The First Eocene Species of the Genus Cryptophagus (Coleoptera, Clavicornia, Cryptophagidae)

Abstract

The First Eocene Species of the Genus Cryptophagus (Coleoptera, Clavicornia, Cryptophagidae)
Based on a fossil specimen from the Late Eocene Rovno amber (Ukraine), Cryptophagus harenus Lyubarsky et Perkovsky, sp. n., an Eocene species of this genus is described. The new species is similar to the extant desert species Cryptophagus desertus Lyubarsky and C. recticollis Solsky, differing by the large callosity occupying 1/4 length of lateral margin of pronotum.

Full text

UDC 595.763.71
THE FIRST EOCENE SPECIES OF THE GENUS
CRYPTOPHAGUS (COLEOPTERA, CLAVICORNIA,
CRYPTOPHAGIDAE)
G. Yu. Lyubarsky1, E. E. Perkovsky2
1Zoological Museum of Moscow State University
Bol’shaya Nikitskaya str., 6, Moscow, 103009 Russia
E-mail: lgeorgy@rambler.ru
2Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, NAS of Ukraine,
B. Chmielnicky str., 15, Kyiv, 01601 Ukraine
E-mail: perkovsk@gmail.com
Received 22 October 2010
Accepted 10 November 2011
The First Eocene Species of the Genus Cryptophagus (Coleoptera, Clavicornia, Cryptophagidae).
Lyubarsky G. Yu., Perkovsky E. E. – Based on a fossil specimen from the Late Eocene Rovno amber
(Ukraine), Cryptophagus harenus Lyubarsky et Perkovsky, sp. n., an Eocene species of this genus is
described. The new species is similar to the extant desert species Cryptophagus desertus Lyubarsky and
C. recticollis Solsky, differing by the large callosity occupying 1/4 length of lateral margin of pronotum.
Key words: Cryptophagidae, Cryptophagus, Late Eocene, Rovno amber.
Ïåðâûé ýîöåíîâûé âèä ðîäà Cryptophagus (Coleoptera, Clavicornia, Cryptophagidae). Ëþáàð -
ñêèé Ã. Þ., Ïåðêîâñêèé Å. Ý. – Èç ïîçäíåýîöåíîâîãî ðîâåíñêîãî ÿíòàðÿ (Óêðàèíà) îïèñàí
Cryptophagus harenus Lyubarsky et Perkovsky, sp. n. – ïåðâûé ýîöåíîâûé âèä ðîäà. Âèä íàèáîëåå
áëèçîê ê ñîâðåìåííûì ïóñòûííûì âèäàì Cryptophagus desertus Lyubarsky è C. recticollis Solsky;
îòëè÷àåòñÿ îò íèõ áîëüøîé ìîçîëüþ, çàíèìàþùåé ÷åòâåðòóþ ÷àñòü äëèíû ïåðåäíåñïèíêè.
Êëþ÷åâûå ñëîâà: Cryptophagidae, Cryptophagus, ïîçäíèé ýîöåí, ðîâåíñêèé ÿíòàðü.
Introduction
The family Cryptophagidae is a group of small beetles with about 800 described species placed in about
50 genera and represented in all biogeographic realms. Both adults and larvae are commonly found on mold,
fungi, under bark as well as in decaying vegetation. Atomaria Stephens and Hypocoprus Motschulsky were col-
lected in large mammals’ dung (for example, A. hislopi Wollaston was collected in dung of an elk). Some
genera of Cryptophagidae live in nests of social Hymenoptera, birds and mammals. The species of
Cryptophagus Herbst are collected from nests of bumblebees, bees, vespid wasp, and ants. Spaniophaenus
Reiter was collected from a termite nest. Micrambe Thomson is sometimes found in nests of gregarious cater-
pillar (Falcoz, 1929). Some species of Cryptophagus are found in wool and nests of rodents (Woodroffe,
Coombs, 1961; Barrera, Martinez, 1968).
Species of Catopochrotus Reitter, Myrmedophila Bousquet, Spavius Motschulsky, Hypocoprus inhabit in
ant nests. Species of Telmatophilus Heer apparently feed on flower heads of certain aquatic plants. One species
of Atomaria Stephens is a sugar beet pest. Cryptothelypterus Leschen et Lawrence feeds on fern spores
(Leschen, Lawrence, 1991). Several species of Cryptophagus Herbst are found in stored products. Hypocoprus
Motschulsky is associated with drier habitat. Recent review of natural history of the family, food preferences
and habitat is given in Leschen (Leschen, 1996) and Lyubarsky (Lyubarsky, 2002).
The fossil Cryptophagidae is insufficiently known, like many other families Cucujoidea. The oldest
described cryptophagid species is the Upper Cretaceous Nganasania khetica Zherikhin (Zherikhin, 1977)
described from fossil resin of Northern Siberia; questionable cryptophagid was reported from the Lower
Vestnik zoologii, 46(1): 83—87, 2012

