Afrophaloria Desutter-Grandcolas

Desutter-Grandcolas, Laure, 2015, Phalangopsidae crickets from Tropical Africa (Orthoptera, Grylloidea), with descriptions of new taxa and an identification key for African genera, Zootaxa 3948 (3), pp. 451-496 : 456

Genus Afrophaloria Desutter-Grandcolas , n. gen.

( Figs 1–4 )

Type species. Afrophaloria amani Desutter-Grandcolas , n. sp.

Other species included. Afrophaloria apiariensis Desutter-Grandcolas , n. sp., Afrophaloria hempae Desutter- Grandcolas, n. sp., Afrophaloria n. sp. 1, Afrophaloria sp.

Etymology. Named after the clade to which these species belong, i.e. the Phaloriinae (see Chintauan-Marquier et al. 2013, 2015) and their place of diversification, i.e. Africa.

Distribution. Eastern and Western Central Africa ( Tanzania, Gabon, CAR, Congo).

Diagnosis. Afrophaloria Desutter-Grandcolas , n. gen. can be recognized by the following combination of morphological characters: Males and females apterous ( Fig. 1 A, F). Head very high; fastigium wide, rounded, not separated from the vertex ( Fig. 1 C), slightly furrowed longitudinally ( Fig. 1 B), wider than the scapes ( Fig. 1 B), with three large ocelli ( Fig. 1 B, C). TI without a tympanum on inner and outer sides. TIII with four pairs of subapical spurs, alternate, subapical spurs 2 and 3 the longest on inner side, subapical spur 1 the shortest on outer side, the others subequal. TIII not serrulate between subapical spurs, with few spines above. Basitarsomeres III with only one row of spines. Second tarsomeres not flattened. Male. Subgenital plate short, with straight apical margin. Supra anal plate without dorsal denticles ( Fig. 1 D). Genitalia ( Fig. 3 ): pseudepiphallus partly membranous, with a pair of disto-lateral hooks; pseudepiphallic parameres well-developed, dejected laterally and distally; ectophallic fold very wide and long, much longer than pseudepiphallus, asymmetrical, and with a bifid apex and sclerotized ventral margins; endophallic apodeme lacking; ectophallic dorsal valves lacking. Female. Subgenital plate more or less indented distally ( Fig. 2 ). Ovipositor flattened laterally, apex small and smooth ( Fig. 1 G). Genitalia: Copulatory papilla small, flat and very little sclerotized, the apex more of less deeply bisinuated ( Figs 2 N–5, 4F–I). Spermathecal duct very short, thick. Spermatheca small, shaped as a thin and elongated kidney ( Fig. 2 N, R).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Afrophaloria amani Desutter-Grandcolas, n. sp., male holotype, habitus (A), head and pronotum, dorsal (B), supra anal plate (D) and subgenital plate (E); male paratype MNHN-EO-ENSIF 3697, head, lateral (C); female allotype, habitus dorsal (F), habitus lateral (G), face (H), supra anal plate (I), subgenital plate (J). Scale bar 1 mm.

FIGURE 2. Afrophaloria Desutter-Grandcolas, n. gen. Maxillary palpi (A – D), Male subgenital plate, lateral (E, G, I) and ventral (F, H), Female subgenital plate, ventral (J – M), Female copulatory papilla (N – R) in: Afrophaloria amani Desutter- Grandcolas, n. sp. (A male, B female, E, F, N), Afrophaloria hempae Desutter-Grandcolas, n. sp. (C, G, H, K, O) and Afrophaloria apiariensis Desutter-Grandcolas, n. sp. (D, I, L, M, P dorsal, Q ventral, R lateral). Scale bars 1 mm.

FIGURE 3. Afrophaloria Desutter-Grandcolas, n. gen. Male genitalia, dorsal (A, D, G), ventral (B, E, H), lateral (C, F, I) in: Afrophaloria amani Desutter-Grandcolas, n. sp. (A – C), Afrophaloria hempae Desutter-Grandcolas, n. sp. (D – F) and Afrophaloria apiariensis Desutter-Grandcolas, n. sp. (G – I). Abbreviations: see page 3.

FIGURE 4. Afrophaloria Desutter-Grandcolas, n. gen. Female subgenital plates, ventral (A – E) and copulatory papilla (F – I), in Afrophaloria n. sp. 1 (A), and Afrophaloria n. sp. (B – I), with females from CAR, N'Gotto (B, F), Gabon, Ipassa (C, G), CAR, Salo (D, H) and Congo, Odzala (G, I). Scale bars 1 mm.