Phlugiolopsis (Uncinata) latusiprocera Bian, 2018

Bian, Xun & Shi, Fuming, 2018, New taxa of the genus Phlugiolopsis (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Meconematinae) from Yunnan, China, with comments on the importance to taxonomy of the left tegmen, Zootaxa 4532 (3), pp. 341-366 : 352-353

Phlugiolopsis (Uncinata) latusiprocera Bian & Shi, sp. nov.

( Figures 5 , 7 A–F, 8E, 9E)

Material examined. Holotype, 6, Mangkuan , Baoshan, Yunnan, China, 24 August, 2013, coll. Yin Zhang. Paratypes. 27 6, 14 ♀, same data as holotype but 17–25 August, 2013, coll. Yin Zhang, Guanglin Xie & Jiao Jiao.

Description. Male. Brown or darkish brown. Head. Face light brown with darker brown spot. Internal margin of antennal socket, scape and pedicel blackish brown. Fastigium verticis conical, apex obtusely rounded, in the centre with a shallow furrow; dorsal surface of head with 4 distinct darkish brown stripes: outer stripes extending to internal margin of antennal socket, which continued about two-thirds of the distance along the pronotum, medial stripes fused in fastigium verticis ( Figure 5A ). Eyes round-oval, brown. Apical segments of maxillary palpi slightly longer than subapical ones, apices slightly inflated; the apices of maxillary palpi slightly darker brown.

Thorax. The outer stripes of the head continued to the middle area of metazona, between them with a blackish brown stripe; anterior margin of pronotum slightly straight, posterior margin narrowly rounded; the lateral lobe longer than high.

Tegmina. Tegmina covered by the pronotum, or slightly surpassing the pronotum, the posterior margin reaching the middle area of second abdominal tergite ( Figure 5B ); the margins of the tegmina darker brown. Hind wings absent. Left stridulatory area with large, fully developed mirror; mirror roughly trapezoid ( Figure 8E ); stridulatory file elevated on thickened vein, bent in proximal quarter, remaining portion straight, 0.62–0.64mm long, with 59–60 teeth (number of examined males = 2) ( Fig. 9E ).

Legs. All femora without ventral spines. Fore coxae with a small spine. Fore tibiae with 4 internal and 4–5 external spines on ventral margin, apices with 1 pair of ventral spines. Middle tibiae with 4 pairs of spines and 1 pair of apical spines. Genicular lobes of hind femora with obtuse apices, black; tibiae with 23–29 internal and 24–29 external spines on dorsal surface, ventral surface with 2–4 internal and 2–5 external spines, apices with 1 pair of dorsal spines and 2 pairs of ventral spines, darkish brown.

Abdomen. Dorsal margin of tergites and sternites light brown, lateral margin of abdominal tergites black. Tenth abdominal tergite with an arch-shaped concavity; epiproct tongue-shaped, distinctly invaginated dorsally ( Figure 5D ). Cerci. Yellow. Basal half with semicircular dorsal lobe, ventral process transverse wide, the apical half curved dorsad, apices truncate ( Figure 5 D-F). Apical half of cerci depressed, squarely incurved ( Figure 5F ), subapical area pointed dorsally and internally; the apical half with basal area wider than apical area, apices obtuse ( Figure 5E ). Subgenital plate with base broad, gradually narrowing, basal margin slightly excavated arch-shaped, with 1 Vshaped membranous area; posterior margin slightly projecting, arched. Styli conical, apices obtuse, inserted on the subapex of subgenital plate ( Figure 5H ).

