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

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Abstract

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.

Kurzfassung

Der älteste terrestrische Schwarzkäfer (der Abstammungslinie Opatrini), Palaeosclerum pohli gen. et sp. nov. (Unterfamilie Tenebrioninae), wird aus dem mittleren Paläozän von Menat in Frankreich beschrieben. Verschiedene Charaktermerkmale, einschließlich der eigentümlichen Form des Körpers (robust, angepasst an eine grabende Lebensweise), der Ausbildung der Grab-Protibia und die fünfgliedrigen Fühler, zeigen eine große Ähnlichkeit der neuen Gattung zu rezenten Vertretern der “Sclerina”-Gattungsgruppe des Subtribus Opatrina. Palaeosclerum gen. nov. wird mit den heutigen Gattungen Sclerum Dejean, 1834, Platynosum Mulsant und Rey, 1859 und Eurycaulus Fairmaire, 1868, verglichen.

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Acknowledgements

This study was impossible without the enthusiasm of Burkhard Pohl (Le Bourg, Menat, France) in collecting of fossils in the Menat outcrop and the very efficient assistance of Jean-Marc Pouillon (Nivolas-Vermelle, France) in providing the authors with the specimens for their study. In addition, very valuable assistance in carrying out the study and preparation of this paper was received from André Nel (Laboratoire de Entomologie, MNHN), including very valuable comments to the manuscript. Sylvain Pont (Laboratoire de Minéralogie et de Cosmochimie, MNHN) essentially assisted in providing the authors with the possibility to study the holotype by electronic microscopy. The authors extend thanks to Dariusz Iwan, Vitalii Alexeev and Mike Reich for valuable comments and additions to the MS. This work was supported by a grant from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research 15-04-02971A and the study of the second author was partly carried out under the framework of the Russian state research project no. 01201351189, programmes of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences “Evolution of the organic world and planetary processes” and Sorbonne Universités (programme d’Accueil de chercheurs de haut niveau).

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  1. Caspian Institute of Biological Resources of Dagestan Scientific Centre of Russian Academy of Sciences, M. Gadzhiev str. 45, Makhachkala, 367000, Russia

    Maxim Nabozhenko

  2. Dagestan State University, M. Gadzhiev str. 43a, Makhachkala, 367000, Russia

    Maxim Nabozhenko

  3. Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya emb., 1, St., Petersbug, 199034, Russia

    Alexander Kirejtshuk

  4. CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 50, Entomologie, 45, rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France

    Alexander Kirejtshuk

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  1. Maxim Nabozhenko
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Correspondence to Maxim Nabozhenko or Alexander Kirejtshuk.

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Handling editor: Mike Reich.

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Nabozhenko, M., Kirejtshuk, A. The oldest opatrine terrestrial darkling beetle (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Tenebrioninae) from the Paleocene of Menat (France). PalZ 91, 307–313 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12542-017-0368-2

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