Gryllotalpa chrysea Ma, Yuan & Wang, 2024

Wang, Ning, Yuan, Wei, Zhang, Tao, Gu, Jun-Jie & Ma, Li-Bin, 2024, Gryllotalpa chrysea sp. nov., a new species of Mole Cricket (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae: Gryllotalpinae) from China, Zootaxa 5501 (3), pp. 483-487 : 484-486

Gryllotalpa chrysea Ma, Yuan & Wang , sp. nov.

Chinese name: JinChiLouGu (AEOiDzdz)

( Figs. 1–3 )

Materials examined. Holotype. China: Male, Sichuan, Qionglai , 13-viii-2023, Wang, Ning & Yuan, Wei coll. ( SNNU) . Paratypes. 1 Male, Sichuan, Qionglai , 13-viii-2023, Wang, Ning & Yuan, Wei coll. ( SNNU) ; 1 Male, Sichuan, Emeishan , 26-vii-2023, Wang, Ning & Yuan, Wei coll. ( SNNU) ; 3 Males, Sichuan, Yingjing, 4-viii-2023, Wang, Ning & Yuan, Wei coll. ( SNNU) ; 1 Male, Guangdong, Ruyuan , 29-v-2024, Zhang, Tao coll. ( SNNU) .

Description. Male ( Figs. 1 , 2A, B ). Head. Posterior margin of occiput covered by pronotum; frontal rostrum broad and flattened at the tip, slightly convex in dorsal view, distinctly wider than antennal scape; inferior margin of eyes curved, prominent in dorsal view; lateral ocellus large, oval; antennal scape broadly flattened, tips slightly expanded, covered with densely short hairs; clypeus slightly prominent, densely setae, maxillary palpus six, end section ball-like; labial palpus four. Thorax. Pronotum ( Fig. 2A ): Pronotum distinctly elongated, ovoid; anterior and posterior margins without setae, anterior margin concave and posterior margin convex; pronotum disc and lateral lobe densely setae. Legs. Leg ( Fig. 2C ): Anterior coxa stout, densely covered with long setae, lateral of coxa with leaf-like protuberance; anterior trochanter developed, with leaf-like protuberance at the tip; anterior femora short, ventrally with two ridges, densely setae on ridges; tibiae broad, densely setae externally, anterior tibiae with internal tympanum slit-shaped; dactyls of anterior tibiae moderately long, decreasing in size from dorsal to ventral dactyls; ventral dactyls nearly straight, others slightly curved; apices acute. Median femora ventrally with two ridges, setae on ridges, tibiae externally densely setae, tipped with four terminal spurs, basitarsus terete, ventrally with well-developed setae, tipped with one spur. Posterior tibiae with four inner dorsal spurs and one outer dorsal spurs and apical spurs six in a circular arrangement; basitarsus of posterior leg with long setae on ventral surface, tipped with two short apical spurs. Tegmina and wings. Tegmina ( Fig. 2D, E ): Forewings well-developed, lateral domains broad, Sc vein branching into multiple branches; R with transverse veins between M+CuA, CuPa bifurcation into CuPaα and CuPaβ; 2 hv veins located between CuPb and CuPa; PCu fusing to CuPb and AA in the base domain; d2 vein extremely short and connectings CuPb and CuPaβ, without transverse veins between main veins, apical field short, without distinct cell.

Genitalia ( Fig. 3A–D ): Transverse sclerite of epiphallus curved and broadly M-shaped; ectoparamere broad, inner margins pointed at tips; lateral view of ectoparamere C-shaped, curved at end, gradually becoming pointed. the middle lobe of epiphallus end flat and almost as wide as the base.

Female. Unknown.

Coloration. In dorsal view, body all black, forewings yellow; in ventral view, thorax and abdomen brown.

Measurements. Male (n=6). BL 18.06–22.88, HL 1.65–1.87, HW 2.81–3.33, PL 6.11–7.56, PW 4.82–5.86, FWL 5.02–7.34, HFL 5.84–7.06.

Etymology. The species name “ chrysea ” is derived from the golden wings.

Distribution. China (Sichuan, Guangdong).

Remarks. This species resembles Gryllotalpa orientalis Burmeister, 1838 in features of body and genitalia ( Fig. 3A–D , 4A–C ). Both species are medium-sized, significantly smaller than Gryllotalpa unispina Saussure, 1874 , with “M” shaped epiphallus; the forewings extend to the middle of the abdomen. The base of the middle lobe of epiphallus of new species is almost as wide as the tip and is not significantly constricted and truncated at the tip, unlike the middle lobe of epiphallus of G. orientalis , which gradually constricts and becomes pointed towards the tip. G. orientalis have inflated and curved ends of the epiphallus in lateral view, whereas G. chrysea sp. nov. are straighter. The ocellus of the new species is significantly smaller than that of the other two species. The body of the species is black with golden-yellow forewings, whereas the body of the G. orientalis is brown. The above differences in characteristics lead us to believe that the mole crickets collected in Sichuan are a new species.

Figures

FIGURE 1. G. chrysea sp. nov. Male from Guangdong when alive.

FIGURE 2. Body and forewings of G. chrysea sp. nov. A. Body in dorsal view (Holotype); B. head in frontal view; C. anterior leg in internal view; D. right tegmen; E. stridulatory file in ventral view. Scale bars: 10 mm (A), 1 mm (E).

FIGURE 3. Genitalia of G. chrysea sp. nov. A. dorsal view; B. ventral view; C. lateral view; D. caudal view.

FIGURE 4. Genitalia of G. orientalis. A. dorsal view; B. lateral view; C. ventral view.