Morphnodes goliath ( Shelford, 1906 )

Anisyutkin, Leonid N., 2018, Little known Epilamprinae (Dictyoptera: Blaberidae) from the collections of the Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Genève. Part 3, Revue suisse de Zoologie 125 (1), pp. 1-16 : 9-10

Morphnodes goliath ( Shelford, 1906)

Figs 5-6 , 44-65

Material examined: MHNG; 1 male (genital complex in prep. 240317/01); Malaysia, Sabah State, Mt. Kinabalu , 1550 m; 23.04.1987; leg. C. Besuchet, I. Löbl. – ZIN; 2 males (genital complexes in prep. 240317/02 and 240317/03); Malaysia, Sabah State ,

Gunung Alab Resort, 1500-1600 m; 25.- 28.09.2008; leg. A. Michailov.

Somatic characters of male: General colour brownish, with scattered light dots ( Fig. 5 ). Colouration of head as in Fig. 6 , eyes brown or black, facial part of head with large longitudinal dark (brown or black) spot. Scapi and proximal parts of antennae yellowish, distal parts of antennae greyish. Impressions on pronotum blackish. Mouthparts, thorax from below, legs and abdomen yellowish; 3rd-7th abdominal tergites and sternites with pairs of black lateral spots. Surfaces smooth and lustrous, head with several very weak transverse wrinkles between eyes, weak punctuation present in proximal part of tegmina, mostly in costal field. Head slightly longer than wide, with indistinct transverse impression between antennal sockets ( Figs 6 , 44 ); ocellar spots small but distinct; distance between eyes 0.6 times eye length; distance between antennal sockets about 1.5-1.6 times scape length (~ 1.6- 1.7 mm); approximate length ratio of 3rd-5th segments of maxillary palps 1.0: 1.0: 1.2-1.3. Pronotum as in Figs 5 , 45 , with a pair of impressions; anterior margin widely rounded. Tegmina and wings completely developed ( Fig. 5 ), surpassing abdominal apex. Tegmina with rounded apex, sclerotized in costal field; venation slightly obliterated when seen from above, well visible on ventral side of tegmen; costal field wide; Sc thickened (well visible on ventral side of tegmen); R, M and CuP basally fused. Wings membranous, only with weakly sclerotized area of Sc and anterior rami of R. Fore tibiae not thickened distally. Anterior margin of fore femora of armed type B, with 4-7 spines, including 2 apical ones. Tibial spines well developed. Structure of hind tarsus ( Figs 48-49 ): metatarsus slightly shorter than other tarsal segments combined, with small euplantula and 2 more or less equal rows of spines along lower margin; 2nd-4th segments with large euplantulae, spines along lower margins absent; 1st-3rd segments bordered with 0-3 “additional spines” on inside and outside ( Figs 48-49 , a.s.), in some males “additional spines” absent; claws symmetrical, simple; arolium distinct, about half as long as claw ( Fig. 49 ). Fore ( Fig. 46 ) and mid ( Fig. 47 ) tarsi dissimilar to hind tarsi: metatarsal euplantulae large, spines along lower margin absent; one pair of “additional spines” present only on 1st-3rd segment of mid tarsi of one specimen. Abdomen without visible glandular specializations; spiracle-bearing outgrowths of tergite VIII without attenuate posterolateral angles ( Fig. 50 ). Anal plate (tergite X) with widely rounded hind margin, with a triangular medial incision ( Fig. 50 ). Cerci slender, with distinct segments ( Fig. 50 ). Paraprocts of blaberidtype ( Fig. 51 ). Hypandrium nearly symmetrical, with hind margin between styli projected and membranous, median incision weak ( Fig. 52 ); styli short, cylindrical.

Male genitalia ( Figs 53-65 ): Right phallomere

( R +N): caudal part of sclerite R 1 T well sclerotized, subrectangular in shape, with more or less attenuate medial angle ( Figs 53-54 , c.p. R 1T ), densely covered with bristles; R 2 angulate; R 3 robust, widened caudally; R 4 and R 5 large, plate-like; R 5 fused with R 3. Sclerite L2D (L1) divided into basal and apical parts ( Fig. 55 ); basal part rod-like, weakly widened cranially; “apical sclerite” variable in shape ( Figs 56-61 ), covered with recumbent bristles; “dorsal outgrowth” large ( Figs 56-61 , d.o.). Sclerite L3 (L2d) with basal subsclerite ( Fig. 62 , b.L 3 ); “folded structure” distinct, with short bristles; apex of L3 with “small tooth” ( Figs 63-65 , s.t.); groove hge absent. Sclerite L4U (L3d) large.

Dimensions (in mm): Head length 5.8-6.0, head width 5.5-5.7; pronotum length 9.1-10.1, pronotum width 13.6-15.1; tegmen length 32.5-45.0, tegmen width 15.0.

Remark: This species was described on the basis of one male from Mt Matang in northern Borneo ( Shelford, 1906). The holotype (not examined) is kept in the University Museum of Oxford ( Beccaloni, 2014).

Figures

Figs 1-9. Photos of Morphna maculata (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1865) (1-2: female, syntype, 3-4: male), Morphnodes goliath (Shelford, 1906) (5-6: male), Pseudocalolampra inexpectata Roth & Princis, 1971 (7: male), Colapteroblatta compsa Hebard, 1919 (8: male, 9: female). (1, 3, 5) Dorsal view of entire specimen. (2, 4, 6-9) Facial part of head. Abdominal apex removed in Fig. 3. Scale bars 10 mm: a = 1, b = 3, c = 5. Other photos not to scale.

Figs 44-65. Morphnodes goliath (Shelford, 1906), specimen in MHNG (44-53, 55, 59-65), specimen No. 200709a (54, 56-57) and specimen No. 200709b (58). (44) Facial part of head. (45) Pronotum, dorsal view. (46-47, 49) Fore (46), mid (47) and hind (49) tarsus, prolateral view. (48) Hind metatarsus, ventral view. (50) Abdominal apex, dorsal view. (51) Paraprocts, ventral view. (52) Hypandrium, ventral view. (53-54) Right phallomere, dorsal view. (55) Sclerite L2D, dorsal view, bristles not shown. (56, 59) Posterior part of sclerite L2D, lateral view. (57-58, 60) Same, dorsal view. (61) Same, contralateral view, bristles not shown. (62) Sclerite L3. (63-65) Apex of sclerite L3. Dotted areas show membranous parts.Abbreviations: a.s., b.L3, c.p.R1T, d.o., R2, R3, R4, R5, s.t. see paragraph “abbreviation used in figures”; for details see text. Scale bars 1 mm: a = 44, b = 45, c = 46-49, d = 50, e = 51, f = 52, g = 53-54, h = 55, i = 56-61, j = 62, k = 63-65.