A new species of the genus Nalassus Mulsant (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Helopini) from the Baltic amber

Abstract

The first Eocene species of the tribe Helopini, Nalassus klebsi sp. nov., from the Baltic amber is described. The new species is included in the nominative subgenus and similar to the extant species N. dermestoides (Illiger) and N. laevioctostriatus (Goeze), from which it differs in the shape of eyes (eyes are considerably less transverse than in living Palearctic species of the genus Nalassus Mulsant), the shape of the pronotum with acute posterior angles (other Palearctic Nalassus have obtuse or straight pronotal angles) as well as convex elytral intervals. Species of the less specialized nominative subgenus are widespread in forests and (partly) alpine landscapes of Europe (eastwards up to the Urals) and eastern Asia.