Melanogryllus bilineatus Yang & Yang, 1994

Wang, Ning, Huang, Huateng & Ma, Li-Bin, 2023, Redescription of two species and a new distribution record for China of the genus Melanogryllus Chopard, 1961 and a report of one new species of the genus Velarifictorus Randell, 1964 (Orthoptera: Gryllidae; Gryllinae), Zootaxa 5360 (2), pp. 269-278 : 272-273

Melanogryllus bilineatus Yang & Yang, 1994

Chinese name: ăŝḡē

Figs. 1 ; 2C ; 3

Melanogryllus bilineatus Yang & Yang, 1994: 380 ; Otte, 1997: 218

Materials examined. China: 10 males and 4 females, Shenzhen , Guangdong, 3-iv-2015, Tao Zhang coll. ( SNNU) ; 3 males and 2 females, Wanyi , Hongkong, 15-v-2018, Linbin Ma coll. ( SNNU) ; 2 males and 1 female, Banlao, Cangyuan, Yunnan , 5-vi-2013, Libin Ma coll. ( SNNU) .

Description. Male. Body sized medium for Gryllinae . Head significantly wider than the abdomen. Vertex fullness, occiput curved and covered with dense hairs. Eyes protruding; median ocellus ovoid and lateral ocelli rounded. The width of the frontal rostrum as three times of the scape of antennae. Anteclypeus triangular with a distinct indentation in the middle, postclypeus narrowly banded, extending below the eyes. Labial palpus three, the length of the third segment equal to the length of the first two segments. Maxillary palpus five, terminal segment longest and end obliquely truncate; the length of the third longer than the fourth. The pronotum broad and flattened, the anterior margin slightly concave, and the posterior margin straight. Tegmen reaching the end of the abdomen; all three oblique veins curved; three chord veins, inner two chord veins curved and outer one straight. Diagonal vein straight and bearing two or three transverse veins. Mirror rectangular, with one dividing vein, very curved. The inner tympanum relatively small and oval, outer tympanum elongate-oval. The posterior femora developed and equal to the abdomen in length; the posterior tibiae possessed six dorsal spurs on each side. Three inner apical spurs with the ventral one as half-length of the other two; and three outer apical spurs with the middle one longest.

Male genitalia. The structure of the epiphallus with only a single plate. The anterior of the epiphallus emargination strongly notched, and varying in the shapes of V-shape, C-shape, or U-shape. In lateral view, the lateral lobe of the epiphallus wide, and the apical part bearing a dorsal carina. Ectoparamere forming two branches connected at the posterior margin, the outer one broad and armed with a protuberance in the middle, and the inner one narrowed, slightly longer than the outer. Endoparamere curved as hook-like in lateral view.

Female. Resembles the males. Ovipositor very short, slightly longer than half the length of the abdomen.

Coloration. Head, abdomen, and lateral lobes of pronotum black; occiput, pronotum disc, and posterior femora with brownish-yellow hairs. Eyes, ocelli, and cercus yellow.

Measurements. Male (n=15). BL 16.90–17.74, HL 2.48–2.81, HW 5.11–5.47, PL 2.93–2.99, PW 5.20–5.51, FWL 9.06–10.26, HFL 9.06–10.20. Female (n=7). BL 16.05–18.67, HL 2.72–2.76, HW 4.75–5.00, PL 3.03–3.32, PW 4.86–5.30, FWL 9.30–11.26, HFL 9.51–9.91.

Remarks. The head of M. bilineatus is significantly wider than that of M. desertus and M. chopardi , and the pronotum of M. bilineatus has a reddish-brown coloration, which also distinguishes it from the other two species. In addition, the length of the ovipositor is the shortest of the three species. These characteristics allow us to easily differentiate the M. bilineatus from the M. desertus and M. chopardi .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distributions of the known Chinese species of Melanogryllus and Velarifictorus yuanilandrevus sp. nov.

FIGURE 2. Body and genitalia. A. male body of M. desertus; B. female body of M. desertus; C. ovipositor of M. bilineatus; D. ovipositor of M. desertus; E. ovipositor of M. chopardi; F–H. male genitalia of M. desertus (F. dorsal view; G. lateral view; H. ventral view); I–K. drawing of the male genitalia of M. desertus (I. dorsal view; J. ectoparamere; K. lateral view). Scale bars: 10 mm (A, B); 3 mm (C–E).

FIGURE 3. Bodies and genitalia of M. bilineatus. A. male, B. female, Scale bars: 10mm; C. dorsal view; D. lateral view; E. ventral view.