Calolamprodes characterosa ( Walker, 1868 )

Anisyutkin, Leonid N., 2014, On cockroaches of the subfamily Epilamprinae (Dictyoptera: Blaberidae) from South India and Sri Lanka, with descriptions of new taxa, Zootaxa 3847 (3), pp. 301-332 : 319-321

Calolamprodes characterosa ( Walker, 1868)

( Figs. 10 A–V, 11 C–F)

Material. SOUTH INDIA, state Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore , September 1959, coll. P.S. Nathan— 1 male ( MMUM) ; same data, but October 1959— 1 male ( ZIN) ; same data, but March 1959—1 larva ( MMUM) ; same data, but Nilgiri Hills , Devala, 3200 ft., October 1961— 1 female ( MMUM) . SRI LANKA, Nord-West Prov. , Marawilla, h~ 10 m, 7°26'11'' N, 79°40'02'' E, 25 December 2012–1 January 2013, coll. I. Melnik— 1 male ( ZIN) .

The description by L.M. Roth (1981) can be supplemented with the following details.

Description. Male. General color yellowish brown, as in Fig. 11C–F . Surfaces smooth and lustrous; punctuation absent. Head wide and rounded ( Figs. 10 A, 11D, F); ocellar spots large; distance between eyes about 1.2 times of the eye length; distance between antennal sockets about 2.5–2.6 times of the scape length (0.5 mm) (about 2.2 in specimen from Sri Lanka, scape length— 0.6 mm); approximate length ratio of 3rd–5th segments of maxillary palps 1.2–1.3: 1: 1.3–1.4. Pronotum as in Figs.10 B, 11C, E. Tegmina and wings completely developed, surpassing abdominal apex, rounded apically ( Fig. 11C ). Anterior margin of fore femur armed according to the type B, with 5 spines, including 1 apical one ( Fig. 10 C). Fore tibiae distinctly thickened distally ( Fig. 10 C). Structure of hind tarsi ( Fig. 10 D): metatarsus a little longer than other segments combined, with 2 unequal rows of spines along lower margin [exterior row ( Fig. 10 D, e.r.) consists of 27–28, interior one ( Fig. 10 D, i.r.)—13 spines (35 and 17 spines respectively in the specimen from Sri Lanka)]; 2nd and 3rd segments with 6–8/5 and 5–6/2 spines in exterior and interior rows respectively (9/5 and 6/2 spines—in specimen from Sri Lanka); other segments without spines along lower margin; metatarsus and 2nd–3rd segments with small apical euplantulae, 4th segment with larger euplantula ( Fig. 10 D); 2nd–3rd segments with euplantulae bordered with 2–4 "additional spines" ( Fig. 10 D, a.s.); claws symmetrical, simple; arolium well developed. Fore and middle tarsi similar to hind ones, but comparatively shorter. Anal plate as in Fig. 10 E, F, with medial incision more or less expressed; paraprocts ( Fig. 10 G) and hypandrium ( Fig. 10 H) usual for the genus ( Roth 1981; Anisyutkin 2006).

Male genitalia ( Fig. 10 J–V). Right phallomere (R+N) ( Fig. 10 J, K) with sclerite R1T thin and weakly sclerotized, caudal part of sclerite R1T reduced, only part situated in front of sclerite R2 present, densely covered with bristles; R2 straight; R3 long, with cranial part rod-like and caudal part curved; R4 substituted with membranous lobe; R5 large and strongly sclerotized, situated apart of other sclerites of right phallomere. Sclerite L2D (L1) divided into basal and apical parts ( Fig. 10 O, L); basal part strongly widened cranially, with "bent outgrowth" at caudal end ( Fig. 10 L, M, O, P, b.o.), sometimes with small rounded "additional sclerite" under basal part of L2D ( Fig. 10 L, a.scl.); apical part in shape of flattened, plate-like sclerite, with cranially prolonged "ventral projection" ( Fig. 10 M, N, P, v.pr.), and "apical tooth" in specimen from Sri Lanka ( Fig. 10 L–N, ap.t.); bristles absent. Sclerite L3 (L2d) without basal subsclerite; "folded structure" distinct, bristles absent ( Fig. 10 Q–S, f.s.); apex of L3 with comparatively larger "small tooth" ( Fig. 10 Q–V, s.t.) and more or less expressed "apical crest" ( Fig. 10 Q–V, ap.cr.), groove hge absent. Sclerite L4U (L3d) weakly sclerotized, elongated.

