Homogryllacris nigromacula, Duan & Zhang & Shi, 2024

Duan, Yanhao, Zhang, Tao & Shi, Fuming, 2024, Notes on the genus Homogryllacris Liu, 2007 (Orthoptera: Gryllacrididae) with description of one new species from China, Zootaxa 5418 (1), pp. 72-82 : 79-81

5. Homogryllacris nigromacula sp. nov.,

Chinese name AEǓ同Oiǿ

( Figs. 6–7 )

Description. Body small-sized for the genus. Head: Face narrow ovoid; fastigium verticis wider than antennal scape. Eyes ovoid, slightly protruding forwards; ocelli distinct, oval. Pronotum short and broad, anterior margin slightly protruding forward, posterior margin straight. Lateral areas of second and third abdominal tergites each with two rows of stridulatory pegs.

Wings: squamous, tegmina almost equal to the length of pronotum, nearly reaching posterior margin of first abdominal tergite, with 7 subparallel longitudinal veins; hind wings absent.

Legs: Fore coxa with 1 spine. Fore and middle femora unarmed on ventral surfaces; fore and middle tibiae with 4 pairs of long spines and 1 pair of short apical spurs on ventral surfaces respectively. Hind femur with 11–12 inner spines and 3–5 outer spines on ventral surface; hind tibia with 6–7 inner spines and 6 outer spines on dorsal surface, bearing 1 pair of dorsal apical spurs and 2 pairs of ventral apical spurs, ventral surface with 1 pair of rather short pre-apical spurs.

Coloration. Body light brown. Fastigium verticis with dark brown spots; occiput with a large irregular dark brown spot. Inner margin of antennal socket black, base and apex of antennal scape, base of pedicel with dark brown spots, other area of antenna brown. Eyes black. Ocelli light yellow. Face with a longitudinal dark brown stripe in the midline, genae under eyes with a thin black stripe separately, behind eyes each with a dark brown spot. Pronotum with black stripe along entire margin; disc with a broad longitudinal light red stripe; anterior area of disc with a pair of irregular dark brown spots; lateral lobe of pronotum with a broad and irregular dark brown stripe separately. Tegmen semi-transparent with dark brown veins. Metanotum and dorsal surface of abdomen black. Fore femur and tibia light red as well as middle femur and tibia.Apical half of hind femur and hind tibia light red. Posterior processes on male tenth abdominal tergite black. Apical areas of spines and spurs on hind femur and tibia dark brown.

Male. Ninth abdominal tergite broad at base, gradually narrowing, posterior margin rounded. Tenth abdominal tergite very short, the middle of posterior margin with a pair of robust and short posterior processes, basal halves strongly swollen, apical halves spiniform and crossing each other, pointing ventrad and forwards, tips subacute. Cerci conical and long, apices rounded. Subgenital plate with lateral margins subparallel, posterior margin with a V-shaped incision, lateral lobes with apices rounded. Styli cylindrical with apices rounded, inserted on apical lateral margins of lateral lobes of subgenital plate.

Female. Appearance is similar to that of male. Seventh abdominal sternite wider than long. Subgenital plate trapezoidal, basal area broad, membranous with transverse folds, posterior margin slightly concave. Ovipositor rather long, much longer than hind femur, almost straight, dorsal and ventral margins subparallel, apex rounded.

Measurements (mm). Body: ♂ 17.16–17.20, ♀ 20.38–20.47; pronotum: ♂ 3.60–3.68, ♀ 4.38–4.50; tegmen: ♂ 3.78–3.85, ♀ 4.70–4.76; hind femur: ♂ 10.94–11.36, ♀ 13.74–13.88; ovipositor: 26.26–26.44.

Material examined. Holotype: ♂, Chomo, Xigazê, Xizang, 9 September, 2023, coll. Tao Zhang. Paratype: 1♀, same data as holotype . Other specimens: 2♂ 2♀, same data as holotype .

Distribution. China (Xizang).

Etymology. The name of the new species derives from pronotum with dark brown spots, from Latin nigr - (dark) and macul - (spots).

Discussion. The new species is very similar to Homogryllacris rufovaria Liu, 2007 with regard to the shape of posterior processes on male tenth abdominal tergite, but it differs from the latter in the following characters: tegmen distinctly short, almost equal to the length of pronotum, reaching posterior margin of first abdominal tergite, hind wing absent; posterior processes on male tenth abdominal tergite obviously longer; face, occiput and pronotum with dark brown spots or stripes, metanotum and dorsal surface of abdomen black.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Homogryllacris nigromacula sp. nov., male: A. face; B–C. head and pronotum: B. lateral view; C. dorsal view; D–H. apex of abdomen: D. lateral view; E, F. apical view; G. dorsal view; H. ventral view; female: I. seventh abdominal sternite and subgenital plate in ventral view; J. ovipositor in lateral view.

FIGURE 7. Habitus of Homogryllacris nigromacula sp. nov. A. male; B. female.