A new genus of railroad-worm beetles from the Atlantic Rainforest from Brazil (Coleoptera: Phengodidae, Mastinocerinae)

Abstract

Here we describe a new genus, Cleidella gen. nov., and two new species, C. picea sp. nov. and C. silveirai sp. nov., all from Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. The new genus is characterized by the interantennal distance subequal to scape length, antenna with 11 antennomeres, IV to X with two long symmetrical branches; mandibles long, projected and not crossed, pointed forward obliquely from head; maxillary palpi 4‑segmented, last segment digitiform; labial palpi 2‑segmented; posterior tentorial pit consisting of a single small fossa; elytron surpassing from the fourth to fifth abdominal segment, 3.3‑3.9× longer than wide; first tarsomere of protarsus with a ventral comb as long as the tarsomere length; wing with radial cell closed and transverse, vein r4 interrupted; aedeagus with paramere symmetrical, apex unevenly round, toothed inward, with short and scarce bristles. We provide a key to Mastinocerinae genera with 11 antennomeres, as well as illustrations for the diagnostic features for this new genus and a key to its species.

Cretophengodidae, a new Cretaceous beetle family, sheds light on the evolution of bioluminescence

“…Rhagophthalmidae is a relatively small group of beetles occurring mainly in the East Palearctic and Oriental regions, with about 60 species described to date [20]. The more speciose Phengodidae includes nearly 300 species, with the centre of diversity in the Neotropical region [21], and the isolated subfamily Cydistinae distributed in West Asia. Although fossil Lampyridae have been reported from Cretaceous Burmese amber and a few Cenozoic deposits [22][23][24][25], fossils belonging to the Phengodidae + Rhagophthalmidae clade remain unknown.…”

A new genus and a new species of railroad-worm beetle from Peru (Coleoptera, Phengodidae, Mastinocerinae)

“…Phengodid species may present very narrow (e.g., Cleidella Roza & Mermudes, 2020, Akamboja Roza, Quintino, Mermudes & Silveira, 2017, Microphrixothrix Roza & Mermudes, 2019 to broad (e.g., Phengodes Illiger, 1807) geographic ranges (Zaragoza-Caballero & Pérez-Hernández 2014). Revisionary studies are lacking for most genera, and hence the true geographic ranges of their species are unknown.…”

Rhagophthalmidae Olivier, 1907 (Coleoptera, Elateroidea): described genera and species, current problems, and prospects for the bioluminescent and paedomorphic beetle lineage

“…However, only six new species of Rhagophthalmidae were described in three taxonomic papers in the same period ( Ho et al 2012 ; Kazantsev 2012 ; Yiu 2017 ). This is especially striking when compared to the most closely related family of Rhagophthalmidae (i.e., Phengodidae ), where numerous taxonomic studies were published (e.g., Constantin 2014 , 2016 ; Zaragoza-Caballero and Hernández 2014 ; Roza et al 2017 , 2018 ; Roza and Mermudes 2019 , 2020 ; Vega-Badillo and Zaragoza-Caballero 2019 ; Vega-Badillo et al 2020 , 2021a , b ), including not only descriptions of several new genera and species but also phylogenetic analyses of the group ( Zaragoza-Caballero and Zurita-García 2015 ; Quintino 2017 ; Kundrata et al 2019 ; Roza 2022 ). In Rhagophthalmidae , the most important research topics include taxonomic limits, phylogenetic relationships, accurate dating of the origin of the group, the evolution of bioluminescence and paedomorphosis, systematics of all genera (including revisions of already known species as well as descriptions of new taxa), descriptions of paedomorphic females and immature stages for all genera and species, and evaluating the distribution of the group at both generic and family levels.…”