Phyllodromica subaptera (Rambur, 1838)

KNEBELSBERGER, THOMAS & MILLER, MICHAEL A., 2007, Revision and phylogeny of the subaptera-group of Phyllodromica (Blattoptera: Blattellidae: Ectobiinae), including a parthenogenetic species and the evaluation of COI sequences for species identification (DNA barcoding), Zootaxa 1522 (1), pp. 1-68 : 12-14

Phyllodromica subaptera (Rambur, 1838)

( Figs 2 A–F , 16 )

Blatta subaptera Rambur, 1838 . —Faune entom. Andalousie 2: 14.

Polyzosteria subaptera .—Fischer 1853, Orth. Europ., Lipsiae: 94.

Aphlebia subaptera .—Brunner v. W. 1865, Nouv. Syst. Blatt., Wien: 73.

Hololampra subaptera .—Kirby 1904, Syn. Cat. Orth. 1: 70.

Hololampra (Lobolampra) subaptera . —Houlbert 1927, Thysan., Derm. et Orth. France 2, Paris: 24.

Dziriblatta subaptera . —Chopard 1936, Bull. Soc. Sci. nat. Maroc 16 (2): 153, 154.

Phyllodromica (Lobolampra) subaptera . —Princis 1971, In: Beier (Ed.): Orthopterorum Catalogus 14, s’ Gravenhage: 1113; Harz 1976, In: Harz & Kaltenbach: Die Orthopteren Europas. 3, The Hague: 305, figs 904, 905.

Holotype: ♀, Spain, Prov.Granada enviroment of “Grenade” (Granada); BMNH.

Additional material. Numerous specimens from the following localities: Spain: Sp 10a, 11a, 17, 18a, 19a, 24a, 61, b, c, 62, 63, 65, 68, 71, a, b, 72, 73, 76, 78, b, 79, c, 80 (?), 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 101 (?), 105, a, 107, 108a, b, 109a, 114a, 139, 140a, b, 141, 142, 143, 148, a, b, 149 (?), 169, 172, 173a, 174a, 186b, 188a, 191a, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200, 201, 202, 203, a, b, c, d, 204, 205, 205a, 206, 207, a, 208, 209, 210, 214, 229, 230, 253, 254, 256, 258, 262 (?), 263, 264, 278, 279, 280, 281, 282, 283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 288, 289, 290, 293, 320, 333, 339, 340, 342, a, 343, a, 345, 354, a, 355, a, 356, 357, 358, 359 (?), 362, 365, 377, 381, a, 383, 393, 395, 396, 397, a, b, 419, 454, 456, 469, 470, 472, a, b, 473, a, 474, a, 475, 476, 480, 481, 483, 484, 493, 494, 495, 496, 498, 503, 504, a, 505, 508. - Baleares: Ba 8, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27. - Portugal: Po 19, 24. - France: F 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 13, 13a, 15, 15a, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26a, 34, 39, 41, 42, 48, 63, 79, 91, 99, a, 100. - Corsica: 12a, 54a. - Switzerland: He 1, a, 4, a, 5, a, 6, 26, a, 27, 31. - Italy: It 90, It 250. - Sicily: Sz 11a, 25, 26, 27, 41, 53, 54, 57, 60, 62, 64, 67, 69. - Croatia: Hr 14, 15, 20, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29. - Morocco: Ma 14a, 176a, 258, 259, 264, 273, 288. - Algeria: Al 14, 16. - Tunesia: Tu 5, 8, 9, 10.

Due to the difficulties in distinguishing the females of P. subaptera and P.iberica there are some doubtful localities which are indicated by a question mark.

Identification of the holotype specimen as parthenogenetic female. Unfortunately, the abdomen of the holotype specimen is completely missing. There is, however, strong indirect evidence indicating that it is a representative of the parthenogenetic strain: the locality of the type specimen is situated within an area where only parthenogenetic animals have been found ( Fig. 16 ). The only bisexual species occurring in the surroundings is Phyllodromica quadracantha of which the females show a completely different colour pattern on the pronotum.

Description. Size. Length of pronotum: ♀ 1,68–2,00 (mean 1,89) mm.

Legs. Distal end of mid tibia with 5 spines: 4 long ones and 1 shorter in ventro-posterior position.

Genitalia. With an additional sclerite in the angle between the intercalary sclerite and the posterior lobe of valvifer II ( Fig. 2 D, E ).

Colouration. Pro-, meso- and metanotum similarly coloured as in P. iberica for detailed description see corresponding parts of the section “Characteristics of the subaptera -group”.

Genetic Data. 1597 basepairs of the mitochondrial genome including the complete cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene were analysed in two specimens from the holotype region (Sp 203e/W1, Sp 203e/W10). The sequences of Phyllodromica subaptera _Sp 203e/W1_1597bp and Phyllodromica subaptera _Sp 203e/ W10_1597bp differ in 9 positions (Appendix 5). The complete sequences are shown in Appendix 4.

DNA and associated parts of body are stored in the DNATAX collection of ZSM (Zoologische Staatssammlung München; Munich, Germany) under storage numbers DNATAX02861 (Sp 203e/W10) and DNATAX02862 (Sp 203e/W1). The sequences were submitted to GenBank under the accession numbers: AM600684 (DNATAX02861) and AM600683 (DNATAX02862).

Geographical distribution ( Fig. 16 ). The parthenogenetic species is distributed in most of the Mediterranean countries including Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Croatia, Morocco, Algeria, Tunesia, and - quite far from the Mediterrenean Sea - Switzerland (in the Wallis region). It also occurs in part of the Mediterranean islands such as Baleares, Sicily, Corsica, and the Adriatic islands Korcula and Hvar.

P. subaptera is also reported from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia (Us & Matjevev 1967), Bulgaria (Drenski 1939, Buresch & Peschev 1957) and Greece (Burr et al. 1923, Werner 1927), but we did not see representatives from there.

Other species of the subaptera -group found. Bisexual females of unknown specificity: Po 19, 24; Sp 88, 89, 90, 91, 94, 108, 333, 393; P. iberica : morph #1: Sp 419; morph #2: Sp 365; morph #3: Sp148, 186, 381, 395; P. quadracantha: Sp 191, 195, 203, 207, 472, 473, 493, 495, 498, 504.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Phyllodromica subaptera (female). A Thoracal nota. B Abdominal tergite 5. C Subgenital plate with two apodemal processes (a). D Dorsal complex of genitalia with additional sclerite (as): ventral view, posterior end on top. E Additional sclerite in higher enlargement (equivalent to “black frame” in D). F Ventral complex of genitalia: laterosternal shelf with intersternal folds between the arms. Abbreviations: as additional sclerite, a apodemal process, bd dorsal sclerite of basivalvula, bv ventral sclerite of basivalvula, c cercus, i intersternal fold, is intercalary sclerite, l laterosternal shelf, ls laterosternite IX, pl posterior lobe of valvifer II, pp paraproct, pt paratergites, T9 tergite 9, T10 tergite 10, v valves. Same scale for (B, C) and (D, F). Identification: Sp 203c/W4.

FIGURE 16. Distribution of bisexual species of the subaptera-group and the parthenogenetic species P. subaptera on the Iberian peninsula.