Aptera brindlei Anisyutkin

Anisyutkin, Leonid N. & Yushkova, Olga V., 2017, New data on cockroaches of the subfamily Epilamprinae (Dictyoptera: Blaberidae) from India and Sri Lanka, with descriptions of new species and the genital complex of Aptera fusca (Thunberg, 1784), Zootaxa 4236 (1), pp. 41-64 : 46-48

Aptera brindlei Anisyutkin , sp.nov.

( Figs. 1 C–F, 3A–M, 11J)

Material. Holotype—male, INDIA, state Maharashtra, Poona , 1942, coll. A. Brindle ( MMUM), genital complex in prep. 250716 /01; paratype—larvae of female, same data as the holotype ( MMUM).

Etymology. This species is named in honour of the collector, the famous British entomologist and specialist in Dermaptera and Diptera, Alan Brindle (1915–2001).

Description. Male (the holotype). General colour dark brownish ( Fig. 1 C–F); central part of pronotum, coxae and most part of abdominal sternites nearly black; facial part of head, eyes, tegmina and legs dark reddish brown; abdominal tergites and sternites bordered with dirty yellow ( Fig. 1 E). Surfaces smooth and lustrous, distal parts of antennae (from 13th segment) dull; facial part of head and pronotum with distinct punctuation ( Fig. 1 C, D); facial part of head with wrinkles above clypeus ( Figs. 1 C, 3A). Head transverse ( Figs. 1 C, 3A); ocellar spots small, but distinct; facial part of head with weak impressions between eyes; distance between eyes 1.4 times eye length; distance between antennal sockets 1.7 times of the scape length (1.3 mm); maxillary palps broken off; only three basal segments (1st-3rd) present. Pronotum transverse; anterior margin sinuate, posterior weakly angularly, projected caudally ( Figs. 1 D, 3B); lateral carinae on ventral side absent. Tegmina and wings completely developed, surpassed abdominal apex; similar to those of A. fusca (see Anisyutkin 2015, figs. 62, 63), but tegmina with Sc not fused with R; R, M and CuA stems fused at base. Anterior margin of fore femur armed as in the type C, with single apical spine. Fore tibiae not thickened distally. Tibial spines weak ( Fig. 3 C, D), as compared with normal station in Epilamprinae (for example in Morphna decolyi ( Bolivar, 1897— Fig. 9 A). Tarsi damaged: all tarsomeres present in only fore right tarsus, in middle left tarsi present 1st–4th and in right hind leg 1st–3rd tarsomeres present. Structure of tarsi similar to those of A. fusca (see Anisyutkin 2015, figs. 54–56). Abdominal tergites 2nd–7th with paired rounded impressions, posterolateral angles of tergites obtuse ( Figs 1 E, 3E). Anal plate (tergite X) transverse, with caudal margin widely rounded ( Fig. 3 F). Cerci damaged: only 5 and 1 segments present in left and right cercus respectively; cercal segment distinct and cylindrical ( Fig. 3 F). Paraprocts of the blaberid-type, with a short curved hook on the right paraproct and a membranous area at cranio-medial angles of the left one ( Fig. 3 G). Hypandrium of the blaberid-type; styli absent ( Figs. 1 F, 3H).

Male genitalia ( Figs. 1 F, 3I –M, 11J). Right phallomere (R+N) with caudal part well sclerotized ( Figs 3 I, J, 11J, c.p.R1T), dorsally with "upper triangular lobe" ( Fig. 3 J, tr.l.), this lobe and adjacent membranes covered with short bristles (not shown in Fig. 3 J); R2 rounded (R2 is rounded in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the figure—not visible in Figs 3 I, J, 11J); R3 "Y"-shaped, with branches of different length; R4 weakly sclerotized, with indistinct medial margin; R5 absent. Sclerite L2D (L1) not divided into basal and apical parts ( Figs. 1 F, 3K), widened cranially, with a small sharp lateral outgrowth at the distal end; “apical sclerite” absent, a membranous lobe surrounding caudal part of L2D without bristles or sclerites. Sclerite L3 (L2d) with indistinct basal subsclerite ( Fig. 3 L, M), “folded structure” absent, a “membranous outgrowth” opposite to the hook present ( Fig. 3 L, M, m.o.); apex of L3 with slightly attenuated apex; “apical crest” and groove hge absent. Sclerite L4U (L3d) distinct, but small.

Female unknown.

The female larva, possibly of the last instar, is similar to that of A. fusca .

Measurements (mm). Head length: male 4.9, larva 6.8; head width: male 5.3, larva 6.8; pronotum length: male 6.7, larva 9.0; pronotum width: male 11.8, larva 16.4; tegmen length: male 28.0; tegmen width: male 9.0.

Comparison. The new species is habitually similar to A. fusca , but reliably differs from it in having the generally darker body colour, the less expressed wrinkles on the head (compare Figs. 1 C, 3A and Figs. 36, 53 in Anisyutkin 2015) and pronotum (compare Figs. 1 D, 3B and Figs. 37, 52 in Anisyutkin 2015) and the clearly different male genitalia structures: the right phallomere with a smaller "upper triangular lobe", the caudal part of sclerite R1T is more rounded, R4 is larger and R3 is less robust with the better developed branches (compare Figs. 3 I, J, 11J and Figs. 41, 42 in Anisyutkin 2015), and the basal subsclerite of L3 and “folded structure” are absent (compare Figs. 3 L, M and Figs. 44, 45 in Anisyutkin 2015). Aptera brindlei sp.nov. can be distinguished from A. munda by the larger size and the structure of pronotum, which is similar to that of A. fusca (see in Princis 1957).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Aptera fusca (Thunberg, 1784), female (A, B) and A. brindlei sp. nov., male, holotype (C – F). A—structures of abdominal apex and female genitalia from below, genital plate removed; B—female genitalia from below; C—facial part of head; D—anterior part of body from above; E—VI and VII abdominal tergites from above; F—hypandrium and male genitalia from above. Out of scale.

FIGURE 3. Aptera brindlei sp. nov., male, holotype. A—facial part of head; B—pronotum from above; C, D—right (C) and left (D) hind tibiae from outside; E—VI and VII abdominal tergites from above; F—abdominal apex from above; Gparaprocts from below; H—hypandrium from below; I, J—right phallomere from below (I) and above (J); K—sclerite L 2 D from above; L, M—sclerite L 3. Dotted area shows membranous parts. Abbreviations: c. p. R 1 T, m. o., par., R 2, R 3, R 4, tr. l. — see text. Scale bar 1 mm: a = A; b = B; c = C, D; d = E; e = F; f = G; g = H; h = I, J; i = K; j = L, M.

FIGURE 9. Morphna ssp., males: M. decolyi (Bolivar, 1897) (A, B) and M. indica sp. nov. (C – P). A—left hind tibia from outside; B, K—sclerite L 2 D from above; C—facial part of head; D—pronotum and left tegmen from above, outlines; E—right hind tarsus from below; F—abdominal apex from above; G—abdominal apex from caudal, genitalia and hypandrium removed; H—hypandrium from below; I, J—right phallomere from above (I) and below (J); L—apical part of sclerite L 2 D from above; M—sclerite L 3; N – P—apical parts of sclerite L 3. Dotted area shows membranous parts (not shown in fig E). Abbreviations: b. L 3, c. p. R 1 T, d. o., l. o., f. s., p. a., R 2, R 3, R 4, R 5, spi., t. s., u. s. — see text. Scale bar 1 mm: a = A; b = B; c = C; d = D; e = E; f = F; g = G; h = H; i = I, J; j = K; k = L; l = M; m = N – P.