Sanaungulus leniae, Fanti & Müller, 2022

Fanti, Fabrizio & Müller, Patrick, 2022, Fossil Cantharidae from the Cretaceous Burmese (Kachin) amber of the Patrick Müller collection, and taxonomic information, Baltic Journal of Coleopterology 22 (2), pp. 331-380 : 356-358

Sanaungulus leniae sp. nov.

( Fig. 14 )

Holotype. Sex undefined, adult specimen in a Burmese (Kachin) amber piece: Catalog number SNHM­ 6008 in the Staatliches Naturhistorisches Museum Braunschweig (ex Müller’s collection number: BUB4315 ).

Type locality. Myanmar: Kachin state, Myitkyina District, Hukawng Valley.

Type horizon. Lowermost Cenomanian (98.79 ± 0.62 Ma), mid­Cretaceous.

Differential diagnosis. The non­dehiscent and wide elytra make this new species easily distinguishable from all other Sanaungulus . This character could easily make one think we this is a new genus; unfortunately, the specimen has a crumpled abdomen and we cannot evaluate the length of the elytra. Only the discovery of one or more similar specimens will clarify the taxon.

Description. Adult, winged, rather robust. Sex undefined. Body length 2.1 mm. Entirely reddish­brownish.

Head transverse, wide, slightly convex in the apex, constricted behind the eyes, covered by pronotum, smooth with short pubescence. Eyes prominent, large, convex, roundish­subelliptic, inserted in the lateral­upper part of the head, inter­ocular dorsal distance about 3.9 times greater than the eye diameter. Mandibles falciform, slender. Maxillary palps 4­ segmented with the last palpomere securiform. Labial palps 3­ segmented. Antennae 11­ segmented, filiform, short, not reaching the half of elytra, antennal insertion in frons, far from eyes; scape elongated, robust, curved and distorted; antennomere II short, robust, enlarged and globular from the middle to the apex; antennomere III thinner and longer than second; antennomere IV slightly shorter than antennomere III; antennomeres V– VIII filiform and sub­equal in length; antennomeres IX–XI globular­elongated, sturdier than previous ones, with antennomere IX clavate, antennomere X shorter than previous one and antennomere XI rounded at apex; all the antennomeres with very short pubescence. Pronotum transverse, as long as head (eyes are slightly extruded), anterior margin very slightly curved and not bordered, posterior margin almost straight and not bordered, sides strongly curved, corners rounded, pronotum disc smooth and flat andpubescent.Scutellumsmall, triangular­shaped, with pointed apex. Elytra elongate, wider than pronotum and head, subparallel­sided with apex enlarged, strongly rounded apexes, surface smooth without punctaction, and sligthly pubescent equipped with short and not erected setae. Metathoracic wings transparent, almost completely covered by elytra, as long as elytra or very slightly longer. Sternum very elongated and subquadrate with posterior margin almost straight, sternites transverse, last tergite elongated, narrower than previous ones and rounded at apex. Legs thin, rather long, pubescent; coxae massive, elongated, curved; trochanters elongated, curved, roundish at apex; femora very sturdier than tibiae, nearly straight; tibiae cylindrical, thin, without spurs near the apex, metatibiae longer than metafemora. Tarsal formula 5­ 5­ 5; first tarsomere very elongated and thin; second tarsomere about 1.3 times shorter than first, third tarsomere shorter than second; fourth slightly bilobed; fifth tarsomere elongated, thin, flat and curved; claws simple, without denticle at the base.

Etymology. Named in honor of Leni Müller, daughter of the second author (Patrick).

Syninclusions. Two Psocoptera, one Diptera , air bubbles, detritus.

Remarks. Piece of clear, golden amber in Cabochon cut 27x14x 5 mm. The inclusion is complete, but its abdomen is folded and crumpled.

Figures

Fig. 14. Sanaungulus leniae sp. nov. in Burmese amber. A: Holotype, dorsal view; B: Holotype, ventral view; C: Holotype, detail of right metathoracic leg and right antenna.