Kilimagryllus bilobulatus, Gorochov, 2021

Gorochov, A. V., 2021, Taxonomy of Podoscirtinae (Orthoptera: Gryllidae). Part 13: new taxa of the subtribe Podoscirtina from Africa, Zoosystematica Rossica (Zoosyst. Rossica) 30 (1), pp. 64-77 : 70-73

Kilimagryllus bilobulatus sp. nov.

( Figs 4–6 , 18–21 )

Holotype. Male; Malawi, southern part, ca. 70 km NW of Mangochi Town, Lake Malawi National Park , Monkey Bay , 14°03 ′ S, 34°52 ′ E, 540 m, 3.I.2009, A. Sotshivko ( ZIN).

Paratypes. Malawi: 1 male, same data as for holotype ( ZIN) ; 1 male, central part, ca. 10 km E of Ntchisi Town, Ntchisi Forest Reserve , 13°22 ′ S, 34°00 ′ E, 480 m, 15.I.2009, A. Sotshivko ( ZIN) ; 1 male, northern part, Chitipa District, Mughesse Forest , 60 km NW of Chitipa , 9°38 ′ S, 33°32 ′ 22 ″ E, 1819 m, 28–29. XII.2010, V. Anikin ( ZIN) .

Description. Male (holotype). General appearance very similar to that of K. steini (Saussure, 1878) , but body coloration slightly different ( Figs 4–6 ): head yellowish with very large dark brown area on dorsum between eyes, brown V-shaped (reversed) mark on rostral dorsum before median ocellus, rather small darkish area behind each eye, most part of eye nearly dark brown, and small sparse darkish spots on antennal flagellum; pronotum also yellowish with a pair of dark brown lateral longitudinal bands on disc (these bands having small lightish marks) and sparse dark dots between these bands and on lateral lobes; tegmina light yellowish grey with most of veins darkish, humeral stripes dark brown and other parts of lateral field almost yellowish; legs yellowish with dark and darkish dots on fore and middle femora and tibiae, darkish marks on hind femur (numerous oblique lines and less numerous dots), greyish brown ventral stripe on hind tibia (this stripe widened in distal part) and darkish dots at bases of its dorsal spines; abdomen generally light greyish brown, but two apical sternites greyish brown and each of more anterior sternites with a darkish area (thoracic sternites yellowish); anal plate with light brown central area, dark brown ring around this area and brown apical part; genital plate with more or less light lateral parts, brown distal third and dark brown remainder; cerci light yellowish grey.

Shape of body somewhat similar to that of Malawitrella sotshivkoi sp. nov., but scape almost 1.3 times as wide as rostrum between antennal cavities, apical segment of maxillary palpus barely longer than height of eye, ventral margins of lateral pronotal lobes scarcely oblique, tegmina reaching seventh abdominal tergite, tegminal lateral field having 11 oblique branches of Sc, very narrow areas between Sc and Cu (crossveins in this field virtually absent), and venation of tegminal dorsal field as in Fig. 5 . Structure of legs (including presence of only outer oval tympana) as well as anal and genital plates ( Figs 5 and 6 ) almost same as in K. steini (see Gorochov, 2004).

Male genitalia similar to those of K. steini but distinguished by following details: epiphallus with anterolateral lobes narrower, more curved backwards and not projecting above other epiphallic parts; epiphallic posterior edge almost vertical in profile and with a pair of distinct subapical denticles located somewhat lower than epiphallic dorsal apices (these apices separated from each other by a rather small but distinct notch); rachis somewhat narrower in proximal (widened) part and longer in distal (thin) part (latter part clearly longer than widened proximal part, with apical portion wider and stronger curved upwards as well as distinctly bilobed at apex); formula with a pair of longer lateral areas (located behind undivided anterior area) and with longer anterior apodeme; endoparameral apodemes slightly shorter ( Figs 18–20 ). Spermatophore approximately as in Fig. 22 .

Variations. Paratypes with venation slightly darker, hind femur with brown longitudinal median line on outer surface, or rachial apex in genitalia less distinctly bilobed ( Fig. 21 ).

Female unknown.

Length (in mm). Body 13–15; pronotum 2.4–2.6; tegmina 7–7.5; hind femora 8.5–9.

Comparison. The new species differs from K. steini (from Guinea) in the male genital characters listed above (in K. steini , anterolateral lobes of the epiphallus are projecting above the other epiphallic parts, epiphallic posterior edge is clearly oblique in profile, dorsal epiphallic apex is not divided into two apices by a posteromedian notch, thin distal part of rachis is almost equal to its widened proximal part in length and less curved upwards as well as not bilobate at apex). From K. gyldenstolpei Chopard, 1926 (from Zaire), the new species is distinguished by the same character of the epiphallic posterior edge as well as the proximal (widened) part of the rachis shorter than its distal (thin) part (this ratio is opposite in K. gyldenstolpei ), and from K. ochraceus Sjöstedt, 1909 (from Tanzania), by the posterodorsal epiphallic processes distinctly shorter, as well as the rachis and ectoparameres much longer.

Etymology. The species name is adjective referring to the shape of its rachial apex, which has two lobules.

Figures

Figs 1–9. Malawitrella gen. nov. and Kilimagryllus, male: 1–3, M. sotshivkoi sp. nov.; 4–6, K. bilobulatus sp. nov. (holotype); 7–9, K. bilobulatus limpopo subsp.nov. Head in front (1, 4, 7); body from above with tegmina directed upwards and aside (2) and with tegmina in rest position (5, 8); right tegmen (3); abdominal apex from above and slightly from behind (6, 9).

Figs 18–28. Kilimagryllus and Parametrypa, male: 18–21, K. bilobulatus sp. nov. (18–20, holotype; 21, paratype); 22–25, K. bilobulatus limpopo subsp. nov.; 26–28, P. pubescens sp. nov. Genitalia from above (18, 23, 26), from below (19, 24, 27) and from side (20, 25, 28); apical part of epiphallus from above (21); spermatophore from side (22).