Pliacanthopus (Malayamantis) flavus ( Giglio-Tos, 1915 )

Wu, Chao & Liu, Chun-Xiang, 2022, New and little-known species of genus Pliacanthopus Giglio-Tos (Dictyoptera: Mantodea: Nanomantidae), Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 56 (29 - 32), pp. 1279-1296 : 1282-1283

Pliacanthopus (Malayamantis) flavus ( Giglio-Tos, 1915)

( Figures 1 (a), 3(a), 4(a), 5(a), 6(a), 7, 11(a))

Xanthomantis flava Giglio-Tos, 1915: 53–54 ; Hebard 1920: 24; Giglio-Tos 1927: 146; Beier 1931: 12. Xanthomantis (Xanthomantis) flava: Beier 1935: 61 ; Beier 1937: 177; Ehrmann 2002: 365; Otte and Spearman 2005: 126. Pliacanthopus (Malayamantis) flavus: Koçak and Kemal 2008: 9 ; Schwarz and Konopik 2014: 147.

Type locality

Malaysia: North Borneo, Sandakan.

Material examined

4♂, Borneo, Sabah, Trus Madi Mt .; 5.443°N, 116.451°E; 1180 m; 6–9 April 2017; Chao Wu leg. ( IZCAS).

Body small-sized, common characteristics same as for the genus. Juxtaocular bulge of head without black spot. Prothoracic tibiae armed with 12–13 postero-ventral spines, the spination pattern of which is iIiii(i)IiiiiiI (from proximal to distal, the same below) ( Figure 5 (a)). Subgenital plate triangular, with concave apex, with similar-shaped styli of similar lengths ( Figure 7 (b)). Cerci elongate, but not surpassing wings; last segment longest, with rounded apex ( Figure 7 (c)). Ventral phallomere of external genitalia rhomboidal; sdpl short, with acute apex, folded to the ventral side ( Figure 7 (a)).

Hebard (1920) recorded the distribution of this species in Singapore (Malay Peninsula) based on a female specimen. However, as pointed out by Schwarz and Konopik (2014), taking into account geographical factors, this record may belong to P. (M.) malayanus , while the distribution range of P. (M.) flavus is likely to be limited to only Borneo.

Measurements (length in mm)

Body (head to abdomen end): male 21.75–21.98; body (head to wings): male 24.05– 24.56; pronotum: male 4.45–4.78; fore femora: male 4.67–4.81; fore tibiae: male 3.85–3.91; hind femora: male 5.83–5.91; hind tibiae: male 6.18–6.26; hind tarsus: male 3.95–4.03; fore wing: male 15.85–16.31; hind wing: male 15.79–16.32.

Distribution

Malaysia: Borneo-N.

Figures

Figure 1. Adult of Pliacanthopus spp. in natural habitat. (a) P. (M.) flavus, male; (b) P. (M.) bimaculatus, male; (c) P. (M.) tricolor sp. nov., female, photograph © Wen-Xuan Bi, published with permission.

Figure 5. Fore tibiae of Pliacanthopus spp., dorsal view. (a) P. (M.) flavus; (b–d) P. (M.) bimaculatus; (e) P. (M.) tricolor sp. nov.; (a–c) male; (d, e) female. Abbreviations: pvts, posteroventral tibial spines.

Figure 7. Male external genitalia, ♂ coxosternite and male cercus of P. (M.) flavus from Borneo, Malaysia. (a) male external genitalia; (b) ♂ coxosternite; (c) male cercus. Abbreviations: afa, phalloid apophysis; bl, basal lobe of ventral phallomere; CS9, ♂ coxosternite; L4A, sclerite extending over the ventral wall of left phallomere; L4B, sclerite extending over the dorsal wall of left phallomere; paa, posterior process of left phallomere; pda, primary distal process; R3, anteriorly extending sclerite of right phallomere; sdpl, lateral secondary distal process; sl9, stylus.