Arenivaga bolliana (Saussure, 1893)

Bohn, Horst, 2024, The spine armament of the legs as an important means for the characterisation of the genera of Corydiinae and their relationships (Blattodea, Corydiidae), Zootaxa 5482 (1), pp. 1-79 : 43-44

Arenivaga bolliana

Figs. 17E,F , 18E

Male characters. Wings: fully developed, tegmina without subcosta lobe.—Femur armament: apical spine only on mid- and hindfemur.—Tibia armament: [1.8.0][7.6.1-2][(10)11.6.4].—Subgenital plate: variously structured (see Hopkins 2014), Fig. 17F .—Right phallomere: various (see Hopkins 2014).—Supraanal plate: long, rounded rectangular, posteriorly with a short mesal emargination, Fig. 17E .—Cercal tricholiths: 2 per anulus, Fig. 18E .

Material studied: 2♂, Texas, Wood Co., ca. 15 mi. N Hawkin, 32°98’42”N, 95°10’04”W, 29.IV.2000, Coll.Wm. Godwin (prep. of 1♂: Bo 1407) ; 2♂, USA, Texas, LRGVNWR Voshell Unit, Brownsville , 25,88873N, 97,43142W, 5–6.VI.2009, Heffern & Riley-1030, UV (prep. of 1♂: Bo 1408) (det. H.Hopkins 2011). (M. Texas Univ.) .

Remarks. The enormous species-richment of the genus (48 species, Hopkins 2014) and the great variability in some structures raise the question whether the data collected from only one species are representative for the whole genus to be used for phylogenetic considerations. Unfortunately, some characters important for the present work are not treated by Hopkins, as are the armament of the tibiae and the shape of the supraanal plate; the occurrence of tricholiths as a characteristic feature of the genus Arenivaga is mentioned, but it is not explicitly stated that they are present in all species and in the expected arrangement, i.e. in two longitudinal rows. Anyway, Roth & Slifer (1973) have already studied eight different species in this respect, and for the present investigation apart from A. bolliana two further undetermined species were available. The situation concerning the supraanal plate is more critical: Hebard’s (1917) description of the shape of the supraanal plate was based on four species for which he noted: “agree with Homoeogamia in the character of the supraanal plate”, and the latter was described as being “produced in a delicate bilobate projection”. Thus, for the analysis of the character “length of supraanal plate” six species were available, which all had a long supraanal plate.

Interestingly, in part of the species of Arenivaga characters can be found which are similar to those of Palaearctic species: the distribution and shape of the bristles on the the subgenital plate may be similar as in species of the genus Heterogamodes (upper left image of fig. 9 in Hopkins 2014) and there is one species, A. darwini , with only one tarsal claw as in the genus Nymphrytria , which it also resembles in the shape and armament of the hindtibia (fig. 36a,b in HOPKINS). But the strong differences in other characters as are phallomeres and tricholiths leave little doubt that the rather weak similarities with the Palaearctic genera are due to convergence.

11. Genus Polyphagina Chopard, 1929

Type species. Polyphagina algerica var. occidentalis (Bolívar, 1914)

Figures

FIGURE 17. Supraanal plate with paraprocts (at the left) and subgenital plate (at the right) of male.—Species: A: Polyphaga obscura, Bo 1396; B: P.aegyptiaca, from Lesbos, ex cult.; C,D: Eremoblatta subdiaphana, Bo1415; E,F: Arenivaga bolliana, Bo 1407; G,H: Polyphagina algerica. (G) Bo 1376; (H) Bo 1375.—Abbreviations: c cercus, p paraproct, s stylus.—Enlargements: Scale in C and D 0.5 mm, in all others 1 mm.

FIGURE 18. Cerci of male with tricholiths, ventral view.—Species: A: Euthyrrhapha pacifica, Cap Verden, Cv 35/7; B: Tiviella inconspicua, Bo 612; C: Homoeogamia mexicana, Bo 1180; D: Polyphagina algerica, Bo 1376; E: Arenivaga bolliana, Bo 1407; F: Eremoblatta subdiaphana, Bo 1415; G: Ergaula cf. capensis, Bo 1185; H: Therea cf. petiveriana Bo 1378; I: Polyphaga aegyptiaca, from Lesbos, ex. cult.; J: Anisogamia tamerlana, Bo 1401; K: Psammoblatta livida, Bo 1334.—Number of tricholiths per anulus: A: one or two (at the base few anuli); B–F: two; G,H: three; I–K: more than five.—Enlargements: Scale in B 0.1 mm, in all others 0.25 mm.