Africalolampra camerunensis ( Borg, 1902 ), 2024

Mbia, Donald-L’or Nyame, Ngon, Eric Belmond Biram à, Legendre, Frédéric & Menbohan, Samuel Foto, 2024, Semi-aquatic Epilamprinae cockroaches (Blattodea: Blaberidae) in Cameroon: towards a revision of continental African species of Rhabdoblatta Kirby, 1903 and Africalolampra Roth, 1995, European Journal of Taxonomy 946 (1), pp. 1-57 : 8-14

Africalolampra camerunensis ( Borg, 1902) comb. nov.

Figs 3–7 ; Table 2

Epilampra camerunensis Borg, 1902: 8 .

Epilampra camerunensis – Shelford 1909b: 479; 1910: 14. — Anonymous 1910: 579. — Sjöstedt 1933: 7. — Princis 1963a: 136.

Rhabdoblatta camerunensis – Kumar 1975: 81.

Material examined

Lectotype

CAMEROON • 1 ♀; “Camerun; Sjöstedt; lectotype ”; NHRS, NRM-BLAT 0002100 [pictures only].

Additional specimens

CAMEROON – Centre Region • 2 ♀♀, 5 ♂♂, 9 juvs; Mefou watershed, Eloundem; elev. 569– 775 m; Dec. 2019 – Nov. 2020; University of Yaoundé 1 BLA 0001 • 1 ♀; Nkolkoumou; “Adam 350”; MNHNEP7587. – Eastern Region • 1 ♀, 2 ♂♂, 6 juvs; Haut-Nyong watershed, Abong-doum; elev. 670 m; Dec. 2019 – Nov. 2020; University of Yaoundé 1 BLA 0002 • 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ nymphs; same data as for preceding; molecular sample BL946; MNHN-EP7596 to MNHN-EP7599 . – South Region • 1 ♀, 3 ♂♂, 11 juvs; Mvilla watershed, Nonenlam; elev. 579–581 m; Dec. 2019 – Nov. 2020; University of Yaoundé 1 BLA 0003 • 2 ♂♂; same data as for preceding; MNHN-EP7588 , MNHN-EP7589 . – Unknown region • 1 ♀; “Camerun; Sjöstedt”; NHRS, NRM-BLAT 0002101 [pictures only] • 1 ♀; “Camerun, Bonge; Sjöstedt”; NHRS, NRM-BLAT 0002102 [pictures only] • 1 ♀; “Deutsch Kamerun, Mundame, Rhode”; NMW 25.718 [pictures only] .

REPUBLIC OF GUINEA • 1 ♂; “Nimba; 1946; Lamotte”; MNHN-EP7586 • 2 nymphs; “Nimba, brousse secondaire, Br2; 1946; Lamotte”; MNHN • 1 ♂; “Nimba; ??? Septembre, 1969 1493; Lamotte”; LUHM .

Differential diagnosis

Contrary to what was written in previous descriptions or keys (e.g., Kumar 1975), A. camerunensis has specialized claws, which contributes to justify its belonging to the genus Africalolampra . This species can be readily differentiated from its congenerics by its pattern of coloration (pronotum, wing, face) and the shape of its tergal gland.

Redescription

Male

Princis (1963a) was the first to describe a male specimen of A. camerunensis . He underlined that it is smaller than the conspecific female and has a hypandrium quite similar to that of A. erubescens , with a single stylus, although its right side is more advanced posteriorly than in A. erubescens . He also described the tergal specialization of the first tergite: triangular and nearly transversely oriented, with tuft of hairs oriented anteriorly on both sides (whereas triangular and vertically oriented in A. erubescens ). This description can be complemented as follows:

HEAD. About as long as wide, dark brown with several black maculae ( Fig. 4B ). Eyes dark brown, ocellar spots brown with one dark spot below each of them. Labrum and clypeus brown, but lighter than vertex. Scape and pedicel mostly light brown, while other antennal segments dark brown. Distance between eyes similar to distance between antennal sockets.

PRONOTUM. Light brown with numerous black maculae and spots, and stripes at posterior margin ( Fig. 4A ). Pronotum roughly triangular but with middle of hind margin distinctly convex.

TEGMINA AND WINGS. Fully developed, extending beyond end of abdomen ( Fig. 4A ). Tegmina with rounded apex, light brown with veins darker and numerous dark brown maculae. Sc thickened in ventral view. Hindwings light brown, darker anteriorly than posteriorly, with veins darker ( Fig. 4H ).

LEGS. Anteroventral margin of front femur of type B2, with 4–5 strong spines proximally ( Fig. 4B ). Tibial spines well-developped. Metatarsus of hind leg slightly longer than other segments combined, inner margin with two rows of small spines ( Fig. 4F ). Arolium and tarsal pulvilli well-developed, the latter bordered by “additional spines” sensu Anisyutkin (2016). Claws symmetrical and finely serrated ( Fig. 4G ).

