Helophoropsis brodiei ( Giebel, 1856 )

Fikáček, Martin, Prokin, Alexander, Angus, Robert B., Pono, Alexander, Marenko, Yue, Yanli, Ren, Dong & Prokop, Jakub, 2012, Revision of Mesozoic fossils of the helophorid lineage of the superfamily Hydrophiloidea (Coleoptera: Polyphaga), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 52 (1), pp. 89-127 : 119

† Helophoropsis brodiei ( Giebel, 1856)

( Figs. 91 , 113 )

Helophorus (species not identified): BRODIE (1845: 116, Pl. iii: Fig. 2 ). Helophorus Brodiei Giebel, 1856: 51 . Helophoropsis brodiei: HANDLIRSCH (1908: 543 , Pl. XLV: Fig. 6 , transferred to Helophoropsis Handlirsch, 1908 ). Helophorus brodiei: HANSEN (1999: 318) .

Type locality. United Kingdom, Wiltshire, Vale of Wardour, Middle Purbeck. Early Cretaceous, Middle Berriasian, 145.5–140.2 mya ( CLAPHAM 2011a).

Material examined. HOLOTYPE: NHM I-3524 (piece only).

Taxonomic note. The holotype, which is the only available specimen of this species, is badly preserved and only few characters are therefore available: elytra are elongate with alternating highly and lowly carinate intervals and the pronotum is extremely large, possibly projecting into the anterolateral lobes and possibly bearing a slight median longitudinal depression. No characters of the ventral side are preserved. Except for the costate elytra, which may resemble some Helophorus species of the subgenera Empleurus , Transithelophorus and Orphelophorus but are also present in many other groups of beetles, the specimen does not bear any preserved characters which would indicate its placement within the Hydrophiloidea . For that reason, we are transferring here the species as well as the monotypic genus Helophoropsis Handlirsch, 1908 to which it belongs in Coleoptera incertae sedis. The body proportions, extremely large pronotum and elytral sculpture resemble some Mesozoic species of the family Cupedidae , but we cannot rule out that H. brodiei belonged to some group of the Polyphaga.

Figures

Figs. 89–93. Representatives of Helophorus, subgenus Mesohelophorus Ponomarenko, 1977 (89–90) and taxa excluded from the helophorid lineage (91–93). 89–90 – Helophorus palaeosibiricus nom. nov., PIN 3063/841, holotype, piece and counterpiece; 91 – Helophoropsis brodiei (Giebel, 1856), holotype. 92 – Tychon antiquum (Giebel, 1856). holotype. 93 – Zetemenos sexlineatus Bode, 1953, holotype. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

Figs.113–119.Taxa excluded from the helophorid lineage. 113 – Helo- phoropsis brodiei (Giebel, 1856), holotype; 114 – ‘Mesosperchus’ angulatus Ponomarenko, 1985, holotype; 115 – ‘Mesosperchus’ notatus Ponomarenko, 1977, holotype; 116 – Tychon antiquum (Giebel, 1856), holotype; 117–118 – ‘Mesosperchus’ schultzi Ponomarenko, 1985, holotype, piece and counterpiece; 119 – Zetemenos sexlineatus Bode, 1953, holotype. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figs. 1–4. Hydrophilopsia longitarsalis Ponomarenko, 1987 (holotype). 1 – piece, general view; 2 – counterpiece, general view; 3 – detail of antenna; 4 – detail of the aedeagus. Scale bar: 2 mm (corresponds to Figs. 1–2). Abbreviations: acl – antennal club; aed – aedeagus; ant – antenna; cup – cupule; ins – intermediate antennomeres; ped – pedicel; sc – scapus.

Figs.5–8. Laetopsia baissensis (Ponomarenko, 1987). 5 – PIN 3064/7018; 6 – PIN 3064/7010, detail of prosternum; 7 – PIN 3064/6987; 8 – PIN 3064/6984, elytron. Scale bars 2 mm (a: Fig. 5, b: Fig. 6, c: Figs. 7–8). Abbreviations: ant – antenna; sct – scutellum.