Discotettix (Discotettix) kirscheyi Skejo, Pushkar, Tumbrinck et Tan, 2022

Skejo, Josip, Pushkar, Taras I., Kasalo, Niko, Pavlović, Marko, Deranja, Maks, Adžić, Karmela, Tan, Ming Kai, Rebrina, Fran, Muhammad, Amira Aqilah, Abdullah, Nurul Ashikin, Japir, Razy, Chung, Arthur Y. C. & Tumbrinck, Josef, 2022, Spiky pygmy devils: revision of the genus Discotettix (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae) and synonymy of Discotettiginae with Scelimeninae, Zootaxa 5217 (1), pp. 1-64 : 37-40

Discotettix (Discotettix) kirscheyi Skejo, Pushkar, Tumbrinck et Tan sp. n. ( Figs 22–29 )

Vernacular name: Kirschey’s Spiky Pygmy Devil

Discotettix belzebuth ( Serville, 1838) [partim]: all older records from NE Borneo need revision

Type locality. Borneo: Malaysia: East Sabah: Sepilok , lowland .

Material examined.

Type material. HOLOTYPE ( Fig. 22 ) 1♀ Borneo: Malaysia: East Sabah: Sepilok XI.1994. ( ZFMK) ; PARATYPES ( Fig. 23 ) 2♂, 1♀ Borneo: Malaysia: East Sabah: Kawag Forest Reserve , N5.04861, E117.07355, 118.6± 8.7 m.a.s.l., 14.V.2022, 19h27, on tree trunk, leg. M.K. Tan, T. Robillard & R. Japir, SBH.22.76–78 ( ZRC) ; 1♂, 2♀ Borneo: Malaysia: East Sabah: Kawag Forest Reserve , N5.05020, E117.98286, 134.7± 6.8 m.a.s.l., 14.V.2022, 13h16, on leaf litter on track, leg. M.K. Tan, SBH.22.69–71 ( FRC) ; 1♂ Borneo: Malaysia: East Sabah: Sepilok : Rainforest Discovery Centre , N5.87414, E117.93782, 96.8± 6.8 m.a.s.l., 18.V.2022, 21h28, foliage of seedling near ground, leg. M.K. Tan & T. Robillard, SBH.22.155 ( FRC) ; 1♂ Borneo: Malaysia: East Sabah: Tabin Wildlife Reserve , N5.19465, E118.50310, 92.7± 7.5 m.a.s.l., 15.V.2022, 20h01, on foliage near ground, leg. M.K. Tan, T. Robillard & R. Japir, SBH.22.86 ( ZRC) ; 1♀ Borneo: Malaysia: Sabah state (North Borneo), env. of Kinabatangan , 29.II.2008, leg. V.G. Bezborodov ( ZISP) ; 1♀ Borneo: Malaysia: Borneo: East Sabah: Sepilok , 1–6.II.2014, leg. M. Berezin ( ZISP) .

Additional material from online social media. 1♀ Borneo: Malaysia: East Sabah: Sepilok ( Fig. 27 ) photo: T. Kirschey ; 2♂♂, 1♀ Borneo: Malaysia: East Sabah: Danum Valley , 04.II.2011. photo: A. Anker (Flickr) ( Figs 25 , 26 ) ; 1 adult Borneo: Malaysia: East Sabah: Danum Valley , 08.II.2014. photograph: P. Bertner (Flickr) ; 1 adult Borneo: Malaysia: East Sabah: Tawau district , 03.IV.2009. photo: author unknown (found in the album ‘ Fauna of Sabah’ ) (Flickr) ; 1 adult Borneo: Malaysia: East Sabah: Kinabatangan River Area 26–27.XI.2016. photograph: C. Odonnell (Facebook) ; 1 adult Borneo: Malaysia: East Sabah: near the Tawau Hills Park 21.IV.2018. photograph: A. Bouma (Facebook) (Fig, 29) ; 1 adult Borneo: Malaysia: East Sabah: Tawau Hills Park (4.34N, 117.89E) observed by Sustainable Strategies Network (@hobatahalmahera) on 22.I.2020. (inaturalist.org/observations/37844288) ( Fig. 24 ) ; 1♂ Borneo: Malaysia: East Sabah: Kinabatangan (5.44N, 117.75E) observed by @simben on 21.VII.2016. (inaturalist.org/observations/102814348) ( Fig. 28 ) .

Material that likely belongs to this species but was not checked by the authors. 1♀ Borneo: Malaysia: Sabah state (North Borneo), env. of Kinabatangan , 29.II.2008, leg. V.G. Bezborodov ( ZISP) .

Type series depository. Museum Alexander Koenig in Bonn ( ZFMK) .

