Symploce sphaerica, Wang, Zongqing & Che, Yanli, 2013

Wang, Zongqing & Che, Yanli, 2013, Three new species of cockroach genus Symploce Hebard, 1916 (Blattodea, Ectobiidae, Blattellinae) with redescriptions of two known species based on types from Mainland China, ZooKeys 337, pp. 1-18 : 7-8

3. Symploce sphaerica sp. n. Figs 5-6, 28-37

Description.

Length, male, pronotum: length × width: 3.0 × 4.0mm, tegmen: 13.0mm, overall length (including tegmen): 15.5mm. Body yellowish brown (Fig. 5). Vertex brown. Ocellar spot pale yellow. Antenna with base yellowish brown and apex dark brown. Maxillary palpomus with fourth and fifth segments dark brown, others yellowish brown (Fig. 6). Pronotum with reddish brown maculae at disk, lateral borders and anterior margin yellowish brown (Figs 5, 28).

Vertex with interocular space slightly less than ocellus width and distinctly narrower than distance between antennal sockets. Third and fifth maxillary palpomus about same length, both distinctly longer than the fourth (Fig. 6). Pronotum with hind margin slightly produced in the middle. Tegmen with apical posterior branch behind the radius vein, which bifurcated at apical part; median vein with two branches, the longer one further bifurcated (Fig. 29). Hind wing with radius vein branched not over the middle, median vein simple, cubitus veins slightly curved with 2 complete and 2 incomplete branches, and triangular apical area reduced and small (Fig. 30). Anteroventral margin of front femur type B3, pulvilli present on 4 proximal tarsomeres, tarsal claws symmetrical and unspecialized, and arolia present. First abdominal tergum (T1) specialized with a tuft of agglutinated hair directed caudad; seventh abdominal tergum (T7) specialized with a pair of large depressions where some setae are situated (Fig. 31); and ninth abdominal tergum (T9) with lateral plates similar, not produced and unspecialized, but the right one slightly narrower than the left (Fig. 32).

Male genitalia. Male supra-anal plate (Fig. 33) symmetrical with some setae scattered in ventral view, hind margin nearly triangular and slightly concave in the middle. Right and left paraproct dissimilar and unspecialized (Fig. 33). Subgenital plate (Fig. 34) asymmetrical, apex of lateral borders thickened, middle of hind margin slightly produced where two preapical styli are lying; the styli dissimilar, the left one larger, nearly spherical and apex with 3-4 teeth, the right smaller, nearly cylindrical and apex with 2 processes (Fig. 34). Hook of left phallomere with sclerotized portion very small, on left side, hook portion slender and with V-shaped and subapical incision (Fig. 35); median phallomere slightly curved at apical half and apex spine-like and acute (Fig. 36); right phallomere irregular sclerite (Fig. 37).

Materials examined.

Holotype, male, China: Guangxi Prov., Jinxiu, Mt. Shengtangshan, 18 October 1999, coll. Mingai Gao. Paratypes, one male, China: Guangxi Prov., Jinxiu, Luoxiang, 18 October 1999, coll. Xingke Yang; one male, China: Guangxi Prov., Jinxiu, Mt. Shengtangshan, 18 October 1999, coll. Mingai Gao; one female, China: Guangxi Prov., Jinxiu, Mt. Shengtangshan, 18 October 1999, coll. Xuezhong Zhang.

Remarks.

The species is similar to Episymploce mamillatus (Feng & Woo), but can be distinguished as follows: 1) hind margin of anal plate with indistinct incision (hind margin of anal plate with distinct V-shaped concavity in Episymploce mamillatus ); 2) right and left paraprocts unspecialized (paraprocts specialized in Episymploce mamillatus ); 3) subgenital plate with two nearly spherical styli (styli spine-like in Episymploce mamillatus ). And the species differs from all other Symploce spp. by the special styli.

Etymology.

The specific epithet “sphaericus” is derived from Latin, which refers to the left style being nearly spherical (dissimilar from the right style).