Paragryllodes Karny, 1909

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 : 489

Genus Paragryllodes Karny, 1909

( Figs 15–17 )

Type species. Paragryllodes borgerti Karny, 1909

Other species included. See Kaltenbach (1982) and Desutter-Grandcolas (1999) for argumented species lists. Two additional species close to Paragryllodes amani Desutter-Grandcolas , n. sp. are available from Tanzania, Kimbosa and Tanghanika ( MNHN, ZMC).

Distribution. Tropical Western and Eastern Africa, Madagascar, the Andaman island, Western India, Sri Lanka.

Diagnosis. See Kaltenbach (1982) and Desutter-Grandcolas (1999). This genus is characterized by its general shape and short FWs, dark uniform coloration and more or less shiny apparence ( Fig. 15 ). TIII with four outer and three / four inner subapical spurs. Male. FWs thick and more or less corneous; stridulatory apparatus complete, but hardly visible and partly reticulate ( Fig. 16 B). Male genitalia characterized by very long, thin and acute ectophallic dorsal valves, extending well beyond the phallic complexe; pseudepiphallus often densely covered with strong setae ( Fig. 17 ). Female. FWs present, short, partly overlapping or not; venation weak, with longitudinal parallel veins ( Fig. 15 F). Subgenital plate transverse, the apex bisinuate. Ovipositor with smooth apex. Female genitalia: copulatory papilla triangular, and more or less elongate ( Fig. 16 O–N).

Phylogenetic relationships. In Chintauan-Marquier et al. 's (2013, 2015) molecular phylogeny, Paragryllodes is the sister group of a wide clade including present-day Paragryllinae , ( Caltathra Otte, 1987 — Protathra Desutter- Grandcolas, 1997), Brevizacla Gorochov, 2003 and Mikluchomaklaia Gorochov, 1986 ; the whole clade is the sister group of the neotropical Aclodae group ( Aclodes Hebard, 1928 , Paraclodes Desutter-Grandcolas, 1992 and Uvaroviella Chopard, 1923 , see Desutter-Grandcolas 1992). While this topology has to be confirmed with additional data, the position of Paragryllodes within this clade seems well-supported.

Figures

FIGURE 15. Paragryllodes amani Desutter-Grandcolas, n. sp., male holotype (A, C – E, H, I), female allotype (B, F, K, L) and male paratype MNHN-EO-ENSIF 3597 (G): habitus in dorsal view (A, B); face coloration (C); hindtibia in dorsal view (D); forewings in dorsal view (E, F); male metanotum (G); supra anal (H) and subgenital (I, K) plates; ovipositor apex in lateral view (L). Scales for habitus 1 mm.

FIGURE 16. Paragryllodes amani Desutter-Grandcolas, n. sp. A, maxillary palpus; B, male FW venation; C, D, male subgenital plate, in ventral (C) and lateral (D) view; E – J, male genitalia, right paramere and dorsal valve, in dorsal (E, G, I) and lateral (F, H, J) views, in Paragryllodes amani Desutter-Grandcolas, n. sp. paratype MNHN-EO- 3725 (E, F), and in males from Tanghanika (G, H, material ZMC) and from Ruvu (I, J, material MNHN); K – N, female subgenital plate, ventral view, in Paragryllodes amani Desutter-Grandcolas, n. sp. (K – M) and in a female from Tanghanika (N, Material ZMC); O – S, female copulatory papilla, dorsal, ventral and lateral views, in Paragryllodes amani Desutter-Grandcolas, n. sp. (O – R) and in a female from Tanghanika (S, Material ZMC). Scales 1 mm.

FIGURE 17. Paragryllodes amani Desutter-Grandcolas, n. sp., male genitalia in dorsal (A), ventral (B) and lateral (C) views. Abbreviations see page 3.