Paradiplatys kubani, Kočárek, 2012

Kočárek, Petr, 2012, Paradiplatys kubani sp. nov. from Laos (Dermaptera: Diplatyidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 52 (2), pp. 335-339 : 336-338

Paradiplatys kubani sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–3 )

Type locality. Laos, Houa Phan province, Ban Saluei → Phou Pane Mt., 20°12′– 20°13.5′N, 103°59.5′– 104°01′E, 1340–1870 m a.s.l.

Material examined. HOLOTYPE: J, ‘ LAOS-NE, Houa Phan prov., / 20°12-13.5’N 03°59.5’- 104°01’E, / Ban Saluei → Phou Pane Mt. , / 1340-1870 m, 22.iv.-15.v.2008, / Vít.Kubáň & Lao coll.leg.// Primary mountain forest, / individual collecting. / Laos 2008 Expedition / National Museum Prague, / Czech Republic.’ ( NMPC). The specimen is provided with additional printed red label : ‘ HOLOTYPUS / Paradiplatys / kubani sp. n. / det. P. Kočárek 2012’.

Description. Body yellowish brown with head slightly darker; body finely pubescent with longer hairs on margin of pronotum, legs and sides of abdomen. Cuticle punctured, shiny; tegminae and wings fully developed. Length without forceps 12.4 mm, length of forceps 1.3 mm.

Head ( Fig. 1 ) as wide as long, smooth, frons convex, vertex depressed, laterally behind eyes raised with distinct postocular carina, sutures except for median one obsolete, hind margin slightly emarginate. Eyes blackish brown, prominent, longer than length of head behind eyes. Antennae of holotype male with 15 joints (incomplete); joint 1 stout, expanded apically, slightly shorter than distance between antennal bases, joint 2 transverse, joint 3 long and slender, equal to 5 th and longer than 4 th, 6 th onwards slender and gradually increasing in length.

Pronotum ( Fig. 1 ) about as long as broad, anteriorly convex, lateral margins rounded, slightly tapering posteriorly with angles and posterior margin truncate. Median sulcus fine but distinct. Sternal plates typical for the genus. Tegmina and wings well developed. Tegmina convex posteriorly, axillary angles rounded, showing small triangular scutellum; wing scales tapering to the end and truncate posteriorly. Legs typical with laterally flattened femora and tibiae; arolia black, half-length of claws.

Abdomen ( Fig. 1 ) long, slender, gently expanded posteriorly, convex, sides of segment rounded. Penultimate sternite large, feebly depressed in middle, posteriorly with two prominent teeth terminating the depression ( Fig. 2 ). Ultimate tergite weakly convex, sloping backwards, gently tapering posteriorly, hind margin tri-sinuate, laterally oblique. Median longitudinal furrow absent. Pygidium absent. Forceps with branches depressed, tapering apically, almost straight, apices gently hooked and tips pointed, bases with small triangular crest in middle, internal margin finely crenulate.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 3 ) with oval, comparatively wide parameres with shallow concavity internally; median incision of anterior margin deep, extending between genital lobes; external parameres long, narrow, S-shaped, apically pointed, with small epimere on outer margin of the top. Genital lobes relatively short, with conspicuous bidentate sclerotized plate at the tips.

Differential diagnosis. Paradiplatys kubani sp. nov. differs from the other species of Paradiplatys in characteristic S-shaped external parameres in combination with feebly medially depressed penultimate sternite, with two prominent teeth terminating the depression ( Figs. 2, 3 ). Male genitalia are similar to Haplodiplatys orientalis Steinmann, 1974 occurring in China, but the external parameres of this species do not contain any epimerite. Remarkable diagnostic character is the shape of penultimate sternite ( Fig. 2 ), not occurring in other species of Paradiplatys , nor in any of Haplodiplatys species.

Etymology. The species is dedicated to one of the collectors of the type specimen, Vítězslav Kubáň (National Museum, Praha).

Bionomy. The specimen was collected in a primary mountain forest in the canopy of blossoming Castanopsis trees ( Fagaceae ) (Kubáň, pers. comm.).

Distribution. Laos: Houa Phan province.

Figures

Figs. 1–3. Paradiplatys kubani sp. nov. 1 – habitus of male (holotype); 2 – male penultimate sternite, ventral view; 3 – male genitalia.