Cretoscraptella crucifera Alekseev, Háva & Bukejs, 2025

Cretoscraptella crucifera Alekseev, Háva & Bukejs sp. nov.

( Figs 1–4 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 4 )

Material examined. Holotype: No. JH/BUR/SCRAP/24 [ JHAC], adult, sex unknown. Complete beetle inclusion included in transparent amber piece with dimensions15 ×12 × 3 mm.Syninclusions are represented by numerous small to minute organic particles and one specimen of Archiculicoides sp. ( Diptera : Nematocera : Ceratopogonidae ).

Type strata. Burmese amber, mid-Cretaceous.

Type locality. Hukawng Valley , Tanai Township, Myitkyina District, Kachin State, Myanmar .

Diagnosis. As for the genus ( vide supra).

Description. Measurements: body length (from anterior margin of head to elytral apex along midline) 1.5 mm; body maximum width across elytra 0.6 mm; head width (across eyes) 0.4 mm; head width (between eyes) 0.2 mm; pronotal length 0.3 mm; pronotal maximum width 0.6 mm; pronotal width at base 0.5 mm; elytral length 1.1 mm; elytral maximum width 0.6 mm.

Body ovoid, elongate, about 2.2× as long as wide; weakly convex dorsally and ventrally; bicolorous (as preserved): head, appendages, underside and pronotum brown, elytra with dark pattern, forming cross consisting of one vertical and two horizontal bars, i.e., one longitudinal (along suture) and two transverse (in basal and in medial parts of elytra). Pubescence: dorsum homogenously covered with fine, semirecumbent hairs, not forming patches.

Head declined, abruptly constricted posteriorly, widest across eyes, with narrow temples, densely punctate, without distinct transverse carina separating occiput from posterior face of head capsule. Compound eyes large, prominent, emarginate anteriorly at antennal base, with short interfacetal setation, widely separate. Mandible short and broad, bidentate.Antennal insertions exposed from above.Antennae 11-segmented, filiform, comparatively short, extending to about base of pronotum; scape and pedicel short, rounded; antennomeres 3–10 elongate, subconical; anennomere 11 longest, spindle-shaped, pointed at apex, about 3.3× as long as wide. Maxillary palp large, about 1.5× shorter than antenna, with apical maxillary palpomere elongate securiform. Apical labial palpomere small, expanded, with emargination apically.

Pronotum distinctly transverse, 0.5× as long as wide, widest in posterior one-quarter and distinctly narrowed anteriad, laterally margined (at least in posterior one-half); pronotal disc weakly convex, with two paired basal pits; pronotal surface densely punctate. Anterior pronotal margin arcuate; posterior margin trisinuate (concave against scutellar shield and in areas of basal pronotal pits). Posterior pronotal angles rectangular, rounded. Prosternal process incomplete, narrowed apically. Procoxal cavities narrowly separated, open externally.

Scutellar shield minute, triangular, not pubescent.

Elytra oval, tapered at apex, about 1.8× as long as wide combined, moderately convex, 3.7× as long as pronotum. Humeral angles rounded, humeri well-developed. Elytral punctation rather large, irregular, distance between punctures 1.0–2.0× as large as one puncture diameter. Epipleura well-developed, widest basally, slightly narrowed posteriad, reaching abdominal ventrite 1. Mesocoxal cavities closed, narrowly separated. Metaventrite with broad longitudinal carina, finely punctate. Metathoracic wings not apparent.

Legs slender. Procoxae subcontiguous, projecting well below prosternum; mesocoxae large, circular; metacoxae transverse, narrowly separated. Protrochantin exposed. Femora and tibiae subequal in length. Tibiae straight, slightly dilated apically, finely setose along outer margin, with paired well-developed apical spurs; tibial spurs flattened, equal in length, seemingly pubescent but not serrate. Tarsal formula 5–5–4, tarsomeres with sparse, fine setation ventrally; pro- and mesotarsi with penultimate tarsomeres weakly widened, but not bilobed; metatarsi linear, without distinctly lobed tarsomeres.

Abdomen with five visible ventrites, finelly punctate, with very short, recumbent pubescence. Relative length ratios of ventrites 1–5 equal to 4:3:1:1:2 (measured medially).

Derivatio nominis. The specific epithet refers to the bicolored elytral pattern of the specimen, looking like black double-barred Jagiellonian cross on a brown background. It is formed after the Latin adjective “crucifer, -a, -um” (cross bearing).