Terrobittacus echinatus ( Hua and Huang, 2008 ) Tan & Hua, 2009

Tan, Jiangli & Hua, Baozhen, 2009, Terrobittacus, a new genus of the Chinese Bittacidae (Mecoptera) with descriptions of two new species, Journal of Natural History 43 (47 - 48), pp. 2937-2954 : 2953

Terrobittacus echinatus ( Hua and Huang, 2008) , comb. nov.

Bittacus echinatus Hua and Huang in Hua et al., 2008: 65, figs 3–5 (type locality: Mount Baiyunshan , Henan).

Diagnosis

This species is similar to T. implicatus in appearance, but can be separated by the wings with two distinct dark brown apical transverse bands on cross-veins; epandrial appendage of male with a ventrobasal denticulate process; upper branch of male proctiger rounded at apex. In female, it differs distinctly from its congeners by the subgenitale with a large blackish butterfly-like marking area.

Remarks

The original description of this hangingfly is detailed enough with illustrations of the wings, egg and genitalia ( Hua et al. 2008) so that it is unnecessary to redescribe it here. Suffice to say that we provide a new diagnosis herein to comply with the new genus and its components.

The eggs are very similar to those of T. implicatus , being spherical in shape and decorated with distinct grids of latitudes, like a terrestrial globe. The morphological resemblance of eggs between these two species also strongly supports the erection of the new genus Terrobittacus .