Dziriblatta (Dziriblatta) ramososacculata, Bohn, 2021

Bohn, Horst, 2021, Revision of the genus Dziriblatta Chopard, 1936 (Blattodea, Ectobiidae, Ectobiinae) III. The species of the subgenus Dziriblatta, Zootaxa 4964 (2), pp. 201-250 : 213

9. Dziriblatta (Dziriblatta) ramososacculata , spec. nov.

Figs. 20A–N , 21, 22, 25J,K, 27, 28, 29

Etymology. The species name refers to branched (Latin: ramosus) pouch lobes (Latin: sacculus) of the T7 gland.

Diagnosis. In the male sex very similar to Dz. ( Dz.) altotuberculata , distinguished by the shorter, broadly rounded latero-posterior corners of T7, the huge opening of the T7 glandular pit and the ramose pouch lobes.

Material studied. Type material. MOROCCO. Holotype, 1♂, Moyen Atlas, btw. Merhraoua & Tizi-Oulmou, 1300 m, 28.V.1997, leg. B. & H.Bohn (completely on two slides, Ma 184/4). ( Coll. Bohn, ZSM).

Additional material. Morocco. 2♂, Moyen Atlas, near M. F. Tamtroucht ( S Tizi-Oulmou, S Taza), 1700 m, 27. V.1997, leg. B. & H.Bohn (slides: 2♂, Ma 13a/5,7) ; 1♂, 8♀, same data as holotype (slides: ♂, Ma 184/1; 5♀, Ma 184/3,5–8). ( Coll. Bohn, ZSM) .

Description. Size. Length of pronotum in male 2.30–2.43 mm (mean 2.37 mm), in female 2.24–2.43 mm (mean 2.37 mm); N 4/7.

Male structures. ( Figs. 20A–M , 21, 22) Resembling Dz. ( Dz.) planotuberculata and Dz. ( Dz.) altotuberculata , more similar to the latter one. Median concavity of T6 similarly deep as in latter one, but much wider ( Figs. 20I–K ). Latero-posterior corners of T7 similarly produced as in the first mentioned species, but much broader; pre-glandular margin ( pm) as long as in Dz. ( Dz.) altotuberculata ; opening of glandular pit larger, occupying more than two thirds of the length of the tergite, elevations ( el) of the posterior wall of the pit and of the bulge ( bu) behind the pit similarly strongly sculptured as in Dz. ( Dz.) altotuberculata . Pouch tubes with many short side branches, diameter of the main axis subbasally wider than elsewhere; interior cuticular lining with long, bristle-like microtrichial processes as in the preceding two species, inclined towards the exit ( Figs. 25J, K ). T10 with median part of posterior border shallowly but distinctly concave ( Fig. 20H ). Spatular bristles laterally on T5–7: densely arranged only on T7 ( Figs. 20E–G ), thinning out towards the latero-posterior corners. No glandular pores on T2.

Colouration. Tegmina. In both sexes transparent, without dark markers. Male. Similar to Dz. ( Dz.) planotuberculata . Head dark, with yellowish post-interocular stripe; forelegs for most part dark, mid- and hindlegs with extended yellowish parts; discs of thoracic nota dark, margins transparent; T2–6 anteriorly of the ridge dark, posteriorly on a relatively light ground colour with a dark maculose pattern producing at three positions more extended dark areas, T6 sometimes completely dark ( Figs. 20A–C, I–K ), T7 between bulge and the broadly dark lateral margin yellowish ( Figs. 20D , 21, 22); sternites mainly dark, lateral margins broadly yellowish. Female. Head dark, with yellowish post-interocular stripe; legs almost completely yellowish; discs of thoracic nota dark, sometimes with moderately extended lightenings, margins transparent ( Figs. 20M, N ); tergites anteriorly of ridge dark, posteriorly on a yellowish ground colour with a moderately extended dark maculose pattern; sternites mainly dark, with broadly yellowish lateral margins.

Distribution. Only known from two neighbouring localities in the massive Jebel Bou Iblane at the northern end of the Middle Atlas: One (Ma 184) between the distribution areas of Dz. ( Dz.) planotuberculata and Dz. ( Dz.) altotuberculata , at the other locality (Ma 13) they were found together with the first mentioned species, at elevations of 1300–1700 m ( Figs. 27 , 28 ).

Figures

FIGURE 20. A–N. Structures of Dziriblatta (Dz.) ramososacculata.—A–K. Male tergite structures. A: T2–4; B: T5; C: T6; D: T7, with latero-posterior corners weakly produced and broadly rounded; bu bulge; gl glandular pit with ce central elevation and tl trail; p branched tubular pouch lobes; E–G: spatular bristles on the lateral parts of T5 (E), T6 (F), and T7 (G), only T7 with densely arranged spatular bristles; H: terminalia showing the excavated posterior border pt of T10, c cercus; I–K: T6 of three specimens showing the variability in the shape of the posterior border of the tergite; n median notch; pa pre-glandular area; tr transversal ridge.—L–N. Thoracic nota with tegmina of male (L) and female (M,N).—Enlargements: Same scale for A–D, for E–G, for I–K, and for L–N.— Identifications:A–G,I,L (holotype, Ma 184/4), H,K (Ma 13a/5,7), J (Ma 184/1); M,N (Ma 184/5,3).

FIGURE 25. A–G. Structures of Dziriblatta (Dz.) undulata. A, B: left tegmen of male (A) and female (B); C, D: thoracic nota with tegmina, male (C) and female (D); E–G: lateral parts of male T5 (E), T6 (F), T7(G), all tergites densely covered with spatular bristles.—H–K. Phase contrast images of bristlelike microtrichial processes arising from short indentations (arrows) of the cuticular lining of the tube wall; H, I: Dz. (Dz.) undulata, processes relatively short, radially directed; sample in H from the tip of a pouch lobe, in I from an intermediate region; J, K: Dz. (Dz.) ramososacculata, processes longer, obliquely downward directed; sample from side branches, in J with part of the main axis (a apical, b basal site); s remnants of soft tissues, in K removed by image editing.—Enlargements: Same scale for A,B, for C,D, for E–G, and for H–K.—Identifications:A,B (Ma 105/5,9), C,E–I (holotype of Dz. (Dz.) undulata, Ma 6b/8), D (Ma 6b/10), J,K (Ma 184/1).

FIGURE 27. Distribution of the species of subgenus Dziriblatta in Morocco and southern Spain (for mountains and locality numbers see Fig. 28). The lobososacculata-species group is distributed along the main mountain ranges of the Middle and High Atlas and the Rif, the bolivari-species group mainly further North: along the western Tell Atlas in Algeria (see fig. 32 in Bohn 2019), in northern Morocco including the northern part of the Middle Atlas, and in southern Spain along the Cordillera Penibetica, West of the Sierra Nevada up to Algeciras. The names of the species and their symbols are listed in the sequence of their distribution, which in the bolivari-species group is from East to West, in the lobososacculata-species group from North to South.The numbered arrows indicate localities with the common occurrence of two different species of subgenus Dziriblatta. In most cases Dz. (Dz.) algerica is found associated with another species, at locality 1 with Dz. (Dz.) bolivari, at 2 with Dz. (Dz.) ramososacculata, and at 4 with Dz. (Dz.) lobososacculata; at locality 3 Dz. (Dz.) ramososacculata is occurring together with Dz. (Dz.) planotuberculata.—Abbreviation: indet. females = indetermined females, only in Spain.

FIGURE 28. Locality numbers of all species of subgenus Dziriblatta found in Morocco (Ma) and Spain (Sp.).