Anthracites furvuseques Tan, Baroga-Barbecho & Yap, 2018

Tan, Ming Kai, Ingrisch, Sigfrid, Robillard, Tony, Baroga-Barbecho, Jessica B. & Yap, Sheryl A., 2018, New taxa and notes on spine-headed katydids (Orthoptera: Conocephalinae: Agraeciini) from the Philippines, Zootaxa 4462 (3), pp. 331-348 : 333-338

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4462.3.2
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C591738F-91A7-4A68-B4E4-2F3B21FB5BF7
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5985254
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03E78795-4343-646B-A4E7-FA309270A5BB
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Anthracites furvuseques Tan, Baroga-Barbecho & Yap
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Anthracites furvuseques Tan, Baroga-Barbecho & Yap View in CoL new species

( Figs. 2–5 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 4 View FIGURE 5 )

Material examined. Holotype (male, Siargao 18_38): Philippines, Mindanao , Surigao del Norte, Siargao Island , Del Carmen , Brgy. Katipunan, N9.86431 E126.03367, 41.4± 6.6 m.a.s.l., 9 April 2018, 0 0 35, coll. M.K. Tan, H. Yeo, J.B. Baroga-Barbecho, S.A. Yap (UPLBMNH). GoogleMaps

Paratypes: Philippines, same locality, coll. M.K. Tan, H. Yeo, J.B. Baroga-Barbecho, S.A. Yap: 1 male ( Siargao 18_08), N9.87602 E126.00954, 30.5±5.0 m.a.s.l., 7 April 2018, 1951 hours; 1 female (Siargao 18_09), N9.87604 E126.00954, 31.3± 4.9 m.a.s.l., 7 April 2018, 2000 hours; 1 female (Siargao 18_11), N9.87604 E126.00919, 28.9± 4.9 m.a.s.l., 7 April 2018, 2006 hours (all ZRC) GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis. The new species differs from all known congeners by the male cercus dorso-ventrally compressed but slanting with distal part conical and with two inner processes pointing inwards in distal half, both processes of male cercus stout and triangular with apex slightly curved and sclerotised, and by the shape of the titillators that are stiffened along rim and provided with two pairs of lateral sclerites that are connected by a simple, narrow bridge. A. furvuseques sp. n. strongly resembles Anthracites major Hebard, 1922 from Surigao, Anthracites flagellatus Ingrisch, 2015 from Misamis Orientalis, and Anthracites nitidus Redtenbacher, 1891 from Mindanao by its black body. However, it differs from A. major by: anterior and middle legs black around knees (unicolourous in A. major ); posterior femora with black dorsal stripes (absent in A. major ); two inner processes of male cercus similar in size and robustness (instead of the ventral one being decidedly heavier); sternites and subgenital plate brown (instead of black). From A. flagellatus it differs by: male tegmen more tint of black and mirror more angular (instead of rounded in A. flagellatus ), shape of male cercus and titillators, and subgenital plate with median carina but without dorsad-pointing lateral spine-like processes. From A. nitidus it differs by two inner processes of male cercus similar in size and robustness (instead of the dorsal one being decidedly heavier), and titillators stiffened along rim.

Description. Habitus of male as shown in Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 . Fastigium verticis compressed laterally ( Fig. 3A View FIGURE 3 ), in dorsal view conical with a fine longitudinal groove, lateral ocelli before middle, apex truncated, shorter than scapus ( Fig. 3B View FIGURE 3 ). Frons shining with few shallowly impressed dots ( Fig. 3A View FIGURE 3 ). Pronotum smooth to slightly wrinkled, disc broadly rounded into paranota, apical area rounded and faintly shouldered; anterior transverse sulcus short, posterior transverse sulcus longer and angularly rounded; anterior margin truncated but faintly concave in middle; posterior margin subtruncate ( Fig. 3B View FIGURE 3 ). Paranota with ventral margin concave, posterior margin swollen ( Fig. 3C View FIGURE 3 ). Acoustic spiracle large and elongated oval, completely covered by paranota ( Fig. 3C View FIGURE 3 ). Tegmen micropterous, mirror area almost fully covered by pronotal disc ( Fig. 3B View FIGURE 3 ), reaching only middle of 2nd abdominal tergite, with rounded apex; hind wing present, but covered by tegmen ( Fig. 3C View FIGURE 3 ). Prosternum with two long acute spines pointing nearly ventrad. Mesosternal and metasternal lobes conical with acute apices. Tympanum on anterior tibia slightly swollen with a narrow slit. Anterior coxa with a long and curved spine ( Fig. 3C View FIGURE 3 ). Femora with the following number of spines on ventral margins: anterior femur 3 external, 6 internal; middle femur 5 external, 3 internal; posterior femur 7 external, 2 internal. Knee lobes of anterior and middle femora obtuse externally and spinose internally; knee of posterior femur bispinose on both sides, longer than those of anterior and middle femora.

