Tembelingiola kabili Tan, Gorochov & Robillard, 2024

Tan, Ming Kai, Gorochov, Andrei, Japir, Razy, Chung, Arthur Y. C. & Robillard, Tony, 2024, New species of little-known crickets from the subfamily Pteroplistinae (Orthoptera, Grylloidea) from Sabah and contribution to their bioacoustics, Zootaxa 5506 (2), pp. 205-226 : 213-216

Tembelingiola kabili Tan, Gorochov & Robillard , sp. nov.

( Figs 2B , 3B , 4B , 7E–I , 9–12 )

Material examined. Holotype: EAST MALAYSIA: ♀; Sabah State, Sandakan District, Sepilok, Rainforest Discovery Centre , dipterocarp forest; N05.87395, E117.93871, 54 m; 18.v.2022, night; on tree trunk (h=1m); T. Robillard & M.K. Tan leg.; TR22-30 ( FRC).

Paratypes (1♂, 1♀): EAST MALAYSIA: • 1♂; Sabah State, Sandakan District, Sepilok, Rainforest Discovery Centre , dipterocarp forest; N05.87395, E117.93871, 54 m; 18.v.2022, night; on tree trunk (h=1m); T. Robillard & M.K. Tan leg.; call recording: video files 65–66, sound files Pap268–271, TR22-30 (MNHN-EO1277) • 1♀; same information ( MNHN-EO1278 ) .

Diagnosis. This species differs from all congeners by the male genitalia with its pseudepiphallic lophi [posterolateral epiphallic lobes] straight (bent in T. plana and T.belaitensis ) or narrow (narrower than in T.biaculeata ); sclerotized bridge connecting the two lateral parts of pseudepiphallus distinctly longer; pseudepiphallic parameres [ectoparameres] membraneous; ectophallic fold [rachis] with two long and slender anterolateral ribbons; endophallic sclerite [formula] nearly divided into two compact lateral parts (each part somewhat U-shaped); additional plates rather long and narrow as well as obliquely located.

Etymology. The species name refers to the Kabili Monster tree, an Obah Suluk tree ( Shorea pauciflora ) near to where the species was found; noun in apposition.

Description. General appearance, including tegminal structure, very similar to Tembelingiola biaculeata sp. nov. but with following differences ( Figs 9 , 7E–G ): rostrum between antennal cavities wider, 1.3 times wider than scapes ( Fig. 7E ); maxillary palp with apical segment slightly more elongate; pronotum less pubescent ( Fig. 7E ).

Male. FW brown, reaching abdominal apex, 2.2 times as long as wide ( Fig. 7H ). Dorsal field more slender, 2.2 times as long as wide, with only 4 harp veins, and with mirror longer than wide; with a faint diagonal vein; harps with 4 oblique veins including 2 long, parallel sinusoidal posterior veins fused anteriorly, and 2 anterior shorter and fainter one; mirror approximately 1.1 times longer than wide, separated by two dividing veins, dividing veins mostly straight but slightly bent at anal end.Apical field moderately short ( Fig. 7H ). Lateral field with about 7 branches of Sc and 9 cross veins between R and M. Hind wings not exposed ( Fig. 9 ). Genitalia as shown in Fig. 10 . Pseudepiphallus [epiphallus] consisting of two lateral parts connected with each other by broad bridge; pseudepiphallic lophi [posterolateral epiphallic lobes] dorso-ventrally compressed, straight, diverging slightly posteriorly, and with apices roundly truncated; between these lophi, pseudepiphallus posteriorly angularly concave. Pseudepiphallic parameres [ectoparameres] membraneous. Ectophallic fold [rachis] semi-tube-like, narrowing posteriorly into acute apex, slightly surpassing pseudepiphallic bridge, and with a pair of long and slender anterolateral sclerotized ribbons. Endophallic sclerite [formula] lamellate and somewhat transverse but compact, almost divided into two U-shaped lateral parts (each part with medial half more sclerotized and lateral half almost semi-sclerotized. Rami weakly sclerotized, fused with epiphallus. Additional lateral sclerotized plates (p) very long and slender, obliquely located, slightly curved in profile.

Female ( Fig. 11 ). Colouration and structure of body similar to male. Tegminal dorsal field with 4 oblique longitudinal branches and with numerous and slightly irregular cross-veins (some cross-veins rather long and very oblique, i.e., situated almost longitudinally); most-anal branch after middle splits into two sub-branches ( Fig. 7I ). Lateral field with 3 branches of Sc and with cross-veins between R and M indistinct. Subgenital plate wide but gradually narrowing backwards, with almost widely truncate apex having shallow and rather wide postero-median notch. Ovipositor dark rufous, weakly arcuate in profile, with middle part rather high (wide) and distal third gradually narrowing to acute apex ( Fig. 11B ).

