Dellia siboney, Yong, 2018

Yong, Sheyla, 2018, Revision of the genus Dellia Stål, 1878 (Orthoptera: Acrididae). Part 1. Two redescriptions and seven new species from Cuba, Ecologica Montenegrina 16, pp. 58-107 : 88-91

Dellia siboney new species

Figs. 14 , 16–24 , 26g . Table II

Type. Cuba : Santiago de Cuba Province: Santiago de Cuba Municipality: Siboney (19°57'56"N - 75°42'38"W, 125 m a.s.l.); diurnal net-sweeping of the vegetation; 25/October/2017; B. Lauranzón, J. L. Reyes; 1♂ holotype ( SY, in ethanol 80%).

Diagnosis (based on a single male). Size small for the genus (16 mm). 1) Coloration predominantly reddish, without lateral stripes, dorsum paler with faint bluish infuscation, head red, pronotum with anterior margin sharply outlined in bright white, anterior and posterior corners with a conspicuous bright white spot, epimera I & II without conspicuous spots, abdominal tergites dorsally and posteriorly faded to almost bright white, with posterior margin dark blue, sternites yellowish green, hind femur yellowish green with small gray spots along transversal ridges, hind knees dark reddish brown, tarsomeres pale bluish. 2) Tegmina short, almost reaching posterior margin of abdominal segment I. 3) Supra-anal plate of the male relatively small, subpentagonal, wider than long and sparsely setose; anterior margin shallowly convex and medially moderately lobed, lateral margins almost straight and moderately convergent backwards, posterior margin broadly paraboloid; median sulcus present only in basal half, moderately deep and wide, flanked by a pair of raised, coarse, medially divergent ridges. 4) Furcula short and subtriangular, with the apex sclerotized and curved outwards.

Etymology. The specific epithet is an indeclinable noun in apposition, directly taken from the toponym of the type-locality of this species.

Description (adult male holotype). Size small for the genus (total length 15.6 mm). Coloration (after two days of preservation in ethanol 80%). Head vivid but light red, except as follows: genae conspicuously paler, maxillae and maxillary palps pale yellowish green; antennae dark brown with whitish tips, scapus, pedicel and basal segments of flagellum pale orange; eyes light pink to violaceous, with six thin, parallel, vertical, conspicuously darker stripes. Pronotum vivid but light red, dorsally paler, anterior margin sharply outlined in bright white, anterior and posterior corners of pronotum with a conspicuous bright white spot. Metanotum light red, dorsally paler, with very faint dorsolateral bluish infuscation. Epimera I and II light red, immaculate. Tegmina pale yellowish, immaculate. Fore and mid legs with same coloration pattern: light yellowish green, tarsomeres with irregular infuscation; hind legs with coxa and trochanter light yellowish green, femur light yellowish green with small, faint dark gray spots along transversal ridges, hind knees dark reddish brown, tibia vivid blue, apically darker and with basal portion pale yellowish green, spines dark bluish with blackish tips, tarsomeres pale bluish. Abdomen: tergites light reddish, dorsally and posteriorly faded to almost bright white, with very faint dorsolateral bluish infuscation, posterior margin of each tergite dark blue, lateral margins yellowish green, immaculate; sternites yellowish green, immaculate. See figure 14 and table II.

Head (figs. 16–18). Moderately large, wider than long (ratio = 1.2). Tegument shiny, but sparsely and coarsely punctate, with thin and small scattered setae. Vertex convex in lateral view, subtriangular in dorsal view; fastigium prominent, broad in dorsal view, semicircular in lateral view and strongly compressed in frontal view. Eyes very large, rounded and prominent; ocelli minute. Costa frontalis well marked and inverted U-shaped, i.e., upper portion wide and lower portion divergent inward. Genae moderately convex in frontal view. Frons moderately and sparsely punctate. Antennae standard for Acrididae in size and shape, with 19/19 flagellomeres; scapus subcylindrical, slightly longer than wide (ratio = 1.5), oval in cross-section, essentially glabrous; pedicel clearly of more than half the length of scapus.

Thorax (figs. 19–20). Tegument shiny, but sparsely and coarsely punctate and with thin and small scattered setae all over. Pronotum subtrapezoidal in dorsal view, wider than long (ratio = 1.1), produced and slightly tapering anteriorly; anterior and posterior margins biconvex and shallowly incised medially, lateral margins convex and shallowly sinuose; median keel feebly marked, lateral keels coarsely crenulate and weakly incised by the three transverse grooves. Metanotum wider than long (ratio = 2.6) and shorter than abdominal segment I (ratio = 0.7), trapezoidal in dorsal view with tegument coarsely punctate and shiny. Tegmina short (almost reaching posterior margin of abdominal segment I), narrow and spatulate, i.e., costal margin slightly convex, anal margin slightly sinuose and tip angulose.

Legs (fig. 14). Covered all over by thin setae. Profemur slender, cylindrical and unarmed; protibia almost as long as profemur (ratio = 0.9), very slender and straight, ventral surface with 4:2 / 3:4 subapical spines and two small apical spurs. Mid legs very similar to forelegs, but mesotibia with 3:6 / 6:2 subapical spines. Metafemur robust, larger than metatibia (ratio = 1.2), oval in cross-section; metatibia with 6:8 / 8:6 subapical spines and five inward-curved apical spurs: two small-sized laterodorsals, two medium-sized laterals, and one large ventral.

