Cophonemobius faustini funafus, Desutter-Grandcolas, 2009

Desutter-Grandcolas, Laure, 2009, New and little known crickets from Espiritu Santo Island, Vanuatu (Insecta, Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Pseudotrigonidium Chopard, 1915, Phaloriinae and Nemobiinae p. p.), Zoosystema 31 (3), pp. 619-659 : 656

Cophonemobius faustini funafus n. subsp. ( Figs 14C ; 15C, D )

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype: Vanuatu. [Sanma province] Espiritu Santo [Island], Funafus , 15°32’46.4”S, 167°00’46”E, grotte, sur paroi, 30.X.2006, L. Desutter- Grandcolas, 1 ♂ (fn 2) (MNHN-ENSIF2145).

Allotype: same data as holotype, 1 ♀ (fn 4) ( MNHN- ENSIF2146 ).

Paratypes: same data as holotype, 1 ♂ (fn 5), 1 ♀ (fn 3) (MNHN-ENSIF2147, 2148).

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Same data as holotype, 1 juvenile (fn 1). — Sanma province, Funafus, Kafae limestone cave, pitfall trap, 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 17 juveniles (fn SK06-2104) ; 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, 3 juveniles (SK06-2105) ; 6 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀, 8 juveniles (SK06-2107); 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀, several broken specimens (SK06-2108, Pb5, fn 440); 2 ♀♀, 2 juveniles (SK06-2103, Pb 1, fn 433) (J. Lips) ( MNHN- ENSIF2152 ). — Riorua cave, pitfall trap, 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀, 6 juveniles (fn 1783) (J. Lips) (MNHN-ENSIF2152). — Belmol, Fioha limestone cave, 1 ♂, 2 juveniles (fn SK06-07-15) (J. Lips) (MNHN-ENSIF2152) .

ETYMOLOGY. — Subspecies named after the type locality, close to Funafus village.

DIAGNOSIS. — Separated from the nominal subspecies by the different colouration of its pronotum (dorsal disc blackish with a large, rounded white spot near posterior margin) and its male genitalia (pseudepiphallic sclerite larger and more rounded in shape).

DESCRIPTION

Similar to C. faustini faustini n. subsp. (see above) except for the following.

Colouration

Dorsal disc of pronotum ( Fig. 15C ) with two small, whitish, rounded spots near anterior margin (instead of a whitish transverse band in C. f. faustini n. subsp.), more or less surrounded with ochre, and a large, more or less oval, whitish spot near posterior margin, this being the most conspicuous spot on pronotum; dorsal disc median zone irregularly and inconspicuously ochre brown. Lateral lobes blackish. Head dorsum contrastingly very light ochre, the cheeks and fastigium brown; ocelli white, circled with black; a thin orange line, reversed-Y in shape, near and between the lateral ocelli. Face as in C. f. faustini n. subsp., but somewhat more spotted with light ochre. Legs as in C. f. faustini n. subsp., but inner sides of FI and FII yellow; a large yellow spot on FI and FII dorsal side, next to the small white spot, but more apical. Tergites 2 and 3 white, with black sides and a large black median spot.

Male

Last tergites and supra anal plate black. Sternites brownish. Subgenital plate brownish, with a whitish spot close to its anterior margin.

Male genitalia. Shorter and wider than in C. f. faustini n. subsp. ( Fig.14C ). Indentation of pseudepiphallic anterior margin wider and shorter. Pseudepiphallic sclerite almost reaching pseudepiphallus posterior margin.Pseudepiphallic parameres longer than lophi (?), as in C. f. faustini n. subsp., but only slightly longer than ectophallic fold.

Measurements

See Table 14.

VARIATION

Pronotum: median zone of dorsal disc with inconspicuous light ochre line or area ( Fig. 15D ); anterior half of lateral lobe with a very small orange spot, both features polymorphic in most observed specimens.

REMARK

The material collected with pitfall traps and preserved in alcohol differ from hand-collected, dry-preserved specimens by the colouration of their pronotum dorsal disc, which presents in addition to the white spot near the posterior margin (distinctive of C. faustini funafus n. subsp.), a more or less conspicuous whitish band near the anterior margin (more or less as in C. faustini faustini n. subsp.), and various light ochre areas in dorsal disc median zone, making as a whole a clear area more or less the shape of a wide 8 crossed by a transverse bar; their head dorsum is also very light ochre in colouration. The pronotum colouration is polymorphic within sampled populations, while male genitalia are always similar to that of Funafus males. Specimens are most often in very bad condition, having lost their FWs, and with inflated abdomen and evaginated genitalia in males.

Figures

FIG. 14. — Cophonemobius faustini n. sp., male genitalia in dorsal (A, C) and lateral (B) views: A, B, C. faustini faustini n. subsp.; C, C. faustini funafus n. subsp. Abbreviations: see text. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.

FIG. 15. — Cophonemobius faustini n. sp., variation in pronotum colouration in populations and putative subspecies: A, C. faustini faustini n. subsp., ♂ from Sarabo cave (MNHN-ENSIF2150, alcohol); B, C. faustini faustini n. subsp. (?), ♂ from Amarur cave (MNHN- ENSIF2150, alcohol); C, C. faustini funafus n. subsp., ♂ from Funafus cave (MNHN-ENSIF2145,dry); D, C. faustini funafus n. subsp., ♂ from Riorua cave (MNHN-ENSIF2152, alcohol). Scale bar: 1 mm.