Lauraesilpha unio 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 : 265-266

Lauraesilpha unio Murienne n. sp.

Figs 13-18

TYPE MATERIAL. — Male holotype, female allotype, MNHN, Table Unio, 8 km NW Col d’Amieu, 890 m, rainforest, S 21°33,398’ E 165°46,275’, 29-IV-2005, day, P. Grandcolas, J. Murienne, R. Pellens rec. 1 male and 1 female paratype id .

TYPE LOCALITY. — Table Unio , 8 km NW Col d’Amieu, 890 m, rainforest, S 21°33,398’ E 165°46,275’ .

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED. — 1 female, MNHN, Table MNHN, Table Unio, 8 km NW Col d’Amieu, 850m, rainforest, Unio, 8 km NW Col d’Amieu, 540 m, rainforest, S 21°33,881’ S 21°33,455’ E 165°46,304’, 07-V-2005, day, P. Grandcolas, E 165°46,117’, 03-V-2005, day, P. Grandcolas, J. Murienne, J. Murienne, R. Pellens rec. 1 nymph, MNHN, Table Unio, R. Pellens rec. 5 males, 1 female, 3 nymphs, MNHN, Table 8 km NW Col d’Amieu, 1000m, rainforest, S 21°33,454’ E Unio, 8 km NW Col d’Amieu, 540 m, rainforest, S 21°33,881’ E 165°46,304’, 07-V-2005, day, P. Grandcolas, J. Murienne, 165°46,117’, 06-V-2005, night. 6 males, 4 females, 11 nymphs, R. Pellens rec.

DESCRIPTION. — Fore femora with anteroventral margins with one strong apical spine and a row of very small but sclerotized setae. Mid femora with anteroventral margins with one distal spine. Hind femora with anteroventral margins with one distal spine. Male supra-anal plate (Fig. 13) with the hind margin transverse and the lateral margins almost straight. Male subgenital plate with the hind margin between styli slightly convex.

Male genitalia with a medium-sized sclerite L3v with the hind lobe angular and apically truncated. Sclerite L2d (Fig. 14) with a medium-sized basis, strongly curved at the mid length, the apex strongly sclerotized and darkened. External branch of sclerite L2v (Fig. 15) with a wide basis, strongly curved at the mid length, and cylindrical over the main half apical part. Internal branch of sclerite L2v (Fig. 16) wide and with several sharp sclerotized ridges.

Female genitalia with laterosternal shelf with a transversal sclerotization bearing approximately ten little spines on each side. Anterior arch (Fig. 17) with two protruding parts on the side of the spermathecal plate and five irregular rows of little spines on each part. Basivalvulae (Fig. 18) not fused, narrow, of similar size and shape. Right part with an external process, and locally fused with the spermathecal plate. Spermathecal plate strongly sclerotized and asymmetrica. Valves I with a little expansion near the base, covered with little spines. Spermatheca with two rounded ampullae, one longer than the other.

MEASUREMENTS. — Body length: ♂: 12 mm; ♀: 13 mm. Pronotum length: ♂: 3 mm; ♀: 3.5 mm. Pronotum width: ♂: 3.8 mm; ♀: 4.5 mm. Interocular width: ♂: 1.6 mm; ♀: 1.7 mm. Interantennal width: ♂: 0.9 mm; ♀: 1.0 mm.

ETYMOLOGY. — Species named after type locality.

COMMENTS. — This species differs from Lauraesilpha mearetoi , especially by characters in female genitalia. Specimens from Table Unio tentatively attributed to Lauraesilpha mearetoi , not included in the typical series and mentioned as slightly different ( Grandcolas et al. 2002) should now be attributed to Lauraesilpha unio .