ZooKeys | 30: 255-261 (201 I) A peer-reviewed open-access journal
doi: 10.3897/zookeys. 130.1321 RESEARCH ARTICLE #ZooKey S

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Third contribution on Rovno amber silken fungus
beetles: a new Eocene species of Cryptophagus
(Coleoptera, Clavicornia, Cryptophagidae)

G.Yu. Lyubarsky!', E.E. Perkovsky?*

| Zoological Museum of Moscow State University, Bolshaya Nikitskaya str. 6, Moscow, 103009 Russia
2 Schmathausen Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Bogdan Khmelnitski str. 15,
Kiev, 01601 Ukraine

T urn:lsid:zoobank. org:author:AEAF804B-99EA-4721-B8F3-9BEA1E7590BA
* urn:lsid:zoobank. org:author:1452B4BA-0E2B-40DA-8E8F-1F7A26F497D0

Corresponding author: E.E. Perkovsky (perkovsky2@gmail.com)

Academic editor: D. Shcherbakov | Received 30 March 2011 | Accepted 1 August 2011 | Published 24 September 2011
urn:lsid:zoobank. org:pub:4E430A3 1-2D 14-4FC6-8395-8D 7042E 1FBE4

Citation: Lyubarsky GY, Perkovsky EE (2011) Third contribution on Rovno amber silken fungus beetles: a new Eocene
species of Cryptophagus (Coleoptera, Clavicornia, Cryptophagidae). In: Shcherbakov DE, Engel MS, Sharkey MJ (Eds)
Advances in the Systematics of Fossil and Modern Insects: Honouring Alexandr Rasnitsyn. ZooKeys 130: 255-261. doi:
10.3897/zookeys. 130.1321

Abstract

Cryptophagus alexagrestis Lyubarsky & Perkovsky, sp. n. is described based on a fossil inclusion in Late
Eocene Rovno amber (Ukraine). The new species is similar to the extant Cryptophagus skalitzkyi Reitter
and C. dilutus Reitter, differing from the latter by having a very transverse, short and dilated 10" antennal

segment, and from the former by the very elongate segments of the flagellum.

Keywords
Cryptophagidae, Cryptophagus, Late Eocene, Rovno amber, Ukraine

Introduction

The family Cryptophagidae is a group of small beetles with about 800 described species
placed in approximately 50 genera and represented in all biogeographic realms. Most
members of the family are free-living and mycophagous.

Copyright G. Yu. Lyubarsky, E.E. Perkovsky. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

256 G. Yu. Lyubarsky & ELE. Perkovsky | ZooKeys 130: 255-261 (2011)

Silken fungus beetles are very common in the litter of forests in temperate
climatic regions, where only Staphylinidae, Curculionidae and Carabidae are more
abundant (Hyvarinen et al. 2006, Foottit and Adler 2009, Nitu et al. 2009, Sustek
and Kristofik 2009). Most cryptophagids are nidicolous beetles; they are one of the
most abundant beetles in the nests and burrows of rodents, birds and social insects
(Lyubarsky 1996). On the other hand, in tropical Africa silken fungus beetles are
rarely collected in litter (Kouadio et al. 2009). Cryptophagidae (together with La-
tridiidae) are fire-favoured insects (Muona and Rutanen 1994, Wikars and Schim-
mel 2001). Both adults and larvae of silken fungus beetles are commonly found on
mold, fungi, under bark, as well as in decaying vegetation. Some genera are char-
acterized by inquilinism with termites and social hymenopterans (Apidae, Vespidae
and Formicidae) (Leschen 1999). Unlike many other groups of beetle symbionts,
cryptophagid inquiline lineages do not have marked increases in speciation rates,
despite the fact that the first records of some inquiline genera are from Late Eocene
Baltic amber (Leschen 1999).

