The oldest genus of the subfamily Sagrinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) from the Paleocene of Menat (France)

The new oldest representative of the subfamily Sagrinae, Gallopsis perita gen. et sp. n. from the Paleocene of Menat (France), is described and illustrated. It is distinguished from the genus Neodiaphanops Blackburn, 1899 by the metafemora without teeth, wider pronotum, weakly widened tibiae, bilobed tarsomere 2, subparallel elytra, and narrower metanepisterna. It differs from the Australian genus Carpophagus Macleay, 1826 in the head without rostrum, weakly widened metafemora without teeth, and gently sculptured pronotum and elytra. The new genus differs from the Eocene genus Eosagra Haupt, 1950 in the longer antennomere 2, wider pronotum and elytra, dense and diffuse elytral puncturation, and weakly inflated metafemora.     

A new species of the genus Smicrips Le Conte (Coleoptera: Smicripidae) from Baltic amber

Smicrips gorskii sp. nov. from the Upper Eocene Baltic amber, distinguished from all congeners by the dark color and very long antennomere 2 is described.     

The first record of the family Cleridae (Coleoptera): Shartegopsis miranda gen. et sp. nov. in the mesozoic (Shar-Teg, Upper Jurassic, Southwestern Mongolia)

A new genus and species of the family Cleridae, Shartegopsis miranda gen. et sp. nov., is described from Shar-Teg (southwestern Mongolia, Upper Jurassic). Judging by the characters that can be examined, it can probably belong to the subfamily Tillinae, and it is the earliest known member of the family. Mathesius liaoningensis Kolíbac et Huang, 2011 is considered closely related to species of the paleoendemic family Parandrexidae.     

A new genus and species of timber beetle (Coleoptera: Lymexylidae) from the Baltic amber

Ponomarenkylon alexandri gen. et sp. nov. (Melittommatinae) from the Late Eocene Baltic amber is described. The long filiform antennae and the apparent absence of sensillary organs, which are frequently present on modified maxillary palps in other lymexylids, are evidence of the primitive state of the new genus.     

Species of two paleoendemic sap beetle genera of the Tribe Nitidulini (Nitidulidae: Coleoptera) from the Baltic and Dominican amber

Omositoidea gigantea Schaufuss, 1892 is redescribed; O. pubescens sp. nov. from the Baltic amber, Palaeometopia dominicana gen. et sp. nov. and P. colorata gen. et sp. nov. from the Dominican amber are described. The taxonomic position of the two genera and their probable bionomy are discussed.     

A novel pollination mode,saprocantharophily, in Duguetia cadaverica (Annonaceae): A stinkhorn (Phallales) flower mimic

Duguetia cadaverica (Annonaceae), a small understory tree of humid primary forest from the Guianas to Pará state, Brazil, unites several unusual blossom and floral characters such as flagelliflory and putrid-smelling flowers, respectively. The few pollination studies conducted in the large genus Duguetia have shown that species are usually cantharophilous, pollinated by either small (mostly Nitidulidae) or large specialized dynastid (Scarabaeidae) beetles. Foul-smelling flowers are a novelty within the genus, and to better understand their significance, we undertook a study of the reproductive biology and flower scent chemistry of D. cadaverica. In a primary forest of French Guiana, we observed and measured morphology and phenology of trees and flowers; additionally, flower pollination chamber temperature was measured and insect visitors to flowers observed. Flower scent was collected in situ and later analyzed in the laboratory by GC–MS. Flowers are visited by small beetles of a single Pycnocnemus species (Nitidulidae), which are the only insects observed to enter the pollination chamber. Moreover, flowers evince a rhythm in sexual stage, scent emission and temperature, which finds correspondence in behavioral characters of the putative nitidulid pollinator, such as timing of entry and exit from the pollination chamber. Floral scent analysis revealed an unusual, previously undescribed combination of chemical odor classes. The earthy, rank flower scent contained 18 compounds, among them fatty acid derivatives, terpenoids and N- and S-bearing compounds. The most abundant volatiles were 1-octen-3-ol, 3-octanone, and (E)-2-octenol, which are characteristic earthy odors of fungi; additionally, there were sulfides and 4-methylpentanoic acid, which are molecules associated with carcass and cheese odors, respectively.     

The oldest opatrine terrestrial darkling beetle (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Tenebrioninae) from the Paleocene of Menat (France)

The oldest terrestrial darkling beetle of the opatrine lineage, Palaeosclerum pohli gen. et. sp. nov. (subfamily Tenebrioninae) is described from the Middle Paleocene of Menat (France). The complex of characters, combining the peculiar shape of body (robust, adapted to a fossorial lifestyle), structure of fossorial protibia, 5-segmented antennal club demonstrates a considerable similarity of the new genus to the extant representatives of the ‘sclerina’ generic group of the subtribe Opatrina. Palaeosclerum gen. nov. is compared with recent genera Sclerum Dejean, 1834, Platynosum Mulsant and Rey, 1859 and Eurycaulus Fairmaire, 1868.     

New Weevils (Coleoptera,Curculionoidea) from the Earlymost Eocene Oise Amber

Paleontological Journal - Several new tribes, genera and species of Curculionoidea are described from the earlymost Eocene Oise amber (France), viz., the new tribes Oiserhinini trib. nov. (type...     

A new genus of the subfamily Apioninae (Coleoptera: Brentidae) from the Lower Eocene Oise amber

A new genus and species, Palaeotanaos oisensis, is the first described representative of Apioninae from the Lower Eocene Oise amber. The new genus belongs to the tribe Tanaini and is similar to the genus Tanaos Schoenherr, 1826 and differs from it in the convex, not flattened, and slightly elongate body, the antennae inserted in basal one-third of rostrum, comparatively long flagellum, and elongate club, large and strongly convex eyes, narrow and long tibiae without mucro, short precoxal part of prothorax, and narrower and long tarsi.