Pleurambus strongylus n. gen., n. sp. (Coleoptera: Belidae) in
Dominican amber
Poinar Jr, G., & Legalov, A. A. (2013). Pleurambus strongylus n. gen., n.
sp.(Coleoptera: Belidae) in Dominican amber. Historical Biology, 26(5), 670-674.
doi:10.1080/08912963.2013.829825
10.1080/08912963.2013.829825
Taylor & Francis
Accepted Manuscript
http://cdss.library.oregonstate.edu/sa-termsofuse
Pleurambus strongylus n. gen., n. sp. (Coleoptera: Belidae) in Dominican amber
George Poinar, Jr.a* and Andrei A. Legalovb
a
Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
b
Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences,
Frunze street, 11, Novosibirsk 630091, Russia
* E-mail: poinarg@science.oregonstate.edu
1
Abstract
A new genus and species of belid weevils, Pleurambus strongylus Poinar and Legalov, n.
gen., n. sp. (Coleoptera: Belidae) in the tribe Allocorynini is described from Dominican
amber. Belid fossils are quite rare and the new species is the first fossil member of the
family from the Neotropics. This discovery suggests that belid diversity in Hispaniola
during the Tertiary was higher that at present since no extant belids have been reported
from the West Indies.
Key words: Dominican amber, Coleoptera, Belidae, new taxa, Tertiary weevils
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Introduction
Weevils of the family Belidae, which are considered primitive weevils, comprise two subfamilies.
More than 140 recent species in some 40 genera of the subfamily Belinae are distributed throughout
South America, Australia, New Guinea, Solomon Islands and New Zealand. Some 200 recent
species in at least 15 genera of the subfamily Oxycoryninae occur in southeastern North America as
well as in Central and South America, Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia, Hawaiian Islands, Canary
Islands, North Africa, Southern Africa, Southeast Asia, Soenda Islands, New Zealand and New
Caledonia (Legalov 2009). Fossil Belidae are very rare. The earliest known date from the Lower
Cretaceous Berriasian deposits of Montsec in Spain (Montsecbelus solutus (Whalley et
Jarzembowski, 1985) and Distenorrhinoides simulator Gratshev et Zherikhin, 2000), the Apian of
Santana in Brazil (Davidibelus cearensis Zherichin et Gratshev, 2004), and Middle Albian of
Khetana in Far East Russia (Khetana decapitata Zherikhin, 1993) (Gratshev and Zherikhin 2000;
Legalov 2012c; Whalley and Jarzembowski 1985; Zherikhin 1993; Zherichin and Gratshev 2004).
Four species (Archimetrioxena electrica Voss, 1953, Palaeometrioxena zherikhini Legalov, 2012,
Succinometrioxena poinari Legalov, 2012 and Succinometrioxena bachofeni Legalov, 2013) were
described from Late Eocene Baltic amber (Voss 1953; Legalov 2012a, 2012b, 2013).
Palaeorhopalotria neli Legalov 2013 dates from the Late Eocene of France (Legalov 2013) and
Paltorhynchus narwhal Scudder, 1893 was described from the Oligocene Florissant Beds in USA
(Scudder 1893; Legalov 2009). Discovering a new genus of belids in Dominican amber was
surprising since this group is very rare and there are no extant members of the family in Hispaniola.
The present study describes the fossil as a new genus and species of the tribe Allocorynini.
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Materials and methods
The specimens were obtained from mines in the Cordillera Septentrional of the Dominican
Republic. Dating of Dominican amber is still controversial with the latest purposed age of 20-15
mya based on foraminifera (Iturralde-Vinent and MacPhee 1996) and the earliest as 45-30 mya
based on coccoliths (Cкpek in Schlee 1990). In addition, Dominican amber is secondarily deposited
in sedimentary rocks, which makes a definite age determination difficult (Poinar and Mastalerz
2000). A range of ages for Dominican amber is possible since the amber is associated with turbiditic
sandstones of the Upper Eocene to Lower Miocene Mamey Group (Draper et al. 1994). Dominican
amber was produced by the leguminous tree, Hymenaea protera Poinar, 1991 (Poinar 1991) and a
re-construction of the Dominican amber forest based on amber fossils indicated that the environment
was similar to that of a present day tropical moist forest (Poinar and Poinar 1999). Observations,
drawings and photographs were made with a Nikon SMZ-10 stereoscopic microscope. Helicon
Focus Pro X64 was used to stack photos for better clarity and depth of field.
Belidae Schoenherr, 1826
Oxycoryninae Schoenherr, 1840
Allocorynini Sharp, 1890
Pleurambus Poinar and Legalov, n. gen.