Abdomen. Large and slender (conspicuously narrower than pronotum), subcylindrical and evenly tapering posteriorly. Tegument shiny but feebly punctate, with small scattered setae and abdominal segments with median carina very well marked. Tympanic organ large, oval, and located laterally on segment I. Furcula strongly sclerotized, short, straight and with tip rounded. Supra-anal plate (fig. 21) relatively small, subpentagonal, wider than long (ratio = 1.2) and sparsely setose; anterior margin shallowly convex and medially moderately lobed, lateral margins almost straight and moderately convergent backwards, posterior margin broadly paraboloid; median sulcus present only in basal half, moderately deep and wide, flanked by a pair of raised, coarse, medially divergent ridges. Cerci moderately short, conical and densely covered by thin setae, surpassing the apex of the Supra-anal plate but not apex of abdomen. Subgenital plate (fig. 23) suboval, slightly wider than long (ratio = 1.2); anterior, lateral and posterior margins shallowly convex, with thin setae scattered all over. See figures 14, 21–23 and table II.

Female. Unknown.

Comparisons. This species is most closely related to D. albida n. sp., sharing color pattern and morphological features such as the coloration of pronotum, transverse ridges of the hind femur, abdominal tergites and general shape of the body. Nevertheless, D. siboney n. sp. can be easily distinguished from the latter by the following characters:

1. Coloration of body. D. siboney n. sp.: predominantly reddish, including head and dorsum of thorax, anterior margin of pronotum sharply outlined with bright white. D. albida n. sp.: predominantly vivid green, with head and dorsum of thorax bright white, anterior margin of pronotum concolor. See figs. 7, 14.

2. Size of eyes. D. siboney n. sp.: in dorsal view, smaller and less bulky with respect to the head. D. albida n. sp.: in dorsal view, larger and bulkier with respect to the head. See fig. 16.

3. Shape of thorax. D. siboney n. sp.: subrectangular in dorsal view, with sides only slightly divergent backwards. See fig. 19. D. albida n. sp.: trapezoidal in dorsal view, with sides markedly divergent backwards.

4. Furcula. D. siboney n. sp.: very short, straight. D. albida n. sp.: short, falcate. See fig. 21.

5. Supra-anal plate. D. siboney n. sp.: wider than long, subpentagonal. D. albida n. sp.: longer than wide, paraboloid. See fig. 21.

6. Subgenital plate. D. siboney n. sp.: wider than long, paraboloid. D. albida n. sp.: longer than wide, suboval. See fig. 21.

Distribution (fig. 24). This species is known only from the type locality, in the southern coast of the Cordillera de La Gran Piedra.

Ecological notes. According to the field notes of the collectors (Beatriz Lauranzón and Jorge L. Reyes, pers. comm.), the single known specimen was captured in the backyard of an abandoned house, while sweeping with an entomological net the low bushes Stachytarpheta jamaicensis (L.) Vahl, 1804 ( Verbenaceae ). The primary vegetation around the site is microphyllous semicaducifolious forest and subcoastal xerophytic scrub, both on limestone karstic terrain (fig. 26g).

This species seems to be quite rare. No more specimens were found along with the holotype, despite net-sweeping during a whole day by two persons (Beatriz Lauranzón and Jorge L. Reyes, pers. comm.). Moreover, on 2/November/2017 and 1/December/2017, the present author and one skilled collaborator attempted to find D. siboney sp. n. again at the exact site and surroundings, but no success was achieved although the search was conducted continuously from morning through early night, including both net-sweeping and careful visual inspection of the vegetation.

Figures

Fig. 14. Adult male holotype of Dellia siboney n. sp., full-body views: a) dorsal; b) lateral; c) ventral. Scale bar in millimeters. Coloration after two days of alcoholic preservation.

Fig. 16. Dorsal close-up of head and anterior margin of pronotum of all Cuban Dellia recognized in the present revision.

Fig. 17. Lateral close-up of head and anterior margin of pronotum of all Cuban Dellia recognized in the present revision.

Fig. 18. Frontal close-up of head of all Cuban Dellia recognized in the present revision.

Fig. 19. Dorsal close-up of thorax and abdominal segment I of all Cuban Dellia recognized in the present revision.

Fig. 20. Lateral close-up of thorax and abdominal segment I of all Cuban Dellia recognized in the present revision.

Fig. 21. Dorsal close-up of abdominal apex of all Cuban Dellia recognized in the present revision.

Fig. 22. Lateral close-up of abdominal apex of all Cuban Dellia recognized in the present revision.

Fig. 23. Ventral close-up of abdominal apex of all Cuban Dellia recognized in the present revision.

Fig. 24. Geographical distribution of all Cuban Dellia recognized in the present revision. Note three nearby localities for D. atrostriata n. sp. and precise occurrence still wanting for D. insulana. The upper left inset (frame equals to 150 x 75 km) depicts the single precise locality known for D. multicolor stat. resurr. (red symbol), superimposed to all sites visited by Saussure in 1855 (yellow symbols), from left to right: Havana, Guanabacoa, Santa María del Rosario, Matanzas and Limonar.

Fig. 26. Habitat at the exact collecting site of: a) Dellia albida n. sp; b) Dellia atrostriata n. sp.; c) Dellia brauni n. sp.; d) Dellia megalapida n. sp., with the author and her collaborator Rolando Teruel while photographing some of the type specimens; e) Dellia melici n. sp.; f) Dellia multicolor stat. resurr.; g) Dellia siboney n. sp.; h) Dellia zephyra n. sp., note the vegetated pits (micro-dolines or large skylights) all along Las Perlas cave, the holotype was found in the dark passage connecting two of these pits. Photos courtesy Rolando Teruel (b, f, h), Tomás M. Rodríguez (c, e), and Luis A. Casanella (d).