Balta dissecta Che and Wang

Che, Yanli, Chen, Li & Wang, Zongqing, 2010, Six new species of the genus Balta Tepper (Blattaria, Pseudophyllodrominae) from China, Zootaxa 2609, pp. 55-67 : 60-63

Balta dissecta Che and Wang sp. nov.

Figures 35–45

Description. Pronotum length×width 2.6×4.0 mm; tegmen 11.0 mm; overall length including tegmen 14.2 mm. Body yellowish brown. Vertex and occiput region testaceous, face and maxillary palpomeres blackish brown. Pronotum yellowish brown with dark brown maculae and spots, broad lateral areas semihyaline ( Fig.

36). Tegmina yellowish brown suffused with reddish brown. Legs brown with femora and tibiae blackish brown stripes ( Fig. 38 ).

Vertex with interocular space slightly less than distance between antennal sockets ( Fig. 35 ). Third and fifth maxillary palpomeres about same length, both distinctly longer than the fourth. Pronotum with two irregular maculae and two small spots between them on disk ( Fig. 36 ). Tegmen with discoidal veins strongly oblique. Hind wing with costal veins distinctly clubbed or thickened; medial vein slightly curved and without branches; cubital vein with 4 complete branches, triangular apical area reduced and small ( Fig. 37 ). Front femur of Type C2 ( Fig. 38 ), tarsal claws strongly asymmetrical and unspecialized ( Fig. 39 ). Male genitalia with supra-anal plate in ventral view short, anterior and posterior margins nearly parallel, hind margin transverse, with numerous scattered setae ( Fig. 40 ); right and left paraprocts slightly asymmetrical, simple plate twisted with apices rounded ( Fig. 40 ). Subgenital plate in dorsal view with lateral margins smoothly curved, hind margin deeply and concavely excavated in middle, with some short setae; styli small, fingerlike, arising on each side of excavation and directed caudally, left style with 8 spines, right style with 5 spines ( Fig. 41 ). Left phallomere small, sclerotized plates irregular ( Fig. 42 ). Median phallomere long, sticklike and slightly curved with base blunt and apex acuminate, left side of distal part with a row of small spines ( Fig. 43 ); one associated median phallomere appendage present and below median phallomere, which is bifurcated and serrated on the right side near distal part, the branch beneath arched with tapered apex, the other branch below bent in middle and apex swollen into one large plate ( Fig. 44 ). Right phallomere with sclerotized portion very small, slender and with V-shaped incision ( Fig. 45 ).

Material examined. Holotype m?, China, Fujian, Putian, 1 May 1979, Zhang Yan coll. Paratypes: 2m?, same data as holotype.

Remarks. This species resembles B. picea Bey-Bienko, 1958 , which was described from specimens collected in Yunnan, China. However, presence of black markings on the pronotum, Cu with only 4 complete branches, the hind margin of male subgenital plate deeply bifurcated, and spines around the styli distinguish B. dissecta from B. picea .

Etymology. The specific name “ dissecta ” refers to the deeply and concavely excavated hind margin of the male subgenital plate.

Figures

FIGURES 35 – 45. Balta dissecta Che and Wang sp. nov. 35. Head. 36. Pronotum. 37. Hind wing. 38. Front femur. 39. Tarsal claws and arolium. 40. Supraanal plate and paraprocts, ventral view. 41. Subgenital plate, dorsal view. 42. Left phallomere. 43. Median phallomere. 44. Appendage of median phallomere. 45. Right phallomere.