Cretaceous Lebanese amber (Kirejtshuk, Azar, 2008). Cretaceous Cryptophagites Ponomarenko (Ponomarenko,
Ryvkin, 1990) is not Cryptophagidae. Representative of Cryptophagidae identified only to the family level was
found in the lowermost Eocene French amber (Kirejtshuk, Nel, 2008). Representatives of recent cryptophagid
genera, viz., Cryptophagus, Antherophagus Dejean, Atomaria, Micrambe, Ephistemus Stephens and Telmatophilus
are reported from the Late Eocene Baltic amber found in former East Prussia (now Kaliningrad region) (Klebs,
1910; Spahr, 1981; Kubisz, 2000); the latter genus is also reported from the Bitterfeldian amber (Hieke,
Pietrzeniuk, 1984).
Rovno amber is a southern coeval analogue of famous Baltic amber (Perkovsky et al., 2007; Perkovsky
et al., 2010). Amber collection of the Institute of Zoology, NAS of Ukraine(SIZK) contains more than 800
inclusions of beetles from the Late Eocene Rovno amber, but the first cryptophagid species Rovno amber
(Micrambe sarnensis Lyubarsky et Perkovsky (Lyubarsky, Perkovsky, 2010) from Rovno amber was found
only two years ago.
The new species belongs to the family Cryptophagidae: tarsal formula, 3-segmented club of antennae,
closed procoxal cavities. The new species showing antennal insertions exposed in dorsal view; pronotum with
well developed marginal callosity; mesocoxal cavity closed laterally by the sternum; ventrite 1 longer than
remaining ventrites; puncturation of elytra confused. These characters are indicative of the genus
Cryptophagus Herbst (Cryptophaginae). Representatives of Cryptophagus are found in all biogeographic
realms. The genus Cryptophagus includes the 137 species from the Palaearctic Region (Johnson et al., 2007).
Photographs were taken at the Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (Moskow) by
A. V. Mazin and the second author at the microscope Leica MZ 16.
Family CRYPTOPHAGIDAE Kirby, 1837
Subfamily CRYPTOPHAGINAE Kirby, 1837
Genus Cryptophagus Herbst, 1863
Cryptophagus harenus Lyubarsky et Perkovsky sp. n.
M a t er ia l. Holotype, SIZK No K-8224, Klesov, Rovno amber, Late Eocene. Syninclusions: Psychodidae,
leg of Tipuloidea, two mites on the of beetle (Uropodina, ?Trematuridae) (fig. 1, 2 a).
Description. Body broadly elongate (fig. 1, 1; 2), slightly convex; head, prono-
tum, and elytra reddish brown. Elytra slightly convex, covered with almost appressed
pubescence.
Head transverse, of normal size, with hemispherical, somewhat coarsely facetted
eyes, strongly and sparsely punctured. Antennae long, slender, with club reaching
beyond base of pronotum, joints 1—3 elongate, joints 4—8 slightly conical, almost equal
in length, 9th and 10th transverse, 11th obliquely oval, joints 9—11 equal in width.
Pronotum distinctly transverse, barely 1.6 times broader than long, moderately
strongly and densely punctured (1 diameters apart), an individual puncture almost
equal to facette diameter. Pronotum without sublateral line, somewhat convex, with
subparallel sides, with a single lateral tooth. Sides finely margined, anterior edge weak-
ly sinuate. Callosity occupying at most one-fourth of side margin, with a small, elon-
gate-oval patch of bare surface invisible from above; caudolateral corner obtuse angu-
lar, callosity without point. Lateral tooth far behind middle of lateral margin. Posterior
corners obtuse, base round, slightly sinuate, basal groove narrow.
Scutellum small, transverse. Elytra oval, humeral corners rounded, shoulders a lit-
tle broader than maximum breadth of pronotum, 1.8 times as long as wide and 3.1 times
as long as thorax, moderately convex, slightly flattened behind scutellum, with slightly
rounded sides and a narrowly rounded apex, puncturation more strong as, yet more
sparse than that on pronotum.
Length 3.1 mm.
Cryptophagus harenus sp. n. is most similar to the recent Cryptophagus desertus
Lyubarsky and C. recticollis Solsky: all three species easily separated from other
Cryptophagus by lateral tooth situated far behind middle of pronotum, in ¼ length to
posterior angle.
Etymology. Harenus (Latin) – arenaceous.
84 G. Yu. Lyubarsky, E. E. Perkovsky

