Hilethera xinjiangensis, Dong & Chen & Wang & Guan & Xu & Robillard, 2019

Dong, Jiajia, Chen, Zhenning, Wang, Qingqing, Guan, Delong, Xu, Shengquan & Robillard, Tony, 2019, A new species of the genus Hilethera Uvarov, 1923 (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Oedipodinae) from China and its complete mitochondrial genome, Zootaxa 4564 (2), pp. 514-530 : 515-516

Hilethera xinjiangensis sp. nov.

( Fig. 1 )

Holotype: ♂, Burqin Kanas , Xinjiang, China, 48.2244° N, 87.0053° E, 1172 m, 23.VI.2017, coll. Zhenning Chen & Haisheng Chen (Shaanxi Normal University Museum) . Paratypes: ♂♂, same locality as holotype (Shaanxi Normal University Museum ) .

Diagnosis. The new species Hilethera xinjiangensis sp. nov. is similar to H. turanica from Xinjiang, China and H. brevipennis from Shanxi, China, from which it differs mostly by coloration and forewings. The major differences are listed in Table1.

Description. Male. Body small, stubby and short. Head slightly higher than pronotum in lateral view but shorter in dorsal view. Apex of vertex slightly protruding before eyes, anterior margin straight, weakly depressed in middle area; median keel of vertex slender, lateral margin prominent and distinctly higher than upper margin of eyes; vertex and frons forming roundness in profile. Foveolae elongate-triangular, with sharp, raised margins, the lower margin slightly incurved; foveola and vertex forming obtuse angle in dorsal view. Antennae filiform but incrassate, not extending to posterior margin of pronotum. Eyes large and prominent, oval, their longitudinal diameter about 1.4 times their horizontal diameter and about 1.5 times length of subocular furrow; median ocellus located between lower margins of eyes. Frontal ridge flat with a faint constriction near median ocellus; lateral margins of frontal ridge protruding and nearly parallel, the width of frontal ridge between the antennae slightly smaller than below median ocellus. In dorsal view, anterior margin of pronotum slightly rounded, posterior margin curved, forming nearly a right angle; median keel obvious, lateral keel absent in prozona while clearly present but irregularly curved in metazona; the length of prozona smaller than that of metazona; anterior and media transverse sulci indistinct whereas posterior transverse sulcus distinct and cut by median keel. Lateral lobe of pronotum saddle-shaped with a distinct incision on posterior transverse sulcus, anterior and posterior margins of lateral lobe nearly parallel, lower margin S-shaped, anterior lower angle obtuse but posterior lower angle right-angle, lateral lobe of pronotum with two longitudinal and one short transverse sulci in prozona, and two long transverse sulci in metazona. Tegmina large, exceeding apex of femora but not reaching median of hind tibiae; forewings around 6 times as long as wide. Cubital area of forewings about 1.7 times wider than medial area. Medial area with one distinct intercalary vein. Hind femur robust, about 3.7 times longer than wide, tip of lower knee lobe rounded. Posterior tibia with 11 spines on inner side and 11–12 spines on outer side, outer apical spine present. Arolium shorter than claw. Tympanal organ developed, tympanic cavity oval. Epiproct triangular, with broad median longitudinal sulcus, apex acute. Cercus conical, surpassing apex of epiproct. Subgenital plate long and conical, apex acute, surpassing apex of epiproct in dorsal view. Epiphallus with arch bridge, ancorae curved inward, apex pointed, lophi curved.

Coloration. Body dark brown. Eyes brown. Antennae yellowish brown with dark brown base. Pronotum dark brown with yellowish V-shape. Forewings dark brown with melanin spots on basal and anterior margin, and two fading stripes on median part; hind wings dark brown on anterior part and transparent on remaining part. Hind femora black with a preapical yellowish ring; knee lobes light yellow. Hind tibia dark brown with yellowish base and two light yellow pre-basal rings.

Measurements. See Table 2.

Female unknown.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to Xinjiang, the type locality.

Abbreviations: PronL: pronotum length; PronW: pronotum width; FWL: forewing length; FWW: forewing width; FIIIL: length of hind femora; FIIIW: width of hind femora; Is: inner spines on TIII dorsal side; Os: outer spines on TIII dorsal side; TIIIL: length of hind tibiae. The numbers without brackets indicate that only one specimen was measured.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Hilethera xinjiangensis sp. nov. male: A. body dorsal view; B. head frontal view; C. head and pronotum lateral view; D. body lateral view; E. head and pronotum dorsal view; F. end of abdomen dorsal view; G. epiphallus.