Makalapobius, Hugel & Desutter-Grandcolas, 2021

Hugel, Sylvain & Desutter-Grandcolas, Laure, 2021, New intertidal crickets from Comoros and Mascarene islands (Orthoptera Trigonidiidae: Nemobiinae: Burcini), Zootaxa 4995 (1), pp. 1-26 : 4-7

Makalapobius aigrettensis n. gen. n. sp.

( Figs. 1–11 ; 19–21 ; 71–72 ; 77 ; Tab. 1)

Makalapobius aigrettensis n. gen. n. sp., here described.

Distribution: South Western Indian Ocean, Mascarene Islands, Mauritius.

Holotype. Male. Ile Maurice, Ile aux Aigrettes, plage, -20.4190, 57.7302, 0.3m; 10.V.2009; S. Hugel leg. (2011MauRodSH 059), MNHN (MNHN-EO-ENSIF12130).

Allotype. Female. Same as Holotype; S. Hugel leg. (2011MauRodSH 064), MNHN ( MNHN-EO-EN- SIF 12131) .

Paratypes, 7 males, 6 females. 1♂ Ile Maurice, Ile aux Aigrettes, plage, -20.4190, 57.7302, 0.3m; 10. V.2009; S. Hugel leg. ( BIOTAS 2009 271), Coll. SH . 1♀ Ile Maurice, Ile aux Aigrettes, plage, -20.4190, 57.7302, 0.3m; 10. V.2009; S. Hugel leg. ( BIOTAS 2009 224), Coll. SH . 1♂ Ile Maurice, Ile aux Aigrettes, plage, -20.4190, 57.7302, 0.3m; 10. V.2009; S. Hugel leg. (2011MauRodSH 058), MNHN (MNHN-EO-ENSIF12132) . 1 ♂ Ile Maurice, Ile aux Aigrettes, plage, -20.4190, 57.7302, 0.3m; 10. V.2009; S. Hugel leg. (2011MauRodSH 060), Coll. SH . 1 ♂ Ile Maurice, Ile aux Aigrettes, plage, -20.4190, 57.7302, 0.3m; 10. V.2009; S. Hugel leg. (2011MauRodSH 061), Coll. SH . 1 ♀ Ile Maurice, Ile aux Aigrettes, plage, -20.4190, 57.7302, 0.3m; 10. V.2009; S. Hugel leg. (2011MauRodSH 062), MNHN (MNHN-EO-ENSIF12133) . 1 ♀ Ile Maurice, Ile aux Aigrettes, plage, -20.4190, 57.7302, 0.3m; 10. V.2009; S. Hugel leg. (2011MauRodSH 063), Coll. SH . 1 ♀ Ile Maurice, Ile aux Aigrettes, plage, -20.4190, 57.7302, 0.3m; 10. V.2009; S. Hugel leg. (2011MauRodSH 065), Coll. SH . 1 ♂ Ile Maurice, La Prairie , plage sous coraux, -20.4885, 57.3616, 0.5m; 28.IV.2011; S. Hugel leg. (2011MauRodSH 025), Coll. SH. (DNA sequences in Chintauan-Marquier et al. 2016 under the name Tethella sp_ MAU, sample LDG150 ) . 1 ♂ Ile Maurice, La Prai- rie, plage sous coraux, -20.4885, 57.3616, 0.5m; 28.IV.2011; S. Hugel leg. (2011MauRodSH 026), Coll. SH . 1 ♀ Ile Maurice, La Prairie , plage sous coraux, -20.4885, 57.3616, 0.5m; 28.IV.2011; S. Hugel leg. (2011MauRodSH 028), Coll. SH . 1 ♀ Ile Maurice, La Prairie , plage sous coraux, -20.4885, 57.3616, 0.5m; 28.IV.2011; S. Hugel leg. (2011MauRodSH 027), Coll. SH . 1 ♂ Ile Maurice, Ile aux Aigrettes, grotte, -20.4187, 57.7304, 0.3m; 4.III.2008; S. Hugel leg. ( BIOTAS2008 424), Recorded, Coll. SH .

Other specimens (non type material). 3 Juveniles. 1 juvenile, Ile Maurice, Ile aux Aigrettes, plage, -20.4190, 57.7302, 0.3m; 10. V.2009; S. Hugel leg. ( BIOTAS 2009 272) , Coll. SH. 1 juvenile, Ile Maurice, Ile aux Aigrettes, grotte, -20.4187, 57.7304, 0.3m; 4.III.2008; S. Hugel leg. ( BIOTAS 2009 230) , Coll. SH. 1 juvenile, Ile Maurice, Ile aux Aigrettes, grotte, -20.4187, 57.7304, 0.3m; 4.III.2008; S. Hugel leg. ( BIOTAS 2009 231) , Coll. SH.