Discoveries of cryptophagids in fossil resins (see Lyubarsky and Perkovsky 2010)
are of particular interest; over time, the generalization of such data can help to un-
derstand paleoclimates. Late Eocene Rovno amber represents a southern coeval ana-
logue of the famous Baltic amber (Perkovsky et al. 2007, Perkovsky et al. 2010),
collected in the northwest of Ukraine. The amber collection of the Schmalhausen
Institute of Zoology of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev (SIZK) con-
tains more than 950 inclusions of beetles from unselected Rovno amber (Perkovsky
et al. 2010; Kazantsev 2010), among them only three specimens are of silken fungus
beetles (Lyubarsky and Perkovsky 2010; Lyubarsky and Perkovsky in press, this pa-
per): one specimen of Micrambe Thomson, 1863 and two specimens of Cryptophagus
Herbst, 1863. The amber piece containing the holotype of the new species described
herein was mined in Pugach quarry (Klesov, north of Rovno region). Besides find-
ings from fossil resins, Paleogene representatives of Cryptophagus are known as com-
pression fossils from Argentina (Cryptophagus suncholensis Cockerell) and United
States (Cryptophagus bassleri Wickham, C. petricola Wickham) (Ponomarenko and
Kirejtshuk 2011).

The tarsal formula 5—5—5, 3-segmented antennal club, and closed procoxal cavities
of the new species are quite characteristic of the family Cryptophagidae. The new spe-
cies has antennal insertions exposed in dorsal view; pronotum with a well-developed
marginal callosity; mesocoxal cavity closed laterally by the sternum; ventrite 1 longer
than the remaining ventrites; and confused elytral punctation. These characters are in-
dicative of the genus Cryptophagus (Cryptophaginae). Representatives of Cryptophagus
are found in all biogeographic realms; the genus includes 137 species from the Palae-
arctic Region (Johnson et al. 2007).

Photographs were taken at the Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Scienc-
es (Moscow) by V.A. Kolyada and the second author using a Leica M 165 microscope. To
create diffused illumination, a cup of white styrofoam was placed between an object and
a light source. The captured images were assembled with Helicon Focus 5.01 software.

A new Eocene species of Cryptophagus... 257

Taxonomy

Family Cryptophagidae Kirby, 1837
Subfamily Cryptophaginae Kirby, 1837
Cryptophagus Herbst, 1863

Cryptophagus alexagrestis Lyubarsky & Perkovsky, sp. n.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: DB75F93F-056F-4B85-8505-5F255C694388
http://species-id.net/wiki/Cryptophagus_alexagrestis

Figs 1-2

Material. Holotype, SIZK K-24572, Klesov, Rovno amber, Late Eocene. Syninclu-
sion: Chironomidae. Sex of the holotype unknown.

Etymology. From Alex, in honour of Prof. Alexandr Rasnitsyn, and “agrestis” from
Latin ager for field, farm.

Description. Body broadly elongate, slightly convex; head, pronotum, and elytra
brown. Elytra slightly convex, covered with elevated pubescence.

Head transverse, of normal size, with hemispherical, somewhat coarsely facetted
eyes, strongly and sparsely punctured. Antennae long, slender, with club reaching be-
yond base of pronotum, joints of flagellum elongate, 4", 6 segment more than 1.5
times as long as broad, 5" 2 times as long as broad, 9 and 10" transverse, 11" oblique-
ly oval, joints 9-11 equal in width.

Pronotum flat, not very strongly narrowed basally, distinctly transverse, barely 1.6
times broader than long, moderately not strongly and sparsely punctured (distance
between punctures more than their diameter), an individual puncture less than the di-
ameter of a facet. Pronotum without sublateral line, somewhat convex, sides narrowed
basally and apically, with a single lateral tooth. Sides finely margined, anterior edge
weakly sinuate. Callosity occupies at most one-seventh of side margin, with a small,
elongate-oval patch of bare surface invisible from above; caudolateral corner obtuse
angular, callosity without point. Lateral tooth far before middle of lateral margin. Pos-
terior 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, 1.7 times as long as wide and 3.0
times as long as thorax, moderately convex, slightly flattened behind scutellum, with
slightly rounded sides and a narrowly rounded apex, punctuation less strong and more
sparse than that on pronotum.

Length of body 1.8 mm.

