Dziriblatta (Dziriblatta) planotuberculata, Bohn, 2021

Bohn, Horst, 2021, Revision of the genus Dziriblatta Chopard, 1936 (Blattodea, Ectobiidae, Ectobiinae) III. The species of the subgenus Dziriblatta, Zootaxa 4964 (2), pp. 201-250 : 211-212

7. Dziriblatta (Dziriblatta) planotuberculata , spec. nov.

Figs. 14A–N , 15, 16 , 27, 28, 29

Diagnosis. In the male distinguished from Dz. (Dz.) lobososacculata by the very different structures of pit and pouch lobes and the length of the pre-glandular area of T5,6 strongly increasing towards the median notch (n in Fig. 14I ); from Dz. (Dz.) undulata by the differences in the shape of T6, and from Dz. (Dz.) altotuberculata and Dz. (Dz.) ramososacculata by the lower elevations on the posterior wall of the pit and the differently shaped latero-posterior corners of T7.

Etymology. The species name refers to the relatively flat (in Latin: planus) mound (in Latin: tuber) on the posterior wall of the glandular pit.

Material studied. Type material. MOROCCO. Holotype, 1♂, Moyen Atlas, near M. F. Tamtroucht (S Tizi-Oulmou, S Taza), 1700 m, 27.V.1997, leg. B. & H.Bohn (completely on two slides: Ma 13a/6). (Coll. Bohn, ZSM).

Additional material. MOROCCO. 2♂, same data as holotype (slides: 2♂, Ma 13a/1,3) ; 1♂, Moyen Atlas , Jbel bou Iblane, W above Tamjilt, 2000 m, 20. V .1989, leg. B. & H.Bohn (slide: Ma 80/1); 4♂, 6♀, 1O, Moyen Atlas , Jbel bou Iblane, Talzemt, 1800 m, 21. V.1989, leg. B. & H.Bohn (slides: 2♂, Ma 81/1,3; 1♀, Ma 81/2) ; 5♂, 6♀, Moyen Atlas , Jbel bou Iblane , Talzemt, 1800 m, 21.IV.1998, leg. B. & H.Bohn (slide: 1♀, Ma 81a/3) ; 1♂, 1♀, Moyen Atlas , Jbel bou Iblane, Tizi-n’Tiskine, 1500–1600 m, 26. V .1997, leg. B. & H.Bohn (slide: ♂, Ma 177/2) ; 4♂, 6♀, Moyen Atlas , Jbel bou Iblane , btw. Tafferte & Refuge de Tafferte, 1500 m, 21.IV.1998, leg. B. & H.Bohn (slides: 2♂, Ma 178a/1,2). (Coll. Bohn, ZSM) .

Description. Size. Length of pronotum in male 2.05–2.35 mm (mean 2.21 mm), in female 2.40 mm (mean 2.40 mm); N 8/2.

Male structures. Posterior borders of T2–5 ( Figs. 14A, B ) fairly straight or slightly concave; posterior border of T6 with a slightly deeper median excavation than in the preceding species, transversal ridge with a broad mesal excurvation to the anterior ( Figs. 14I–K ), length of pre-ridge area towards the median notch rather strongly increasing; surface of T6 mesally with a similar trough as in Dz. (Dz.) lobososacculata , but posteriorly more or less closed by a slight bending up of the posterior border of the tergite. Latero-posterior corners of T7 moderately produced to broadly rounded lobes, posterior border of the tergite in between deeply concave; pre-glandular margin of normal length ( Figs. 15 , 16 ), not as far protruding anteriorly as in the following two species. Opening of the glandular pit posteriorly not well demarcated, occupying more than half of the length and more than a third of the breadth of T7 ( Figs. 14D , 15, 16 ; pb in Fig. 15 indicates the approximate position of the posterior border of the opening); walls of the pit almost uprightly descending, forming a rather deep bag-like pit. Posterior wall with a relatively low elevation (ce central elevation) increasing in height up to the middle depth of the pit; cross-section of the pit hole, therefore, from the oval at the opening changing to a crescent shape in the lower half of the pit. Elevation of the posterior wall restricted to the mesal two thirds of its breadth and laterally lowered towards the gutters (gu), which smoothly continue downward into the trails (tl). Anterior wall of pit mesally near the bottom with a membraneous window (w) containing the openings of the two pouch lobes; posteriorly adjacent, at the bottom between the trails the beginning of a long, relatively low ridge (pr posterior ridge) reaching up to the pit opening where it continues into a bulge (bu) ending at the posterior border of the tergite; bulge fairly wedge-shaped, posteriorly narrow and usually well set off, broadening anteriorly and fading away near the posterior border of the pit opening (pb). Pouch lobes narrowly cylindrical, tubelike, of more than abdominal length, wriggled in about half of the specimens with few very short side branches ( Fig. 16 ), interiorly with numerous bristle-like microtrichial structures, longer than the diameter of the tubes and, therefore, inclined towards the exit (as in Figs. 25J, K ); near the entry into the pit with numerous long bristles reaching with their tips into the pit hole; tubes separately, but close together opening into the pit, within the above-mentioned window. T10 with median part of posterior border shallowly but distinctly concave ( Fig. 14H ). Spatular bristles laterally on T5–7, densely arranged only on T7 ( Figs. 14E–G ). No glandular pores on T2.

