Rhabdoblatta praecipua ( Walker, 1868 )

Anisyutkin, Leonid N., 2014, On cockroaches of the subfamily Epilamprinae (Dictyoptera: Blaberidae) from South India and Sri Lanka, with descriptions of new taxa, Zootaxa 3847 (3), pp. 301-332 : 316-319

Rhabdoblatta praecipua ( Walker, 1868)

( Figs. 8 A–L, 9 B, C, 11 A, B)

Material. SRI LANKA, " Ceylon. A. Willey. 1906–189"— 1 male ( BMHN) .

Description. Male. General color yellowish ( Fig. 11A, B , see also Shelford 1910, t. 2, fig. 5a; Beccaloni 2007); facial part of head, 1st and 2nd antennal segments, mouthparts, pronotum, tegmina, legs and partly abdomen dirty-yellowish; eyes dark brown; antennae distal of 1st and 2nd segments brown; vertex, pronotum, tegmina and, in lesser degree, abdominal sternites densely speckled with brown; pronotum laterally bordered with yellow; abdominal tergites medially blackish. Surfaces smooth and lustrous; distal parts of antennae (approximately from 16th segment) and 5th segment of maxillary palps dull; punctation present only in basal parts of tegmina; facial part of head with not strongly expressed wrinkles ( Figs. 8 A, 11A). Head about as long as wide ( Figs. 8 A, 11A); ocellar spots distinct; distance between eyes 0.8 times of the eye length; distance between antennal sockets about 1.6 times of the scape length (1.2 mm); approximate length ratio of 3rd–5th segments of maxillary palps1: 1: 1.3. Pronotum as in Figs. 8 B, 11B. Tegmina truncated apically, with distinctly attenuated apex ( Figs. 9 B, 11B); sclerotized in proximal half; intercalary veins numerous (not shown on Fig. 9 B); costal field comparatively long and narrow, as compared to Morphna species ( Fig. 9 A); Sc thickened (well visible on ventral side of tegmen); R and M stems not separated; CuP distinct. Wings sclerotized along anterior margin (costal and subcostal fields) ( Figs. 9 C, 11B), other areas membranous; Sc long and simple; RA long, with 2 apical veins; RS distinct; M long and simple; CuA pectinate with 6 complete (reaching to wing margin) veins; behind CuA situated long and simple, incrassated in proximal part, vein ( Fig. 9 C, 1pl.), probably corresponding to 1st plical vein sensu Rehn (1951) or CuP [probably CuP + A1 sensu Bey-Bienko (1950)]; anal fan consisting of 16 veins reaching margin of wing; 3 possibly jugal veins situated behind anal fan. Anterior margin of fore femur as in type B, with 5 spines, including 1 apical one. Fore tibiae not thickened distally. Structure of hind tarsi: metatarsus about as long as other segments combined, with 2 rows of spines along lower margin, exterior and interior rows of spines with about equal number of spines, euplantula small and apical; metatarsus and 2nd–4th segments with 3–5 spines bordering euplantulae from inside and outside. Pretarsi in hind tarsi broken off, fore and mid tarsi claws symmetrical, very weakly serrated; arolium about as half of claw length. Abdomen without visible specializations; posterolateral angles of tergites moderately attenuate caudally ( Fig. 11B ). Anal plate (tergite X) trapezoidal in shape, with triangular median incision on caudal margin ( Fig. 8 C). Cerci fusiform, long and narrow, very weakly depressed, with distinct segments ( Fig. 8 C). Paraprocts as in Fig. 8 D. Hypandrium as in Fig. 8 E; slightly sclerotized; nearly symmetrical; styli flattened.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 8 F–L). Right phallomere (R+N) ( Fig. 8 F) with caudal part of sclerite R1T subrectangular in shape ( Fig. 8 F, c.p.R1T); R2 curved; R3 elongated, distinctly widened caudally; R4 comparatively small, as compared with majority of Rhabdoblatta and Morphna species; R5 long, in shape of longitudinally elongated plate, fused with sclerite R3. Sclerite L2D (L1) with basal part rod-like, widened cranially ( Fig. 8 G); "apical sclerite" cap-like, rounded, densely covered with recumbent bristles ( Fig. 8 H, ap.scl.); "dorsal sclerite" ( Fig. 8 H, d.scl.) flat, solidly connected with "apical sclerite". Sclerite L3 (L2d) with thin basal subsclerite; "folded structure" distinct, without bristles ( Fig. 8 I, f.s.); apex of L3 with "small tooth" ( Fig. 8 J–L, s.t.); "apical crest" weak ( Fig. 8 J–L, ap.cr.). Sclerite L4U (L3d) weakly sclerotized, triangular in shape.

Measurements (mm). Head length: 5.0; head width: 5.0; pronotum length: 8.0; pronotum width: 10.4; tegmen length: 36.0; tegmen width (in place where CuP running into posterior margin of tegmen): 11.2.

Note. Spine rows on the hind metatarsus of the left leg are somewhat abnormal, probably due to lifetime damage. The right hind leg is broken off. The anal plate is slightly deformed ( Fig. 8 C).

Figures

FIGURE 8. Rhabdoblatta praecipua (Walker, 1868) (male). A—facial part of head; B—pronotum from above; C—abdominal apex from above; D—paraprocts and adjacent structures from below; E—hypandrium from below; F—right phallomere from above; G—outlines of sclerite L 2 D from above; H—apical part of sclerite L 2 D from above; I—sclerite L 3; J – L—outlines of apical part of sclerite L 3. Dotted area shows membranous parts. Abbreviations: X — 10 th abdominal tergite; ap. scl.; c. p. R 1 T; d. scl.; f. s.; R 2; R 3; R 4; R 5; par.; pv.; s. t. — see text. Scale bar 1 mm: a = A; b = B; c = C; d = D; e = E; f = F; g = G; h = H; i = I; j = J – L.

FIGURE 9. Tegmina (A, B) and wing (C) from above. A—Morphna lucida sp. nov. (male, holotype); B, C –Rhabdoblatta praecipua (Walker, 1868) (male). Abbreviations: 1pl.; A1; CuA; CuP; M; R; R+M; RA; RS; Sc—see text. Membrane reticulations omitted. Scale bar 1 mm: a = A; b = B; c = C.

FIGURE 11. A, F, H—facial part of head; B, C, G—general view from above; D, E, I—anterior part of body from below (D) and above (E, I). A, B—Rhabdoblatta praecipua (Walker, 1868) (male); C–F—Calolamprodes characterosa (Walker, 1868) (males), specimens from Sri Lanka (C, D) and South India (E, F); G–I –Thorax porcellana (Saussure, 1862) (male, lectotype). In Fig. B abdominal apex removed. Specimens in Figs. A, B, G–I are pinned, those in Figs. C–F are kept in alcohol.