Variations. Two specimens from South India are very similar in their external morphology, but the specimen from Sri Lanka differs in the darker coloration (cf. Fig. 11C and Fig. 11E ), the larger size, the more numerous tarsal spines and the following details of the male genitalia: the shape of right phallomere (compare Fig. 10 J and Fig. 10 K) and the apical part of sclerite L3 (compare Fig. 10 Q–S and Fig. 10 T–V), and in the apical part of sclerite L2D (compare Fig. 10 O, P and Fig. 10 L–N).

Female. Typical for the genus ( Bey-Bienko 1969; Anisyutkin 1999, 2006), with the tegmina being reduced to the lateral flaps ( Fig. 10 I).

Measurements (mm). Head length: male 2.5–2.7, female 3.1; head width: male 2.6–2.9, female 3.5; pronotum length: male 4.0–4.5, female 4.4; pronotum width: male 5.4–6.0, female 6.8; tegmen length: male 14.0–15.2, female 3.0; tegmen width (in males—in place where CuP running into posterior margin of tegmen; in female—maximal width): male 4.6–5.0, female 1.8. Larger measurements attributed to specimen from Sri Lanka.

Note. C. characterosa was described in the genus Epilampra ( Walker 1868, p. 209) from Bengal. Later, K. Princis described C. tranquebarica ( Princis, 1951) , also in the genus Epilampra , from South India ( Princis 1951). L. Roth (1981) treated C. tranquebarica as a junior synonym of C. characterosa referring to the latter species as occurring both in India and in Sri Lanka. Species of the genus Calolamprodes can be distinguished by fine details in the somatic morphology and the male genitalia ( Anisyutkin 2006). Unfortunately, the available descriptions of C. characterosa and C. tranquebarica are not detailed enough. Therefore, it is possible that both species and the specimen from Sri Lanka described above are not conspecific. Further studies based on a more representative material are required to resolve this problem.

Figures

FIGURE 10. Calolamprodes characterosa (Walker, 1868), males [A – H, J – V—specimens from Sri Lanka (C, D, G, J, L – N, Q – S) and South India (A, B, E, F, H, K, O, P, T – V)] and female (I). A—facial part of head; B—pronotum from above; C—right fore leg from anterior, tarsus not shown; D—left hind tarsus from below; E—abdominal apex from above; F—outline of anal plate from above; G—paraprocts from below; H—hypandrium from below; I—outlines of left side of thorax; J, K—right phallomeres from above; L, O—sclerite L 2 D from above; M, N, P—apical part of sclerite L 2 D from above (M, P) and below (N); Q – S—sclerite L 3; T – V—apical part of sclerite L 3. Dotted area shows membranous parts. Abbreviations: a. s.; a. scl.; ap. cr.; ap. t.; b. o.; e. r.; f. s.; i. r.; R 1 T; R 2; R 3; R 4; R 5; s. t.; v. pr. — see text. Scale bar 1 mm: a = A; b = B; c = C; d = D; e = E, F; f = G; g = H; h = I; i = J, K; j = L; k = M, N; l = O; m = P; n = Q – S; o = T – V.

FIGURE 11. A, F, H—facial part of head; B, C, G—general view from above; D, E, I—anterior part of body from below (D) and above (E, I). A, B—Rhabdoblatta praecipua (Walker, 1868) (male); C–F—Calolamprodes characterosa (Walker, 1868) (males), specimens from Sri Lanka (C, D) and South India (E, F); G–I –Thorax porcellana (Saussure, 1862) (male, lectotype). In Fig. B abdominal apex removed. Specimens in Figs. A, B, G–I are pinned, those in Figs. C–F are kept in alcohol.