Eremus geniculatus Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1888

Ingrisch, Sigfrid, 2018, New taxa and records of Gryllacrididae (Orthoptera, Stenopelmatoidea) from South East Asia and New Guinea with a key to the genera, Zootaxa 4510 (1), pp. 1-278 : 178

Eremus geniculatus Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1888 stat. reest.

Figs. 60 I–J, 61G–K

Karny 1928f as synonym of Neanias (Eremus) basalis Walker, 1869

Material examined. India, Karnataka state, Madikeri [as " East India, Mercara, leg. Werner, 1880"]— 1 female, 2 males (paratypes as cotypes) (Stuttgart ( SMNS)) ; India: Merkara, from Museum Stuttgart— 1 female (type BrW17.124) (Wien NHMW) .

Description. Face finely rugose; black with red brown spots ( Fig. 61G ). Apter, meso- and metanotum with weak lateral expansions but without clear traces of wings ( Fig. 61J ).

Male. Ninth abdominal tergite globular, at apical margin with a pair of narrow styliform projections ( Fig. 61K ). Tenth abdominal tergite narrow band shaped, little widened towards and grooved in midline. Subgenital plate with apical margin projecting between bases of styli; projecting part laterally concave, at tip narrow truncate, not fully reaching tip of styli.

Female. Seventh abdominal sternite with a pair of small pits in posterior area; following intersegmental membrane with a groove. Subgenital plate with a triangular central and smaller and shorter lobular lateral lobes ( Figs. 61 H–I). Ovipositor slightly curved; tip simple, subacute ( Fig. 60I ).

Discussion. This species had been synonymised by Karny (1928f) under Neanias (Eremus) basalis ( Walker, 1869) . He probably had not seen the holotypes of both species in direct comparison, both are females. Although the shapes of the subgenital plates of both females are similar with a large, roughly triangular central lobe and a pair of smaller lateral lobes, the central plate of E. geniculatus is triangular with a nearly subacute tip ( Fig. 61H ), while in E. basalis it is more lobular with the tip obtuse ( Fig. 61F ). More specific differences can be found in the seventh abdominal sternite, which has in E. basalis a short appendage in middle with strongly stiffened margins and a groove in middle and laterally of that appendage, the apical margin of the sternite is also grooved ( Fig. 61F ). In E. geniculatus the seventh sternite has a pair of small pits in apical area and the apical margin is simply convex, but there is a groove in the intersegmental membrane between the sternite and the subgenital plate ( Fig. 61 H–I). Moreover, the ovipositor is distinctly shorter than in E. basalis .

Figures

FIGURE 60. Genus Eremus: A–B, E. tigris sp. nov. male paratype (A) and holotype (B); C–E, E. r. rugosifrons Brunner, 1888 male type BrW9787 (C–D) and female (E); F–G, E. nigrifrons Brunner, 1888 female type; H, E. b. basalis (Walker, 1869) female holotype; I–J, E. geniculatus Brunner, 1888 female type BrW17.124.—Lateral view (A, C, E–F, H–I), dorsal view (B, D, G, J). Scale 10 mm (Brunner's types not to scale).

FIGURE 61. Genus Eremus: A–B, E. tigris sp. nov. male paratype (A) and holotype (B); C–D, E. nigrifrons Brunner, 1888 female type; E, E. sp. male ("Eremus nigrifrons Br. =? basalis Walker" det. Karny); F, E. b. basalis (Walker, 1869) female holotype; G–K, E. geniculatus Brunner, 1888 female paratype (G–H), female holotype (I) and male paratype (J–K); L–N, E. r. rugosifrons Brunner, 1888 male type BrW9787 (L–M) and female (N).—Face (A, C, G, L), male abdominal apex in ventroapical view (B, E, K, M), end of female abdomen with seventh sternite, subgenital plate and base of ovipositor (D, F, H–I, N), habitus lateral view (J).