Eremus basalis ( Walker, 1869 )

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 : 177

Eremus basalis ( Walker, 1869)

Figs. 60H , 61F (type of E. basalis )

Figs. 60 F–G, 61C–D (type of E. nigrifrons )

Eremus nigrifrons Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1888

Material examined. India: Bombay— 1 female (type of E. basalis ) (London BMNH) ; India: without locality; leg. Hügel— 1 female (type of E. nigrifrons ) (Wien NHMW) .

Discussion. E. rugosifrons has the same general habitus as E. basalis . Both female types resemble each other in details, even in the shapes of the seventh abdominal sternite and the subgenital plate. The synonymy of E. nigrifrons with E. basalis is thus correct. Both taxa are with certainty only known from females. Although Brunner (1888) mentions also a male in his description of E. rugosifrons , he only gives the measurements for the female. I did not find a male in NHM Wien fitting Brunner's description that was collected before his monograph.

The situation of the male described by Karny (1929a) as (" Eremus nigrifrons Br. =? basalis Walker det. Karny") is different. It certainly represents another species that differs from both female types. It comes from a different and quite remote locality in Tamil Nadu, while the type of E. basalis is from Bombay. The subgenital plate of that male is similar to that of E. elegantulus Bol. , but has the wide basal area longer and the rounded apical lobes only half as long as the wide basal area ( Fig. 61E ). This specimen requires a more severe re-examination to be certain about its exact taxonomic status.

Description. Medium sized species ( Figs. 60 F–H). Head rather wide; face impressed punctate, black, ocelli yellow, clypeus and labrum light brown ( Fig. 61C ).

Male unknown.

Female. Seventh abdominal sternite at hind margin with a short appendage in middle with strongly stiffened margins surrounding a groove, laterally apical margin of seventh sternite also grooved. Subgenital plate consisting of a roughly triangular central part with convex margins and obtuse tip and a shorter conical lateral part at both sides ( Figs. 61D, F ). Ovipositor elongate, slightly curved throughout; tip unmodified, acute ( Figs. 60F, H ).

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).