Male. Mirror on left tegmen small, angularly rounded, circa 1.3 times wider than long ( Fig. 3D View FIGURE 3 ). Stridulatory file on underside of left tegmen straight; about 1.5 mm long; with about 80 teeth fairly regularly spaced throughout ( Fig. 3E View FIGURE 3 ). Tenth abdominal tergite at posterior margin truncated, emarginated in middle; posterior end in middle depressed; depression and posterior margin with setae ( Fig. 3F View FIGURE 3 ). Epiproct tongue-shaped. Cercus short and stout, pointing slightly inwards, dorso-laterally compressed; distal part conical with obtuse apex; with two inner processes pointing inwards in distal half; both processes stout and triangular, apex slightly curved and sclerotised; dorsal process slightly longer than ventral ( Figs. 3F–H View FIGURE 3 ). Subgenital plate longer than wide, with anterior margin concave, gently converging lateral margins, apical margin deeply excised, excision truncated, with a medial carina running from bottom of excision to centre of plate ( Fig. 3I View FIGURE 3 ). Styli stout and long with apex rounded ( Fig. 3I View FIGURE 3 ). Titillators ( Figs. 3J–M View FIGURE 3 ) separate, bases narrow band-shaped and curved ( Fig. 3K View FIGURE 3 ); stiffened along rim and provided with two pairs of lateral sclerites ( Fig. 3J View FIGURE 3 ).

Female ( Fig. 4A View FIGURE 4 ). Tenth abdominal tergite short and transverse, deeply and widely emarginated in middle; forming two broadly rounded lobes ( Fig. 4B View FIGURE 4 ). Epiproct broadly triangular with basal depression and broadly rounded apex ( Fig. 4B View FIGURE 4 ). Cerci with apex pointing ( Fig. 4B View FIGURE 4 ). Subgenital plate large, wider than long, roundly emarginated in middle, with two lateral angular lobes ( Fig. 4C View FIGURE 4 ). Ovipositor long sabre-shaped; margins smooth ( Fig. 4D View FIGURE 4 ).

Colouration. Body black with pale legs. Face black, median ocellus yellow; scapus black ventrally and on inner side, pale dorsally and on outer side; antennae black; maxillary palpi with basal three segments pale, apical and subapical segments black; mandible black, clypeus pink-orange, labrum yellow-orange ( Figs. 3A–C View FIGURE 3 ). Pronotum completely black ( Figs. 3B, 3C View FIGURE 3 ). Tegmen with lateral field bright yellow with irregular black spots, spots smaller closer to costal (anterior) margin; dorsal field mostly black, posterior of mirror also bright yellow with irregular black spots ( Figs. 3D View FIGURE 3 , 4E View FIGURE 4 ). Spines on anterior coxa black ( Fig. 3C View FIGURE 3 ). Anterior and middle femora black at base and at knee, otherwise pale; anterior and middle tibiae pale with base and apex black; fore and middle tarsi black. Posterior femur pale laterally, with a black longitudinal dorsal stripe that extends from the base to nearly the knee; knees, including lobes black. Posterior tibia black near knee, otherwise pale with black dorsal spines. Posterior tarsus black. Abdominal tergite black, with anterior margin pink when alive, with two faint orange spots in middle of posterior margin. Male tenth abdominal tergite and epiproct also black; brown setae on tenth abdominal tergite ( Fig. 3F View FIGURE 3 ). Cercus black with brown setae, apices of internal processes brown ( Fig. 3H View FIGURE 3 ). Sternites and subgenital plate brown. Ovipositor with dorsal valve mostly black, red brown apically, ventral valve mostly red brown with tint of black at base.

Measurements (^ indicates measurement for male holotype). BL: male 26.0–29.3^, female 30.7; PL: male 9.4^–9.8, female 9.2–9.4; PW: male 6.2^–6.5, female 6.9–7.0; TL: male 5.4–6.0^, female 5.4–5.8; HFL: male 21.8–22.1^, female 22.3–23.2; HTL: male 22.0^–22.3, female 21.7–23.2; OL: female 16.3–16.5 mm.

Etymology. The species name refers to the Dark Knight (in Latin; dark = furvus, knight = eques). This species is named after the fictional superhero character Batman in the Dark Knight Trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan. The species’ black colouration resembles the dark suit of the vigilante while the titillators also shows certain resemblance to the iconic Batman mask ( Fig. 3J View FIGURE 3 ) and logo ( Fig. 3M View FIGURE 3 ) in the film.

Natural history. The new species is a common Agraeciini species found in the coastal vegetation on the island ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ) at night. The species was observed to feed on small snails ( Fig. 5A View FIGURE 5 ) and possibly seed pods of ground orchids ( Spathoglottis sp.) ( Fig. 5B View FIGURE 5 ).