baojiatunensis (Hong, 1992) [ Chengdecupes ], N. caudatus Ponomarenko, 1966 , N. cyclodontus (Tan et al., 2006) [ Amblomma ], N. daohugouensis Li et Cai, 2023 , N. diazromerali ( Soriano et Delclòs, 2006) [ Zygadenia ], N. elegans Ponomarenko, 1994 , N. excellens Ponomarenko, 1966 , N. kezuoensis (Hong, 1987) [ Chengdecupes ], N. khasurtyiensis Strelnikova, 2019 , N. laetus Lin, 1976 , N. laiyangensis (Hong, 1990) [ Forticupes ], N. lapidarius Ponomarenko, 1968 , N. latus Ponomarenko, 1969 , N. lini Ponomarenko et al., 2012 , N. ludongensis Wang et Liu, 1996 , N. mongolicus Ponomarenko, 1994 , N. neli Tihelka et al., 2019 [ Echinocups ], N. ohmkuhnlei Jarzembowski et al., 2019 [ Echinocups ], N. picturatus Ponomarenko, 1964 , N. pingi Ponomarenko et Ren, 2010 , N. pulcher Ponomarenko, 1968 , N. robustus Li et Cai, 2023 , N. rudis ( Tan, Ren et Liu, 2005) [ Amblomma ], N. shiluoensis (Hong, 1984) [ Chengdecupes ], N. tuanwangensis (Hong, 1990) [ Picticupes ], N. validus (Lin, 1976) [ Sinocupes ].

Indeterminate species of Notocupes were reported from the Middle Triassic of Germany, the Lower and Upper Jurassic of Poland and China, the Jurassic-Cretaceous deposits of Russia and the Lower Cretaceous of England.

REMARKS. Recent study by Li et al. (2023a) have several characters in diagnosis, that should be clarified: among the representatives of the genus there are species with length of their head exceeds width (e.g. N. elegans and N. khasurtyiensis ), the head may not be narrowing posteriorly and not form a neck-like constriction ( Figs 7 , 33, 34, 36, 37 , 40 ), antennas can be not only serrated, but also filiform or moniliform ( Figs 38–41 ). Prosternal intercoxal process is clearly visible on Chinese material, but absent on species from PIN (except N. laticella ). Thus, this character is absent in present diagnosis, moreover, N. laticella have prosternal intercoxal process overlapping contiguous procoxae ( Strelnikovа &Yan, 2023, fig. 2B), whereas Chinese species have procoxae separated by it. Finally, the epipleuron does not always have cells (e.g. cells are absent in N. mongolicus , N. latus , N. picturatus , N. excellence , N. lapidarius etc .). Notocupes trachylaenus mentioned in Strelnikova & Yan (2021, 2023) was mistakenly attributed to Notocupes . This species was previously restored within genus Lupicupes Ren, 1995 and its transfer to Notocupes was refuted ( Kirejtshuk et al., 2016).

Figures

Figs 38–41. Antennae morphology. 38 – filiform of Notocupes pulcher; 39 – moniliform of Notocupes excellens; 40 – weakly serrated of Rhabdocupes minisculus; 41 – filiform of Brachilatus nigrimonticola. Scale bar = 1 mm.

Figs 1–4. Types of elytral venation. 1 – Conexicoxa brachicephala (Ponomarenko, 1994); 2 – schematic drawing of Zygadenia spp.; 3 – Z. liui Jarzembowski et al., 2015; 4 – Z. westraliensis (Riek, 1968). (Figs 1, 2, 4 – redrawing with changes from Ponomarenko, 1994, 2006; Martin, 2010). Scale bar = 1.

Figs 5–8. Representatives of the four investigated genera. 5 – Rhabdocupes protensus (Tan et al., 2006); 6 – Conexicoxa epicharis (Tan, Ren et Liu, 2005); 7 – Notocupes picturatus Ponomarenko, 1964; 8 – Brachilatus longicoxa (Soriano et Martinez-Delclòs, 2006). Scale bar = 1 mm.

Figs 32–37. Head tubercles located and form. 32–34 – linedrawings: 32 – Rhabdocupes laticella; 33 – Rhabdocupes tenuis; 34 – Notocupes caudatus; 35–37 – head photographs: 35 – Rhabdocupes laticella; 36 – Rhabdocupes tenuis; 37 – Notocupes caudatus. Abbreviations: Р1 – supraantennal protuberance; Р2 – supraocular protuberance; Р3 – posteromesal protuberance. Scale bar = 1 mm.