Dendroblatta litura, Sylvain & Evangelista, 2016

Evangelista, Dominic A., Sylvain, Erdine, Mendoza, Ciara Mae & Guzman, Kimberly, 2016, New and enigmatic cockroaches (Dictyoptera: Blattodea) of Guyana, Journal of Natural History 50, pp. 2249-2276 : 2267-2272

Dendroblatta litura sp. nov. Sylvain & Evangelista

( Figures 11 , 12 ; Table 4)

Holotype information

Adult male. Voucher number: DEKBO1515 . GenBank Accession number: KT906104 . Locality : Karanambu EcoLodge, Rupununi, Guyana. GPS: 3°45 ʹ N, 59°18 ʹ W. Collection date: 31 December 2014. Collectors: Dominic A. Evangelista, Oswin Ambrose.

Deposition

The holotype is stored in 70% ethanol and will be deposited in the Center for Biodiversity at the University of Guyana .

Collection/ecological information

Most specimens were collected by hand around camp and the surrounding trails. Some females were captured in beer traps.

Morphological identification

We assigned this specimen to Dendroblatta Rehn, 1916 based on its subgenital plate with multiple protrusions, small body size (8 – 20 mm), and general shape of the genital phallomeres. Furthermore, we find that the subgenital plate of our species is very similar to that of D. matograssensis Lopes & Oliviera, 2005 and D. mineira Lopes & Oliveira 2005 with a general degree of similarity in the genital phallomeres as well.

Description of holotype

Male. Ocelli small, not obvious. Inter-ocular space very narrow (~0.25 mm). Inter-antennal space much wider (~0.75 mm). Maxillary palps long; second segment measures approximately 1 mm with the third segment slightly shorter; terminal segment shorter than third. Overall head coloration is dark amber with brown regions. Inter-ocular space entirely brown. Frons mostly amber with brown patterning (as in Figure 11 (c)). Antennae sparsely covered with medium/long hairs throughout; beginning on the sixth or seventh segment of the flagellum, which is covered densely with minute hairs; coloration similar to the head.

Anteroventral margin of the fore leg femur (right) has 4 large proximal spines followed by 31 minute spines, 1 large apical and 1 large pre-apical spine. Left fore leg is missing due to damage. Posteroventral margin has 3 large spines and 1 apical spine. Ventral side of tarsus with two parallel rows of spines along entirety. Basal first, second, and third pulvilli very small or absent. Fourth pulvillus is large. Tarsal claws symmetrical and unspecialized. Arolia medium to large, reaching halfway to tip of tarsal claw. The anteroventral margins of the middle legs have 6 large spines, 1 apical spine and 1 genicular spine. Five spines on posteroventral margin plus 1 apical spine. Tarsi are same as front leg. Spination of the hind legs the same as middle legs. Pulvilli are missing on the three proximal segments. Overall colouring of legs a light amber highlighted with dark brown.

The abdomen ventrally is an orange amber. Colour is most prominent in posterior region. The lateral and anterior regions are a darker brown. Segments 2 – 6 are sparsely mottled with white, particularly on the posterior margins of the segments.

Four protrusions from the subgenital plate ( Figure 12 (a)). The left-most lateral protrusion (LP1) begins laterally and is reflexed medially, dorsally and posteriorly, almost meeting the right protrusion at a point medially. LP1 has a clubbed and hairy distal end. The next protrusion (LP2) is shortened and curved dorsally and slightly medially. The right protrusion is very wide and sticks out laterally before curving back medially. Overall it is obliquely cupped. Medial protrusion is within the cup of the right protrusion and meets at the tip of the right protrusion. It is more heavily sclerotized and has numerous spines at the tip, giving the appearance of a bear ’ s paw.

Head is slightly visible from dorsal side and reaches past pronotum. Pronotum is more elliptical than trapezoidal with its widest point nearly halfway between anterior and posterior margins. Coloration of pronotum as in Figure 11 (a). Notably, the longitudinal stripes do not meet anterior margin. The ventral margin of the anterior edge of the pronotum is either lacking hairs entirely or with very small hairs sparsely distributed throughout.

Costal areas of tegmina are translucent; central regions dark brown; demarcated laterally by the cubital vein with the colour reaching nearly the medial margin of the tegmina; radial veins bordered with small brown splotches.

Abdomen dorsally is lacking a tergal gland. Supra-anal plate simple, triangular with a broadly arched tip.

Dorsal coloration of abdomen same as ventral coloration but with brown being more prominent and white regions more pronounced at the lateral posterior margins. Dorsal side of cerci is a dark brown basally and predominantly white throughout the majority with a brown tip.

Measurements can be found in Table 4.

