Lepidogryllus Otte & Alexander, 1983

Desutter-Grandcolas, Laure, Anso, Jérémy & Jourdan, Hervé, 2016, Crickets of New Caledonia (Insecta, Orthoptera, Grylloidea): a key to genera, with diagnoses of extant genera and descriptions of new taxa, Zoosystema 38 (4), pp. 405-452 : 432-434

Genus Lepidogryllus Otte & Alexander, 1983

Lepidogryllus Otte & Alexander, 1983: 101 .

TYPE SPECIES. — Gryllus parvulus Walker, 1869 by original designation.

ILLUSTRATIONS. — Habitus: Fig. 10C, D ; Otte & Alexander 1983: fig. 65. Male genitalia: Fig. 11 E-H; Otte & Alexander 1983: fig. 68. Calling song: Fig. 12 ; Otte & Alexander 1983: fig. 67.

EMENDED DIAGNOSIS. — After Otte & Alexander (1983). Medium sized species. Body not pubescent; lightly coloured, except for Lepidogryllus darthvaderi Desutter-Grandcolas & Anso , n. sp. Head rounded in front view, high in lateral view (compared to other grylline genera). Eyes not protruding. Median ocellus present, smaller than lateral ocelli, subapical. Maxillary palpi with joints 3 and 4 subequal, slightly shorter than joint 5; joint 5 little widened toward apex, dorsal and ventral margins almost straight and parallel. Pronotum wider than long, transverse; LL longer than high, without a distinctive vertical groove in posterior half, but with a clear depression; DD lateral sides slightly convex. TI lacking inner tympanum (a depression at best present); outer tympanum welldeveloped, elongate; three apical spurs, set as a triangle. TII with four apical spurs. TIII short; with six (sometimes seven) inner and seven outer subapical spurs; three apical spurs on each side, the median the longest on each side (inner median and dorsal apical spurs subequal in Lepidogryllus darthvaderi Desutter-Grandcolas & Anso , n. sp.). Basitarsomeres III with two rows of few, strong spines; outer spines more numerous. FWs present in both sexes, shorter in females. HWs present or lacking in both males and females.

Coloration. Body, head and legs yellowish marked with brown, except in Lepidogryllus darthvaderi Desutter-Grandcolas & Anso , n. sp. ( Fig. 10D ). A wide (narrow in Lepidogryllus darthvaderi Desutter-Grandcolas & Anso , n. sp.) yellow transverse band between the lateral ocelli; median ocellus circled with yellow, this coloration prolonged toward face. Head dorsum light brown (black in Lepidogryllus darthvaderi Desutter-Grandcolas & Anso , n. sp.) with several longitudinal yellow lines. Pronotum yellow abundantly marked with brown (black in Lepidogryllus darthvaderi Desutter-Grandcolas & Anso , n. sp.); LL lower margin entirely light yellow.

Male. FWs well-developed, covering whole abdomen or nearly so, shorter in Lepidogryllus darthvaderi Desutter-Grandcolas & Anso , n. sp.; apical field well-developed with several cell alignments. Stridulum complete, with a small, well-delimited mirror; harp with two oblique veins. Lateral field high, with several slightly oblique, longitudinal veins. Male genitalia: Pseudepiphallic sclerite transverse, H-shaped, with two wide and rounded distal lateral lobes and sometimes a very small median process. Rami short and straight. Pseudepiphallic parameres elongate and narrow; sclerotized on inner and outer margins; concave, with a wide apical tooth. Ectophallic fold short. Dorsal cavity well-developed, high and not twisted.

Female. FWs well-developed, covering most of abdomen, overlapping. Ovipositor well-developed, long and straight.

CALLING SONG. — The song of Lepidogryllus comparatus (Walker, 1869) and L. parvulus (Walker, 1869) are described in Otte & Alexander (1983: fig. 67). We describe here the song of Lepidogryllus darthvaderi Desutter-Grandcolas & Anso , n. sp. (cf. infra and Fig. 12 )

DISTRIBUTION. — Australia, Norfolk Island and New Caledonia ( Otte et al. 1987). Two species are present in New Caledonia: the widespread species, Lepidogryllus comparatus , and Lepidogryllus darthvaderi Desutter-Grandcolas & Anso , n. sp. described from Province Sud (Grand Kaori).

HABITAT. — Lepidogryllus comparatus is “often found in drier grassy areas, especially on the west side of the island, sometimes on stony road banks.” ( Otte et al. 1987: 399). It has also been found hiding under stones in shubland vegetation in the South of Province Sud (LDG and JA, pers. obs.). Lepidogryllus darthvaderi Desutter- Grandcolas & Anso, n. sp. has been found along road side close to a small tuft of grass.

Lepidogryllus darthvaderi

Desutter-Grandcolas & Anso, n. sp. ( Figs 10D ; 11 ; 12 ; Table 4)

TYPE LOCALITY. — New Caledonia, Pic du Grand Kaori.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype. New Caledonia, Grande Terre , Pic du Grand Kaori, 1 ♂, 13.IV.2016, nuit, milieu ouvert en bord de route, fn 55, J. Anso and L. Desutter-Grandcolas (MNHN-EO- ENSIF4194).

ETYMOLOGY. — Species named after its striking coloration within the genus: wholly dark (bad) with some light patches (good), as the bad fictional character Darth Vader (Dark Vador in French) in Star Wars, George Lucas.