Etymology. Named after the German biologist Tom Kirschey, our friend and a well-known researcher of the Oriental region, who currently serves as the Head of the International Peatlands and Southeast Asia Programme at NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland) headquarters.

Distribution and habitat. The species is restricted to NE Borneo, East Sabah. It is found in Danum Valley (and adjacent Kawag Forest Reserve), Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Tawau Hills, Sepilok District, and around the Kinabatangan River Area. The species inhabits the rainforest, where it can be found on the bark of the roots and trunks of trees, among leaf litter, and sometimes on the foliage of seedlings near the ground. According to the photographer, biologist Tom Kirschey, who observed the species in its natural habitat in the lowlands and the mountains of Sepilok, the microhabitat of D. kirscheyi are the roots of the big (old) trees close to pools filled with rain water ( Fig. 28 ). The distribution areas of this species and that of D. belzebuth do not appear to overlap.

Diagnosis. The species is similar to D. belzebuth , but can be easily distinguished from the latter by the following set of characters: (1) FM shorter, narrower, and directed more upwards, not covering the entire vertex as in D. belzebuth , which has a large and long digitate FM covering the entire vertex, (2) pronotal projections are much shorter, and not as spiky as in D. belzebuth , but stouter and triangular, (3) femora are stouter and bear stronger teeth than observed in D. belzebuth , and (4) tegmina are smaller, partly covered and not as evident and wide as in D. belzebuth .

Description (holotype).

General features. Medium-sized, robust species (body length 14.82 mm); pronotum granulated and wrinkled, with one digitate FM on anterior margin and numerous triangular protuberances on dorsal and lateral sides. Almost the whole body (except the eye, labrum, fore and mid tarsi, second and third segments of hind tarsus, and inner side of the hind femur) covered with numerous small tubercles. Macropronotal.

Coloration. Body dark brown, almost completely covered by numerous small tubercles. Pronotum, projections, and protuberances dark brown ( Figs 23–26 , 28 , 29 ). Antenna dark brown, almost black. Proximal segments of the palpi light brown, and distal segments black. The visible part of the tegmen dark brown and without spots. Legs dark brown with lighter rings and patches. Fore and mid femora and tibiae dark brown with numerous small tubercles with lighter apices, fore and mid tarsi black, second segment with a light ring in the middle; 1 st tarsal pads whitish, claws brown. Hind femur dark brown with numerous small tubercles with lighter apices. Hind tibia dark brown with two weak light rings, one in the basal part, and another in the distal third. 1 st tarsus of hind leg pale brown, pads whitish; third segment pale brown with a dark ring in its distal part, claws brown. Tergites, sternites, epiproct, and cerci dark brown.

Head. In dorsal and frontal view, vertex 1.95 times as wide as an eye. Fossula elliptic and deep. Lateral ocelli at the level of the lower margin of a compound eye. In frontal view, frontal costa narrow, bifurcated slightly above lateral ocelli into finely granulated facial carinae, forming a narrow scutellum. Scutellum slightly narrower than antennal groove ( Fig. 22E ). Antennal groove considerably below the lower margin of the compound eye. Antennae 13-segmented, short in appearance compared to D. belzebuth : scapus (1 st antennomere) and pedicel (2 nd antennomere) massive; basal segments (3 rd to 6 th) elongated, but shorter than in D. belzebuth , and circular in cross-section; central or subapical segments (7 th and 8 th) strongly widened, pennate, 8 th being the widest antennal segment (about 3–4 times as long as wide), but only slightly wider than the 7 th; subapical segments less widened than in the other species of the subgenus Discotettix ; apical segment 9 th small and pennate, smaller than the subapical and much larger than the rest of the apical segments; apical segments 10 th to 13 th reduced, very small, and borders between them barely visible. Antennomeres 3 rd to 9 th bearing saw-like margins, because of the presence of large basiconic sensilla. When the body and the antennae are covered with algae and moss, the 8 th segment is free of epizoic organisms.

