Itara (Itara) basidentata Ma & Zhang, 2015

He, Zhixin & Ma, Libin, 2021, Crickets of the subfamily Itarinae Shiraki, 1930 (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) from China with description of a new species and distribution and critical notes on other species, Zootaxa 4942 (3), pp. 382-408 : 391-393

Itara (Itara) basidentata Ma & Zhang, 2015

Itara (Itara) basidentata Ma & Zhang, 2015: 535

Holotype. China: Male, Yunnan: Ruili, Zhenxi Botanical Garden , 1200 m, light trap, 27th June 2007, Xiaochen Zhang coll. (Entomological Museum, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, Shaanxi).

Materials examined. China: 5 males, Yunnan, Ruili, Mengxiu , 2-vi-2013, Libin Ma coll. ; 5 females, Yunnan, Ruili, Mengxiu , 2-vi-2013, Libin Ma coll ..

Description. Male. Body size small for the genus. Head small. Occiput glabrous and vertex smooth. Median ocellus small and shaped as half-moon; lateral ocelli large. Antennal scape squared shield-like and wider than half width of rostrum. Labrum narrowed and convex apically. Terminal maxillary and labial palpi truncated, they nearly equal to length of 3rd palpus of maxillary palpus or remaining 2 labial palpi respectively. Pronotal disc flattened and trapezoidal, anterior margin concave and posterior margin convex ( Fig. 6A ). Dorsal field of forewing broad. Harp area bearing 4 veins. False veins distributed in harp field and mirror. Apical field undeveloped and nearly equal to length of mirror and armed with 6 branches ( Fig. 6A ). Visible parts of hind wings longer than hind tarsus. Apical external tympanum large and ovoid. Hind tibia armed with dorsal spurs numbered 3:4 (inner: outer). Top and median inner apical spurs pinniform. Hind tarsus armed with two rows short dorsal spines and numbered 10:10.

Metanotal gland armed with curved transverse convexity in anterior part of metanotum, large and shallow convexity medially and posterior part almost flattened except both sides ( Fig. 6C ). Anal plate tongue-shaped, half of basal sides ridged and apex almost straight ( Fig. 6G ).

Male genitalia ( Figs. 6 E–6G). Dorsal lobe of basal epiphallus shaped as obtuse angle, lateral process even thickness and columnar, and median process short and wide ( Fig. 6E ). Epiphallus armed with large basal denticles ( Fig. 6F ). Lateral edges of epiphallus constricted distally and apex acute; in lateral view, apex upward curved, armed with denticles at bottom ( Fig. 6F ). Inner ectoparamere armed with a pair of processes.

Female. Similar to male but sightly colored darker ( Fig. 6B ). Ovipositor very longer than hind tibia; its apex rather blunt and episternites weakly acute ( Figs. 13G , 14G ).

Coloration. Body colored light. Head colored dark. Pronotal disc colored light, but proximally ornamented with dark and dark fan-shaped patterns medially.

Measurements. Male (n=5). BL 18.63±1.86, HW 2.86±0.33, PL 2.02±0.28, PW 3.89±0.51, FWL 14.77±1.62, DVL 4.39±0.77, ML 3.64±0.41, HFL 8.87±0.83, HTL 6.28±0.70, HML 3.98±0.35. Female (n=5). BL 18.35±2.87, HW 2.78±0.43, PL 1.83±0.53, PW 3.60±0.55, FWL 15.03±2.28, HFL 8.63±1.31, HTL 6.55±0.83, HML 3.75±0.34, OL 8.21±1.22.

Remarks. This species is very similar to I. (I.) minor in both features of the body and genitalia, but its epiphallus is longer and dorsally flattened, the epiphallus of I. (I.) minor is short and dorsally convex and the basal denticles are small and not sharp.

Figures

FIGURE 6. I. (I.) basidentata. A. Habitus photograph of male. B. Habitus photograph of female. C. Metanotal gland. D. Anal plate. E–G. Male genitalia. E. Dorsal view. F. Lateral view. G. Ventral view. Scale bar: 1 cm.

FIGURE 13. The right half of ovipositor apex. A. I. (I.) communis. B. I. (I.) vietnamensis. C. I. (I.) minor. D. I. (I.) acri sp. n. E. I. (I.) aperta. F. I. (I.) dicrana. G. I. (I.) basidentata. H. I. (N.) nocturna.

FIGURE 14. The left half of ovipositor apex. A. I. (I.) communis. B. I. (I.) vietnamensis. C. I. (I.) minor. D. I. (I.) acri sp. n. E. I. (I.) aperta. F. I. (I.) dicrana. G. I. (I.) basidentata. H. I. (N.) nocturna.