Panesthia stellata concava, Wang, Xiudan, Wang, Zongqing & Che, Yanli, 2014

Wang, Xiudan, Wang, Zongqing & Che, Yanli, 2014, A taxonomic study of the genus Panesthia (Blattodea, Blaberidae, Panesthiinae) from China with descriptions of one new species, one new subspecies and the male of Panesthiaantennata, ZooKeys 466, pp. 53-75 : 57-59

Taxon classification Animalia Blattodea Blaberidae

Panesthia stellata concava ssp. n. Figs 9-12, 39-48

Description.

Male. Body black (Fig. 9). Eyes, ocelli and upper lip yellowish brown. Antennae black, with terminal segments yellow. Legs black, tarsal pulvilli pale yellowish (Fig. 10).

Vertex and face punctate, the former exposed and without foveola (Fig. 39). Ocelli small with indefinite borders. Pronotum transverse, anterior margin concave, thickened and with a V- or U-shaped excision in the middle, the corners of the excavation slightly incrassate and upturned; lateral margins rounded with the widest point behind the midline; hind margin almost straight; anterior 1/3 of pronotum depressed with two arched grooves, the surface granular; posterior half densely punctate, with two middle tubercles (Fig. 39). Tegmina and wings well developed (Figs 40-41), extending to or beyond the end of the abdomen (Fig. 9). Anterior ventral margin of front femur with zero, two or four spines (most commonly two) and a small distal spine, hind margin with a large distal spine. Abdominal tergites densely punctate, the anterolateral corners of tergites without hole; caudal angles of T6 rounded; lateral margins of T7 smooth, caudal angles oblique and subacute (Fig. 42). Abdominal sternites densely punctate, hind margin of S7 truncate and rear edge of subgenital fig exposed (Fig. 43). Supra-anal fig roughened and densely punctate, coarser than abdominal tergites; hind margin with 8-10 subobsolete teeth and with margin uneven; lateral angles larger than the medial tooth (Fig. 44). Cercus without setae dorsally, ventral surface convex with dense hairs (Fig. 44). Anterior margin of subgenital fig concave, anterolateral corners rounded; lateral margins concave (Fig. 45).

Male genitalia. Genital phallomere L1 well developed (Fig. 46); L2vm rod-like, L2d short and apex round (Fig. 47); R2 well developed and hook-shaped (Fig. 48).

Female. Essentially similar to male, differs with the anterior margin of pronotum weakly concave as well as S7 with rounded hind margin.

Nymph. Body black and punctate, with a broad yellow band on the mesonotum which extends to the middle of the metanotum, hind border of the mark concave (Figs 11-12).

Measurements. Male, body length: 27.0-32.5 mm; pronotum: length/width: 5.9 –7.3/9.4– 11.2 mm; width of excision of anterior margin of pronotum: 1.3-2.0 mm; distance between disc tubercles: 1.6-2.1 mm; tegmen: 22.1-26.7 mm.

Female, body length: 28.5-32.5 mm; pronotum: length/width: 6.5 –7.1/10.3– 11.0 mm; width of excision of anterior margin of pronotum: 1.0-1.3 mm; distance between disc tubercles: 1.5-2.0 mm; tegmen: 23.8 mm.

Material examined.

Holotype, male, China: Xizang Prov., Chayu County, Shangchayu Town, 8 August 2013, coll. Xinglong Bai and Junsheng Wang (HBU). Paratypes, four males, one female and four nymphs, same data as holotype (HBU); one male, two females and two nymphs, Sichuan Prov., Dege County, Gengqing Town, 3270m, 19 July 2009, coll. Guodong Ren (HBU); one female, China: Xizang Prov., Chayu, 2000m, 24 August 1973, coll. Fusheng Huang (SWU).

Remarks.

This subspecies is close to Panesthia stellata stellata Saussure, 1895, but can be distinguished by the following characteristics: 1) nymph with broad yellowish band on mesonotum and metanotum, nymph of Panesthia stellata stellata with two yellowish markings on mesonotum and without markings on metanotum; 2) anterior margin of pronotum with an excision in both sexes and the corners of the excision upturned in male; anterior margin of pronotum entire or slightly concave in both sexes of Panesthia stellata stellata . Feng and Woo (1990) identified the material collected by Fusheng Huang as Panesthia stellata Saussure, 1895. But after our critical examination, it should be treated as a new subspecies.

Etymology.

The subspecific epithet is derived from the Latin word “concavus” which refers to the hind margin of the yellowish mark on nymphs being concave.