Cardiodactylus aobaensis, Robillard, 2009

Robillard, Tony, 2009, Eneopterinae crickets (Insecta, Orthoptera, Grylloidea) from Vanuatu, Zoosystema 31 (3), pp. 577-618 : 597-598

Cardiodactylus aobaensis n. sp.

( Figs 5C ; 6D ; 7 M-O)

TYPE MATERIAL. — [ Vanuatu] Neue Hebriden. [Province Penama], recter Aoba [Is.], X.1911, b, (nach Zettelkarten) = Aoba ( Neukaledonien), Dr. Sarrasin & Dr. Roux?, Dr. F. Speiser [mentioned as Cardiodactylus novaeguineae in Chopard 1951], ♀ holotype ( BMNH).

TYPE LOCALITY. — Vanuatu, Aoba Is.

ETYMOLOGY. — Species named after the type locality.

PronL PronW FWL FWW FIIIL FIIIW TIIIL OvipL

Female holotype 4.5 7.2 25.4 5.5 22.8 6.0 22.2 22.7

DIAGNOSIS. — Largest Cardiodactylus species in Vanuatu. Stocky shape, morphologically close to C. tankara n. sp., C. chessmani and C. guttulus (ovipositor size and apex, copulatory papilla). Dorsal disk of pronotum with a thin longitudinal median yellow line and lateral yellow bands interrupted at midlength by transverse dark brown bands.

DESCRIPTION

Large species for the genus, the largest one for Vanuatu, stocky shape. General colouration light brown, little contrasted. Scapes yellow with two dark brown spots, on inner and facial sides. Head dorsum almost entirely brown, with a median suture yellowish; yellow behind eye, with a transverse brown line posterior to eye. Fastigium 1.5 times as long as wide, median ocellus yellow. Face yellowish brown with two dark brown curved patterns diverging from front head to below antennae.Palpi yellowish brown, apex darker. Pronotum: dorsal disk trapezoidal, slightly bisinuated posteriorly; brown, with a thin longitudinal median yellow line, and lateral yellow bands interrupted at midlength by transverse dark brown bands. Lateral lobes of pronotum dark brown near dorsal angle; ventral edge progressively lighter. Legs light brown, fore and mid legs faintly spotted with dark brown, knees of mid legs dark brown.Fore tibiae not widened at tympana level. Hind tibiae dorsal face with 7 inner and 13 outer spines above spurs, with 7 inner and 8 outer spines between spurs. Tarsomeres III-1 with 4 spines on dorso-external edges.FWs much longer than abdomen; hind wings proportionally shorter than in C. enkraussi , making a dark brown tail 1.5 times as long as pronotum. Cerci brown, darker at apex.

Male

Unknown.

Female

FW colouration ( Fig. 5C ): dorsal field homogeneously brown (cells and veins) except: yellowish brown sclerotization on FW base, including bases of CuP and 1-3A; first third of lateral angle whitish, including MP, part of CuA and MA and associated cells and transverse veins; area between CuP and CuA dark brown. Lateral field dark brown dorsally, including R, lighter ventrally, the veins bifurcating from R yellow. FW venation: 10 strong longitudinal veins on dorsal field (including 1-4A). R with 5 bifurcating veins.Ovipositor: quite long; apex dorsal and ventral edges slightly denticulate ( Fig. 6D ).

Female genitalia: copulatory papilla ( Fig. 7 M-O): Same general shape as C. tankara n. sp. but flatter; dorsal surface highly plicate transversally; ventral surface concave.

Measurements

See Table 9.

HABITAT, LIFE HISTORY TRAITS AND BEHAVIOUR Not documented.

Figures

FIG. 5.— Female FW venation:A, Cardiodactylus enkraussi Otte,2007;B, C.tankara n.sp.;C, C.aobaensis n.sp.;D, C.cheesmani Otte,2007; E, C. epiensis n. sp.Dotted areas represent patterns of white or yellow areas. Abbreviations:see Material and methods. Scale bar: 5 mm.

FIG. 6. — Apex of ovipositor in lateral view: A, Cardiodactylus enkraussi Otte, 2007; B, C. tankara n. sp.; C, C. pentecotensis n. sp.; D, C. aobaensis n. sp.; E, C. cheesmani Otte, 2007a; F, C. epiensis n. sp.; G, Lebinthus santoensis n. sp.; H, L. nattawa n. sp.; I, L. malekulensis n. sp. Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIG. 7.— Female copulatory papilla in ventral,dorsal and lateral views:A-C, Cardiodactylus enkraussi Otte,2007;D-F, C. pentecotensis n. sp.; G-I, C. cheesmani Otte, 2007; J-L, C. tankara n. sp.; M-O, C. aobaensis n. sp.; P-R, C. epiensis n. sp. Scale bars: 1 mm.