Open AccessTwo new species of Cantharis Linnaeus, 1758 from Baltic amber
Author(s) -
Fabrizio Fanti,
Maximilian G. Pankowski
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
zootaxa
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.621
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1175-5334
pISSN - 1175-5326
DOI - 10.11646/zootaxa.4878.3.1
Subject(s) - aedeagus , biology , genus , baltic amber , claw , zoology , ovipositor , holotype , ecology , paleontology , hymenoptera
Two new species of soldier beetles (Coleoptera, Cantharidae) from the Priabonian deposits in Yantarny, Russia (Baltic amber) are described. Cantharis crisantha sp. nov. is characterized by its relatively small body size, laterally rounded prothorax, and simple claws with a small basal tooth. Of particular interest, this specimen has its aedeagus extruded—a feature described for the first time in a representative of the genus Cantharis found in amber, and something rarely seen in all known fossil species of the Cantharidae family. The second described species, Cantharis raeorum sp. nov., is characterized by a pronotum with straight sides and a transverse and concave part near the posterior margin. The species are compared with earlier reported fossil Cantharis.