Pseudepitettix strictivertex, Deng, 2020

Deng, Wei-An, 2020, Taxonomic revision of the subfamily Cladonotinae (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae) from China with description of three new species, Zootaxa 4789 (2), pp. 403-440 : 428-431

Pseudepitettix strictivertex sp. nov.

( Figures 11–12 )

Description. Female. Small in size, short and smooth, body surface interspersed with granules.

Head. Head is a little exserted above pronotal surface. Fastigium of vertex narrow; in dorsal view, width of vertex between eyes 0.8 times width of compound eye; anterior margin of fastigium is nearly truncate, not surpassing anterior margin of eye; median carina visible anteriorly; lateral margins turned backward. In lateral view, frontal ridge and vertex forming obtuse rounded, frontal costa distinctly oblique between eyes, protruded anteriorly and broadly rounded between antennal grooves. In frontal view, frontal costa bifurcated above lateral carinae, scutellum (longitudinal furrow) widely forked between antennae, the rami strongly divergent, width of longitudinal furrow of frontal ridge 1.5-2.0 times antennal groove diameter. Antennae short, filiform, antennal grooves inserted below inferior margin of compound eyes, 15-segmented, the 7th and 8th segment are the longest, about 3-4 times longer than its width. Eyes globose, lateral (paired) ocelli located lowest third of compound eye height.

Thorax. Pronotum short, with a straight anterior margin, upper margin of pronotum slightly straight in profile, median carina entire; lateral carinae of prozona nearly parallel; humeral angle obtuse, with interhumeral carinae; lateral carinae of pronotum obviously constricted backward after shoulders; hind pronotal process wide, not reaching or reaching knee of hind femur and its apex rounded. Lower margin of hind process curved, lateral carinae of metazona curved too, width of the area between the two is 1.0 mm. Posterior angles of lateral lobes produced outwards, end of posterior angles slightly truncate, posterior margins of lateral lobes of pronotum only with ventral sinus. Tegmina and hind wings absent.

Legs. Fore and middle femora slightly compressed, margins finely serrated, with carinated and slightly undulated ventral margins. Hind femora robust and short, 2.4 times as long as wide; with carinated and margins finely serrated, antegenicular denticles and genicular denticles acute. Outer side of hind tibia with 5–6 spines, inner side with 4–5 spines. Length of first segment of posterior tarsi equal to third, three pulvilli of first segment of posterior tarsi nearly equal in length, apex obtuse.

Abdomen. Ovipositor narrow and long, length of upper valvulae 3 times its width, upper and lower valvulae with slender saw-like teeth. Length of subgenital plate nearly equal to its width, middle of posterior margin of subgenital plate triangular projecting.

Coloration. Body dark brown; antennae brown. Hind tibia black.

Male. Similar to female, but smaller and narrower. Fastigium of vertex distinctly narrower than width of compound eye; subgenital plate short, cone-shaped, apex bifurcated.

Measurements (mm). Length of body: ♂ 7.0–7.5, ♀ 8.0–8.5; length of pronotum: ♂ 5.0–5.5, ♀ 5.5–6.0; length of hind femur: ♂ 4.0–4.5, ♀ 4.5–5.0.

Type material. Holotype: 1♀, China, Hainan prov., Changjiang (Bawangling), 24°50.3061ʹ N, 108°56.4036ʹ E, 350m alt., 25 July 2017, collected by Wei-An DENG, EMHU . Paratypes. 6♂ 6♀, same data, type locality, EMHU ; 1♂ 2♀, China, Hainan prov., Changjiang ( Bawangling ), 750m alt., 11. June 2006, collected by Wei-Liang WANG, CLHU ; 1♀, China, Hainan prov., Changjiang ( Bawangling ), 750m alt., 05 June 2008, collected by Yi-Bin BA, CLHU ; 1♂ 3♀, China, Hainan prov., Ledong (jianfengling), 23. July 1984, collected by Li-Zhong HUA, BMSYU .

Diagnosis. New species can be easily distinguished from other species of the genus by fastigium of vertex narrower than width of compound eye. New species is similar to Pseudepitettix hainanensis from which it differs in head a little exserted above pronotal surface (head not exserted above pronotal surface in P. hainanensis ); width of vertex between eyes 0.8 times width of compound eye (width of vertex between eyes 1.3 times width of compound eye in P. hainanensis ); width of longitudinal furrow of frontal ridge 1.5-2.0 times antennal groove diameter (width of longitudinal furrow of frontal ridge 3.0 times antennal groove diameter in P. hainanensis ); lateral carinae of pronotum obviously constricted backward after shoulders (lateral carinae of pronotum straight and not constricted backward after shoulders in P. hainanensis ). This species is similar to Pseudepitettix nigritibis Zheng & Jiang, 2000 but differs by the width of vertex between eyes 0.8 times width of compound eye, pronotum with straight anterior margin (width of vertex between eyes 2.3-2.5 times width of compound eye, pronotum with obtuse anterior margin in P. nigritibis )

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from “ strict ” and “ vertex ”, meaning vertex narrow, fastigium of vertex between eyes 0.8 times width of an eye.

Distribution. P. R. CHINA: Hainan.

Note. Pseudepitettix strictivertex Deng was proposed in DENG’s (2016) PhD Dissertation, which has not been published according to the criteria of availability (ICZN 1999: Art. 8.1). The name Pseudepitettix strictivertex Deng is made available in this paper.

Figures

FIGURE 11A–E. Pseudepitettix strictivertex sp. nov., female, holotype: A—body in dorsal view; B—body in lateral view; C—head in dorsal view; D—head in frontal view; E—head in lateral view. (scale bar = 1 mm).

FIGURE 12A–H. Pseudepitettix strictivertex sp. nov., female, holotype: A—left fore femur in lateral view; B—left mid femur in lateral view; C—left hind femur in lateral view; D—left hind tibia in dorsal view; E—left posterior tarsi in lateral view; F—subgenital plate of female in ventral view; male, paratype: G—body in dorsal view; H—body in lateral view; (scale bar = 1 mm).