ABDOMEN. Abdominal sternites light brown with several darker maculae ( Fig. 4A, C ), largest ones near anterolateral corners, and with short stripes along posterior margin (except for last segments). First abdominal tergite specialized: tergal gland with a triangular, longitudinally keeled elevation, with tip directed anteriorly and provided with a posteriorly-oriented tuft of hair; both sides of triangle are also more or less densely covered with hairs ( Fig. 4D ). Second abdominal tergite with an anterodorsal ridge mesally ( Fig. 4D ). Supra-anal plate short, transverse and with wrinkles ( Fig. 4E ); caudal margin concave without medial incision. Subgenital plate asymmetrical, angularly projected on its right side. Cerci multisegmented, pubescent ventrally, with a black tip. Right stylus cylindrical, with sparse setae distally. Left stylus absent ( Fig. 4C ).

MALE GENITALIA ( Fig. 5 ). Left phallomere R complex (L1 of MK64 and R70, and R2+R3+N of G96): cleft between R1T and R2 without protuberance; R3 (sensu Anisyutkin 2016) in two parts, very broad; pl.s. sensu Anisyutkin (2016) present. Sclerite L2d shaped as a woodsman’s axe; basal sclerite of L2d slender and rod-shaped (L1 of G96); apical sclerite of L2d (L2vm of MK64, L2v of R70 and L1 of G96) well-developed. Sclerite L3 (R2 of MK64, R70, and L2d of PG96) long, with a hook deeply bent, narrower where it bends, more bulbous at its apex with a distinct “small tooth” sensu Anisyutkin (2016); inner margin of the basal part of L3 crenulated on most of its length (i.e., folded structure f.s. of Anisyutkin 2016). L4U present, trigonal with a very slender vertex (likely homologous to trigonal sclerite of Roth 1995).

Female The female of A. camerunensis was first described in Borg (1902). It looks like the male, except for the terminalia ( Fig. 6C ): supra-anal plate extending beyond subgenital plate, with a deep medial incision and with setae on its caudal margin; subgenital plate symmetrical, with several small setae postero-medially and a large black macula medially.

Measurements of adults

Male (n = 3): pronotum length ×width: 5.3–6.1 ×7.5–8.7, tegmina length: 21.5–25.4, overall length ×width 23.3–26× 9.1–10.

Female: pronotum length ×width: 6.8×9.3, tegmina length: 29, overall length ×width: 30 × 11.8.

Nymphs

Pictures of nymph are provided in Fig. 7 . Spiracular breathing tubes are visible dorsally, posteriorly to the penultimate tergite.

Molecular data

A portion of 12S rRNA has been obtained and is available under the GenBank accession number OR589772 (molecular extract BL946).

Habitat

Adults and nymphs of this species were found in all the rivers investigated.

Distribution

This species is known from Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and the Republic of Guinea ( Fig. 1 ). Details of localities are provided in Table 2 .

Figures

Fig. 3.Africalolampra camerunensis (Borg, 1902) comb. nov., lectotype (NHRS, NRM-BLAT 0002100). Habitus in ventral and dorsal views, and labels. Photographed by Gunvi Lindberg (© 2023 Naturhistoriska riksmuseet). Original photos cropped, light levels and contrast adjusted. Made available by the Swedish Museum of Natural History under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License, CC-BY 4.0. Scale bar = 5 mm.

Fig. 4. Africalolampra camerunensis (Borg, 1902) comb. nov., male specimen (MNHN-EP7588) collected for this study. A. Habitus in dorsal and ventral views. B. Head and front legs. C. Terminalia and hind tibiae in ventral view. D. Tergal gland on first abdominal tergite. E. Supra-anal plate.F–G. Hindlegs. H. Forewing and anterior part of hindwing. Scale bars: A, H = 5 mm; B–C = 2 mm; D–G = 1 mm.

Fig. 5. Africalolampra camerunensis (Borg, 1902) comb. nov., male specimen (MNHN-EP7588), genitalia, each sclerite taken in dorsal and ventral views. Abbreviations: see Material and methods. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 6. Africalolampra camerunensis (Borg, 1902) comb. nov., female specimen (MNHN-EP7587). A. Habitus in dorsal and ventral views. B. Head and front legs. C. Subgenital plate. Scale bars: A = 5 mm; B–C = 2 mm.

Fig. 7. Africalolampra camerunensis (Borg, 1902) comb. nov., male nymph in dorsal and ventral views (MNHN-EP7596). Scale bar = 5 mm.

Fig. 1. Distribution of African species of Rhabdoblatta Kirby, 1903 and Africalolampra Roth, 1995, including the new species described (indicated with a star). ‘?’ is used when countries with no exact locality were provided in the literature. Details of localities are provided in the main text.