Diploptera maculata Hanitsch, 1925

Li, Xinran & Wang, Zongqing, 2015, A taxonomic study of the beetle cockroaches (Diploptera Saussure) from China, with notes on the genus and species worldwide (Blattodea: Blaberidae: Diplopterinae), Zootaxa 4018 (1), pp. 35-56 : 53

Diploptera maculata Hanitsch, 1925

( Figs. 14 , 66–68 )

Diploptera maculata Hanitsch, 1925: 104 , figs. 17, 18, locality Borneo; Bruijning, 1948: 152, locality Borneo.

Male unknown.

Taxonomic notes. Hanitsch (1925) has proposed an interesting likelihood that D. maculata is the female of D. bicolor based on the two holotypes being almost the same except for the gender and the markings on the pronotum; even their different markings share the same contour. A second specimen of D. maculata was recorded by Bruijning (1948) but “unluckily” was the same gender, female, as the holotype. Similarly, a second specimen of D. bicolor (see below for details) is a male. So the hypothesis that they are the same species has not yet been proven or refuted.

In addition, it is noteworthy that Hanitsch’s illustration was drawn by Mr. V. Knight instead of Hanitsch himself. This is probably why the image has something discrepant with the true insect, e.g., the size of head, the shape of pronotum, and the seam between tegmina. A similar situation occurs in D. bicolor .

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE ( OUM) fixed by monotypy, female, “ Pah Trap , Kalabit , Sarawak, x.1922 – i.1923, Coll. by Dr. E. Mjöberg ”.

Other material examined. 1 female ( RMNH), “Z. Kenepai, 1894, Jan”, coll. “Borneo Exped. Dr. Nieuwenhuis”.

Figures

FIGURES 2 – 16. Pronota of Diploptera spp. & subspp. presented in monochrome, i. e., white indicates unicolor or lighter coloration, whilst black is for darker portion. 2 – 3 D. punctata; 2 male; 3 female; 4 – 5 D. minor; 4 female; 5 male; 6 D. erythrocephala, male; 7 – 8 D. parva; 7 male; 8 female; 9 D. naevus sp. n., male; 10 D. nigrescens nigrescens, male; 11 – 12 D. nigrescens guani subsp. n.; 11 male; 12 female; 13 D. bicolor, male; 14 D. maculata, female; 15 – 16 D. elliptica sp. n.; 15 male; 16 female. (Dashed lines indicate depression. Scale bar = 2 mm)

FIGURES 66 – 71. Diploptera spp. distributed outside China, types and labels. Part 2 / 2. 66 – 68 D. maculata Hanitsch, 1925, female HOLOTYPE (OUM) from Borneo, photographed by Katherine Child and provided by Amoret Spooner, copyright © Oxford University Museum of Natural History; 69 – 71 D. bicolor Hanitsch, 1925, male HOLOTYPE (OUM) from Borneo, photographed by Katherine Child and provided by Amoret Spooner, copyright © Oxford University Museum of Natural History. (Scale bars = 5 mm.)