Euchomenella adwinae, Vermeersch & Svenson, 2001

Vermeersch, Xavier H. C. & Svenson, 2001, Euchomenella adwinae sp. nov., a small stick mantis from southern Central Vietnam (Mantodea: Mantidae: Deroplatyinae: Euchomenellini), Belgian Journal of Entomology 63, pp. 1-9 : 1-9

Genus Euchomenella Giglio-Tos, 1916

Euchomenella adwinae sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:790CFEA6-C24F-419E-96AF-B5F40E76F212

Figs 1−2

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS.

Euchomenella adwinae sp. nov. is the smallest and proportionally the most robust species of Euchomenella to date. It also differs from all other known species by the unique spination of the profemur. The second femoral posteroventral spine is larger than the third, which is atypical for the genus.

DIAGNOSIS.

Small species with long and slender pronotum and relatively elongate abdomen. Head broader than high with large globular eyes. Antennae filiform. Pronotum very finely denticulate along the margins, with more prominent teeth in the prozone; teeth becoming smaller and fading away towards the posterior end of the metazone; with a black spot on each side of supracoxal dilatation at widest point. Profemora with 4 discoïdal spines, 15 anteroventral spines and 4 posteroventral spines. Third posteroventral spine shorter than the second. Protibiae with 13 anteroventral spines and 7 posteroventral spines. Spinal formula: F = 4 DS/15 AvS/4 PvS; T = 13 AvS/7 PvS. Ratios ♀: MzL/PzL: 3,6; PL/TgL: 2,9. Females brachypterous, tegmina cover about one third of the post-pronotum body length. Male unknown .

ETYMOLOGY. The species is dedicated to entomologist Adwine Vanslembrouck for her neverending enthusiasm and permanent support to the author’s taxonomic work.

TYPE MATERIAL. Holotype ♀ ( Fig. 1 ): Vietnam, Ninh Thuan prov., Núi Chúa N.P., 11°42’N, 109°09’E, 3−9.VIII.2014, Night Collecting. Leg. J. Constant & J. Bresseel. GTI project, I.G.: 32.779 ( RBINS).

DESCRIPTION.

FEMALE (Holotype): ( Fig. 1 ).

Measurements: see Table 1.

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HEAD ( Fig. 1 ). Wider than long with large, rounded compound eyes projecting outside profile of head both laterally and anteriorly. Vertex very slightly concave. Ocelli small, ocellar tubercle with slightly protruding ridge anteriorly connecting the ocelli, ridge highest near lateral ocelli, gradually disappearing towards median ocellus; median ocellus elliptic in shape, twice as broad as high, pointing forwards; lateral paired ocelli smaller, facing sideways. Lower frons transverse, without noticeable vertical ridges internally, external margins flat. Clypeus smooth.

THORAX ( Fig. 1 ). Pronotum long, straight and slender. Anterior margin perfectly circular, then strongly expanding towards widest point in concave curve, narrowing down again in equal manner until margins run parallel to each other, very gently widening steadily towards the posterior end after narrowest width. Small black denticulation along lateral margins, more prominent in prozone, progressively smaller but more abundant towards posterior end of metazone. With a distinct black spot on each side of supracoxal dilatation at widest point, just after supracoxal sulcus. Dorsal surface with equally distributed very small granules of darker colour. Narrowest width located before middle of pronotum. Cervix with strongly sclerotized lateral and intercervical sclerites, merged in the middle. Postcervical plate and posterior ventral part of pronotum entirely brown and smooth. Ventral lateral margins beige with many black spots which coincide with lateral denticulations.