Female. Same colour pattern as male but fainter. Posterior margin of pronotum obtusely rounded ( Figure 5I ). Lateral margin of eighth abdominal tergite protruding downwards; lateral margin of ninth abdominal tergite arched concave; posterior margin of tenth abdominal tergite with 1 faintly concavity in middle. Ovipositor gently curved upwards ( Figure 5K ), dorsal valvulae sharply pointed and ventral ones with indistinct terminal hook ( Figure 5L ). Basal area of subgenital plate slightly wider than apical area, the middle area convex, lateral margin of apical half area nearly parallel; basal margin straight, basal-lateral margin expanded, lateral margin of one-third area obviously right-triangular constricted, posterior margin with narrow angular notch, the lateral lobes rounded ( Figure 5M ).

Nymph. Similar to adults, early nymphs green, last nymphs brown ( Figure 7A, E ).

Measurements. Body length: ♂ 7.0–9.0 mm, ♀ 8.7–9.6 mm; length of pronotum: ♂ 4.5–4.7 mm, ♀ 4.2–4.5 mm; length of hind tegmina: ♂ 2.1–2.8 mm, ♀ 2.4–2.7 mm; length of hind femora: ♂ 8.6–8.8 mm, ♀ 9.1–9.5 mm; length of the ovipositor: 6.0– 6.2 mm.

Distribution. CHINA (Yunnan).

Diagnosis. The new species is very similar to Phlugiolopsis (Uncinata) yunnanensis Shi & Ou, 2005 and Phlugiolopsis (Uncinata) adenitis Bian , Shi & Chang, 2012, but differs from them in: the middle area of male cerci without small tooth on dorsal internal margin, ventral internal process transverse, wider than the other two species, apices truncate, apical half of cerci obviously depressed, strongly twisted, hook-shaped in Phlugiolopsis (Uncinata) yunnanensis and Phlugiolopsis (Uncinata) adenitis , not as twisted; the middle area of female subgenital plate obviously convex, the lateral margin of apical half area in nearly parallel, whereas, the lateral margin of apical half unparallel in Phlugiolopsis (Uncinata) yunnanensis and the posterior margin with faintly central concavity in Phlugiolopsis (Uncinata) adenitis .

Etymology. The specific name ‘ latusiprocera ’ is derived from Latin word ‘ latus ’ (=wide) and ‘ procer ’ (=process). It refers to the interno-ventral wider process of male cerci.

Comments. Based on filed observation, adults and nymphs of the species have differently coloured. The species may have a different nymphal strategy for survival which is quite different from adults. In order to avoid threat from predators, nymphs are protectively coloured to resemble in their habitat. As they mature, they change their colour and the last nymph (late instar nymph) becomes the normal-like adult.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Phlugiolopsis (Uncinata) latusiprocera Bian & Shi, sp. nov. A, B, I, J. pronotum: A, I. dorsal view, B, J. lateral view; C–F, K. apex of abdomen: C, K. lateral view, D. dorsal view, E. apical view, F. apico-ventral view; G, H, K. subgenital plate in ventral view; L. apex of ovipositor in lateral view; A–H, male; I–M, female.

FIGURE 7. Phlugiolopsis species: A–F. Phlugiolopsis (Uncinata) latusiprocera sp. nov.; G–H. Phlugiolopsis (Longiloba) montana; A, C, G–H. male; B, D, E–F. female; A–D, G–H. adults; E. nymph; F. last nymph (late instar nymph).

FIGURE 8. Left tegmen of Phlugiolopsis species. A. Phlugiolopsis digitusis; B. Phlugiolopsis (Longiloba) complanispinis; C. Phlugiolopsis ventralis; D. Phlugiolopsis xinanensis; E. Phlugiolopsis (Uncinata) latusiprocera sp. nov.; F. Phlugiolopsis (Longiloba) montana.

FIGURE 9. Scanning electron micrographs of male stridulatory files of Phlugiolopsis species on the left tegmen. A. Phlugiolopsis digitusis; B. Phlugiolopsis (Longiloba) complanispinis; C. Phlugiolopsis ventralis; D. Phlugiolopsis xinanensis; E. Phlugiolopsis (Uncinata) latusiprocera sp. nov.; F. Phlugiolopsis (Longiloba) montana.