Elimaea (Rhaebelimaea) brachysterna Liu

Liu, Chun-Xiang & Liu, Xian-Wei, 2011, Elimaea Stål (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae) and its relative from China, with description of twenty-three new species, Zootaxa 3020, pp. 1-48 : 27-30

Elimaea (Rhaebelimaea) brachysterna Liu C-X, sp. nov. (Plate 12b, 14g –k, 15h–n)

Holotype: male (No. 14026917), China: Guangxi Prov.: Longan, Longhushan Mt., 1995. VIII.29–IX.1, Coll. Liu Xianwei, Jin Xingbao, Zhang Weinian ( MSIE).

PLATE 13, Male stridulatory file on underside of left tegmen. a, Elimaea brachycerciata sp. nov.; b–c, Elimaea albovitta sp. nov. (b, paratype from Jiangle, Fujian Prov.; c, holotype from Guangxi Prov.); d, Elimaea vicinia sp. nov.; e, Elimaea yongningensis sp. nov.; f, Elimaea megalopygmaea Mu et al.. (scale bar = 1mm)

Description: Holotype (male). Tegmen surpassing apex of hind femur; hind wings distinctly longer than tegmen; radius sector branching in basal 1/3 part of tegmen, and emitting out 3 parallel branches near apex. Fore coxae unarmed. Fore femur with 8 interior ventral spines; mid femur with 11 interior ventral spines; hind femur without ventral spines. Genicular lobes of each femur bispinose. Fore tibiae with 6 exterior dorsal spines; mid tibiae with 8 exterior dorsal spines; hind tibiae with 26 interior and 28 exterior large dorsal spines.

PLATE 14, a–f, Elimaea percauda sp. nov.; g–k, Elimaea brachysterna sp. nov.. a, g, male abdominal apex, lateral view; b,k, male epiproct, dorsal view; c, sclerite of male genitalia, apico-dorsal view; d, i, sclerite of male genitalia, lateral view; e, male subgenital plate, ventral view; f,j, male cerci, dorsal view; h, male subgenital plate, apico-ventral view. (scale bar = 1mm)

PLATE 15, Color photograph of Elimaea percauda sp. nov. (a–g), and Elimaea brachysterna sp. nov. (h–n). a,h, lateral lobe of pronotum of male, lateral view; b,j, male left stridulatory area, dorsal view; c,k, male right stridulatory area, dorsal view; d, l, male abdominal apex, lateral view; e, m, male subgenital plate, apico-ventral view; f, epiproct and sclerite of genitalia of male, lateral view; g, n, male cerci, dorsal view; i, male abdominal apex, dorsal view.

Stridulatory file with circa 95 densely spaced teeth, which are gradually becoming larger mediad (Plate 12b). Epiproct deflexed, long trapeziform, basal margin widest, and gradually narrowed toward obtuse apex (Plate 14g,k, 15i). Cerci long, extending far beyond apex of subgenital plate, deflexed backwards, distinctly incurved, basal half approximately columned, and then gradually acuminated from middle toward apex, distal quarter part gradually upcurved, with a hook curved backwards at apex (Plate 14g,j, 15i,l,n). Subgenital plate short, curved backward in lateral view; basal margin widest, then abruptly narrowed to the middle; triangularly excised at distal quarter part into two subparallel lateral lobes (Plate 14g,h, 15i,l,m). Phallus with a pair of laterally convex conchate sclerites, internal margin with numerous small brown cricoid teeth (Plate 14i).

Color: Body yellowish green (maybe green at live). Compound eyes light brown. Antennae with yellowish brown scape, dark brown pedical, and approximately black flagella. Surface and lateral margins of pronotal disc densely covered with numerous black dots. Longitudinal middle line rose. Lateral lobes of pronotum, each abdomen, lateral surface of hind femur densely covered with red brown dots. Spines of each femur and tibia dark brown. Tegminal costal area with many large light brown dots, each cell between R and M veins with a few brown spots, area near posterior margin with numerous dark brown dots. Proximal area in tegminal stridulatory area with a large black spot. Apical spine of cerci and tooth of phallus red brown.

Female unknown.

Measurement of male (mm): length of body 21.0; length of pronotum 4.5; width of pronotal disc at base 2.0; width of pronotal disc at apex 2.3; length of tegmen 33.0; largest width of male stridulatory area 2.0; length of male stridulatory vein 1.8; largest width of dorsal area behind male stridulatory area 1.0; width of mirror on right tegmen 1.3; length of mirror on right tegmen 1.7; distance between basal vein of right tegmen and apex of mirror on right tegmen 2.0; width of tegmen 4.5; length of hind wing 38.5; length of fore femur 8.0; length of fore tibiae 10.0; length of mid femur 10.1; length of mid tibiae 13.0; length of hind femur 25.7; length of hind tibiae 28.8; length of epiproct 2.0; length of cerci 5.2; length of subgenital plate 5.2.

Etymology: The name shows that this species possesses the comparatively short male subgenital plate.

Discussion: This new species most resembles E. (Rhaebelimaea) bona Gorochov, 2009 in shape of the male cerci, and of the male subgenital plate, but differs by shape of the male epiproct. It also resembles E. (Rhaebelimaea) curvicerciata in the appearance, coloration, tegminal shape, tegminal veins, but distinctly differs by shape of the lateral lobe of pronotum, of the male stridulatory area, and structure of the male abdominal apex.

Distribution: China: Guangxi Prov.