Ptilocerembia rossi, Poolprasert, Pisit & Edgerly, Janice S., 2014

Poolprasert, Pisit & Edgerly, Janice S., 2014, Description of four new species of the genus Ptilocerembia Friederichs, 1923 (Embioptera: Ptilocerembiidae) from Thailand, Zootaxa 3852 (3), pp. 359-372 : 368-371

Ptilocerembia rossi sp. n.

Figs. 5 A–5C, 6D, 7M–7P

Material examined. Holotype male ( CUMNH), Thailand, Prachuap Khiri Khan province, Ban Saphan district, Rubber plantation, 11°19.124’N 99°24.422’E, 105 m, 16. IV.2009; 4 paratype males, 29 paratype females, 2 additional females ( CUMNH), same data as holotype. Four females ( CUMNH), Ban Saphan District, Rubber plantation, 11°19.342’N 99°24.536’E, 78 m, 03.IX.2009; 5 females ( CUMNH), Chantaburi province, Soi Dao district, tropical rain forest, 13°06.184’N, 102°11.496’E, 113 m, 08.VIII.2009; 1 female ( CUMNH), Klung district, rubber plantation, 12°30.742’N 102°10.562’E, 50 m, 28.XI.2009; 3 males, 5 females ( CUMNH), Nakhon Si Thammarat province, Thung Song district, rubber plantation, 08°10.340’N 99°44.505’E, 103 m, 06.II.2010; 1 male ( CUMNH), 01.V.2008; 4 females ( CUMNH), 25.VI.2008, 7 females ( CUMNH), Satun province, La-ngu district, beach forest, 06°32.502’N 099°16.411’E, 3 m, 21.X.2008; 1 female ( CUMNH), Trang province, Mueang district, tropical rain forest, 07°33.423’N, 099°36.653’E, 34 m, 0 2. XII. 2010.

Distribution. This species was collected at several localities in Thailand.

Etymology: The new species is named after Dr. Edward Ross, the renowned Embioptera specialist.

Description. Alate male ( Fig. 5 A) (n = 5, mean (range) ± SD): head width × length 1.4 (1.2–1.5) ± 0.25 × 1.6 (1.4–1.7) ± 0.42 mm; body length 12.5 (12.3–15.5) ± 0.41 mm, width 1.9 (1.8–2.1) ± 0.03 mm; forewing length 9.2 (9.1–9.5) ± 0.73 mm; hind wing length 8.8 (8.5–9.0) ± 0.16 mm.

Head capsule about as broad as long, sides behind eyes strongly convergent and round caudally ( Fig. 7 M); eyes rather large. Molar area of mandibles sharply pointed. Antennae 29-segmented, uniformly brown except for five white distal antennal segments.

Thorax dark brown but more darkly patterned with mahogany. Wing with MA forked, medium brown with metallic purple luster. All legs concolorous with thorax. Hind basitarsus elongate with only one papilla, plantar setae long ( Fig. 7 P).

Abdomen dark brown then caudally darker. Terminalia with 10L broad and vaulted; 10LP slender an d constricted basally then tapered distally, pointed; MF a long sickle-shaped hook, with raised nodule; LPPT limited to a dark, sclerotized caudal rim; sharp LPPT-P, curved leftward, pointed to LC1. Basal portion of left cercus (LC1) tubular, elongated, half the length of the cercus, its echinulate lobe rather small, its caudal width gradually constricting to equal that of atrophied base of LC2 ( Figs 7 N–7 O).

Apterous female ( Fig. 5 B) (n = 29, mean (range) ± SD): Head width × length 1.5 (1.3–1.6) ± 0.11 × 1.7 (1.3–1.8) ± 0.81 mm; body length 14.6 (14.2–17.1) ± 0.23 mm, width 2.1 (1.9–2.5) ± 0.46 mm.

Head capsule medium brown. Eyes dark brown, less kidney-shaped than in male. Antennae 35-segmented, darker except for eight white distal segments.

Prothorax and acrotergite yellowish, mottled with medium brown. Meso- and meta-tergites and pleurites blackish brown. All legs pale yellow.

Basal three abdominal terga blackish brown in sharp contrast with the next four golden terga (mottled with medium brown); terminal three abdominal segments and cerci medium brown.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Ptilocerembia rossi sp. n. (A) male, (B) female and (C) silk gallery. Silk is as described for Fig. 1.

FIGURE 7. Important characters of male Ptilocerembia thaidina sp. n. (A – D), P. senathami sp. n. (E – H) P. catherinae sp. n. (I – L) and P. rossi sp. n. (M – P). A, E, I, M) Head. (B, F, J, N) Dorsal views of terminalia. (C, G, K, O) Ventral views of terminalia. (D, H, L, P) Hind basitarsus.