Remarks. Cryptophagus alexagrestis sp. n. is most similar to the modern C. lat
erangulus Reitter (Caucasus, Iraq, Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan), C. pseudoschmidti
Woodroffe (Eastern Europe, Siberia, Mongolia), C. dilutus Reitter (Holarctic: North
Africa, Europe, Caucasus, Middle Asia, Iran, Iraq, India, China, Siberia, North Amer-
ica), C. skalitgkyi Reitter (Europe, Caucasus, Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan,

258 G. Yu. Lyubarsky & ELE. Perkovsky | ZooKeys 130: 255-261 (2011)

A + ;

Figure |. Cryptophagus alexagrestis sp. n., holotype (SIZK K-24572, Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology,
Kiev) a body, dorsal b body, lateral ¢ front part, dorsal.

A new Eocene species of Cryptophagus... 259

Figure 2. Dorsal view, Cryptophagus alexagrestis sp. n.

Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Eastern Siberia) with
elevated elytral pubescence, bare surface of callosity not visible from above, 4 segment
of antenna elongate, nearly 1.5 times as long as broad, lateral tooth far before middle of
pronotum, small length of callosity (see Lyubarsky 2002). All mentioned modern spe-
cies are widely distributed in steppe and desert zones, less common in the forest zone.
Cryptophagus dilutus is common in the steppe and desert zones of Eurasia — in materials
from Iraq, Iran, China, and Central Asia it is quite common. All mentioned species
can be included in the key for identification of Cryptophagus (see Lyubarsky 2002, pp.
324-325, synthesis 17 and the following) with some changes, as shown below:

1

Punctation of prothorax distinctly dense. Eyes often strongly prominent,
hemispherical, with large facets. Lateral tooth extremely strongly prominent,
bur very.smalls Lengel 235227 Smit geaecesscrmnsaae eases C. laterangulus
Punctation of prothorax sparse. Lateral tooth not extremely prominent......2
Eyes large, length greater than half the length of the head, asymmetrical coni-
cal, prominent, with large facets, diameter of facet more than 11 um. 5"
segment of antenna weakly elongated, 1.5 times as long as broad. Callosity oc-
cupies from 1/5 to 1/4 of length of lateral margin. Lateral tooth of prothorax
normal or small, nearly reduced. Length 2.6-3.4 mm..... C. pseudoschmidti

260 G. Yu. Lyubarsky & ELE. Perkovsky / ZooKeys 130: 255-261 (2011)

= Eyes normal in size, length less than half the length of the head, slightly
prominent, with small facets, diameter of facet less than 11 um. Lateral tooth
of prothorax normal. Callosity occupies from 1/8 to 1/5 of length of lateral
PLAT OU us Pence ibderdaabsebtadeuyenietestys shal sarsmictnohiukeace twat acedeenssodetepiitus sh 3
3 10" segment of antenna rounded, about 1.5 times as broad as long. Callosity
with point. Callosity occupies 1/6—1/5 length of lateral margin of pronotum.
Were tlt 2a) aerated wRoliuh, kati sea Maep hatin sande enk eirok ha toae tale. node C. dilutus
5 10" segment of antenna short and dilated, very transverse, as least twice as
broad as long. Callosity short, its length occupying 1/8—1/6 length of lateral
MareineOl PrOMO MANA: ki less te Ss cecal aladihs lectiehandded ned Agsidanelnnee tite, -.
4 Facets of eyes small, diameter of facet less than 8 um. Segments of flagellum
weakly elongate, 4", 5", 6" segment 1.5 times as long as broad. Prothorax
convex, very strongly narrowed basally. Punctuation of prothorax moderately
dense, distance between neighbouring punctures equal to diameter of punc-
ture‘or slightly less“Length: 19-23 iit 2.05 on. dit ce esteeeedveseeets C. skalitzkyi
= Facets of eyes large, diameter of facet more than 11 um. Segments of flagel-
lum strongly elongate, 4", 6" segment more than 1.5 times as long as broad,
5" 2 times as long as broad. Prothorax flat, not very strongly narrowed basally.
Deri ta Bin ens rccctenk aida dee bnnser side dee NeueeaceeecNonktys C. alexagrestis sp. n.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Alexandr Rasnitsyn for providing access to facilities and continuous
help; Victor Kolyada for kindly taking photographs of the specimen; Victor Fursov for
checking the first draft of manuscript; David Penney for quickly checking the English.

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