Colouration. Tegmina in both sexes transparent ( Figs. 14L–N ), at most with few small darker dots. Male. Head dark, with yellowish post-interocular stripe; forelegs for most part dark, mid- and hindlegs with extended yellowish parts; discs of thoracic nota dark, margins transparent ( Fig. 13L ); T2-6 anteriorly of the ridge dark, posteriorly on a yellowish ground colour with a dark maculose pattern producing at three positions more extended dark areas ( Figs. 14A–C, I–K ), in T7 a large median area posteriorly of the pit opening yellowish ( Figs. 14D , 15, 16 ); sternites mainly dark, lateral margins broadly yellowish. Female. Head dark, with yellowish post-interocular stripe; legs almost completely yellowish; discs of thoracic nota usually dark, not seldom with extended lightenings ( Figs. 14M, N ); tergites anteriorly of the ridge dark, posteriorly on a yellowish ground colour with a modestly extended dark maculose pattern; sternites mainly dark, lateral margins broadly yellowish.

Distribution. The species continues the distribution of the preceding species along the Middle Atlas North of the River Sebou, covering the southern part of the massive Jebel Bou Iblane, at elevations of 1500–2000 m ( Figs. 27 , 28 ).

Figures

FIGURE 13. Dziriblatta (Dz.) lobososacculata, T7 of the holotype (Ma 14a/2), with rather unregularly shaped pouch lobes. For the identification of structures see Figs.10, 11.

FIGURE 14. A–N. Structures of Dziriblatta (Dz.) planotuberculata.—A–K. Male tergite structures. A: T1–4; B: T5; C: T6; D: T7, with latero-posterior corners only slightly produced; p tubular pouch lobes; gl glandular pit; tl trail; ce central elevation on the posterior wall of the pit, weakly developed; bu sagittal bulge posteriorly of the pit, in this preparation hardly visible (compare with Fig. 16); E–G: spatular bristles on the lateral parts of T5 (E), T6 (F), and T7 (G), only T7 with densely arranged spatular bristles; H: terminalia showing the excavated posterior border pt of T10, c cercus; I–K: T6 of three specimens showing the variabilty in the shape of the posterior border of the tergite; n median notch; pa pre-ridge-area; tr transversal ridge.—L–N. Thoracic nota with tegmina of male (L) and female (M,N).—Enlargements: Same scale for A–D, for E–G, and for L–N.—Identifications: A–G,I,L (holotype, Ma 13a/6), H,N,M (Ma 81/1,2,3), J (Ma 80/1), K (Ma 178/1).

FIGURE 15. Dziriblatta (Dz.) planotuberculata, T7 of male with pouch lobes, holotype (Ma 13a/6).Abbreviations: bu bulge, scarcely set off (compare with Fig 16); ce central elevation; gu gutter; p pouch lobes; pb approximate level of the posterior border of the pit opening; pm pre-glandular margin of the tergite; pr posterior ridge; tl trail; w membraneous window in the anterior wall of the pit, bearing the pouch openings.

FIGURE 25. A–G. Structures of Dziriblatta (Dz.) undulata. A, B: left tegmen of male (A) and female (B); C, D: thoracic nota with tegmina, male (C) and female (D); E–G: lateral parts of male T5 (E), T6 (F), T7(G), all tergites densely covered with spatular bristles.—H–K. Phase contrast images of bristlelike microtrichial processes arising from short indentations (arrows) of the cuticular lining of the tube wall; H, I: Dz. (Dz.) undulata, processes relatively short, radially directed; sample in H from the tip of a pouch lobe, in I from an intermediate region; J, K: Dz. (Dz.) ramososacculata, processes longer, obliquely downward directed; sample from side branches, in J with part of the main axis (a apical, b basal site); s remnants of soft tissues, in K removed by image editing.—Enlargements: Same scale for A,B, for C,D, for E–G, and for H–K.—Identifications:A,B (Ma 105/5,9), C,E–I (holotype of Dz. (Dz.) undulata, Ma 6b/8), D (Ma 6b/10), J,K (Ma 184/1).

FIGURE 27. Distribution of the species of subgenus Dziriblatta in Morocco and southern Spain (for mountains and locality numbers see Fig. 28). The lobososacculata-species group is distributed along the main mountain ranges of the Middle and High Atlas and the Rif, the bolivari-species group mainly further North: along the western Tell Atlas in Algeria (see fig. 32 in Bohn 2019), in northern Morocco including the northern part of the Middle Atlas, and in southern Spain along the Cordillera Penibetica, West of the Sierra Nevada up to Algeciras. The names of the species and their symbols are listed in the sequence of their distribution, which in the bolivari-species group is from East to West, in the lobososacculata-species group from North to South.The numbered arrows indicate localities with the common occurrence of two different species of subgenus Dziriblatta. In most cases Dz. (Dz.) algerica is found associated with another species, at locality 1 with Dz. (Dz.) bolivari, at 2 with Dz. (Dz.) ramososacculata, and at 4 with Dz. (Dz.) lobososacculata; at locality 3 Dz. (Dz.) ramososacculata is occurring together with Dz. (Dz.) planotuberculata.—Abbreviation: indet. females = indetermined females, only in Spain.

FIGURE 28. Locality numbers of all species of subgenus Dziriblatta found in Morocco (Ma) and Spain (Sp.).