Oligotoma humbertiana ( Saussure 1896 )

Lucañas, Cristian C. & Lit, Ireneo L., 2018, Oligotomidae (Insecta: Embioptera) of Mt. Makiling, Los Baños, Philippines, with description of a new species, Zootaxa 4415 (1), pp. 173-182 : 178

Species Oligotoma humbertiana ( Saussure 1896)

Fig. 3

Embia humbertiana Saussure 1896: 353 (Holotype: Ceylon (now Sri-Lanka), Museum d‟Histoire Naturelle, Geneva). Oligotoma humbertiana: Davis 1939: 186 ; Ross 1940: 674; Ross 1944: 496; Ross 1955: 6; Ananthasubramanian 1956: 226; Kapur and Kripalani 1957: 120; Bradoo 1971: 264; Ross 1978: 6; Ross 2006: 341; Poolprasert 2012: 410; Chandra and Dawn 2014: 1565.

Material examined. 3 males, 3 females, Philippines: Luzon: Los Baños , Laguna ; on Sweetenia macrophylla King , 15-iii-2014 (C.C.Lucañas, UPLBMNH EMB-00006♂); on Roystonea regia (Kunth) O.F.Cook , 15-i-2014 (C.C.Lucañas, UPLBMNH EMB-00009♂); on Cynometra ramiflora L., 9-viii-2014 (C.C.Lucañas, UPLBMNH EMB-00017♂ - 00018♀); on Cassia fistula L., 25-vi-2014 (C.C.Lucañas, UPLBMNH EMB-00019♀); on Pterocarpus indicus Willd. , 27-vi-2014 (C.C.Lucañas, UPLBMNH EMB-00020♀)

Distribution: Indian in origin, now widespread.

Diagnosis: Oligotoma humbertiana is distinguished from other Oligotoma species by the small apical process on the narrow, curved 10RP and the bifid 10LP.

Description: Size (mm): ♂ BL: 7.9 ± 0.74; HL × HW: 1.2 ± 0.06 x 1.0 ± 0.15; OR: 0.36 ± 0.01 Fw: 4.1 ±0.1; Hw: 4.6 ± 0.36. ♀ BL: 7.9 ± 0.74; HL × HW: 1.2 ± 0.06 x 1.1 ± 0.06.

Alate male ( Fig. 3A ) varying from light to dark brown. Antennae filiform, covered with setae. Mandibles conspicuous. Incisor darkly pigmented, three on left, two on right. Submentum semiquadrate, with anterior side deeply convex ( Fig. 3C ). Pronotum concolorous with abdomen. Hind basitarsus with single papilla ( Fig. 3D ). Abdomen black-brown. Terminalia ( Figs. 3E, F ): LCB laterally elongate, encircling inner sides of LC. 10LP broad basally narrowing and curving leftward, with minute bifurcated teeth. 10RP with distinct subapical process. H broad basally. HP narrowing to blunt edge. LPPT narrow horizontal hook.

Female ( Fig. 3B ) generally dark brown to black. Head sometimes reddish. Hind basitarsus with single papilla. Sternite 8 mostly unpigmented with U–shaped pigment medially and posterolateral markings ( Fig. 3G ). Sternite 9 unpigmented anteriorly with anteromedial and lateral macula ( Fig. 3G ).

Remarks. Oligotoma humbertiana is considered a “weed” species and has been introduced to the Philippines and other countries such as Mexico via the Manila Galleon trade ( Ross 1984), China, Indonesia ( Ross 2000), Hongkong, Mariana Islands, Taiwan and Thailand ( Poolprasert 2012).

The observed specimens agree with the previous descriptions of the species except for specimens described by Chandra & Dawn (2014) from India, which greatly differ in the curvature of 10RP; other than that character other structures are similar. It is possible that the Chandra & Dawn specimens represent a different subspecies of O. humbertiana or a completely different species.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Oligotoma humbertiana (Saussure 1896): habit of (A) male and (B) female; (C) male head with submentum; (D) male hind basitarsus; male terminalia, (E) dorsal and (F)ventral, (G) female abdominal sternites 9‒11.