Melaneremus sikkimensis, 2018

Ingrisch, Sigfrid, 2018, New taxa and records of Gryllacrididae (Orthoptera, Stenopelmatoidea) from South East Asia and New Guinea with a key to the genera, Zootaxa 4510 (1), pp. 1-278 : 213-214

Melaneremus sikkimensis sp. nov.

Figs. 2A , 74 E–H, 75F–I

Material examined. Holotype (male): India: West Bengal, Sikkim, vic Pelling , elev. 1800 m, 27.viii.1968, leg. W. Thomas—(Bonn ZFMK).

Diagnosis. The new species is similar to M. fruhstorferi . It differs by possession of distinct remnants of wings

( Fig. 74G ) and especially by the tenth abdominal tergite of male that is still recognizable as a tergite while in M. fruhstorferi it is reduced to the oval swellings, by the shape and color (black instead of pale) of that oval swelling which possesses a much longer spine-like process than in M. fruhstorferi . The epiproct differs by the huge size but is otherwise of rather normal shape with a little conspicuous spine-like process on both sides instead of a pair of huge plate-like processes.

Description. Small, subapterous species ( Fig. 74E ). Head: Face narrow ovoid, forehead with fine transverse riffles and few scattered impressed dots; fastigium verticis little wider than scapus, indistinctly separated from fastigium frontis by a transverse furrow; ocelli distinct; subocular furrow shallow ( Fig. 74H ). Abdominal tergites two and three each with two rows of stridulatory pegs (1, 12; 10, 16; Fig. 75I ). Wings: squamipterous; tegmen scale like with strongly reduced venation, little surpassing tip of mesonotum; hind wing reduced to a minute scale ( Figs. 74 F–G). Legs: Fore coxa with a spine at fore margin; fore and mid femora unarmed; fore and mid tibiae with four pairs of large ventral spines and one pair of smaller ventral spurs ( Fig. 2A ); hind femur with 3–4 external and 8 internal spines on ventral margins; hind tibia with spaced spines on both dorsal margins, ventral margins with a pre-apical spine; with 3 apical spurs on both sides.

Coloration. General color brown with black marks; pronotum with black rim; tergites largely black; legs purplish brown, tarsi and tips of tibiae yellowish brown. Face yellowish to orange brown with black bands on fastigium verticis, margin of antennal scrobae, below compound eyes and between medial ocellus and clypeus; base and apical rim of scapus also black.

Male. Eighth abdominal tergite normal. Ninth abdominal tergite prolonged, not globular, lateral margins in dorsal view narrowing posteriorly, lateral surfaces curved down, forming a large, tube-like posterior opening. Tenth abdominal tergite forming a pair of narrow band-shaped sclerites on both sides of the tube-like opening of the ninth tergite, both terminating dorsally into a huge, swollen, roughly ovoid widening that carries on internal side a long and narrow, curved, acute spine ( Figs. 75F, H ). Epiproct long and rather narrow, with medial furrow and on both sides with a little conspicuous spine-like process. Subgenital plate wider than long with bilobate apical margin; styli inserted at lateral angles of tip of apical lobes ( Fig. 75G ).

Female unknown.

Measurements (1 male).—body w/o wings: 18; pronotum: 3.2; hind femur: 12.5; antenna: 110 mm.

Figures

FIGURE 2. A, Melaneremus sikkimensis sp. nov. male holotype; B, Papuogryllacris ligata bundi ssp. nov. male holotype; C, Gryllacris signifera signifera (Stoll, 1813); D, Papuogryllacris leeuweni (Karny, 1930) male; E, Eugryllacris serricauda sp. nov. female; F, Capnogryllacris (C.) e. erythrocephala Gorochov, 2003; G, Asarcogryllacris (A.) parapat sp. nov. female holotype; H, Asarcogryllacris (A.) macilenta macilenta (Pictet & Sauss., 1891) female lectotype; I, Zalarnaca (Zalarnaca) maninjau sp. nov. male holotype.—A–B, body and legs ventral view showing the ventral tibial spines (arrows); C–D, habitus lateral view with the ventral tibial spines (black arrow) and the presence (C, also F) or absence (D) of ventral pre-apical spines on hind tibia (blue arrow); E–F, abdominal apex with ovipositor in lateral view, red arrows mark the widened (E) or simple (F) ovipositor apical area, the green arrow marks the lateral furrow of the ovipositor with widened apical area; G, venation of left tegmen; H, venation of right tegmen; I, apical area of right hind tibia and tarsus. Abbreviations of veins as in Fig. 1.

FIGURE 74. Genus Melaneremus: A–D, M. fruhstorferi (Griffini, 1914) male holotype (A), female allotype (B) and male from Hoang Lien (C–D), E–H, M. sikkimensis sp. nov. holotype; I, M. atrotectus (Brunner, 1888) male holotype.—J–K, Melanogryllacris atrata (Walker, 1869) female in NHMW.—Habitus lateral view (A–B, I–J), habitus dorsal view (C, E, K), face (D, H), anterior area of body with head, pronotum and thorax (F), lateral view on reduced wings (G).

FIGURE 75. Genus Melaneremus: A–E, M. fruhstorferi (Griffini, 1914) male (A–B), male holotype (C), female freshly molted (D–E); F–I, M. sikkimensis sp. nov. holotype; J–K, M. atrotectus (Brunner, 1888) holotype; L–O, M. pupulus (Bolivar, 1900) type; P–Q, M. harmandi (Griffini, 1912) type?.—Male abdominal apex in apical (A, C distorted, F, K, L), ventral (B, G, J, M) and dorsal view (H, O), female seventh abdominal sternite, subgenital plate and base of ovipositor in ventral view (D), female abdomen with ovipositor (E, P), female subgenital plate (Q), stridulatory pegs on second and third abdominal tergites, front is right (I).