Pronotum. Pronotum wrinkled and granulated, covered by numerous small and medium-size tubercles. The posterior process of the pronotum extended beyond the hind knees for less than half of the hind femur length. Disc of the pronotum slightly depressed behind the well-developed shoulder. Pronotum with 5(–7) unpaired projections of variable size on median carina (digitate FM and 4 to 6 medial projections), 3 pairs of FL, up to 7 pairs of more or less distinct mediolateral projections, 3 pairs of lateral projections, and a pair of VL (well seen in profile). Prozona robust, wider than long (because of the short FM). Anterior margin of pronotum projected into a medium-sized digitate FM protuberance directed mainly upwards than slightly forwards, and not covering the whole vertex above. Prozonal and extralateral carinae forming small FL1 and larger FL2, more distinct. FL3 dentiform. Behind the FM medial carina extended along the whole length of pronotum, with 5 unpaired large and small medial projections (well visible in profile). PM triangular and smaller than other medial projections. MM1 is the largest projection; MM2 and MM3 distinct, while MM4 and MM5 small. PML1 and PML2 distinct, tubercle-like. MML1 and MML2 large and triangular; MML3, MML4, and MML5 smaller, decreasing in size caudad. MML4 and MML5 sometimes absent. PL1 and PL2 triangular, tubercle-like. ML sharp and triangular. The apex of the posterior pronotal process in dorsal view shallowly excised. The lower part of the lateral lobe with serrate anterior and posterior margins, elongated as spine-like VL, with saw-like margins, directed outwards ( Fig. 22A–C ).

Wings. The visible part of the tegmen small, oval with a tuberculated surface, visible part 2.57 times as long as wide; the ratio of the maximum width of the mid femur (without teeth)/visible part of tegmina width 1.21. Hind wing not reaching the apex of the posterior pronotal process, ending a few millimeters before the tip.

Legs. Femora robust, compressed laterally, surface rough, dorsal, and ventral margins roughly serrate. Fore and mid femora bearing one genicular tooth on knees on each margin, and additionally 3 strong teeth on upper carina and 2–3 on lower margin, almost equal in size; teeth on fore femur equal or larger than on mid femur. Upper and lower margin of hind femur finely serrated, with 2 lappets on each margin, and with numerous small tubercles. Lateral area of hind femur with weak carinae that have up to 3 outgrowths, especially in ventro-external carina. Genicular teeth larger than antegenicular. teeth. Fore femur length/width ratio 4.69. Mid femur length/ width ratio 3.94. Hind femur length/width ratio 3.28. Both sides of the upper margin of the hind tibia finely serrated, with 2–3 outer and 2–3 inner larger teeth (spines).

Abdominal apex. Male subgenital plate in ventral view with shallowly excised apex, slightly longer than wide. Female subgenital plate in ventral view with a keel in middle and with a triangular protrusion in the middle of posterior margin. Ovipositor elongated, upper valve 5.0 times as long as wide. The lower valve of ovipositor about 6.0 times as long as wide (maximal width). Cerci stout, with thin apex, hairy.

Measurements. All the measurements of Discotettix kirscheyi sp. n. are given in the Table 2 .

Figures

FIGURE 22. Female holotype of Discotettix kirscheyi Skejo, Pushkar, Tumbrinck et Tan sp. n. and its labels. A. dorsal view, B. right lateral view, C. left lateral view, D. ventral view; right: E. head in frontal view, F. holotype labels.

FIGURE 23. Discotettix kirscheyi Skejo, Pushkar, Tumbrinck et Tan sp. n., male paratype SNH.22.155 in the natural habitat, Sepilok, Sabah, Malaysia, Borneo. Photograph by Ming Kai Tan.

FIGURE 24. Discotettix kirscheyi Skejo, Pushkar, Tumbrinck et Tan sp. n. in the natural habitat. Photograph by Sustainable Strategies Network (@hobatahalmahera in iNaturalist). CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence. The photograph is available on the link: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/37844288.

FIGURE 25. Male of Discotettix kirscheyi Skejo, Pushkar, Tumbrinck et Tan sp. n. in the natural habitat, Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia, Borneo. Photograph by Arthur Anker. Reproduced with the author’s permission. The photograph is available on the link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/artour_a/6204630856/.

FIGURE 26. Male and female of Discotettix kirscheyi Skejo, Pushkar, Tumbrinck et Tan sp. n. in the natural habitat, Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia, Borneo. Photograph by Arthur Anker. Reproduced with the author’s permission. The photograph is available at the link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/artour_a/5563149548/.

FIGURE 27. The natural habitat of Discotettix kirscheyi Skejo, Pushkar, Tumbrinck et Tan sp. n. in Sepilok, a secondary lowland dipterocarp forest. Photograph by Tom Kirschey. Reproduced with the author’s permission.

FIGURE 28. Male of Discotettix kirscheyi Skejo, Pushkar, Tumbrinck et Tan sp. n. in natural habitat, Kinabatangan, Sabah, Malaysia, Borneo. Photograph by @simben and available on iNaturalist on the link https://www.inaturalist.org/ observations/102814348. Reproduced with the author’s permission.

FIGURE 29. Discotettix kirscheyi Skejo, Pushkar, Tumbrinck et Tan sp. n. in a natural habitat near Tawau Hills Park in Sabah, Malaysia, Borneo. A. Dorsolateral habitus; B. head and pronotum detail. Photograph by Aglaia Bouma. Reproduced with the author’s permission.