Paralithomerus exquisitus Chang, Zhang & Ren, 2008, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Chang, Huali
name: Zhang, Fan
name: Ren, Dong
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2008
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Elateridae
Paralithomerus
Paralithomerus exquisitus

description: Paralithomerus exquisitus sp. nov.
(Figs. 1–10)
Type specimen: Holotype. CNU-C-LB2006874-1, CNU-C-LB2006874-2 (part and counterpart of one specimen), almost complete impression of elaterid, housed in Key Lab of Insect Evolution & Environmental Changes, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China.
Locality and horizon. Collected from 2nd Bed of the Yixian Formation in Huangbanjigou, near Chaomidian Village, Shangyuan County, Beipiao City, Liaoning Province, China; Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous.
Etymology. Specific name derived from Latin “ exquisitus ”, (meaning “exquisite”), for the striae of elytra are exquisitely preserved and elegantly lined.
Diagnosis. Head medium sized; maxillary palpi three segmented, last segment enlarged; eyes oval. Pronotum with width 1.07 times wider than long; prosternal process short. Elytra with 9 longitudinal striae, the 2nd and 3rd, 6th and 7th are united at the apical 1/4.
Description. Body subcylindrical, small sized, with length 8.5 mm, width 2.5 mm, elytron length 5.3mm; Maxillary palpi with terminal segment enlarged; Elytra with 9 distinctly longitudinal striae, the 3rd and 4th, 7th and 8th are united approximately at the apical 1/4 (Figs. 1, 2).
Head sub-triangular, convex; maxillary palpi three segmented, with terminal segment enlarged; mandibles incurved, bidentate at apex; labrum small, transverse; eyes oval, medium sized (Fig. 3).
Antennae filiform, incomplete with 8 preserved segments; scape robust, pedicel slightly shorter than scape and antennomere 3 together, antennomeres 4–8 progressively narrower (Figs. 3, 9).
Pronotum 1.92 times as long as head; with width 1.07 times wider than long; anterior margin arched inside, with short angles, lateral margins arcuate in front of hind angles, basal margin bisinuate, with basal pleural furrow; disc slightly convex; hind angles acute, with distinct short carina, produced laterally and posteriorly while embracing elytra bases (Figs. 1, 4, 9).
Elytra wider than prothorax, 3.62 times as long as wide; disc slightly convex, with 9 distinct longitudinal striae, the 3rd and 4th, 7th and 8th are united approximately at the apical 1/4; apex of elytra slightly obtuse (Figs. 1, 7, 9).
Ventral surface with chin piece normally arcuate; pronotosternal suture double, widely opened anteriorly; procoxal cavities small, rounded and separated, open behind; prosternal process quite short, wedge-shaped. Mesoventrite small, with transverse sutures, mesoventral cavity circular, mesepimeron triangular, mesocoxae open to mesepimeron. Metaventrite and mesoventrite separated by distinct suture, metaventrite relatively long and flat, with longitudinal suture; metepisternum normal; metacoxal plates slender, obtusely long triangular, evenly narrowed laterally. Abdomen with 5 visible ventrites, narrowed from the base of fifth visible ventrite, apical ventrite extending beyond elytra; ovipositor slightly extended (Figs. 2, 4–6, 8, 10).
Legs with procoxa rounded, profemur slender, mesocoxa circular, much bigger than procoxa, mesotrochanter quite small, oval, metacoxa plates slender, obtusely long triangular, metatrochanter oval (Figs. 6, 10).
description: Published as part of Chang, Huali, Zhang, Fan & Ren, Dong, 2008, A new genus and two new species of fossil Elaterids from the Yixian Formation of Western Liaoning, China (Coleoptera: Elateridae), pp. 54-62 in Zootaxa 1785 on pages 55-58, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.182430