Rhodomantis mitchell, Milledge, Graham A., 2014

Milledge, Graham A., 2014, A revision of Rhodomantis Giglio-Tos, 1917 (Mantodea: Mantidae: Mantinae), Zootaxa 3797 (1), pp. 39-64 : 46-47

Rhodomantis mitchell sp. nov.

( Figs. 9–10 , 29–30 , 53 )

Material examined. Holotype. 1♂, Western Australia, 10 km NNW of Mining Camp, Mitchell Plateau, Kimberley district , 14°45’S 125°47’E, 17 May 1983, D.C.F. Rentz & J. Balderson, 11-000005 . Paratypes. 1♂, Western Australia, escarpment 8 km SW of Walsh Point, Admiralty Gulf , 14°37’S 125°48’E, 17 May 1983, D.C.F. Rentz & J. Balderson, 11-000006 . 1♀, same data as holotype, 11-000007 (all ANIC) .

Other material. Western Australia. 1♀, 5 km NW of King Edward River crossing, Kimberley district , 14°53’S 126°09’E, 19 May 1983, D.C.F. Rentz & J. Balderson . 1♂, 3 km NNW of Mining Camp, Mitchell Plateau, Kimberley district , 14°48’S 125°49’E, 15 May 1983, D.C.F. Rentz & J. Balderson . 1♀, Mitchell River Falls, Kimberley district , 14°49’S 125°42’E, 12 May 1983, D.C.F. Rentz & J. Balderson . 1♂, 1 km W of Walsh Point, Admiralty Gulf , 14°34’S 125°50’E, 10 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 an elongate curved spinose pa and elongate sinuous spiniform dpr ( Figs. 29–30 ). 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. 9–10 ) 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 about same length as prothorax, of female about one half 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 end 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 slightly infumate; hindwing with costal and discoidal areas semi opaque, reddish brown in proximal half; anal area infumate, darker 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 reddish brown in proximal two thirds, anal area dark brownish black with slight bluish sheen, contrasting transparent areas at cross veins more prominent in 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. 29–30 ) with dpr a strongly sclerotized curved spine, shorter than that of R. pulchella and slightly sinuous, pa produced into an elongate curved spine, medial lobe of vph prominent and curved dorsally, anterior portion of vph broad, apr shorter and more compact than in R. pulchella . Female ventral ovipositor valves with terminal hooks.

Measurements (mm). Body length, ♂ 44.6, ♀ 64.1. Head width, ♂ 3.4, ♀ 5.2. Head depth, ♂ 2.3, ♀ 3.1. Pronotum length, ♂ 13.5, ♀ 21.8. Pronotum width, ♂ 1.7, ♀ 2.9. Forecoxa length, ♂ 6.4, ♀ 10. Forefemur length, ♂ 8.2, ♀ 13.8. Tegmen length, ♂ 17.2, ♀ 10.8. Abdomen length, ♂ 21.4, ♀ 31.5.

Immature stages. Unknown.

Etymology. Name derived from type locality and is a noun in apposition.

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

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 7–10. Rhodomantis, dorsal habitus. R. helenae n. sp.: 7, male paratype; 8, female paratype. R. mitchell n. sp.: 9, male paratype; 10, female.

FIGURES 27–30. Rhodomantis, male genitalia. R. helenae n. sp.: 27, dorsal aspect, left and ventral phallomeres; 28, ventral aspect, right and ventral phallomeres. R. mitchell n. sp.: 29, dorsal aspect, left and ventral phallomeres; 30, ventral aspect, right and ventral phallomeres. Scales = 1mm.