Ruspolia kashmira, Shah & Usmani & Ali & Dar, 2021

Shah, Muzamil Syed, Usmani, Hd. Kamil, Ali, Mohd & Dar, Afaq Ahmad, 2021, Description of a new species of the genus Ruspolia (Schulthess, 1898) (Conocephalinae: Copiphorini) from Kashmir, India, Zootaxa 4966 (4), pp. 483-486 : 485-486

Ruspolia kashmira sp. nov.

Figures (1-16)

Description

Male: Body green or dark brown in colour. In dorsal view, the head is more or less triangular. Fastigium rounded at the tip, extended beyond the antenna’s base, and shorter than the vertex. The notch between frons and fastigium closed without apical and basal processes. Lateral carina present on pronotum, median height of the pronotum shorter than median length, tegmina reaching beyond the abdomen. Prosternum armed with two long spines. Fore tibia and mid tibia with seven spines outside and six inside on the ventral surface. Hind femur with seven spines on inside and six outside ventrally; tibia with eight spines ventrally, on dorsally, there is 18 spines outside and 12 inside. Cercus cylindrical broad with two incurved teeth, the dorsal tooth being smaller than ventral and tapering towards the end.

Female: Tegmina covering the body, barely reaching the hind knee. Fore tibia with four internal spines outside and six inside ventrally. Mid tibia with seven spines outside and inside. Hind femur with five internal spines and three external ventral spines. Hind tibia with six spines ventrally and 20 dorsally. Subgenital plate trapezoidal, broader than long; tenth tergite with deep V-shaped median incision. Ovipositor elongate, longer than the hind femur, straight, narrowing towards the tip.

Material examined: India: Jammu and Kashmir; Kashmir, Pulwama, Malangpora (33.8918° N, 74.9811° E), 01 female 02 males, Now Pora , Allowpora (33.7317° N, 74.8938° E), 02 females 25.07.2020, on grass, (coll. Muzamil Syed Shah) .

Distribution: India, Kashmir.

Remarks: The new species is placed in the genus Ruspolia since the notch between frons and the fastigium is closed, basal and apical processes are also absent. The new species differs from Ruspolia lineosa (Walker, 1869) in the absence of lateral carina on pronotum and differs from Ruspolia interrupta (Walker, 1869) in the shape of the tenth tergite and the shape of pronotum.

Etymology: The name of the species is given from the region, Kashmir.

Acknowledgement

I would like to express my heartiest gratitude to Mr. Mohd Kaleemullah Farooqi for his consistent help, discussions and suggestions during my research work. The authors are very thankful to the Chairman, Department of Zoology, AMU for providing necessary facilities. We are very thankful to the UGC for providing financial assistance.