Paranisitra Chopard, 1925

Robillard, Tony & Yap, Sheryl, 2015, The Eneopterinae crickets from Leyte Island (Philippines) with description of two new species [Insecta: Orthoptera: Grylloidea: Gryllidae], Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 63, pp. 69-90 : 85

Genus Paranisitra Chopard, 1925

Type species. Paranisitra longipes Chopard, 1925

Emended diagnosis. Among Eneopterinae genera, Paranisitra is characterised by complete lack of wings in both sexes and its elegant slender shape with long and thin legs, small abdomen and cerci, and a characteristic head shape with narrow fastigium, large prominent eyes and protruding rounded occelli. Size average for the subfamily. Colouration of adults dominantly yellow brown with specific black and yellow patterns variable between species. Pronotum not carinated; its lateral angles rounded, posterior edge slightly concave, lateral lobes almost triangular. Other general traits: TI with 2 tympana, inner one slit-like, covered by a swollen cuticular expansion; outer tympanum oval, its membrane transversally plicate in dorsal half. TI and TII with 3 apical spurs, 2 inner and 1 outer. TII with 4 apical spurs, inner longest. TIII with 3 inner and 3 outer apical spurs, median longest on each side; 4 inner subapical spurs and only 3 outer subapical spurs (4 in other eneopterine genera), inner and outer spurs almost straight, their apex hook-like; TIII serrulate over whole length and slightly furrowed dorsally. Tarsomeres III-1 with 2 rows of spines on external edge (1 dorsal and 1 more lateral) in addition to apical spines. Apical claws of legs slightly indented. Both males and females show characteristic genitalia: male genitalia with membranous and setose lophi, short but well individualised. Female ovipositor apex thin and not denticulate; copulatory papilla conical to diamond-shaped, with a basal sclerotised ring.

Phylogenetic relationships. Paranisitra , reviewed in Gorochov (2009), is very close to the winged genus Nisitrus Sausure, 1878 (see Robillard & Tan (2013) for diagnosis). Together they constitute the Nisitrini tribe ( Robillard & Desutter-Grandcolas, 2008). Contrary to Paranisitra , Nisitrus species possess both pairs of wings and their shape is less slender than Paranisitra and their legs less elongate; aside from these characters, the two genera share a similar general body shape, long thin legs with indented claws, colouration with yellow and black, head shape and the general structure of male and female genitalia.