Scelimena Serville, 1838

Qin, Ying-Can, Liu, Jing, Li, Xiao-Dong, Chen, Ya-Zhen & Deng, Wei-An, 2023, On the specific status of Scelimena spicupennis and a new record of S. discalis from China with mitochondrial genome characterization (Orthoptera, Tetrigidae), ZooKeys 1185, pp. 83-104 : 83

Genus Scelimena Serville, 1838

Scelimena Serville, 1838: 762; Bolívar 1887: 215; Kirby 1890: 593; Brunner von Wattenwyl and Fea 1893: 103; Hancock 1907: 23; Kirby 1910: 12; Kirby 1914: 21; Hancock 1915: 64; Günther 1938b: 374; Kevan 1966: 377; Shishodia 1991: 16; Blackith 1992: 161; Yin et al. 1996: 908; Otte 1997: 88; Jiang and Zheng 1998: 282; Liang and Zheng 1998: 50; Zheng 2005: 54; Mahmood, et al. 2007: 1278; Deng et al. 2007: 46; Storozhenko and Dawwrueng 2015: 543; Deng 2016: 52; Zha et al. 2017: 372-382; Tumbrinck 2018: 39; Muhammad et al. 2018: 6; Lao et al. 2022: 321; Skejo et al. 2022: 9.

Links.

http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/Common/basic/Taxa.aspx?TaxonNameID=1101762.

Type species.

Scelimena producta Serville, 1838, by monotypy.

Description and differential diagnosis.

Members of the genus Scelimena have the following characteristics: hind tibiae and the first segment of hind tarsi strongly lamellate; head not exserted; vertex generally wider than or equal to width of the compound eye, a little oblique or inclined anteriorly, extend up to the eyes in front, slightly depressed anteriorly; lateral carinulae lower to the eyes, inclined anteriorly and reflexed laterally, front margin sub-transverse and lower; frontal costa bifurcate between the paired ocelli, narrowly sulcate between paired ocelli and a little widely forked between antennae; paired ocelli placed below the middle rather than on the inferior margin of eyes. Antennae filiform and located below the inferior margin of eyes, Eyes globular and elevated above the vertex. Pronotum transverse anteriorly, subulate posteriorly and extend beyond the apices of hind femora; dorsum rugose, granulose, small tubercles present on the anterior margin below the eyes and also in between, generally distinct tubercles present on the shoulders and lateral margins, sometimes raised linear callosities present on pronotal process; paranota with two projections; posterior angles of lateral lobes of pronotum with a strong spine projecting outwards with its apex more or less directed forwards. Elytra elongate, punctate, apex narrowly rounded. Wings extend up to the apex of pronotum; fore and middle femora elongate, lobate with serrulate margins; posterior femora elongate, crassate, inferior margin frequently dentate; pulvilli of the first segment of hind tarsi more or less equal in length.

Scelimena Serville, 1838 is morphologically similar to the genera Euscelimena Günther, 1938b, Indoscelimena Günther, 1938b and Paragavialidium Zheng, 1994, as well as to the genera Paramphibotettix Günther, 1938b and Tagaloscelimena Günther, 1938b. Euscelimena , Indoscelimena , Paramphibotettix and Tagaloscelimena are Scelimenini , while Paragavialidium is Discotettigini . In Euscelimena , lack of FL2, dentate lower margin of the fore and middle femora. while in Scelimena , FL2 present on the anterior margin of pronotum below the eyes, the fore and middle femora lobate with serrulate margins. In Indoscelimena , the first segment of hind tarsi is more or less expanded but not lamellated; tubercles weakly developed on the anterior margin below the eyes and in front of the median carina of pronotum, but these are absent on humeral angles and lateral carinae of pronotum. In Scelimena , the first segment of hind tarsi with wide lamellar expansions; small tubercles present on the anterior margin of pronotum below the eyes, in front of the median carina of pronotum, on humeral angles and sometimes on the lateral carinae of pronotum also. In Paragavialidium , FM forms a distinct projection and the humeral angles of the pronotum project outwards. In Scelimena , FM is unrecognizable (except in S. spicupennis ), the humeral angles of the pronotum not project outwards. In Paramphibotettix , the first segment of hind tarsi is more or less expanded but not lamellated. while in Scelimena , the first segment of hind tarsi with wide lamellar expansions. In Tagaloscelimena , the first segment of hind tarsi with slightly wide lamellar expansions; narrow vertex, lack of FL2. In Scelimena , the first segment of hind tarsi strongly lamellate, vertex generally wider than or equal to width of the compound eye, FL2 present on the anterior margin of pronotum below the eyes.

Species composition.

There are 23 species distributed in the tropics and subtropics of India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, China, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, Palawan Isl., Philippines, Java, East Sumba, Sulawesi, Flores, and New Guinea with adjacent small islands ( Muhammad et al. 2018; Cigliano et al. 2022).