DIAGNOSIS. — Within the genus, species characterized by its shining body, almost completely black except for few pale yellow marks (lower part of LL, thin line between lateral ocelli, short frontal line under median ocellus); legs dark brown.

Male. Stridulatory file short, with 92 teeth (n = 1); apical field short, with four cell alignments, each with few cells. Male genitalia: pseudepiphallic sclerite with a short median process, as in L. comparatus ; in lateral view, pseudepiphallic sclerite and paramere very close to one another, the paramere distal margin well-rounded, as in L. parvulus . Female unknown.

CALLING SONG. — Fig. 12 . At 22°C, the calling song of Lepidogryllus darthvaderi Desutter-Grandcolas & Anso , n. sp. consists of a repetition of echemes of 0.89 ± 0.08 s; each echeme is made of 103 ± 3 syllables, with the following characteristics: syllable duration 5.7 ± 0.8 ms; syllable period: 9.2 ± 3.6 ms; syllable duty cycle = 18 %. The dominant frequency is 4.4 ± 0.1 kHz.

DISTRIBUTION. — Known from type locality only.

HABITAT. — Lepidogryllus darthvaderi Desutter-Grandcolas & Anso , n. sp. has been found by night in a disturbed open area close to a road side, calling from under a short tuft of grass.

DESCRIPTION

Species similar to other species of the genus by moderate size, head shape, shape and size of ocelli and maxillary palpi, auditory tympana, hing leg spurs and spines, male stridulatory apparatus and male genitalia. Coloration. Head black, shining; occiput with six faint, yellowish lines, reaching beyond posterior margin of eyes, the two most lateral on each side reaching eye inner margin. Ocelli pale yellow; suture between lateral ocelli maked by a thin pale yellow line, prolonged by a thicker yellow line between each ocellus and eye ( Fig. 11A ). Lower part of cheeks yellowish, getting darker dorsad. Face black, shining; a short yellow line below median ocellus ( Fig. 11A ). Mouthparts yellowish brown. Scapes and antennae brown. Maxillary palpi light yellow, but joint 3, basal part of joint 4, distal and dorsal parts of joint 5 brownish ( Fig. 11A ). Pronotum shining black; anterior margin yellow; LL lower half pale yellow with black ventral margin; a wide pale yellow spot on widened part of LL posterior margin ( Fig. 11B ). Legs. FI light brown with yellow spots (base of dorsal setae) and ventral margin. FII as FI, lighter in inner and outer basal parts. TI and TII light brown, yellow dorsally. FIII light brown with black knees; outer side light yellow at base and between brown oblique lines ( Fig. 11C ). TIII dark brown; spurs yellow with black apex. Tarsi I, II light yellow dorsally, brown laterally; tarsomeres 3 brown. Tarsi III dark brown, but yellow at level of tarsomeres 2 and claws. Cerci brown.

Male

FWs nearly reaching tergite IX anterior margin. Venation ( Fig. 11D ): diagonal bifurcated; chords 2 and 3 connected more distally; chords 1 and 2 parallel. File with 92 teeth (n=1); harpe with two transverse, parallel veins; mirror small, not divided, but bordered on inner margin by distal, sublateral cell d2. Lateral field with longitudinal veins, the most dorsal one (Sc) bifurcated only twice. Subgenital plate long and high; black brown, lighter distally.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 11 E-H)

Pseudepiphallic sclerite transverse, H-shaped, with a narrow distal median process; pseudepiphallic apodemes long, more than twice as long as median pseudepiphallus length; pseudepiphallic lateral lobes long and wide, rounded on margin and apex. Pseudepiphallic parameres symmetrical, very long; inner and outer margins sclerotized and almost parallel; apex cuplike, concave with a rounded apex and a long subapical dorsal spine-like process. Epi-ectophallic invagination long; lateral sclerotization narrow; arc narrow; apodemes very short; ectophallic fold very narrow, short, slightly going beyond anterior margins of inner and outer sclerotization of parameres. Dorsal cavity higher than long, not twisted, almost closed ventrally.

Female

Unknown.

Figures

FIG. 10. — New Caledonian Gryllinae (Gryllidae): A, Notosciobia sp., from Parc Provincial de la Rivière Bleue, by night (Photo PG); B, Teleogryllus oceanicus (Le Guillou,1841) from Vanuatu;C, Lepidogryllus comparatus (Walker,1869),specimen from Col d’Amieu,mé Areto;D, Lepidogryllus darthvaderi Desutter-Grandcolas & Anso, n. sp., male holotype from Grand Kaori; E, Gryllodes sigillatus (Walker, 1869), from Rodrigues (Photo SH). Scales bars: 2 mm.

FIG. 11. — Lepidogryllus darthvaderi Desutter-Grandcolas & Anso, n. sp.A, face;B, head and pronotum,in lateral view; C, FIII outer side; D, male right FW,dorsal; E-H, male genitalia, in dorsal (E), ventral (G) and lateral (H) views, with detailed dorsal view of pseudepiphallic sclerites (F). Scales bars: 1 mm. Abbreviations: see Material and methods.

FIG. 12. — Calling song of Lepidogryllus darthvaderi Desutter-Grandcolas & Anso, n. sp. (Gryllidae, Gryllinae). A, Oscillogramm of a song bout of 13 s; B, C, detailed oscillogram (B) and sonogram (C) of one echeme; D, oscillogram of one syllable; E, logarithmic spectrogram of one syllable. Abbreviations: see Material and methods.