Pseudepitettix pimkarnae Storozhenko et Dawwrueng

Storozhenko, Sergey Yu. & Dawwrueng, Pattarawich, 2014, Three new species of the subfamily Cladonotinae (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae) from Thailand, Zootaxa 3811 (3), pp. 325-337 : 329-331

Pseudepitettix pimkarnae Storozhenko et Dawwrueng , sp. nov.

Figs. 14–27

Material examined. Holotype—female, Thailand: Saraburi Province, environs of Wat Phrabuddhabat, 50–150 m, 6 July 2013, coll. P. Dawwrueng and P. Pawangkhanant. Paratype: male, same data as in holotype. Holotype and paratype are deposited in the Department of Entomology, Kasetsart University, Bangkok.

Description. Female (holotype). Body robust, medium sized for genus. Antennae filiform, 16-segmented; antennal bases situated on the level of lower margin of eyes. Length of antennae 1.2 times longer than length of fore femur; mid segments of antennae 4.6–5.0 as long as wide. Eyes not protruding above vertex in lateral view. Lateral ocelli placed near the middle of eyes. Fastigium of vertex behind lateral carinae almost flat, distinctly produced in front of eyes from dorsal aspect, 2.3 times wider than width of one eye from above; anterior margin of fastigium broadly rounded, median carina of fastigium reaching the middle of eyes; lateral carinae elevated. Frontal ridge in lateral view slightly concave near the lateral ocelli and distinctly concave below antennal sockets. Width of frontal ridge near base of antennae 2.3 times more than width of 1st antennal segment. Pronotum rugulose, reaching the middle of hind femora; anterior margin of pronotum in dorsal view gentle angularly projecting; apex of the posterior process of pronotum in dorsal view with weak excision. Median carina of pronotum in profile arch-like; triangular in cross-section. Lateral carinae of pronotum in prozona well defined; prozona almost as long as wide. Disc of pronotum with one pair of short longitudinal carinae between shoulders. Hind margin of lateral lobes of pronotum with lower sinus only; posterior angles of lateral lobes in dorsal view truncated. Tegmina and hind wings absent. Fore and mid femora with sinuate and finely serrate lower carinae; upper carinae almost straight. Fore femur 2.8 times, mid femur 2.9 times as long as wide. Hind femora stout, 2.4 times as long as wide; upper and lower carinae finely serrate; lower outer keel of hind femora without projections. Upper side of hind tibia with 5 outer and 7 inner teeth and numerous denticles between them. First tarsal segment of hind legs 2.8 times longer than 3rd segment (without claws). Subgenital plate as long as wide, with strongly angularly projecting posterior margin. Cerci conical, 2.1 times as long as wide near base, with rounded apex. Valves of ovipositor narrow, dentate. Upper valve of ovipositor 4.0 times longer than its maximum width; lower valve of ovipositor 4.7 times longer than its maximum width.

Body brown with numerous velvety black spots. Head from above brown, in frontal view black with brown marks. Antennae light brown with dark brown apical segments. Dorsal side and lateral lobes of pronotum brown with velvet black spots. Fore and mid femora light brown with three transverse black stripes. Fore and mid tibiae blackish brown, with two light rings. First segment of fore and mid tarsi blackish, second segment with light brown base and black apex; claws brown. Hind femora brown with three transverse black stripes; lower carinae of hind femora whitish. Hind tibiae blackish brown with light brown ring near the base. First segment of hind tarsus brown with blackish base; third segment blackish with light brown ring near the middle; claws brown. Abdomen from above brown with three blackish stripes along the middle and the lateral sides of tergites. Sternites and subgenital plate brown. Ovipositor light brown.

Male (paratype). Similar to female. Antennae 15-segmented; length of antennae 1.4 times longer than length of fore femur; mid segments of antennae 4.5-5.0 times as long as wide. Fastigium of vertex 2.2 times wider than width of one eye from above; anterior margin of fastigium in dorsal view straight, median carina of fastigium almost reaching the posterior margin of eyes. Width of frontal ridge near the base of antennae 2.3 times more than width of 1st antennal segment. Pronotum as in female, posterior process reaching the hind margin of 4th tergite. Tegmina and hind wings absent. Fore and mid femora as in female. Hind femora as in female, 2.7 times as long as wide. Upper side of hind tibia with 4 outer and 6 inner teeth and with numerous denticles situated as in female. First tarsal segment of hind legs 2.7 times longer than 3rd segment (without claws). Epiproct narrow triangular, 1.5 times as long as wide near the base, with pointed apex. Subgenital plate in lateral view short triangular with pointed apex; in ventral view apex of plate broadly rounded. Cerci 1.8 times as long as wide, widened near the base and narrow in apical third, with rounded apex.

Colored as female, but hind tibiae black with brown ring near the base. Abdomen from above black with two light brown longitudinal stripes. Sternites brown; subgenital plate and epiproct light brown; cerci brown.

Measurements (in mm). Length of body (from frontal ridge to apex of subgenital plate) male 8.3, female 10.1; pronotum male 5.3, female 6.4; antenna male 2.2, female 2.2; fore femur male 1.6, female 1.8; mid femur male 1.8, female 1.9; hind femur male 4.6, female 5.4; ovipositor 1.2.

Distribution. Thailand: province Saraburi.

Diagnosis. The new species is easily distinguished from congeners by the very short pronotum (in all other species of the genus Pseudepitettix from China the posterior process of the pronotum reaches the apex of the abdomen or at least the base of the epiproct in both sexes). It is further delimited by the width of the fastigium of vertex, the triangular anterior margin of pronotum, the presence of a pair of short longitudinal carinae on the disk of pronotum, and the sinuate lower side of the fore and mid femora. The new species is most similar to P. nigritibis from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China, but clearly distinguished from latter in the shape of the posterior process of the pronotum and the color of the hind tibiae (in P. nigritibis the apex of the posterior process in dorsal view is triangularly rounded and the posterior tibiae are black with two light rings).

Habitats. The new species was collected at elevation 50– 150 m. It inhabits moist places among leaf litter and on stones covered by mosses.

Etymology. The specific epithet honors Miss Pimkarn Panyachai, who helped collect the type specimens.

Figures

FIGURES 14 – 24. Pseudepitettix pimkarnae sp. nov.: 14 — female head and pronotum, lateral view; 15 — female head and pronotum, dorsal view; 16 — female head, frontal view; 17 — male fore leg, lateral view; 18 — male mid femur, lateral view; 19 — female hind tarsus, lateral view; 20 — female apex of abdomen, lateral view; 21 — the same, ventral view; 22 — male apex of abdomen, lateral view; 23 — the same, dorsal view; 24 — the same, ventral view. Scale bars 1 mm.

FIGURES 25 – 27. Pseudepitettix pimkarnae sp. nov.: 25 — female body, lateral view; 26 — male body, dorsal view; 27 — male head, frontal view.