85
The Eocene species of the Genus Cryptophagus…
Fig. 1. Cryptophagus harenus Holotype (SIZK K-8224, Klesov, Rovno amber, Late Eocene): 1– body, dor-
sal; 2– body, ventral (a– mite); 3– elytrae; 4– front part, dorsal.
Ðèñ. 1. Cryptophagus harenus ãîëîòèï (èíâ. íîìåð K-8224 êîëëåêöèè Èíñòèòóòà çîîëîãèè ÍÀÍ
Óêðàèíû, Êèåâ, Êëåñîâ, ðîâåíñêèé ÿíòàðü, ïîçäíèé ýîöåí): 1– âèä ñâåðõó; 2– âèä ñíèçó (a–
êëåù); 3– íàäêðûëüÿ; 4– ïðîíîòóì ñâåðõó.

Key to species of the genus Cryptophagus with lateral tooth situated far behind middle of pronotum
Òàáëèöà äëÿ îïðåäåëåíèÿ âèäîâ ðîäà Cryptophagus ñ ëàòåðàëüíûì çóáöîì, ðàñïîëîæåííûì äàëåêî çà ñåðå-
äèíîé ïðîíîòóìà
1. Callosity short, its length occupying 1/8—1/7 length of lateral margin of pronotum, with point, angle
between bare surface of callosity and longitudinal axis of body more than 55 degrees. Lateral tooth
strong. .................................................................................................................................................. 2
– Callosity normal, its length occupying 1/4 length of lateral margin of pronotum, without point, angle
between bare surface of callosity and longitudinal axis of body less than 55 degrees. Lateral tooth weak.
Length of body 3.1 mm. Rovno amber. .................................................................... C. harenus sp. n.
2. Pronotum relatively short, its length less than 0.3 length of elytra. 3rd segment of antennae equal to
2nd. Eyes flat. Length of body 1.8—2.3 mm. Kazakhstan (Atyrau (formerly Guryev) Province; Lake
Balkhash area); Uzbekistan (Bukhara Province, Kyzyl-Kum Desert). ................... C.recticollis Solsky
– Pronotum normal, its length more than 0.3 length of elytra. 3rd segment of antennae distinctly (more
than 1.3 times) longer than 2nd. Eyes normal in shape. Length of body 2.4—3.8 mm. Kazakhstan
(Atyrau (formerly Guryev) Province, Mongolia (South Gobi aimak), China (Alashan Plateau). ........
.............................................................................................................................. C. desertus Lyubarsky
C. desertus and C. recticollis inhabit the holes of big chickweed (Rhombomys opi -
mus (Lichtenstein) (Lyubarsky, 2002).
Discussion. Fauna of Rovno amber forest indicates more xeric environments
than those known for the Baltic amber forest (Perkovsky et al., 2007, 2010). Finding
of the new cryptophagid beetle related to the recent desert species is indicative of very
xeric environment in at least a part of open territories adjacent to the amber forest.
Authors are indebted to A. P. Rasnitsyn for continuous help and A. A. Khaustov for the determination
of mites.
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86 G. Yu. Lyubarsky, E. E. Perkovsky
Fig. 2. Cryptophagus harenus,dorsum of the body.
Ðèñ. 2. Cryptophagus harenus, äîðñàëüíàÿ ñòîðîíà òåëà.

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