Turgaphilus Lyubarsky et Perkovsky, 2025

Genus Turgaphilus Lyubarsky et Perkovsky , gen.nov

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:

Figs 1–5 View Figure 1 View Figure 2 View Figure 3 View Figure 4 View Figure 5

Type species: " Cryptophagites " capitatus Ponomarenko, 1990

Diagnosis. Length of body 2.5–2.8 mm. Temples present ( Fig. 1A View Figure 1 ). Compound eyes without interfacetal setae ( Fig. 2A View Figure 2 ), supraocular line present ( Fig. 4A View Figure 4 ). Antenna 11-segmented, club with three antennomeres. Subantennal grooves present ( Figs 2A View Figure 2 , 4B View Figure 4 ). Length of apical labial palpomere greater than its width. Genae unprojected ( Fig. 2A View Figure 2 ). Pronotum not strongly constricted at base, lateral margins of pronotum not parallel. Pronotal disc transverse; lateral pronotal carinae complete ( Figs 1A View Figure 1 , 2 View Figure 2 А). Prosternum in front of coxae long ( Fig. 1 View Figure 1 А), anterior portion of prosternum at midline longer than prosternal process. Procoxa rounded, not transverse. Procoxal cavities externally open ( Figs 1A View Figure 1 , 2B View Figure 2 ). Shortest distance between procoxal cavities less than half as great as mid length of cavity ( Figs 1A View Figure 1 , 2B View Figure 2 ). Procoxal cavity about as long as wide. Mesocoxal cavities narrowly separated ( Figs 1A View Figure 1 , 2B View Figure 2 ): shortest distance between mesocoxal cavities less than half as long as shortest diameter of cavity. Mesocoxal cavities laterally closed by meeting of mesoventrite and metaventrite ( Figs 1A View Figure 1 , 2B View Figure 2 ). Submesocoxal lines absent. Metacoxae widely separated ( Figs 2B View Figure 2 , 3A View Figure 3 ), distance between coxae larger than third of longest coxal diameter. Metacoxae not extending laterally to meet elytral epipleura ( Figs 2B View Figure 2 , 3A View Figure 3 , 4B View Figure 4 ). Scutellum triangular. Elytra fully concealing abdomen from above ( Figs 5A, 5B View Figure 5 ). Elytral punctation fine, irregular ( Fig. 3A View Figure 3 ); epipleuron complete to apex ( Figs 1A View Figure 1 , 2B View Figure 2 ). Length of tarsomere 1 greater than tarsomere 2 and 3. Tarsomeres 1–3 with small lobes, tarsomere 4 less than others, inserted between the lobes of tarsomere 3. Tarsomere 5 not longer than previous ones combined ( Fig. 4B View Figure 4 ). Abdominal ventrite 1 without postcoxal lines ( Fig. 3A View Figure 3 ). Abdominal intercoxal process broadly rounded. The length of ventrite 1 slightly longer than that of each subsequent ventrite.

Turgaphilus capitatus ( Ponomarenko, 1990)

Figs. 1-5 View Figure 1 View Figure 2 View Figure 3 View Figure 4 View Figure 5

Material. Holotype PIN 1742 View Materials /179 . Paratypes PIN 1742 View Materials /171, PIN 1742 View Materials /503.

Description. Body moderately elongate, about 2.5–2.8 mm long, 1.0– 1.1 mm wide; surface without hairs.

Head prognathous, transverse, abruptly constricted immediately behind eyes, with distinct temples. Temples short, shorter than length of eye. Compound eyes slightly prominent, moderately coarsely facetted, without interfacetal setae. Eyes large, about 0.5 as long as head. Supraocular line present. Transverse occipital ridge weak. Antennal insertions partially covered by a weak frontal carina; subantennal groove absent. Genae not projected. Antennae 11-segmented; last three antennomeres wider than preceeding ones, forming distinct 3-segmented club. Scape larger than pedicel and flagellomeres. Antennomeres 1-5 elongated, twice as long as wide, antennomeres 3, 4, and 5 as long as wide, antennomeres 6-8 subquadrate. Antennomeres 9, 10 slightly transverse, 11 th elongate-oval. Labial palp with apically palpomere elongate-oval.

