Pseudepitettix Zheng, 1995

Deng, Wei-An, 2020, Taxonomic revision of the subfamily Cladonotinae (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae) from China with description of three new species, Zootaxa 4789 (2), pp. 403-440 : 423

Genus Pseudepitettix Zheng, 1995

http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/Common/basic/Taxa.aspx?TaxonNameID=1102868

Pseudepitettix Zheng, 1995a , 20(3): 343; Liang & Zheng, 1998: 34; Jiang & Zheng, 1998: 273; Liang & Jiang, 2004: 117; Zheng, 2005: 28; Deng et al., 2007: 28; Storozhenko & Dawwrueng. 2014: 329; Deng, 2016: 23.

Type species: Pseudepitettix nigritibis Zheng & Jiang, 2000 , here designated.

Redescription. General characters and coloration. Body generally small in size, short and smooth or coarsely interspersed with granules. Coloration uniformly dark brown or yellow.

Head. Head is not exserted or a little exserted above pronotal surface. Fastigium of vertex short; In dorsal view, fastigium of vertex between eyes of variable width—either 1) narrower than or 2) wider than width of compound eye; anterior margin of fastigium nearly truncate, not surpassing or slightly surpassing anterior margin of eye; median carina visible anteriorly; lateral margins turned backward. In lateral view, frontal ridge and vertex forming a rounded shape or angle shape, frontal costa is nearly straight or concave between eyes, protruded anteriorly and broadly rounded between antennal grooves. In frontal view, frontal costa bifurcated above lateral carinae, scutellum (longitudinal furrow) is widely forked between antennae, the rami strongly divergent, width of longitudinal furrow of frontal ridge distinctly wider than (about 2-3 times) antennal groove diameter. Antennae short, filiform, antennal grooves inserted far below or between inferior margin of compound eyes. Eyes globose, lateral (paired) ocelli located between middle of compound eyes to inferior margin of compound eyes.

Thorax. Pronotum is wide and short, smooth or coarsely interspersed with granules. In dorsal view, dorsum of pronotum slightly tectiform, with truncate or obtuse anterior margin, lateral carinae of prozona and median carina of pronotum are distinct; humeral angle conspicuous; hind pronotal process is wide, not reaching apex of hind femur and its apex concave or widely (or narrowly) rounded. Posterior angles of lateral lobes produced outwards, end of posterior angles slightly truncate, posterior margins of lateral lobes of pronotum only with ventral sinus. Tegmina and hind wings are absent.

Legs. Fore and middle femora slightly compressed, margins finely serrated, with carinated and undulated ventral margins. Hind femora robust and short, with carinated margins and margins finely serrated; length of the first segment of hind tarsi longer than the third segment.

Diagnosis. Closely related to Epitettix Hancock, 1907 . However, the species of Epitettix Hancock, 1907 are larger and fastigium of vertex in dorsal view distinctly surpassing the anterior margin of the eyes as an evenly broad, distinctly blunt, triangular, or rounded process; humeral angles of pronotum are not distinctly visible.

Composition and distribution. Two species previously classified in this genus ( Pseudepitettix guangxiensis Zheng & Jiang, 1994 , Pseudepitettix yunnanensis Zheng, 1995 ) are transferred to the genus Epitettix Hancock, 1907 ; one species previously classified in Epitettix Hancock, 1907 ( Epitettix torulosinota Zheng & Lin, 2016 ) is moved to the genus Pseudepitettix Zheng, 1995 in this study. Thus, to date, the genus includes six known species only found in China.