Diagnosis. This species is characterized by its color: light with black patterns (very dark in M. masihu n. gen. n. sp.); its relatively small size (BL <9.5 mm vs.> 9.5 in M. masihu n. gen. n. sp.); its male genitalia: pseudepiphallus relatively short in dorsal view and wide in side view for the genus; apical lophi rounded in side view (unlike M. masihu n. gen. n. sp. with longer and very narrow pseudepiphallus, and lophi regularly narrowed toward apex in side view).

Description. In addition to generic characters. Color. Head ( Figs. 1–3 ): Face with black patterns below the eyes converging to clypeus; semicircular area below antennae black; face black patterns surrounding a light yellow triangle pointing upwards; palpi light yellow; genae light yellow; tip of fastigium black dorsally; semicircular area dorsal to antennae with dark pattern; occiput dark yellow. Thorax ( Figs. 1–2 ): Pronotum DD light yellow with black lateral spots near anterior margin; with two small posterior black spots near midline; LL black, anterior ventral margin light yellow. Abdomen dark with light yellow spots. Legs ( Figs. 4–5 ): light with dark bandings; FIII lateral side with dark basis, with 3 transverse dark bandings; TIII darker than light parts of FIII.

Male. Wings. The two anterior-most chords delineating a long D-shaped cell. Stridulatory file with 51 teeth (paratype 2011MauRodSH 026). Subgenital plate. Apex trilobated: median lobe small, membranous; lateral lobes larger, rounded ( Fig. 6 ). Genitalia ( Figs. 19–21 ). Pseudepiphallus in dorsal view: narrow, distal half sub parallel; in side view: elongated, lightly curved upwards, with moderate enlargement near the apex at the upward bent, making it look like a hockey stick; apex with rounded contiguous distal lobes. Rami: very wide (side view), ventral margin linear; dorsal margin with two dorsal bumps. Female. SGP ( Fig. 8 ) hind margin shallowly concave. Ovipositor ( Fig. 8 ) with a subapical gap between dorsal and ventral valves.

Song. The call of this species has been recorded by day hours in Ile aux Aigrettes, in a small cave connected to the sea (30°C; Figs. 9–11 ). The male was isolated with no other specimen nearby. The first harmonic of the call peaks at 6.1 kHz. The call consists in long syllables of increasing amplitude. Syllable duration: 4.2 ± 0.2 s (3.9– 4.4 s); gap between syllables: 58 ± 122 s (46–70 s).

Biology. The main habitat of this species is on Ile aux Aigrettes, and islet formed from coral-limestone localized 1 km East of Mauritius and declared nature reserve since 1965. This islet is managed by the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF). Most of the islet shore corresponds to small cliffs, often very concave, with numerous cracks and holes. At 10 m from the shore, the small cave is connected to the sea and smaller caves or faults connected to the sea seem to occur elsewhere on the islet. At low tide, a few small sand beaches or limestone rocky beaches emerge. Makalapobius aigrettensis n. gen. n. sp. occurs on all these sea-connected habitats, hiding on cracks and holes of the cliffs at high tide, and going out at night, particularly at low tide. By day hours, the discreet call of Makalapobius aigrettensis n. gen. n. sp. can be heard from the islet cliffs when approaching the shore from the sea. We also found this species on large pebble beach in the South of Mauritius (in La Prairie), and observed it on the shore of Bambou Virieux, but at very low density.

The population of this remarkable species appears to have been directly impacted by the ecological disaster caused in August 2020 by the sinking of the tanker Wakashio. Despite searching, the species could not be found until February 2021 when a few specimens were observed again by Sooraj Dwarika (MWF).

Figures

FIGURE 77. Distribution of Makalapobius n. gen. and Gabusibius n. gen. in South Western Indian Ocean.

FIGURES 1–8. Makalapobius aigrettensis n. gen. n. sp. 1, Male paratype in dorsal view (specimen 2011MauRod026). 2, same in side view. 3, same, face. 4, same, left hind leg in outer view. 5, same in inner view. 6, same, SGP, flattened. 7, same, right FW, flattened. 8, female paratype (specimen 2011MauRod027): Ovp in left side view (top) and in ventral view (bottom). Scales: 1–2: 10 mm; 3–8: 1 mm.

FIGURES 9–11. Makalapobius aigrettensis n. gen. n. sp. stridulation in natura (specimen BIOTAS2008 424, afternoon, 30°C; in a cave). 11, power spectrum of 10.

FIGURES 19–24. Makalapobius n. gen. male genitalia. 19–21, Makalapobius aigrettensis n. gen. n. sp.; Makalapobius masihu n. gen. n. sp. Left panels: dorsal views; middle panel: ventral views; right panels: left side views. Scale: 1 mm.

FIGURES 71–76. Makalapobius n. gen. (71–72) and Gabusibius n. gen. (73–76) in natura. 71–72, Makalapobius aigrettensis n. gen. n. sp. 73–74, Gabusibius mosi n. gen. n. sp. 75–76, Gabusibius dzindzanu n. gen. n. sp. Left panels are males, right panels are females.