Lichnofugia umshingensis Hajong

Hajong, Sudhanya Ray, 2014, First record of the Genus Lichnofugia from India with description of a new species (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae; Conocephalinae; Agraeciini; Liarina), Zootaxa 3878 (3), pp. 298-300 : 299-300

Lichnofugia umshingensis Hajong sp. nov.

(Figs. 1–8)

Etymology. The name umshingensis is derived from the locality ‘Umshing’ from where the specimen was collected.

FIGURES 1–8. Fig 1: Habitus photo of Holotype male; Fig 2: Head; Fig 3: 10th tergite with bilobed apex dorsal view; Fig 4: Frons frontal view; Fig 5: Cerci and subgenital plate dorsal view; Fig 6: Genital plate ventral view; Fig 7: Titillators apical view; Fig 8: Stridulatory file.

Holotype (Fig.1): 1 male, Umshing, Shillong, India (co-ordinates N 25°36’44.3”; E091° 53’ 57.9”) Altitude 1450 mts asl, 28v2012, from grassy plot near edge of pine forest. Wet preserved in ethanol (70%). To be deposited in Museum of National Centre for Biological Sciences ( NCBS), Bangalore, India.

Diagnosis. Lichnofugia umshingensis is similar to L. nigra Ingrisch, 1998 and L.malaya Tan & Ingrisch, 2014 in terms of the black coloration of the frons. It differs from all other species except L.malaya of which only the female is known by the shape of the genitalia. In L. umshingensis the tenth tergite is split into two lobes. The genital sclerite is longer and the apex is terminated into two lobes; the cerci are cylindrical with a single internal projection with an acute apex.

Description. Male: Fastigium verticis conical (Fig. 2). Frons shining and moderately punctured (Fig. 3). Pronotum undifferentiated somewhat rugose, disc rounded into paranota; apical margin concave, paranota longer than high. Abdomen elongate, extending beyond tip of extended postfemur. Tenth abdominal tergite extended behind with apex excised in the middle into two lobes; thinly hirsute (Fig. 4). Cerci subcylindrical with single apical projections (Fig. 5). Subgenital plate elongated triangular separated into two lobes, apex bearing styli. Styli black in colour (Fig. 6) Titillators compressed, sclerotised along inner margin, apex rounded (Fig.7). Stridulatory file with around 70 teeth (Fig. 8). First antennal segment swollen slightly.

Colouration. Frons and mandibles black and shining; clypeus and labrum light brownish, fore femur light yellowish, other legs light brownish; head, pronotum shining and brownish; abdomen smooth, shining with numerous light spots and a central longitudinal pale band, ventrally pale.

Measurements. Body length 26mm; abdomen length 16mm; pronotal length 4.99 mm; notum 1.66mm; length of postfemur 9 mm.

Female. Unknown.

Discussion. The genus Lichnofugia was first described by Ingrisch with five new species all from Thailand. These include Lichnofugia cornuta Ingrisch 1998 ; L. symfioma Ingrisch, 1998 ; L. petria Ingrisch, 1998 ; L. rufa Ingrisch, 1998 and L.nigra Ingrisch, 1998 . Some of these species are based only on a single specimen. Another new species - Lichnofugia malaya Tan & Ingrisch, 2014 was described from Peninsular Malaysia. With the addition of L. umshingensis the total number of species of Lichnofugia totals seven.

The present species of Lichnofugia viz. L. umshingensis is the only record of this genus from India. In terms of its distribution the discovery of this species from north east India extends the distributional range of the genus Lichnofugia considerably eastward.

The specimen was kept alive in a plastic specimen container for a week during which it was feed with grass and pieces of a grasshopper, which it quickly devoured. No other information exists on the biology of this species.

Members of the Tribe Agraeciini are nocturnal and are rarely encountered during the daytime, as they hide among crevices, tree cracks, bamboo hollow etc ( Ingrisch, 1998). The present specimen was collected during daytime close to a patch of grass near the edge of pine forest from a crevice in the ground where it was apparently hiding. Attempt to find more specimens during night time with a torch have proved futile.