Otomantis bolivari Stiewe & Lombardo, 2014

Lombardo, Francesco, Stiewe, Martin B. D., Ippolito, Salvatrice & Marletta, Alessandro, 2014, A taxonomic revision of Otomantis Bolivar, 1890 (Mantodea: Hymenopodidae, Acromantinae) with description of five new species, Zootaxa 3797 (1), pp. 169-193 : 182-184

Otomantis bolivari Stiewe & Lombardo sp. n.

( Figs 2E, M ; 3E, L; 4E, G; 5F; 6G, H, N; 8; 13)

Otomantis scutigera ; Ehrmann (2002: 250) (partim Tanzania)

Type material. Holotype, KENYA: Malindi 1♂, Sokoke For. White Sand - 8 ml. S. cf - Kenya, 4-1969 (M. P. Clifton) ( NHM) ; Paratypes: Gedi M. P. Forit 1♂, 4-XI-1972 (Michel Baulard) ( NHM); TANZANIA: Rufiji , N Somanga, 1♂, 25.XII.2005 (leg. Snižek) (Coll. Stiewe) ; TANZANIA: Pwani Region 1 ♀, II.2007 (leg. local collector) (Coll. Stiewe) ; TANZANIA, 1♂ (juv.) Tang Tere: Tendaguru, 18.VIII.25, East Africa Exp, W.E. Cutler, B.M. 1925-277 ( NHM) .

Diagnosis. The new species O. bolivari sp. n. differs from all other known species of Otomantis in the shape of its copulatory apparatus, most notably the ventral phallomere, which has a very short distal process. The closest related species seems to be O. casaica , because of the resemblance of their general habitus and features of the distal process of the ventral phallomere of the males; this process is shorter and rounded in O. bolivari sp. n. whereas in O. casaica it is bigger and acuminated. In addition, the vertical process of the female’s vertex is much smaller in O. bolivari sp. n. than in O. casaica .

Male description.

General coloration: Body ochre, with numerous small dark spots. Antennae with scape, pedicel and 1/3 of proximal portion of flagellum ochre, remaining parts dark. Maxillary palpi ochre, external surface of distal segment dark. Legs ochre. Abdomen dark brown dorsally, ochre ventrally.

Measurements (mm): TL 19; HW 4.4; PL 4.5; MPW 1.7; SDW 2.9; CL 5; FL 5.8; MFW 2.7; WL 17.

Head ( Fig. 2E ): Transverse, 1.5 times wider than pronotal supracoxal dilation; vertex straight, vertical process of vertex triangular in shape and 1.2 times higher than wide, juxta-ocular tubercles conical; eyes kidney-shaped with a distinct apical spine; frontal shield transverse, pentagonal, about 2.8 times wider than high, apex with a small spike projecting forward.

Pronotum ( Fig. 3E, L ): Rhomboidal, 1.5 times longer than wide; prozone narrow and elongated, disc with two median tubercles; metazone with a shallow dimple behind the supracoxal sulcus and with a longitudinal median carina.

Fore legs: Coxae about 1.1 times longer than pronotum, anterior margin with 8–10 small dark teeth; internal apical lobes divergent. Femora flattened, 2.15 times longer than wide, dorsal margin curved with widest part 2/3 from base ( Fig. 5F ). Spination formula F=4ES/11IS/4DS and T =11ES/9IS, all spines of femora and of tibiae ochre with dark apex.

Meso and metathoracic legs: Femora robust and with a distal triangular lobe which is bigger in metafemora. Tibiae shorter than femora, with a basal swelling.

Wings: Hyaline, exceeding apex of abdomen. Mesothoracic wings about 4 times longer than maximum width; costal field opaque; discoidal area hyaline with numerous scattered dark spots. Metathoracic wings hyaline, smoky colored.

Abdomen: Cylindrical; supra-anal plate triangular in shape with rounded apex; subgenital plate longer than wide, apex deeply incised.

External genitalia: Ventral phallomere longer than wide, with short distal process ( Fig. 6N , dp). Left phallomere with dorsal lamina (dl) elongated, well sclerotized in its anterior part, enlarged and membranous in its posterior part ( Fig. 6G ); ventral lamina (vl) sclerotized, phalloid apophysis (af) enlarged, truncated, strongly sclerotized and exhibiting a rugose surface ( Fig. 6H ). Both laminas form a long, conspicuous lateral process (lp); anterior process (ap) short but well developed with rounded apex. Right phallomere inconspicuous.

Description female.

