Sphingonotus zhongningensis, Cao, Cheng-Quan, Shi, Jian-Ping & Yin, Zhan, 2016

Cao, Cheng-Quan, Shi, Jian-Ping & Yin, Zhan, 2016, Two new species of the genus Sphingonotus Fieber, 1852 (Orthoptera: Oedipodidae) from China, Zootaxa 4205 (6), pp. 593-598 : 595-597

Sphingonotus zhongningensis sp. nov.

( Figs. 10–14 )

Holotype: ♀, Tianjinshan (N 37°48′, E 105°66′, 1204m), Zhongning, Ningxia, China, 31 August, 2010, collected by Zhao Zi-Hua and Wang Ying.

Female Body medium to larger in size. Head short, shorter than pronotum. Fastigial foveolae triangle. Vertex broad and short, apex obtuse. Face nearly vertical, frontal ridge flat, around the median ocellus indentation. Eye ellipse, vertical diameter 1.3 times horizontal diameter. Antennae filiform. Median keel of pronotum cut by three transverse sulci, like tuberculiform in prozona, hind transverse sulcus placed before middle part, metazona 2 times prozona in length. Anterior margin of pronotum straight, hind margin arc projection. Interspace of mesosternum wider, width 1.8 times its length. Tegmen narrow and long, reaching the end of hind tibiae, length 5.5 times its width, intercalary vein of discoidal area curved slightly. Hind femur robust, length 3.6 times its maximum width. Hind tibia shorter than femur, with 12 spines on outer side and 13 spines on inner side. Arolium of hind tarsus small, not reaching the middle of claw. Subgenital plate short conical. Ovipositor valves short and thick, apex curved slightly, base of lower ovipositor valve smooth.

Body grey brown. Tegmen with distinct dark transverse stripe on the one third basal part and middle part respectively. Hind wing red at base, black stripe wider in the middle, not reaching the hind margin of wing, its width nearly equal, apical part not narrow, the apical part of wing with a dark band, not divided into two. Hind femur grey brown on outer side, with a dark band at one third apical part, inner side black, with a grey brown band on pre-knee. Hind tibia yellowish-white, with a dark ring on the base and middle respectively. Hind tarsus faint yellow.

Length of body: ♀ 32.5 mm. Length of pronotum: ♀ 6.5 mm. Length of tegmen: ♀ 37.1 mm. Length of hind femur: ♀ 17.1 mm.

Male unknown.

The new species is similar to Sphingonotus salinus (Pallas, 1773) , and the major differences are listed in table 2.

Etymology. The specific epithet is named for Zhongning, the type locality.

Figures

FIGURES 10 – 14. Sphingonotus zhongningensis sp. nov. ♀ 10. Body, dorsal view; 11. Frontal ridge; 12. Head and pronotum, lateral view; 13. Subgenital plate; 14. Hind leg.