Attaphila sexdentis Bolivar , 1905

Bohn, Horst, Nehring, Volker, G., Jonathan Rodriguez & Klass, Klaus-Dieter, 2021, Revision of the genus Attaphila (Blattodea: Blaberoidea), myrmecophiles living in the mushroom gardens of leaf-cutting ants, Arthropod Systematics & amp; Phylogeny 79, pp. 205-280 : 205

4.8. Attaphila sexdentis Bolivar, 1905

Figs 11C, D , 13A , 14G , 17F , 18L , 21C , 22I

Attaphila sexdentis Bolívar, 1905: 137; Princis 1963: 111.

Material studied.

Type material. Holotype, 1♀, [ Brazil], Rio Grande do Sul, San Leopoldo, b. Atta sexdens , (Dr. Dutra!) (completely on three slides: Bo 1233) (M. Maastricht).

Diagnosis.

Female Characterised by the unique shape of S7: posterior parts of the lateral borders anteriorly converging, in all other species (more or less) parallel.

Description.

Size Length of body (dried): female 3 mm. Surface bristles of tergites 2-5 approximately arranged in two transversal rows (Fig. 11C ). Transversal ridges tr2-5 without distinct excurvations (Fig. 11C , compare grey arrows in Fig. 11A ).

Male Unknown.

Female Tergites 6,7: (Figs 11D , 13A , 14G ) Median lobe of T7 rather long; transversal ridges tr6 and tr7 complete, tr6 sublaterally with a weak, but distinct bend; surface bristles very numerous on T6, only few on T7, small (slightly smaller than the larger ones in A. paucisetosa ), focused to central part of surface area. Subgenital plate (Figs 17F , 18L ) semicircular, lateral borders distinctly converging to the anterior; lateral parts of transversal ridge (sr7-l) fairly straight, ridge mesally ending well after having reached a transversal orientation, with a fairly narrow median gap (end parts of ridge only slightly more developed than in A. aptera , but lateral parts more strongly inclined mesally, thus leaving a narrower gap), hardly recurved sr7-m ends indicating the ridge to be at most weakly bisinuate. Genitalia: (Figs 21C , 22I ) Spermathecal plate sp and pouch gcp not clearly identifiable. In laterosternal shelf sclerite (Fig. 22I ) central part (c) moderately long and posteriorly widely truncate (slightly rounded), arms (a) moderately wide, wing parts (w) moderately wide, their base restricted to posterior half of tubes; tubes (lst) with a straight mesal border and slightly narrowed towards the anterior, anteriorly more or less transversally cut. Mesal gonangulum (gg-m) sclerites distinct (presence of lateral ones questionable; Fig. 21C ).

Host species.

Atta sexdens (Linnaeus, 1758).

Distribution.

Brazil: Est. Rio Grande do Sul, only known from the type locality San Leopoldo.

Figures

Figure 11. Abdominal tergites of Attaphila species only known from the female sex. A, B: A. schuppi (ST Bo 1237). A: T 2 - 5; B: T 6,7. C, D: A. sexdentis (HT Bo 1233). C: T 1 - 5; D: T 6,7. - Abbreviations: T n tergite (numbered); T n - a anterior border of tergite (numbered); T n - p posterior border of tergite (numbered); tr n transversal ridge of tergite (numbered). Grey arrows pointing to median and lateral excurvations of transversal ridges to the anterior.

Figure 13. Abdominal tergites T 6,7 of females (A, B) and males (C - F) of Attaphila species. A: A. sexdentis, female (Bo 1233). B: A. sinuosocarinata, female (HT Bo 1273). C: A. aptera, male (Bo 1256). D: A. bergi, male (Bo 1274), transversal ridge tr 7 weakly developed, sublaterally with a large gap. E: A. paucisetosa, male (Bo 1240), transversal ridge tr 7 missing. F: A. fungicola, male (Bo 1229), transversal ridge tr 7 missing. - Abbreviations: T 6, T 7 tergites T 6, T 7; T 6 - p, T 7 - p posterior borders of tergites T 6, T 7; tr 6, tr 7 transversal ridges of tergites T 6, T 7.

Figure 14. Size and distribution of bristles in the median part of tergites T 6,7 in females (A-H) and males (I) of Attaphila species, phase contrast images. A: A. aptera, female (Bo 1257). B: A. bergi, female (Bo 1282). C: A. fungicola, female (Bo 1264). D: A. multisetosa, female (Bo 1270). E: A. paucisetosa, female (PT Bo 1255). F: A. schuppi, female (ST Bo 1237), with only short remnants of transversal ridge tr 7. G: A. sexdentis, female (Bo 1233). H: A. sinuosocarinata, female (HT Bo 1273). I: A. aptera, male (Bo 1256). - Abbreviations: T 6 - p, T 7 - p posterior borders of tergites T 6, T 7; tr 6, tr 7 transversal ridges of tergites T 6, T 7.

