Ripipteryx diegoi Baena-Bejarano

Baena-Bejarano, Nathalie & Heads, Sam W., 2015, Three new species of the genus Ripipteryx from Colombia (Orthoptera, Ripipterygidae), ZooKeys 502, pp. 129-143 : 130-131

Taxon classification Animalia Orthoptera Ripipterygidae

Ripipteryx diegoi Baena-Bejarano sp. n. Fig. 2

Holotype.

♂ (no. IAvH-E 142877), Colombia, Huila, PNN Cueva de Los Guácharos, Cabaña Cedros, 1°37'N, 76°6'W, 2100 m, Malaise, 6-27.iv.2002, Col. J. Fonseca. Specimen dried and pinned; deposited at Instituto Alexander von Humboldt, Villa de Leyva.

Paratypes.

Five specimens from same locality as holotype: 1) ♂ (no. IAvH-E 137238), specimen preserved in alcohol; 2) ♂ (no. IAvH-E 137239), specimen preserved in alcohol; 3) ♀ (no. IAvH-E 137240), specimen preserved in alcohol; 4) ♀ (no. IAvH-E 137241), specimen preserved in alcohol; 5) ♀ (no. IAvH-E 142878), specimen dried and pinned. Specimens deposited at same institution as holotype.

Diagnosis.

The new species is almost cryptically similar to Ripipteryx forceps Saussure, 1896 in that the uncus is elongate and strongly recurved, and that the median ridge of the male subgenital plate is produced distally, forming a short and densely setose bilobed process. However, it can be readily distinguished from the latter species by [1] antennae with white spots on flagellomeres 3-4 and 6-7 with flagellomere 5 entirely white; [2] epiproct produced laterally near its base; [3] brachium curved along its entire length without prominent apical bulge; and [4] phallic complex with virga thickened distally and not reaching beyond the membrane.

Description.

Male (holotype). Body length including wings 8.1 mm, excluding wings 7.9 mm; pronotum length 1.6 mm, pronotum width 1.9 mm; tegmina length 3.1 mm; hind wings length 6.0 mm; interocular distance 0.39 mm. (n=1) (Fig. 2A).

Head. Interocular distance more than half the eye width. Median ocellus fully developed. Patch that circumscribes anterodorsal margin of compound eyes absent. Internal margin of compound eyes convergent dorsally. Maxillary palp black, five segmented, with second segment reduced. Labial palp black. Gena below the compound eye and antennae insertion black.

Antennae black and filiform. Number of antennae segments 10. Scape wider than pedicel. Pedicel as long as 1stflagellomere. White spot on scape absent. White spot on pedicel absent. White dorsal spot on flagellomere 1 and 2 absent. White dorsodistal spot on flagellomere 3 present. Flagellomere 4 white with a brownish slender anterior ring. Flagellomere 5 completely white. Flagellomere 6 white with a brownish slender distal ring extended ventrally to the segment half. Flagellomere 7 and 8 black.

Thorax. Pronotum black. Mesonotum black. Tegmina black. Hind wings with white, transverse groove. Procoxa black. Profemora black with an inner distal white spot. Protibiae black with three distal spines and an anterior external white rounded spot close to tibiae-femora articulation. Mesocoxa black. Mesotrochanter black. Mesofemora black. Mesotibiae black. Metafemora black. Semi-lunar process brown. Metatibia brown. Metatarsi brown and longer than metatibial posterior spurs.

Abdomen. Cerci unsegmented, black. Brachium black with a yellow-white distal spot, in lateral view curved along its entire length without prominent apical bulge. Brachium spine present. Epiproct produced laterally near its base. Epiproct lateral lobes narrow. Medial epiproct (distal section) tongue-like. Uncus not embedded in brachium lobe basis, 1-hooked (Fig. 2D, E). Male subgenital plate with a medial bifurcated ridge covered with setae at rounded end (Fig. 2F, G).

Basal plate heavily sclerotized, long, basally strongly widened and distally strongly split. Cingulum with apodemes elongate and well-sclerotized. Sclerotized region of cingulum discontinuous with a distal membranous region in-between. Virga very slender near base and distally thickened. Virga not extended beyond cingulum (Fig. 2B).

Variations. Body length including wings 7.9-8.3 mm, excluding wings 7.6-8.3 mm; pronotum length 1.6-1.7 mm, pronotum width 1.9-2.0 mm; tegmina length 3.1-3.2 mm; hind wings length 5.8-6.0 mm; interocular distance 0.39-0.44 mm. (n=3). Antennae: flagellomere 4 white with a brownish slender anterior ring extended ventrally to the segment half. Flagellomere 6 white with a brownish slender distal ring extended ventrally over the segment. Flagellomere 7 white dorsal spot on base.

Female. Body similar to male, except for antennal sexual dimorphism and abdominal sexual structures. White dorsodistal spot often present on flagellomere 2. Flagellomere 4 to 7 completely white. Subgenital plate smooth with two distal notches forming a rounded lobe in middle (Fig. 2C). The color is a lighter brown close to the notches.

Females variation. body length including wings 7.9-8.6 mm, excluding wings 7.2-8.6 mm; pronotum length 1.7-1.8 mm, pronotum width 2.1-2.2 mm; tegmina length 3.4-4.1 mm; hind wings length 5.5-6.1 mm; interocular distance 0.46-0.47 mm. (n=3). Antenna: White dorsal spot on flagellomere 3 sometimes begins from middle. Flagellomere 7 sometimes presents ventral black color.

Etymology.

The specific epithet is patronymic and honours Señor Diego Baena, father of the senior author, in thanks for his care and dedication.

Distribution.

This species is currently known from the type locality.

Sympatric species.

The new species was found in one of the malaise samples together with Ripipteryx guacharoensis and Ripipteryx ecuadoriensis , with which it is believed to live sympatrically.

Remarks.

Ripipteryx diegoi sp. n. is assigned to the Forceps group based on the predominately black coloration, the form of the subgenital plate, morphology of the phallic complex and the body size 7.2-8.7 mm. This species is similar to Ripipteryx forceps with which it shares the form of the subgenital plate presenting a median ridge forming a bilobed setose process in ventral view (Fig. 2G). This character allows differentiating it from the other species of the group. Moreover, it differs from Ripipteryx forceps by the shape of the terminalia (Fig. 2D) where the epiproct is produced laterally near its base (Fig. 2E), the brachium in lateral view distally curved without prominent apical bulge; (see Günther 1969). Also, the new species differs in the color pattern of the male antennae with white spots on flagellomeres 3 to 7 of Ripipteryx diegoi while these are present on the flagelomeres 1, 2, 4 and 5 of Ripipteryx forceps .