Rhodomantis kimberley, Milledge, Graham A., 2014

Milledge, Graham A., 2014, A revision of Rhodomantis Giglio-Tos, 1917 (Mantodea: Mantidae: Mantinae), Zootaxa 3797 (1), pp. 39-64 : 48

Rhodomantis kimberley sp. nov.

( Figs. 12–13 , 33–34 , 53 )

Material examined. Holotype 1♂, Western Australia, Morgan Falls, Kimberley district , 15°02’S 126°40’E, 16–17 Aug 1975, Common & Upton, 11-000008 . Paratypes. 1♂, Morgan Falls , Kimberley district, 15°02’S 126°40’E, 16–17 Aug 1975, Common & Upton, 11-000009 . 1♀, 18 km E of Gibb River H.S., Kimberley district , 21 Jun 1969, M. King, 11-000010 (all ANIC) .

Other material. Western Australia. 1♂, Kimberley Region, Gibb River Rd., Durack River crossing, 15°56’S’ 127°13’E’, 4 Jun 1999, G. Milledge, at light (in spirit, AM) . 1♂, Carson Escarpment, Kimberley district , 14°49’S 126°49’E, 9–15 Aug 1975, Common & Upton . 3♀, 18 km E of Gibb River H.S., Kimberley district , 21 Jun 1969, M. King . 1♂, Kalumburu , 14°17’S 126°39’E, 17 Jun 1985, L.A. Craven . 1♂, 4 km WSW of Kununurra , 15°47’S 128°42’E, 20 May 1983, D.C.F. Rentz & J. Balderson (all ANIC) .

Diagnosis. Males of this species can be distinguished from others in the genus by being only slightly brachypterous and by the genitalia having the combination of moderately elongate, hook shaped pa and truncate, bispinose dpr ( Figs. 33–34 ). Females can be separated from those of R. macula and R. microptera by having terminal hooks on the ventral ovipositor lobes and from R. rentzi by having the tegmina reaching well beyond the caudal margin of the first abdominal tergite.

Description. Body ( Figs. 12–13 ) elongate and slender. Colour brown, yellow brown or grey brown—the colour of dry grass. Frontal shield with strong subanntenal ridge. Ocelli of male well developed, of female poorly developed. Antennae of male slightly longer than prothorax, of female about one third the length of prothorax. Prothorax moderately elongate, metazone of pronotum with distinct dorsolateral carinae which become indistinct anteriorly and posteriorly. Foreleg with coxa shorter than metazone, femur with claw groove situated at about mid point. Male volant but slightly brachypterous, wings reaching almost to tip of fifth abdominal tergite; tegmen with costal area opaque cream coloured with thin blackish line on posterior margin; discoidal area semi opaque, sometimes flecked with darker spots; anal lobe transparent; hindwing with costal and discoidal areas semi opaque, lightly pigmented; anal area infumate proximally with contrasting transparent areas at cross veins creating speckled appearance. Female strongly brachypterous, wings almost reaching caudal margin of second abdominal tergite; tegmen opaque, costal area similar in colour to male, discoidal area sometimes flecked with darker spots, anal lobe infumate; hindwing opaque, costal and discoidal areas pale reddish brown in proximal two thirds, anal area dark brownish black with bluish sheen, contrasting transparent areas at cross veins limited to anterior third. Abdomen elongate and slender, supraanal plate triangular, cerci reaching beyond tip of abdomen in male, to about tip of abdomen in female.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 33–34 ) with dpr truncate with two short broad teeth apically; pa moderately elongate and distinctly hooked shaped; medial lobe of vph prominent and curved dorsally, anterior portion of vph narrowed; apr relatively compact. Female ventral ovipositor valves with terminal with hooks.

Measurements (mm). Body length, ♂ 40.0, ♀ 50.8. Head width, ♂ 3.2, ♀ 4.3. Head depth, ♂ 1.8, ♀ 2.8. Pronotum length, ♂ 11.5, ♀ 16.5. Pronotum width, ♂ 1.6, ♀ 2.4. Forecoxa length, ♂ 6.2, ♀ 8.5. Forefemur length, ♂ 8.0, ♀ 10.8. Tegmen length, ♂ 19.6, ♀ 9.8. Abdomen length, ♂ 20.0, ♀ 25.4.

Immature stages. Unknown.

Distribution and habits. Found in the eastern Kimberley region of Western Australia ( Fig. 53 ). Habits unknown but likely to be a grass dweller.

Etymology. Named derived from region where this species occurs, the Kimberley of north Western Australia. It is a noun in apposition.

Figures

FIGURE 53. Rhodomantis species distributions. R. pulchella (Tepper) (circle with cross); R. helenae n. sp. (black circle); R. queenslandica (Sjöstedt) (black triangle); R. kimberley n. sp. (black cross); R. mitchell n. sp. (circle with black centre); R. napier n. sp. (black star).

FIGURES 11–13. Rhodomantis, dorsal habitus. R. napier n. sp.: 11, male holotype. R. kimberley n. sp.: 12, male holotype; 13, female paratype.

FIGURES 31–34. Rhodomantis, male genitalia. R. napier n. sp.: 31, dorsal aspect, left and ventral phallomeres; 32, ventral aspect, ventral phallomere. R. kimberley n. sp.: 33, dorsal aspect, left and ventral phallomeres; 34, ventral aspect, right and ventral phallomeres. Scales = 1mm.