Figure 17. Subgenital plate (sternite S 7) of females (A - F) and larval females (G, H) of Attaphila species. A, B: A. sinuosocarinata (PT Bo 1287, HT Bo 1273). C, D: A. aptera (Bo 1225, Bo 1253). E: A. multisetosa (HT Bo 1270). F: A. sexdentis (HT Bo 1233). G: A. aptera, larval female (Bo 1289). H: A. bergi, larval female (Bo 1231). - Abbreviations and arrows: S 7 - p posterior border of subgenital plate S 7; sr 7 - l, sr 7 - m lateral, median part of transversal ridge of subgenital plate S 7 (borders indicated by double bars). Arrows in B, C, F pointing to lateral borders of S 7, which are parallel or slightly divergent (to the anterior) in A-E, but convergent in F.

Figure 18. Anterior half of subgenital plate (sternite S 7) of females of Attaphila species, shape of sternal transversal ridge, phase contrast images (same objects as shown in Figs 16, 17, except for Bo 1236 in F). A, B: A. aptera (Bo 1225, Bo 1253). C, D: A. bergi (Bo 1275, Bo 1282). E, F: A. fungicola (Bo 1264, Bo 1236). G: A. multisetosa (HT Bo 1270). H, I: A. paucisetosa (Cb 2 / 2, PT Bo 1255). J, K: A. schuppi (ST Bo 1234, ST Bo 1237). L: A. sexdentis (HT Bo 1233). M, N: A. sinuosocarinata (PT Bo 1287, HT Bo 1273). - Abbreviations and symbols: sr 7 transversal ridge of subgenital plate S 7; short interruptions of this ridge indicated by arrows, larger gaps delimited by double bars.

Figure 21. A-C: Terminalia with genitalia of females of Attaphila species, ventral view, posterior end on top. A: A. multisetosa (HT Bo 1270), without laterosternal shelf area, cerci damaged; inset showing median part of genital chamber dorsal wall. B: A. sinuosocarinata (HT Bo 1273), without laterosternal shelf area; inset showing median part of genital chamber dorsal wall. C: A. sexdentis (HT Bo 1233), with laterosternal shelf area. - D: Female of A. paucisetosa carrying an ootheca; length of animal ca. 3 mm. - Abbreviations: aa anterior arch; ca central apodeme; ce cercus; gcf fold dividing genital chamber (posterior edge labeled); gcp pouch of genital chamber (one-sided); gg-m mesal gonangulum sclerite; IC intercalary sclerite; ls laterosternal-shelf sclerite (with posterolateral extremity p); lst laterosternal-shelf tube; otkl ootheca keel; pl posterior lobe; PP paraproct; pt 8,9 extension of paratergite 9; sp spermathecal plate; T 9, T 10 abdominal tergites 9 and 10; T 10 - p posterior border of tergite 10; vlf valvifer of segment 8; A articulations, A 2 between gg-m and pl, A 3 between gg-m and basal sclerotisation of v 1, A 5 between pt 8,9 and vlf. Arrow in A, B showing mesal border of putative weak sclerotisation in dorsal wall of genital chamber. (See Supplement 1 and Supplement 3 Fig. S 2 A, B, C for additional explanations and more complete labeling using different terminologies.)

Figure 22. Laterosternal shelf area of females of Attaphila species, ventral view, posteriorly on top. A, B: A. aptera (Bo 1225, Bo 1257), in A left tube distorted (ventral part of tube squeezed laterally, as indicated by grey arrow). C, D: A. bergi (Bo 1282, Bo 1239). E, F: A. fungicola (Bo 1264, Bo 1447). G: A. multisetosa (HT Bo 1270). H: A. paucisetosa (PT Bo 1255). I: A. sexdentis (HT Bo 1233). J: A. schuppi (ST Bo 1237). K, L: A. sinuosocarinata (HT Bo 1273, PT Bo 1288). - Abbreviations: isf intersternal folds (of floor of vestibulum); ls laterosternal-shelf sclerite (with central part c, arm part a, wing part w, posterolateral extremity p); lst laterosternal-shelf tube; vfl floor of vestibulum. (See Supplement 3 Fig. S 2 D, E for more complete labeling using different terminologies.) - Arrows: Black arrows in A, D, I: twisting of sclerite at transition between ls-w and ls-p. Grey arrow in A indicates direction of squeezing of tube lst. Blue arrowheads: anterior extremity of wing part ls-w on mesal border of tube lst, ls-w either restricted to posterior half of tubes lst (e. g. K) or reaching far into anterior half (e. g. D). Red arrowheads: area where the posterior margin of ls-a bends dorsally, and where a bend or kink is often present in (inner) lateral border of tube lst (compare white arrowheads in Fig. 23 C, D, H, I, J). Black arrowheads: membranous inner lateral border of tube lst posterior to the bend or kink (compare Fig. 23 C, D, H, I and black arrowheads in sections beside D). - Inserts in B, D, E, K showing right (of picture and animal) tube lst with posterior margin of ls-a (red line; compare Fig. 23 C-E) and anterior margin of ls-w (blue line; compare Fig. 23 F, G).