Helmablatta louisrothi Vidlička, Vršanský et Deharveng, 2017

Vidlička, Ľubomír, Vršanský, Peter, Kúdelová, Tatiana, Kúdela, Matúš, Deharveng, Louis & Hain, Miroslav, 2017, New genus and species of cavernicolous cockroach (Blattaria, Nocticolidae) from Vietnam, Zootaxa 4232 (3), pp. 361-375 : 365-370

Helmablatta louisrothi Vidlička, Vršanský et Deharveng , sp. n.

Type material. Holotype —male (Vn06 253): southeastern region of Vietnam: Tân Phú area , Dinh Quan district of Đỗng Nai, Lava tube cave (11°15'1.72''N, 107°24'14.37''E), altitude 180 m; collected by hand near bat guano, leg. Louis Deharveng & Anne Bedos ; coll. Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.

Data deposition in GenBank, under Nocticolidae gen. n.— KR814821 .

Description. Male. Body pale, brownish yellow, nearly translucent, only apex of maxillae darker. Head very big (one third of body length), ratio of head length/width = 1.45 (1.167/ 0.805 mm), oval, invisible from above (opisthognathous at rest); clypeus and labrum short, overlaps mandible only partly; mandibular tip with strongly sclerotized teeth; eyes small (0.15 mm long)—about 40-faceted, oblong, narrow, strongly reduced, facets marginally obvious; lateral and central ocelli absent. Maxillary palps very long (length of palpomeres 1st–5th: 0.096, 0.172, 0.310, 0.316, 0.340 mm), first and second palpomeres very short, 3th to 5th palpomeres approximately equal, apex of last segment obliquely truncated. Labial palps three-segmented (length of palpomeres 1st–3rd: 0.191, 0.220, 0.306 mm), last segment rounded on apex. Antennae longer than body (preserved part 5.1 mm long, scapus 0.145/ 0.085 mm), slender, complete number of antennomeres is unknown, only 47 segments remained, scape and pedicel moderate elongated, following 10 segments as long as wide, other segments two times longer than wide.

Pronotum parabolic, lateral hind corner slightly oblong (width/length = 1.360/ 0.964 mm). Tegmina do not touch, shortened (1.944 mm long), reaching to posterior margin of 6th abdominal segment, in apical third strongly tapered (width in middle 0.655 and in apical third 0.361 mm) and sinuous on inner side, uncovering (outflanking) the tergal gland, apex volute internal, venation invisible with the exception of indistinct Sc vein, upper surface and inner margin of sinuous part covered by setae, basis with a few spines ( Figs. 2 e, 3e). Hind wings strongly reduced (0.990/ 0.428 mm), widest in apical third, without visible venation, with unique very deep incision in apical part, upper surface with very sparse and small setae, basis with a few spines ( Fig. 3 f).

All legs, in proportion to body, very large. Procoxae elongated, tapered, meso- and metacoxae triangular, robust, proximally with a few small spines; femora on anterior side covered with small spines, genicular spines of femora present, length of fore-, mid- and hind femora 1.214, 1.275 and 1.579 mm, respectively; anteroventral margin of fore femur with alternate large and small spines irregularly disposed, and a large distal spine (intermediate Type A1 – B1—terminology follow Roth 2003); tibia with several small spines, distal end with four large spines, length of fore-, mid- and hind tibia 0.801, 1.020 and 1.603 mm, respectively; tarsomeres with small spines in three rows ( Figs. 3 a, b, c); tarsomere 1 – 5 length: (front-, mid- and hind-leg): (0.607, 0.777, 0.923 mm), (0.218, 0.231, 0.316), (0.085, 0.121, 0.151), (0.073, 0.085, 0.090), (0.170, 0.170, 0.180); tarsal claws simple, symmetrical; pulvilli and arolia absent; basitarsi of all legs longer than the four other tarsomeres combined.

Abdomen very short (1.756/ 1.090 mm) with very distinct tergal gland. Abdominal terga T3–T5 strongly specialized (Figs. 1a, 2a, b, c, 3d, 4a, b, c), together form very sophisticated and unique tergal gland equipment, where T4 is extremely extruded over surface of abdomen; abdominal tergite T8 create in the middle big anteriorly incurved hook (“nipper”)—extremely rigid part of the insect, interfere with cavity on T7; cerci (incomplete) with very long segments in posterior part and long sensilla on the apex, surface covered with setae (Figs. 1a, b).

Supra-anal plate wide, subtrapezoidal, with central concave hind margin (Figs. 1a, d, 2a, 4a, b, d). Sub-genital plate symmetrical, at the sides with two similar very short styles, inter-stylar margin convexly rounded (Fig. 1b). Genital hook (L3) projects (0.388 mm long) on the left side, subapicali wide (0.062 mm) with several strong setae in inner margin, the apex of hook strongly narrow (0.021 mm), long (0.128 mm) and rectangular curved ( Figs. 4 b, d).

Etymology. New cockroach species is named in honour of Louis M. Roth (*1918 – †2013), one of the greatest “cockroachologist” of the 20th century who published the latest revision of Nocticolidae .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Male of helmet cockroach Helmablatta louisrothi sp. n. (Holotype Vn 0 6 253) — photos. a) dorsal view without antennae, legs and cerci; b) view from left side; c) view from right side (partly from above); d) head and pronotum—ventral view; e) head and pronotum—side view.

FIGURE 3. Male of helmet cockroach Helmablatta louisrothi sp. n. (Holotype Vn 0 6 253) — photos and drawing. a) foreleg—anterior and posterior views; b) midleg—anterior and posterior views; c) hindleg—anterior and posterior views; d) complex of tergal gland—oblique from above view; e) right tegmen; f) right wing. Abbreviations, ante = anterior, post = posterior.

FIGURE 4. Male of helmet cockroach Helmablatta louisrothi sp. n. (Holotype Vn 0 6 253) — electron microscope photos. a) body without appendages—dorsal view; b) tergal gland and “ nipper ” — dorsal view; c) tergal gland and “ nipper ” — oblique from above view; d) hook—dorsal view.