Ciulfina baldersoni Ginn & Holwell, 2007

Holwell, Gregory I., Ginn, Scott G. & Herberstein, Marie E., 2007, Three new species of Ciulfina Giglio-Tos (Mantodea: Liturgusidae) from north-eastern Australia, Zootaxa 1583 (1), pp. 23-35 : 26-28

Ciulfina baldersoni Ginn & Holwell sp. nov.

( Figure 2 : 3–4; 3 a–b (sinistral genitalia))

Etymology. Named in honour of the late Mr John Balderson, in recognition of his extensive work on the genus Ciulfina and his remarkable contribution to the study of Australian Mantodea .

Type. Holotype male, Queen’s Park , Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia, 24°52’S 152°20’E, 22.ix.2003, G. Holwell, S. Ginn, A. Gaskett.

Other material examined. Paratypes: 5 Great Sandy Region Botanic Gardens , Hervey Bay, Qld, 25º18'S 152º53'E, 21.ix.2003, G. Holwell, S. Ginn, A. Gaskett.; 4 Queen's Park, Bundaberg, Qld, 24°52'S 152°20'E, 22.ix.2003, G. Holwell, S. Ginn, A. Gaskett .

Diagnosis. The distinguishing male genital features of C. baldersoni are the stout, blunt shape of the ventral sclerotised process, the apically widened distal process of the ventral phallomere, and the broad, rounded lateral apex of ventral phallomere.

Description of genitalia. Right dorsal phallomere typical of genus, thumb-shaped, deeply pouched, orientated posteriorly, attached to ventral phallomere centrally by long arm that is wide basally and tapers apically; anterior apodeme typically spoon-shaped; phalloid apophysis heavily sclerotised, conical, tapering apically, distal one third at right angle to base of process angled toward dorsal surface; apical process of left phallomere with robust base, process slightly sinuate, gradually tapering apically, apex slightly bulbous and heavily sclerotised, process projects away from right phallomere parallel to base of ventral phallomere, pro- cess projects beyond pubescent triangular membrane at base of left dorsal phallomere; pubescent triangular membrane terminates in distinct tip; ventral sclerotised process stout, heavily sclerotised, slightly recurved apically; distal process of ventral phallomere broad, widening apically, with vertical row of heavily sclerotised teeth along outer margin; lateral apex of ventral phallomere rounded, about as wide as distal process but produced well beyond distal process.

Description of subgenital plate. Sternite widened medially with upper margin raised and tapering inwards medially; posterior margin visibly excised centrally with distinct crack extending anteriorly along plate, base stalks of styli long ~0.5–0.8mm; styli stout, pubescent, shorter than length of basal stalk.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Habitus images of four Ciulfina species: C. biseriata (1. male, 2. female); C. baldersoni (3. male, 4. female); C. klassi (5. male, 6. female); C. rentzi (7. male, 8. female). Scale bar = 25 mm