Measurements. • ♂ holotype: BL = 8.0; BWL = 9.3; HL = 1.2; PronL = 2.2; PronW = 2.5; FWL = 6.1; FWW = 2.8; FIIIL = 5.8; TIIIL = 3.6; TaIIIL = 2.8 • ♀ paratype: BL = 7.9; BWL = 9.5; HL = 1.0; PronL = 2.4; PronW = 2.6; FWL = 6.4; FWW = 1.8; FIIIL = 6.9; TIIIL = 3.9; TaIIIL = 3.0; OL = 5.4 • ♀ paratype: BL = 7.3; BWL = 9.5; HL = 1.1; PronL = 2.4; PronW = 2.7; FWL = 6.4; FWW = 1.7; FIIIL = 6.2; TIIIL = 3.5; TaIIIL = 2.9; OL = 5.2

Ecology. A male was observed producing short echemes behind two females on a tree trunk at night ( Fig. 12 ).

Distribution. EAST MALAYSIA: Sabah: Sepilok

Calling song ( Figs 2B , 3B , 4B ). Consists of echeme-sequence, each made up of 6 to 8 echemes. At 26°C, each echeme-sequence has an average duration of 0.84± 0.08 s (0.67– 0.99 s). The silent interval between consecutive echeme-sequences is 11.9± 5.7 s (7.4– 29.7 s). Each echeme consists of 3 syllables and has an average duration of 56.2±1.4 ms (53.6–59 ms). The silent interval between consecutive echemes is 66.4±3.5 ms (60.5–72.1 ms). Within each echeme, the average syllable duration is 11.5±0.5 ms (10.5–12.2 ms) and the average silent interval between consecutive syllables is 9.5±0.5 ms (8.6–10.2 ms). The frequency spectrum is pure-tonal and forms a clear harmonic series, with the energy peaking at a dominant fundamental frequency of 5.91 kHz.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Power spectra of the calling songs of the pteroplistine cricket species: Tembelingiola biaculeata sp. nov. (A), Tembelingiola kabili sp. nov. (B), Pteroplistes silam sp. nov. (C), Pteroplistes lagrecai Gorochov, 2004 (D) and Singapuriola separata Gorochov & Tan, 2012 (E). The grey line represents the power [dB] (axis name and scale in grey) and the black solid peak represents the relative amplitude (axis name in black).

FIGURE 3. Oscillograms of the calling songs of the pteroplistine cricket species: three echemes with different lengths of Tembelingiola biaculeata sp. nov. (A), two echeme-sequencesof Tembelingiola kabili sp. nov. (B), continuous trill of Pteroplistes silam sp. nov. (C), an echeme-sequence of Pteroplistes lagrecai Gorochov, 2004 (D) and three echemes of Singapuriola separata Gorochov & Tan, 2012 (E). Scale bar: 1 s.

FIGURE 4. Oscillograms of the syllables of the pteroplistine cricket species: Tembelingiola biaculeata sp. nov. (A), Tembelingiola kabili sp. nov. (B), Pteroplistes silam sp. nov. (C), Pteroplistes lagrecai Gorochov, 2004 (D) and Singapuriola separata Gorochov & Tan, 2012 (E). Scale bar: 0.05 s.

FIGURE 7. Tembelingiola biaculeata sp. nov. (A–D) and Tembelingiola kabili sp. nov. (E – I): head and pronotum in dorsal (A, E) and lateral (B, F) views, face in anterior view (C, G), male FW in dorsal view (D, H), female FWs in dorsal view (I). Scale bars: 2 mm (D, H, I), 1 mm (rest).

FIGURE 9. Habitus of Tembelingiola kabili sp. nov., male in dorsal (A) and lateral (B) views. Scale bars: 2 mm.

FIGURE 10. Male genitalia of Tembelingiola kabili sp. nov. in dorsal (A), ventral (B) and lateral (C) views. Scale bar: 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 11. Habitus of Tembelingiola kabili sp. nov., female in dorsal (A) and lateral (B) views. Scale bars: 2 mm.

FIGURE 12. Tembelingiola kabili sp. nov.: a male with two females on a tree trunk in Sepilok (A); the male started calling (B).