Description
Head short; rostrum finely punctute, not rugose or tuberculate, distinctly curved, cylindrical; eyes large,
rounded, distinctly convex; temples elongate; vertex not transversely depressed behind eyes; gular
suture single; antennae not geniculate, inserted ventrally at base of rostrum; moderately long, reaching
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basal 1/3 of pronotum; scape almost elongate-cylindrical; 1st and 2nd joints of flagellum cylindrical;
3rd-7th joints conical; antennal club distinct, not compact; first club article conical; pronotum with very
short lateral carinae; apex without constriction; distinctly flattened; weakly narrowed at apex and base;
scutellum almost trapezoidal; elytra elongate, distinctly flattened; without regular striae; humeri
smooth; apices of elytra separately rounded; precoxal part of prothorax elongate; postcoxal part of
prothorax short; pro- and mesocoxal cavities oval; procoxal cavities rounded, connected; mesocoxal
cavity separated; metacoxal cavity separated, transversely elongate; metepisternum wide; 1st-5th
ventrites free; 1st-4th ventrites almost identical, flattened; legs long; femora clavate, without teeth;
profemora not widened; metafemora weakly widened; trochanter triangular; tibiae slender, weakly
flattened, slightly curved; protibiae with wide apical groove clothed in fine, dense vestiture on inner
face opposite tarsal articulation; tarsi long, 1st-3rd tarsomeres with pulvilli on underside; 1st tarsomere
conical, shorter than 2nd and 3rd tarsomeres combined; 2nd tarsomere widely bilobed; 3rd tarsomere
elongate-bilobed; 5th tarsomere subcylindrical and elongate; claws large, free, without teeth, but with
lobate extension at base.
Diagnosis. The new genus is close to the genus Parallocorynus Voss, 1943, but differs by the
presence of distinct, but short lateral carinae on the pronotum, the vertex not transversely depressed
behind the eyes, a trapezoidal scutellum, a non-rugose and non-tuberculate rostrum, rounded eyes,
and normal (not widened) profemora.
Etymology: The generic name is from the Greek “pleura” = side and the Greek “ambon” = ridge in
reference to the lateral carina on the pronotum.
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Type species: Pleurambus strongylus Poinar and Legalov, n. sp.
Pleurambus strongylus Poinar and Legalov, n. sp. (Figs. 13,14)
Description
Body length, 3.2 mm; rostrum length, 1.0 mm.
Head, pronotum and elytra unicolorous black-brown; rostrum, antennae, thorax, abdomen and
legs brown; lacking setae, appearing silvery-shiny from the presence of cavities between specimen and
internal surface of its impression.
Head. Head 0.4 times as long as rostrum length; rostrum weakly widened at base, very weakly widened
at apex; very finely punctute; forehead weakly flattened; eyes 1.3 times as wide as long; temples 0.8
times as long as length of eye; finely punctute; scape 6.4 times as long as wide at apex; 1st joint of
flagellum 3.0-3.5 times as long as wide at apex, 0.4 times as long as and 0.8 times as narrow as width
of scape; 2nd joint 3.0 times as long as wide at apex, equal to 1st joint; 3rd joint 1.6 times as long as
wide at apex, 0.7 times as long and 1.3 times as wide as 2nd joint; 4th joint of equal length and width,
equal to 3rd joint; 5th joint 1.7 times as long as wide at apex, 1.3 times as long as and 1.2 times as wide
as 4th joint; 6th joint 1.4 times as long as wide at apex, equal in length and 1.2 times as wide as 5th
joint; 7th joint equal in length and width, 0.8 times as long as sixth joint; antennal 0.9 times as long as
flagellum length; first club article 1.3 times as long as wide at apex, 2.5 times as long and 2.0 times as
wide as 7th joint of flagellum; 2nd article 1.4 times as long as width at apex, equal in length and 0.9
times as wide as 1st article; 3rd article 2.2 times as long as wide at apex, 1.1 times as long as and 0.8
times as wide as 2nd article, acuminate.
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Pronotum. Pronotum 1.3 times as long as wide at apex, 0.9 times as long as wide in middle, and 1.1
times as long as wide at base; greatest width in middle; moderately small and densely punctate,
intervals flat, smooth; scutellum 1.3 times as long as wide.
Elytra. Elytra 2.2 times as long as wide at base, 1.8 times as long as wide in middle, 3.3 times as long
as wide in apical quarter; 2.3 times as long as pronotum length; greatest width in middle; humeri
smooth; intervals flattened.
Thorax. Thorax and abdomen with moderately small and dense punctures; precoxal part of prothorax
equal in length to procoxal cavities; postcoxal part of prothorax 0.4 times as long as procoxal cavity
lengths; metepisternum 4.2 times as long as wide.
