Protosiphonorhinus Moritz, Wipfler & Wesener, 2025, gen. nov.

†Protosiphonorhinusgen. nov. Type species. † Protosiphonorhinus patrickmuelleri sp. nov. Derivation of name. From Greek “ prôtos ” (first, earliest) + pre-existing generic name Siphonorhinus, meaning ancestor of the extant genus. Gender masculine. Diagnosis. Protosiphonorhinus gen. nov. species are small (7 mm), short (<40 tergites) (Figs 2 A, B, 3 A), setose siphonorhinids with neither paranota nor spines surrounding the ozopore (Figs 2 F, 3 G). Metazonites smooth except for setation; ozopores located in posterior-most lateral corners of tergite, without peculiarities (Figs 2 C, 3 G). First leg in males is unmodified; coxa not fused to sternite / stigmatic plate (Fig. 3 E). Head pear-shaped (Figs 2 D, 3 A – C). Anterior gonopod consists of 7 podomeres with a rectangular posterior process on podomere 5 (Fig. 4 A – E). Antenna features an only weakly elongated but slender antennomere 2 and a massively enlarged and swollen (resembling a citron) antennomere 6, with deep pits present laterally on antennomeres 5 and 6 (Figs 2 D – F, 3 A – C). Protosiphonorhinus gen. nov. differs with 7 podomeres in the anterior gonopod (Figs 4 A – E) – as present in Illacme (see Marek et al. 2016, 2023), Notiorhinus (see Moritz and Parra-Gómez 2023), and Madagascarhinus (see Wesener 2023) from Kleruchus (see Attems 1938), Nematozonium (see Shelley and Hoffman 2004), and Siphonorhinus (see Anilkumar et al. 2024) with 6 podomeres in the anterior gonopods. Protosiphonorhinus gen. nov. differs from all known genera in the small number of segments present in mature specimens (<40), with species of Madagascarhinus Wesener, 2023, and Siphonorhinus being closest (starting at 60). Protosiphonorhinus gen. nov. shares only with the Asian representatives of the family – the monotypic Kleruchus Attems, 1938, and Siphonorhinus – the presence of pits on antennomeres 5 and 6 (Fig. 2 D, E), which are absent in all other Siphonorhinidae genera. Protosiphonorhinus gen. nov. differs from both extant Asian genera in the absence of paranota (Fig. 2 C) (present in both Siphonorhinus and Kleruchus), as well as the presence of a lemon-shaped antennomere 6 which reaches its greatest width medially (Figs 2 D, 3 A – C) (antennomere 6 cylindrical in Kleruchus, vastly swollen reaching its greatest width more apically in Siphonorhinus).