General coloration: Body dark brown, with numerous small dark spots. Antennae pale ochre, each segment brownish distally. Prosternum beige with some dark spots. Internal surface of forecoxae black. Inner surface of femora black but this black color is dorsally indicated as three diagonal bands; the external surface of femora also features these black diagonal bands; all internal spines dark, all external spines ochre with dark apex. Forelegs with some fairly broad black stripes. Abdominal segments brown, sternites black, subgenital-plate distally with beige patch. A living female specimen is shown ( Fig. 8 ).

Measurements (mm): TL 18.5; HW 5.2; PL 5.1; SDW 3.1; ML 2.7; MPW 1.7; CL 5.1; FL 6.4; MFW 2.9; WL 14.8. Head ( Fig. 2M ): Transverse, vertex straight, vertical process of vertex small triangular, juxta-ocular tubercles conical; frontal shield transverse, with a small spine on upper margin.

Pronotum ( Fig. 4E, G ): Rhomboidal, 1.65 times longer than wide; prozone stout and arched, disc with two barely visible bumps/tubercles, metazone slightly longer than prozone with a longitudinal median carina, lateral margins with some black tubercles, lateral margins of supracoxal dilation forming a round obtuse angle.

Forelegs: Coxae robust; anterior margin with 12 small teeth; internal apical lobes divergent. Femora 2.2 times longer than wide, dorsal margin with 4 very small spikes; with some small spines between the external spines and a well-developed genicular spine. Spination formula F=4ES/11IS/4DS and T =9–10ES/9IS.

Meso and metathoracic legs: Femora with distal, triangular-shaped lobes with rounded apex, which are slightly bigger on metafemur; lateral margin broadened.

Wings: Mesothoracic wings opaque ochre with numerous small dark spots and some bigger dark patches in discoidal area, costal area with numerous dark cross-veins. Metathoracic wings hyaline, chestnut-colored, discoidal area with brownish lateral coloration and some dark spots.

Abdomen: Robust, much wider than in males.

Distribution. So far this new species is known from Kenya and Tanzania but could also occur in neighboring countries ( Fig. 13 ).

Etymology. A noun in the genitive case, named in honor of the Spanish entomologist Ignacio Bolivar, who created the genus Otomantis in 1890.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Head of: A (♂), G (♀), O. scutigera; B (♂), H (♀), O. aurita; C (♂), I (♀), O. rendalli; D (♂), L (♀), O. casaica; E (♂), M (♀), O. bolivari sp. n.; F (♂), O. minima sp. n., Scale = 1mm.

FIGURE 3. Male pronotum of: A (dorsal view), G (lateral view), O. scutigera; B (dorsal view), I (lateral view), O. aurita; C (dorsal view), O. rendalli; D (dorsal view), H (lateral view), O. casaica; E (dorsal view), L (lateral view), O. bolivari sp. n.; F (dorsal view) O. minima sp. n., Scale = 1mm.

FIGURE 4. Female pronotum of: A, O. scutigera; B, O. aurita; C, O. rendalli; D (dorsal view), F (lateral view), O. casaica; E (dorsal view), G (lateral view), O. bolivari sp. n., Scale = 1mm.

FIGURE 5. Inner surface of fore femur (males): A, O. scutigera; B, O. aurita; C, O. rendalli; D, O. casaica; E, O. minima sp. n.; F, O. bolivari sp. n., Scale = 1mm.

FIGURE 6. External genitalia of: A, B (left phallomere, dorsal and ventral view), I (ventral phallomere, dorsal view), O. scutigera (holotype); C, D (left phallomere, dorsal and ventral view), L (ventral phallomere, dorsal view), O. rendalli (from skukuza); E, F (left phallomere, dorsal and ventral view), M (ventral phallomere, dorsal view), O. casaica (holotype); G, H (left phallomere, dorsal and ventral view), N (ventral phallomere, dorsal view), O. bolivari sp. n., (paratype). Scales = 500 µm.

FIGURE 8. O. bolivari sp. n.: live picture of paratype female from Tanzania (photo M. Stiewe).

FIGURE 13. Geographic distribution of Otomantis spp. in Southern Africa and Madagascar: black circle= O casaica; black square= O. bolivari sp. n.; black triangle= O. rendalli; black diamond= O. scutigera; black shape star= O. aurita; open triangle= O. capirica; open square= O. centralis sp. n.; open circle= O. gracilis sp. n.; open diamond= O. trimacula sp. n. (note: question mark refers to the distribution of O. minima sp. n., known only from “South Africa”).