Batola, Vršanský, 2009

Vršanský, Peter, 2009, Albian cockroaches (Insecta, Blattida) from French amber of Archingeay, Geodiversitas 31 (1), pp. 73-98 : 76

Genus Batola n. gen.

TYPE SPECIES. — Batola nikolai n. sp., by monotypy.

ETYMOLOGY. — After batola (Slavic for newborn) sustaining the suffix -la for the genera of the family Blattulidae ; gender feminine.

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS. — The present genus may be categorized within Blattulidae based on its characteristic small habitus, and the character of wing venation with plain dark main branches and wide more pale, brown, intercalaries.

It differs from all genera except Xonpepetla Cifuentes- Ruiz & Vršanský, 2006; Vrtula Vršanský, 2008 ; Elisama Giebel, 1856 and Eublattula Handlirsch, 1939 (i.e. Blattula Handlirsch, 1906 ; Tarakanula Vršanský, 2003 ; Svabula Vršanský, 2005 ; Kridla Vršanský, 2005 ; Habroblattula Wang, Liang & Ren, 2007 ; Macaroblattula Wang, Ren & Liang, 2007 ; Nula Vršanský, 2008 ) in being robust (see also Wang et al. 2007a, b).

Xonpepetla differs in having wing bases more approximated, having expanded M and not sharply curved posterior wing base (all plesiomorphies).

Vrtula is a significantly elongated,large and aberrant taxon; Eublattula is a primitive taxon with modified venation.

The most closely related appears to be Elisama with similar but less expanded coloration (plesiomorphy) and identical head coloration (synapomorphy). The shape of the wing with gradually ascending posterior margin of Batola n. gen. is unique within Blattulidae .

DESCRIPTION

Head large, hypognathous, with occipital area with characteristic two stripes. First and third antennal segments very long. Maxillary palp short and robust, with apical three segments of subequal length, apical segment with dense very slender chaetae.

Pronotum extremely short and wide, with sophisticated coloration. Body wide, cerci short, robust, with very long sensilla chaetica.

Forewings with ascending posterior margin and sharply curved posterior basis. Hindwing protruding beyond the forewings.

Sc simple; R branches dichotomized only apically; M simplified to few long branches; CuA expanded; A simple.

REMARKS

Batola n. gen. bears no plesiomorphies in respect to Elisama , and Elisama bears no apomorphies in respect to Batola n. gen., the former being thus ancestral for Batola n. gen. Unless homoplastic, the most related taxon within Elisama appears to be E. liaoningensis Hong, 1986 from Northern China ( Hong 1986), the sole Elisama species with ascending posterior margin. Nevertheless, according to the unusual large size (forewing length over 12 mm) it is perhaps not directly related.

The 3D preservation with hindwings projected beyond forewings resolved the obscurity of the darkening of hindwing apex in many unrelated taxa ( Blattulidae , Caloblattinidae , Raphidiomimidae , Skokidae ) and its protective function.