Abdomen. Ventrites weakly flattened; 2nd ventrite 0.7 times as long as first ventrite; 3rd ventrite
equal in length to 2nd ventrite; 4th ventrite 1.2 times as long as 3rd ventrite, 5th ventrite elongate,
1.4 times as long as 4th ventrite.
Legs. Profemora length / width = 3.5; mesofemora length / width = 3.2; metafemora length / width =
2.7; mesotibiae length / width = 3.6; metatibiae length / width = 4.8; tarsi 0.8 as long as tibiae;
metatarsi: 1st and 2nd tarsomeres equal in length; 3rd tarsomere 1.2 times as long as 2nd tarsomere;
5th tarsomere 1.7 times as long as 3rd tarsomere.
Type: Holotype (accession # 153) deposited in Poinar amber collection maintained at Oregon State
University, Corvallis (USA: Oregon).
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Type locality: Amber mine in the northern portion of the Dominican Republic.
Etymology: The species epithet is from the Greek “strongylos” = round in reference to the rounded
eyes.
Remarks: This specimen is considered to be a male because of the flattened abdomen, elongate 5th
ventrite and slightly extended metafemora.
Discussion
The classification of the family Belidae is controversial (Alonso-Zarazaga and Lyal, 1999; Bouchard
et al. 2011; Crowson 1986; Kuschel 1995; Legalov 2006, 2009; Marvaldi et all. 2002; Marvaldi et
all. 2006; Morrone 1997; Thompson 1992; Voss 1965; Zherikhin and Egorov 1991; Zherikhin,
Gratshev 1995). Belinae and Oxycoryninae are often considered as separate families (AlonsoZarazaga and Lyal, 1999; Thompson 1992; Zherikhin and Egorov 1991; Zherikhin, Gratshev 1995).
We used the same classification as the following: Bouchard et al. 2011; Kuschel 1995; Legalov
2009; Marvaldi et all. 2006; Marvaldi et all. 2002; Morrone 1997, all of whom consider the Belidae
a separate family that includes Oxycoryninae. The taxonomic rank of Allocorynini differs depending
on the author. It is regarded by some as an independent family (Crowson 1986; Legalov 2006, 2007;
O’Brien 1991) and by others as a subtribe of the tribe Oxycorynini (Marvaldi et all. 2006). The new
genus belongs to the family Belidae based on the protibiae possessing a wide apical groove clothed
in fine, dense vestiture on the inner face opposite the tarsal articulation, the 1st-5th ventrites free and
non- geniculate antennae. The transverse and bilobed 2nd tarsomere, antennae inserted at the base of
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the rostrum, the distinct club, flattened body, elytra without setae, 1st tarsomere shorter than the 2nd
and 3rd tarsomeres combined, suggest placement in the subfamily Oxycoryninae. The single gular
suture, loose antennal club, short lateral carinae, is why the new genus is placed in the tribe
Allocorynini.
No extant of fossil representatives of the Allocorynini have been reported from Hispaniola
(Perez-Gelabert 2007) and no fossil members of the group are known from the Neotropics. Little is
known about the biology of this group other than the larvae develop in dead or dying stems and the
adults are found on flowers. Belids are often called cycad weevils although just how many species
feed on this plant group is unknown. Perhaps the most notorious cycad feeding species is
Rhopalotria slossoni Schaeff, the larvae of which develop on the woody Zamia integrifolia
(Cycadopsida: Zamiaceae) in Florida (Blatchley and Leng 1916).
Acknowledgements
The study was partially supported by grant no. 12-04-00663-а of the Russian Foundation for Basic
Research.
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Figures
Fig. 1. Dorsal view of Pleurambus strongylus n. gen., n. sp. (Holotype accession # 153)
in Dominican amber. Scale bar = 0.4 mm.
14
Fig. 2. Lateral view of Pleurambus strongylus n. gen., n. sp. (Holotype accession # 153)
in Dominican amber. Scale bar = 0.6 mm.
15
Fig. 3. Detail of dorsum of head and pronotum of Pleurambus strongylus n. gen., n. sp.
(Holotype accession # 153) in Dominican amber. Arrow shows lateral carina. Scale bar =
0.6 mm.
16
Fig. 4. Detail lateral view of head and thorax of Pleurambus strongylus n. gen., n. sp.
(Holotype accession # 153) in Dominican amber. Scale bar = 0.6 mm.
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Fig. 5. Drawing of lateral view of Pleurambus strongylus n. gen., n. sp. (Holotype
accession # 153) in Dominican amber. Arrow shows lateral pronotal carina.
18