Pronotum transverse, slightly narrowed basally and strongly narrowed apically, widest near base. Pronotal disc trapezoidal, transverse, slightly narrower as combined elytral width, surface with fine, confused punctation. Pronotum 0.5–0.6 times as long as wide. Anterior margin of pronotum without notch. Anterior angles of pronotum poorly developed. Anterior and posterior angles subrectangular. Lateral margin smooth, not serrate. Pronotal pits absent. Prosternum in front of coxae long. Prosternum in front of coxae about slightly longer than shortest diameter of procoxal cavity. Procoxae not projecting below prosternum. Procoxae rounded, procoxal cavity about as long as wide. Procoxal cavities externally open. Shortest distance between procoxal cavities less than half as long as length of cavity. Prosternal process truncate apically, and slightly beyond posterior margins of coxae, flat. Mesocoxal cavities narrowly separated: shortest distance between mesocoxal cavities less than half as great as shortest diameter of cavity. Mesocoxal cavities laterally closed by meeting of mesoventrite and metaventrite. Submesocoxal lines absent. Underside (prothorax, metathorax, abdomen) fine and irregularly punctate. Metaventrite shorter as prothorax and mesoventrite combined. Metacoxae transverse, widely separated, distance between coxae larger than third of longest coxal diameter. Distance between posterior coxae greater than diameter of middle coxa. Metacoxae not extending laterally to meet elytral epipleura.

Scutellar shield not abruptly elevated, slightly transversal, triangular, posteriorly angulated. Elytra elongate-oval, about 1.6 times as long as combined width and 3.25 times as long as pronotum; surface with fine, confused punctation; epipleura complete. Elytra fully cover abdomen from above; with scutellary striole. Elytral punctation fine, irregular. Legs relatively long and slender. Tibiae slightly and gradually widened distally, bottle-shaped. Tibial teeth and spurs absent. Tarsi 5–5–5, tarsomeres 2, 3 with small ventral lobes. Length of tarsomere 1 greater or equal than tarsomeres 2 and 3 combined. Tarsomere 4 less than others, inserted between the lobes of tarsomere 3. Tarsomere 5 not longer than previous ones combined.

Abdomen with five ventrites. Ventrite 1 slightly longer than 2, 2 slightly longer than 3 and 4, ventrite 5 long, as long as ventrite 1. Postcoxal lines absent. Intercoxal process wide, not acute, slightly rounded. Punctation on 5 ventrite normal and fine.

Discussion

This species belongs to the family Erotylidae according to the following characters: antennae 11- segmented with 3-segmented club; mesocoxal cavities moderately separated, shortest distance between mesocoxal cavities less than shortest diameter of cavity; mesocoxal cavities laterally closed by the metaventrite; tarsi 5–5–5; epipleura complete.

Complete epipleura are present in Peltidae (Cleroidea) ; Sphindidae ; Phloeostichidae ; Cucujidae ; Passandridae ; Myraboliidae ; Cyclaxyridae ; Laemophloeidae ; Cavognatidae; Phalacridae ; Biphyllidae , Erotylidae .

