Dolichopoda kikladica, Di Russo & Rampini, 2018

Russo, Claudio Di, Rampini, Mauro, Chimenti, Claudio & Alexiou, Sotiris, 2018, New species of Dolichopoda Bolívar, 1880 (Orthoptera, Rhaphidophoridae) from the Aegean Islands of Andros, Paros and Kinaros (Greece), Zoosystema 40 (20), pp. 469-479 : 470-472

Dolichopoda kikladica

Di Russo & Rampini, n. sp.

( Fig. 2 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:48A31226-BB4F-487F-91F2-540D345C7E4B

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype. Cyclades (Kiklades), Paros Isl. , Langada, Cave Ton Demonon, 37°01.092’N, 25°12.560’E, 457 m, 1♂, 07.XII.2014, G. Anousakis leg. ( MZUR).

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED. — 2 ♂ ( MZUR), 4 nymphs, same locality, date and collector as the holotype ( ZMUA) .

TYPE LOCALITY. — Paros is the third largest island of the Cyclades, with a size of 196 km 2. The cave Ton Demonon (‘cave of the demons’) or Cave of Kalampakis is located south-east of Paros town, in the Langada area, near Marpissa village. It opens on a small hill, in the SW part of the main massif of the island, Agioi Pantes (771 m). A walking distance of 15’ is needed to reach the entrance. According to a local myth, a monk imprisoned the demons of the island inside the cave, hence the name. Cave Ton Demonon was explored at 1969 by the member of Hellenic Speleological Society (H.S.S.) Anna Petrochilou and the results were published the next year ( Petrochilou 1970). She is the first to report the presence of a Dolichopoda population (as D. petrochilosi Chopard, 1954 ). The entrance of the cave is 1.4 × 2.5 m and faces south-east. The size of the cave is about 500 m 2. The temperature is 18˚C and the humidity is 85%.

ETYMOLOGY. — The new species name refers to the Cyclades (Kiklades) archipelagos.

DIAGNOSIS. — Closely resembling D. naxia , differing mainly in the uniformly yellowish coloration of the body, the different amount of the leg spinulation, the different shape of the male tenth tergum, the median process of the epiphallus being less elongated and more thickened with the anterior basal processes without ridges.

DESCRIPTION

Male

Size relatively big. Body uniformly light brown-yellowish with the posterior margins of the terga darker ( Fig. 2A ). Legs elongated, femora unarmed. Fore tibiae armed with 6/7 spines on both sides of lower edge, 2/4 spines along upper edge and two apical spurs of equal length. Mid tibiae with 5/6 spines on lower edge, 3/6 short spines on both sides of upper edge, and two apical spurs similar to those of fore tibia. Hind tibiae longer with 18/20 spines of varying length on both sides of upper edge and 3/4 homogeneous spines along lower edge. Tenth tergum with two lateral, trapezoid lobes separated by a wide concave margin slightly incised in the middle ( Fig. 2B ). Subgenital plate wide, globular with short lateral lobes ( Fig. 2C ). Cylindrical styli inserted at the apex of the plate where an evident incision occurs ( Fig. 2D ). Epiphallus strongly sclerotized showing a cylindrical median process, acute at the apex ( Fig. 2E ); from the side, median process lightly curved only in distal part; basal processes rather enlarged, with the posterior ones more developed ( Fig. 2F ). Plica dorsalis wide, formed by two basal lobes well developed and slightly sclerotized. Apical lobe arched showing a few denticles on external margin and in the middle, an apically curved protuberance occur ( Fig. 2G ).

Length (mm): body 17.00; pronotum 3.3; fore femora 15.00; middle femora 14.0; hind femora 18.2; fore tibia 17.00; middle tibia 17.00; hind tibia 21.8; hind tarsus 8.3; 1 st article of hind tarsus 4.2.

Female

Unknown.

REMARK

The authors became involved with the Paros population when Anna Tsigonia, a resident of Paros, participated in a speleological excursion to Ton Demonon cave, organized by Giorgos Anousakis, member of Hellenic Speleological Society and also resident of the island. She posted on Facebook a picture of a Dolichopoda she took during that excursion, which came to the authors’ attention. Both Tsigonia and Anousakis were contacted, and the result was that the latter, accompanied by Vasilis Tsigonias, undertook the task to collect samples and locate other populations on the island. The species seems to be widely spread on the main mountain massif of Paros, Mt Agioi Pantes, as well as on smaller marginal hills.

Except for the type locality, cave cricket populations obviously belonging to the same species were observed in six other caves or old mines of the island, all by Giorgos Anousakis and Vasilis Tsigonias: a) cave of Agios Georgios (37°01.287’N, 025°12.776’E), on the same hill and on the same day as the type material. This is a much smaller cave situated at an altitude of 358 m, a few meters away from the Monastery of Agios Georgios; b) cave of Krevatarias (37°02.802’N, 025°10.889’E), visited on 28.XII.2014, situated on Mt Agioi Pantes, at the altitude of 656 m; c) unnamed pitfall (37°01.410’N, 025°11.169’E), at the area of Langada, south of Paros town, at an altitude of 610 m, visited on 18.IV.2015; d) two abandoned mines, a few meters away from each other, (37°03.267’N, 025°09.876’E), at the area of Aliparta, west of the town of Paros, at an altitude of 455 m, visited on 11.XII.2016; e) cave To Moutsno (37°03.216’N, 025°11.039’E), Mt Agioi Pantes, at an altitude of 557 m, visited on 02.IV.2017; and f) Pitfall Sti Xoni (37°02.224’N, 025°11.189’E), Mt Agioi Pantes, at an altitude of 584 m, visited on 27.IV.2017.

Figures

FIG. 2. — A, habitus female of Dolichopoda kikladica Di Russo & Rampini, n. sp. (not collected); B, male tenth tergum; C, male subgenital plate (ventral view); D, male subgenital plate (lateral view); E, median process of epiphallus (dorsal view); F, median process of epiphallus (lateral view); G, plica dorsalis. Scale bars: 1 mm. Photo by G. Anousakis (A).