Lauraesilpha vulcania Murienne, 2008

Murienne, JérÔme, Pellens, Roseli & Grandcolas, Philippe, 2008, Short-range endemism in New Caledonia. New species and distribution of the genus Lauraesilpha Grandcolas, 1997 (Insecta, Dictyoptera, Blattidae, Tryonicinae), Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle 197, pp. 261-272 : 266-271

Lauraesilpha vulcania Murienne n. sp.

Figs 19-24

TYPE MATERIAL. — Male holotype, female allotype, MNHN, Pic Vulcain (near Mine Galliéni), 6 km SW Mt Humboldt, 600m, rainforest, 16-V-2005, day, P. Grandcolas, J. Murienne, R. Pellens rec. 1 male and 1 female paratype id .

TYPE LOCALITY. — Pic Vulcain (near Mine Galliéni), 6 km SW Mt Humboldt, rainforest .

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED. — 5 nymphs, MNHN, Pic Vulcain (near Mine Galliéni), 6 km SW Mt Humboldt, 600 m, rainforest, 16-V-2005, day, P. Grandcolas, J. Murienne, R. Pellens rec.

DESCRIPTION. — Fore femora with anteroventral margins with one apical spine and a row of very small but sclerotized setae. Mid femora with anteroventral margins with one apical spine. Hind femora with anteroventral margins with one apical spine. Male supra-anal plate with the hind margin transverse and with lateral margins straight. Male subgenital plate with the hind margin regularly rounded between styli.

Male genitalia with a medium-sized sclerite L3v with the hind lobe regularly curved and longer than the fore part. Sclerite L2d (Fig. 20) with a large base, strongly curved at the mid length and with an apex rounded, wide and covered by very little spines. External branch of sclerite L2v (Fig. 21) with a wide basis, curved at the mid length, with a narrowed and strongly sclerotized apex. Internal branch of sclerite L2v (Fig. 22) wide, angular, and with several strongly sclerotized ridges.

Female genitalia with laterosternal shelf with a transversal sclerotization bearing approximately fifteen little spines on each side. Anterior arch (Fig. 23) with irregular rows of little spines and with two bulbous and strongly sclerotized lobes on the side of the spermathecal plate. Basivalvulae (Fig. 24) curved, asymmetrical, the right one locally fused with the spermathecal plate and ending laterally with a large and tooth-shaped expansion. Valves I with a little expansion near the base covered with little spines. Spermatheca with a first elongated ampulla and a second rounded one.

Body length: ♂: 13 mm; ♀: 14 mm. Pronotum length: ♂: 3.3 mm; ♀: 3.4 mm. Pronotum width: ♂: 4.1 mm; ♀: 4.3 mm. Interocular width: ♂: 1.4 mm; ♀: 1.6 mm. Interantennal width: ♂: 0.7 mm; ♀: 0.8 mm.

ETYMOLOGY. — Species named after type locality.

DISCUSSION

Eleven species of Lauraesilpha Grandcolas, 1997 have been described so far, not taking into account some nymphs from Mt Mandjélia ( Lauraesilpha sp.1 , Table 1), according to Grandcolas (1997), Grandcolas et al. (2002) and the present study. All these species have been found in different sites and sympatry has not been observed (Fig. 25). Species appear to be restricted to single mountains or mountain chains and can be qualified short-range endemics. Specimens have only been found in evergreen rainforests (from different types, Table 1) but not in cloud forests. They have not been found in maquis or sclerophyllous forests. Vegetation has probably played a major role in the establishment of short-range endemism in the genus Lauraesilpha . This role could also have occurred because of the close association of Lauraesilpha with vegetation products (dead wood) for food and habitat.

Altitudinal distribution ranged from 270 to 1165 m (measured with GPS). Specimens were therefore in a potential continuity throughout the landscape and the altitude cannot play a major and direct role in the present distribution of the species (Fig. 26). After inferring the environmental envelope of the genus Lauraesilpha (Fig. 27), we identified three major zones: one in the North, one in the region of the Aoupinié and one in the South, which correspond to the spatial limits of the niche. It is interesting to note that these zones correspond to the distribution of the three clades identified by the phylogeny of the genus (Murienne et al. 2008). Therefore, climatic conditions can be assumed to play a role in the diversification of the genus. However, the species in the genus Lauraesilpha were in potential physical and ecological continuity within those major zones.

FIG. 25. Localization of collecting sites for the species of Lauraesilpha Grandcolas, 1997 . Circles indicate sites where specimens have been found and squares indicate sites where specimens have not been found.

TABLE 1. Number of specimens with developmental stage and sex, for each collecting site.

The concept of “phylogenetic niche conservatism” ( Ricklefs & Latham 1992; Peterson et al. 1999; Webb et al. 2002) corresponds to the tendency of species to conserve their ecological niche during evolution. Wiens (2004) recently hypothesized that the inability of species to adapt to new environmental conditions was a key condition for the isolation of populations and the creation of new lineages. It was then proposed (Wiens & Graham 2005) that modeling the ecological niche could be used to test the hypothesis of speciation by phylogenetic niche conservatism. As pointed by Graham et al. (2004), one potential problem with the phylogenetic studies dealing with speciation is that species distributions can vary through time (Losos & Glor 2003). The climatic conditions could also vary, as already documented in some sites for New Caledonia (Hope & Pask 1998; Stevenson et al. 2001; Stevenson & Hope 2005). Therefore, the modeling based on present species distribution and present climatic conditions do not directly inform us about the past events. The model of evolution by niche conservatism presented by Wiens (2004) can still be invoked to explain the short-range endemism in the genus Lauraesilpha in the context of changing Pleistocene climates on the mountains of New Caledonia. If the ancestral species range changed back and forth with period of range disruption, species can now appear in a potential continuity after speciation.

Short-range endemics can be very important regarding conservation priorities since they are generally considered as vulnerable (Horwitz et al. 2001). They can indeed be subject to extinction because of local catastrophes (like fires, frequent in New Caledonia) or deleterious effects in small populations. However, short-range endemism does not

FIG. 26. Distribution of species of Lauraesilpha Grandcolas, 1997 with respect to altitude. The shaded zone corresponds to altitudes higher than 270 meters.

Map based on Worldclim (Hijman et al. 2005).

FIG. 27. Ecological niche of the genus Lauraesilpha Grandcolas, 1997 as inferred with BIOCLIM (Busby 1991).

always imply vulnerability (Sands & New 2002). Short-range endemism can be entirely natural and stable, or can represent the outcome of historical fragmentation of range, or can result from the loss of habitats. To distinguish among all these situations, this is urgent to integrate the local dimension of endemism in the description of the New Caledonian biodiversity. The careful examination of the patterns of short-range endemism in the territory and the use of phylogenetic methodology will allow us to better understand the causes of speciation in New Caledonia and help us to determine an optimal design of conservation units and to prioritize conservation strategies.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are grateful to Direction des ressources naturelles of Service de l’Environnement de la Province Sud, to Service de l’environnement, Direction du Développement Economique et de l’Environnement, Province Nord, and to H. Jourdan (IRD Nouméa) for permitting and helping kindly with field work. Collecting was made according to permits 60912-1780-2005/JJC, 6024-1446/DRN/ENV and 6034-1414/DRN. Fieldwork was funded by the Programme Pluriformation “Évolution et structure des ecosystèmes” (Ministry of Education and Research, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle). Thanks to Tony Robillard for a critical reading ot the manuscript.

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