Paratype information:

2 males. Voucher numbers: DEKBO1083 , DEKBO1084 , DEKBO0975 .

Morphology

Same as holotype except for the following. Anteroventral margin of the fore leg femur (both) has 3 – 4 large proximal spines followed by 27 – 34 minute spines, 1 large apical and 1 large pre-apical spine. Posteroventral margin of same with 2 spines on margin in addition 1 apical spine. Posterior margin of abdominal sterna lacking mottled white coloration. Middle leg not lacking pulvillus 1 and 2 entirely but they are greatly reduced as in the fore leg.

Allotype information

1 female. Voucher number: DEKBO0695 . Locality : Karanambu EcoLodge, Rupununi, Guyana. GPS: 3°45 ʹ N, 59°18 ʹ W. Collection date: 31 December 2014. Collectors: D. A. Evangelista, O. Ambrose.

Deposition

The allotype is stored in 70% ethanol and will be deposited in the Center for Biodiversity at the University of Guyana .

Description

The interocular space is slightly wider than the male. Other features match male.

Hair on the antennae begins on the ninth segment of the flagellum instead of the sixth.

Anteroventral margin of fore leg femur has large basal spines (5 left, 4 right), a row of small spines (26 left, 27 right), 1 large pre-apical, and 1 large apical spine. All other leg morphology the same as in the male.

Subgenital plate is simple and the posterior portions are dark brown. Coloration of ventral abdomen same as male but lacking white.

Pronotum same as male except two dark spots present between the longitudinal bars on the posterior half.

Supra-anal plate similar to male but with more hairs posteriorly and a distinctly shaped notch cut out of the tip.

Tegminal coloration is same as in the male.

Abdomen dorsally has the same coloration as the male with no white spots and the lateral corners of the segments are lighter and translucent.

Measurements can be found in Table 4.

Paratype information:

7 females. Voucher numbers: DEKBO0689 , DEKBO0974 , DEKBO1280 , DEKBO1402 , DEKBO1468 , DEKBO1506 , DEKBO1507 .

Morphology

The individuals closely match the description of the allotype. We found that two individuals had very pale (almost absent) patterning of the head and one had regions of white. One individual had a lighter ventral abdomen. Another individual had the same

ventral markings as the male. One individual had a shallower supra-anal plate than that of the allotype.

Differential diagnosis and diagnostic features

The subgenital plate of D. litura Evangelista and Sylvain sp. nov, is distinct when compared to that of all other Dendroblatta . It is also separable by the facial and pronotal coloration.

D. litura brings this genus into conflict with Macrophyllodromia Saussure and Zehntner, 1893 because of the similar pronotal coloration. This superficial similarity alone may not cause confusion but the protrusions of the subgenital plate are also similarly arranged. Following Vidlička (2013) the second left protrusion in Macrophyllodromia (LP2) typically crosses the medial gap and lays over the right protrusion (RP). This is not the case in our species and many other Dendroblatta . Furthermore, the spination of the anteroventral margin of the fore femur is distinct among these genera, with the exception of D. iani , who has spination similar to Macrophyllodromia .

Genetic information and evolutionary placement

The COI sequence we obtained for this species ( KT906104 ) was found in a polytomy with Dendroblatta callizona Rehn, 1928 (GenBank accession number: KF155067 ), and an unidentified Pseudophyllodromiinae that Evangelista et al. (2015) speculated was D. cnephaia Hebard, 1926 (GenBank accession numbers: KF155070 , KF155071 ).

Etymology

The specific epithet ‘ litura ’ (=erasure or blot) refers to the blotted coloration of the frons that is unique to this species, which appears blotted with various degrees of intensity.

Known geographic distribution

Guyana (Rupununi savannah region).

Figures

Figure 11. Dendroblatta litura sp. nov. (a, b) Adult female paratype. Voucher number: DEKBO0974. (a) Dorsal body; (b) ventral body. (c) Male head, ventral. Voucher number: DEKBO1083. (d). Female head, ventral. Voucher number: DEKBO0974. c and d show the variation in the facial coloration of this species. This variation seems to be present independently of sex. (e) Tegmina, dorsal. Voucher number: DEKBO0689.

Figure 12. Dendroblatta litura sp. nov. Adult male paratype. Voucher number: DEKBO0975. (a) Subgenital plate, ventral. (b) Right genital hooked phallomere (R2). (c) Right phallomere (R1). This sclerite is placed just ventral and slightly more medial to R2. (d) Medial phallomere (L2vm). This sclerite is ventral and medial to R1. (e) Left phallomere (L1). (f) Head, ventral. Highlighting the extent of coloration on the face. Voucher number: DEKBO1083. (g). Right wing with anal field folded. Voucher number: DEKBO0689.