Blattella foliolata Jin and Che, 2022

Jin, Duting, Zhao, Qiongyao, Han, Wei, Li, Jinxiang, Wang, Zongqing & Che, Yanli, 2022, Molecular data resolving the systematics of the related Blattellidae genera Symploce, Episymploce, and Blattella (Blattodea: Blaberoidea), Arthropod Systematics & amp; Phylogeny 80, pp. 187-208 : 187

3.2.15. Blattella foliolata Jin and Che sp. nov.

Figs 8 , 9

Type material.

Holotype. CHINA • ♂; Sichuan Prov., Panzhihua City, Wuben Town; 8 June 2014; Xinran Li leg. Paratypes: CHINA • 2 ♂, 2 ♀, same data as for holotype.

Measurements (mm).

Overall length: ♂ 7.7-7.8, ♀ 7.7-10.2; pronotum length × width: ♂ 1.9-2.1 × 2.9-3.2, ♀ 2.0-2.5 × 3.4-3.7; tegmina: ♂ 1.6-1.7, ♀ 1.7-1.9.

Description.

Male. Coloration: Body blackish brown with yellowish brown lateral border (Fig. 8A, B, E, F ). Pronotum blackish brown with a pair of large black stripes, which are separated or contiguous near the anterior margin, lateral borders and disc yellowish brown (Fig. 8L ); mesonotum and metanotum blackish brown with disc yellowish brown (Fig. 8A, E ). Head yellowish brown with a black patch at vertex, antenna brown with a black spot near outer margin of antennal sockets respectively or forming a T-shaped stripe on the face (Fig. 8M ). Legs yellowish brown with some irregular blackish brown stripes (Fig. 8A, E ). Head: Interocular space slightly less than ocelli width and distinctly narrower than width of antennal sockets (Fig. 8M ). The third and fifth of maxillary palps about the same length, and slightly longer than the fourth (Fig. 8I ). Pronotum trapezoidal (Fig. 8L ). Tegmina and hindwings: Both scaly and strongly reduced, only extending to about the end of mesonotum and metanotum, respectively (Fig. 8N, O ). Legs: Anteroventral margin of front femur Type B3 (Fig. 8J ), pretarsal claws symmetrical and unspecialized. Abdominal tergites: Middle of T7 slightly raised with setal tuft, and a pair of inconspicuous fossae on either side (Fig. 8K ). T10 flat with anterior border concave and hind margin also slightly concave in the middle. Paraprocts: Dissimilar, the right one with a strongly curved and slender process, the left one bifurcated with apices rounded (Fig. 8P ). Subgenital plate: Distinctly asymmetrical, the left posterior margin broadly and concavely excavated; styli nearly conical and arising from the right posterior angle, the right one slightly larger than the left one (Fig. 8T ). Male genitalia: L3 on the left side (Fig. 8Q ); L2vm rod-shaped (Fig. 8R ); R2, R3 consisting of several sclerites (Fig. 8S ). - Female. Similar to the male but body larger (Fig. 8C, D, G, H ).

Remarks.

Blattella foliolata Jin and Che sp. nov. is similar to Ignabolivaria bilobata Chopard, 1929 because of nearly identical scale-shaped tegmina and wings. However, they can be distinguished by the following: 1) the former with black markings on the face, but the latter entirely dark brown; 2) abdominal T7 longer than the previous tergites in the former, but shorter than most of previous tergites in the latter; 3) styli close to each other in the former, but separated by a distance of about the length of one stylus in the latter. Meanwhile, this species is easily recognized and distinguished from other macropterous Blattella species owing to the strongly reduced wings, but it is very challenging to distinguish them from the nymphs of Blattella bisignata (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1893) in the wild. Like most species of Blattella , the brachypterous Blattella foliolata Jin and Che sp. nov. has a small body, pronotum blackish brown with a pair of large black stripes, a symmetrical T10, and an asymmetrical subgenital plate with a concave excavation on the left posterior margin. Moreover, Blattella foliolata Jin and Che sp. nov. was deeply embedded within the clade of Blattella in our phylogenetic analysis, and is retrieved as the sister group of B. bisignata + B. nipponica + B. germanica + B. parilis comb. nov.

Etymology.

The Latin word foliolatus refers to the tegmina and hindwings strongly reduced as a lobule.

Distribution.

China (Sichuan).

Figures

Figure 8. Blattella foliolata sp. nov., A, B male, adult: A holotype, dorsal view; B holotype, ventral view; C, D female, adult: C paratype, dorsal view; D paratype, ventral view; E, F male, nymph: E dorsal view; F ventral view; G, H female, nymph: G dorsal view; H ventral view; I maxillary palp; J front femur, ventral view; K seventh abdominal tergite; L pronotum; M head, ventral view; N tegmen; O wing; P supra-anal plate, ventral view; Q left phallomere; R median phallomere; S right phallomere; T subgenital plate, dorsal view. Scale bars: 5 mm (A-H), 1 mm (K-O), 0.5 mm (I, J, P-T).

Figure 9. A Habitat of Blattella foliolata sp. nov.; B Collecting habitat of Wuben Town, Panzhihua City, Sichuan; C Photographed in the field, D Collected specimens were observed on the tweezer and in a container under laboratory feeding conditions. Photos: A, B, D by Keliang Wu, C by Lu Qiu.