Protolopheros, Kazantsev, Sergey V., 2013

Kazantsev, Sergey V., 2013, A new fossil genus of net-winged beetles, with a brief review of amber Lycidae (Insecta: Coleoptera), Zootaxa 3608 (1), pp. 94-100 : 94-97

Protolopheros gen. n.

Type species: Protolopheros hoffeinsorum sp. n.

Description. Adult male. Alate, flattened, elongate ( Fig. 1). Head transverse, slightly exposed. Eyes moderately large, spherical ( Figs 2–3). Labrum short. Palps small, slender; ultimate palpomeres securiform. Labium with elongate undivided prementum and short annuliform mentum. Gula short, transverse ( Fig. 2). Antennal sockets separated by ca. 2 / 3 their diameter. Antenna 11 -segmented, relatively short, antennomeres cylindrical; pedicel (antennomere 2) about as long as wide, about twice as short as antennomere 3, antennomere 3 about twice as short as subsequent antennomeres; pubescence on antennomeres 3–11 short and suberect ( Figs 1–3).

Pronotum transverse, rounded anteriorly, with complete median and lateral and short antero-lateral carinae; posterior angles acute ( Fig. 1). Prosternum short, V-shaped ( Fig. 2). Scutellum square, truncate at apex ( Fig. 1). Mesoventrite undivided, with almost straight anterior margin, separated from mesopleuron by sterno-pleural segment. Discrimen almost complete, bifurcate near mesoventrite ( Fig. 2). Elytra elongate, flattened, almost parallel-sided, with stout humeral elytral costa (costa 4) and almost obsolete proximally costa 3, with double rows of irregular weak cells in interstices; pubescence uniform, short and decumbent ( Fig. 1). Epipleuron absent ( Fig. 4). Metathoracic wings fully developed.

Legs relatively short and robust; hind coxae conspicuously separated; pro- and mesotrochantins subequal in size; trochanters short; femurs and tibiae straight, tibiae and femurs subequal in length, almost non-widened distally; tarsomeres 1–4 slightly widened, with plantar pads, plantar pad occupying ca. 1 / 2 of tarsomere 1 ( Figs 2–4); claws simple.

Abdomen with eight ventrites; penultimate ventrite with wide semicircular incision, exposed portion of ultimate ventrite elongate, elliptical; ventrites without photic organs ( Fig. 2).

Female. Unknown.

Diagnosis. Protolopheros gen. n. may be unmistakably referred to the erotine complex of net-winged beetles due to a combination of characters, above all the antennal structure, the very characteristic pronotal pattern and strong elytral costae with evident reticulation ( Fig. 1). Based on the erotine key (Kazantsev, 2004), the new fossil genus would key to Lopheros Leconte, 1881 , at the same time easily distinguishable from Lopheros and related genera ( Aplatopterus Reitter, 1911 , Eulopheros Kazantsev, 1995) by the short, but conspicuous antero-lateral pronotal carinae ( Fig. 1), stout humeral elytral costa (costa 4) and almost obsolete proximally elytral costa 3, combined with irregular elytral reticulation ( Fig. 1). Aplatopterus was not included in the 2004 key as not valid at that time, but was consequently validated (Kazantsev, 2012 a) on the basis of a cladistic analysis (Kazantsev, 2010).

Although Protolopheros gen. n. is distinguished from the related genera by the stout humeral elytral costa, just as the amber subgenera of Kolibaceum or Pseudaplatopterus, it also differs by the pronotal and certain other details of the elytral structure, and apparently deserves the genus rank.

Etymology. The name of the new genus is derived from the Latin for “ancestor”, and the genus name “ Lopheros ”. Gender masculine.