The new genus Turgaphilus does not belong to the Biphyllidae , since there are no femoral lines, the hind coxae are not close together, the prosternal process is not longer than the front coxae, the tibiae are slender and not strong with spines, the 2–3 tarsomeres are not clearly lobed and the posterior tarsus is not very long. The new genus Turgaphilus does not belong to the Sphindidae , since the antennae is not 10-segmented, the procoxal cavities are not closed behind, the metacoxae are not close together, the last tarsomere is not very long, and the 1st ventrite is not long. The new genus does not belong to the Boganiidae , since mesocoxal cavities laterally closed, antennal club large, tarsomere 4 not reduced; Turgaphilus does not belong to the Cavognathidae , since the mesocoxae are not open laterally and the metacoxae are not close together. The new genus Turgaphilus does not belong to the Myraboliidae , since the 1st ventrite is not very long, the prosternal process is not very widened at the apex. The new genus Turgaphilus does not belong to the Lophocateridae (Cleroidea) , since it does not strongly transverse procoxae, does not have laterally expanded metacoxae reaching the elytral epipleura, the last tarsomeres is not very long. The new genus Turgaphilus does not belong to the Peltidae and Laemophloeidae , because it differs in the general shape of the body, which is not so flattened. The genus Turgaphilus gen.nov. belongs to Xenoscelinae , because supraocular line present; vertexal line present; anterior angles of pronotum poorly developed; pronotal pits absent; submesocoxal lines absent; length of tarsomere 1 greater than or equal to that of tarsomere 2; tarsomeres 2 or 3 not strongly lobed below; tarsomere 4 reduced; elytra with confused punctation; scutellary striole present. The new genus Turgaphilus is similar to the extant genus Xenoscelis , but differs from it in that Xenoscelis has the pronotum parallel-sided, while in Turgaphilus it is strongly narrowed apically. Xenoscelis has the procoxal cavities completely closed behind, but in Turgaphilus these are externally open.

Leschen & Buckley (2007) presents a scheme of cladistic analysis of Erotylidae (p. 103, Fig. 4 View Figure 4 ). The root clade of the family is Xenoscelinae . Thus the discovered genus Turgaphilus belongs to the root clade of the family.

To date, Turgaphilus is the only genus from the Cretaceous that can be confidently assigned to the family Erotylidae . Isocryptophilus Li & Cai, 2024 from Kachin amber, Myanmar; mid-Cretaceous, lowerest Cenomanian, lacks several important characters of Erotylidae , even though it is difficult to assign to any other family ( Li et al. 2024).

The genus Isocryptophilus can be included in the Biphyllidae , Erotylidae , Silvanidae , Agapythidae , Cavognathidae or Phloeostichidae . Many characters of Isocryptophilus make it difficult to classify as an Erotylidae . For example, Isocryptophilus has incomplete epipleura, an indistinct antennal club, and a flattened body. The authors indicate the taxonomic position as follows: Superfamily (?) Erotyloidea Latreille, 1802 ( Li et al. 2024). The beetle is not assigned to any family, only its similarity to Erotylidae is indicated.

Another Kachin amber genus, Alloterocucus , was described and assigned to the family Lamingtoniidae . The question of whether this genus belongs to the family Erotylidae is currently being discussed. Alloterocucus has complete epipleura, but it cannot be assigned to the Erotyloidea because the tarsi are 5-5-4 and open mesocoxal cavities exclude it from Erotylidae ( Li et al. 2022) .

The third species described in the genus “ Cryptophagites ” is “ Cryptophagites ” elongatus Ponomarenko, 1990 (PIN 1742/177) ( Fig. 6 View Figure 6 ) – probably belongs to the family Helotidae ( Liu et al. 2019) . This specimen has the following characters: the subtrapezoid frontoclypeus, pronotum narrowed anteriorly and posteriorly, as wide as long, weakly transverse, head weakly elongated, subtriangular, metacoxal cavities widely separated. The specimen similar to Parahelota Liu, Ślipiński et al., 2019 but differs from Helotidae : Helotidae have the large and distinctly protruding eyes, but “ Cryptophagites ” elongatus eyes are different. Unfortunately, many important characters of this specimen are poorly visible.

Acknowledgements

The study of G.Yu. Lyubarsky was conducted under the state assignment of Lomonosov Moscow State University. Authors thank Alexandr P. Rasnitsyn (PIN) and Thomas Pape (Natural History Museum of Denmark) for useful advices; and anonymous reviewers for the valuable comments that improved the manuscript.

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