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PROTHORACIC LEGS ( Fig. 1 ): Coxa longer than half of pronotum length, with 8 white spinules of equal size, irregularly alternated with 1 or 2 smaller spinules in between them with same colour as coxa. Dorsal and ventral coxal lobes rounded, equal in length and adjacent, ventral lobe broader. Femur with gently sinusoidal dorsal margin, slightly convex proximally and slightly concave distally; surface entirely smooth apart from small tubercles that run along ventral margins from second proximal discoidal spine towards distal part of joint with the trochanter. Femoral brush ellipse-shaped, starting from 12 th or 13 th AvS and ending just a little distally of 15 th AvS. Genicular lobes large and rounded, with very small darkened genicular spur pointing ventrally. Colouration of prothoracic legs beige and brown; proximal surface mostly brown with many brown speckles on beige regions; anterior surface beige without brown speckles but with two well-defined blackish-brown transverse bands roughly dividing the femur in 3 equal parts and one small darkened brown region on femoral brush placement site; proximal band broader than high, irregularly outlined and brown; distal band also broader than high, starts proximally from 1 st and ends at 8 th AvS, deep black at ventral margin, shaped like parallelogram and extending to two-thirds of femoral height, remaining part until dorsal margin lighter brown and more diffuse with some dark brown spots within. Tibial spine groove distally placed from middle of femur. AvS unequal in size and arranged as follows: IIIIIIIIIIIIIII. AvS 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 , 10 and 15 deep black; AvS 10 and 15 with black spot at the base, slightly extending on anterior surface of femur; AvS 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 and 10 adjacent to deep black part of proximal femoral band, other AvS beige and only apically infuscate; AvS 10 and 15 large but with 4 much smaller spines of equal size between them. Large and medium spines alternate between AvS 1 and 10, first spine being a medium one; medium spines subtly inclined towards anterior side of femur. PvS 4 very small, 2 is largest, PvS 1 and 3 about equal in size; PvS 2 entirely black, other PvS apically infuscate. DS with different size arrangement as PvS; DS 3 very long, beige with apex and proximal half infuscate, other DS only apically infuscate; DS 1 and 4 about equal in size, DS 2 likely slightly longer than DS 1 and 4 (missing or incomplete in holotype). Protibiae smooth with longitudinal groove across entire length of posterior side. Tibial AvS gradually elongated towards tibial spur, 9 th AvS entirely black, other AvS only apically infuscate. PvS slightly more procumbent, spines gradually longer towards distal end except for 3 rd PvS which is equal in size to the first. Tibial spur entirely dark brown. Protarsi apically darkened; first tarsomere longer than others combined and anteriorly darkened on proximal half. Spinal formula: F = 4 DS/15 AvS/4 PvS ; T = 13 AvS/7 PvS .

MESO- AND METATHORACIC LEGS ( Fig. 1 ): Long and slender, mostly brown with paler beige banded pattern, densely setose across entire surface. Femora with rounded genicular lobes and a short genicular spur. Tibiae with two apical spurs. Tarsi 5-segmented, brown and not visibly darkened apically. First tarsomere of meso- and metatarsus much longer than remaining segments combined.

TEGMINA AND ALAE ( Fig. 1 ): Tegmina uniformly dark brown, cover about one third of PPBL, ending just before anterior margin of second tergite. Veins and stigma same colour as tegmen. Stigma difficult to differentiate from surrounding wing tissue, situated distally from middle of tegmen length. Tip of alae visible under tegmina when folded, reaching just beyond anterior margin of second tergite.

ABDOMEN ( Fig. 1 ): Uniformly brown, long and slender, gently broadening until 5 th coxosternite. Tergite 10 broad, very short and rounded. Cerci densely setose, not flattened.

DISTRIBUTION.

Currently only recorded from Núi Chúa N.P. in Ninh Thuan Province, southern Central Vietnam ( Fig. 2 ) .

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Figures

Fig. 1. Euchomenella adwinae sp. nov., holotype ♀. A, habitus, dorsal view. B, habitus, ventral view. C, head, frontal view. D, left anterior leg, anterior view. C, D not to scale.

Fig. 2. Distribution map of Euchomenella adwinae sp. nov.