Morphna Shelford, 1910

Vršanský, Peter, Vidlička, Ľubomír, Barna, Peter, Bugdaeva, Eugenia & Markevich, Valentina, 2013, Paleocene origin of the cockroach families Blaberidae and Corydiidae: Evidence from Amur River region of Russia, Zootaxa 3635 (2), pp. 117-126 : 119-122

Morphna Shelford, 1910

= Morphnina Princis, 1958

Diagnosis (after Shelford 1910): Form rather dorsoventrally flattened. Vertex of head covered or almost covered by pronotum, which is trapezoidal, sub-cucullate and posteriorly produced obtusely. Tegmina and wings fully developed, exceeding the apex of the abdomen. Supra-anal lamina of typical Epilamprine shape. Cerci moderately long. Femora moderately armed with spines beneath. Posterior metatarsus equal in length to succeeding joints; all the joints entirely unarmed beneath, their pulvilli large, pulvillus of metatarsus apical but produced towards the base of the joint.

Type species. Morphna maculata (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1865).

Composition (updated from Princis 1967, 1971).

Morphna amplipennis (Walker, 1868) ( India)

= Epilampra amplipennis Walker, 1868

Morphna auriculata (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1865) ( India) = Epilampra auriculata Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1865

Morphna badia (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1865) ( Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Borneo) = Epilampra badia Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1865 = Epilampra ramifera Walker, 1869

Morphna clypeata Anisyutkin & Gorochov, 2001 ( Vietnam)

Morphna decolyi (Bolívar, 1897) ( India)

= Molytria decolyi Bolívar, 1897

Morphna dotata (Walker, 1869) ( Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo) = Epilampra dotata Walker, 1869

Morphna humeralis Bruijning, 1948 (Sumatra)

Morphna imperatoria (Stål, 1877) ( Philippines)

= Epilampra imperatoria Stål, 1877

Morphna maculata (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1865) ( Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Borneo) = Epilampra maculata Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1865 = Epilampra polyspila Walker, 1868

= Molytria shelfordi Kirby, 1903

Morphna moloch (Rehn, 1904) ( Thailand)

= Epilampra moloch Rehn, 1904

Morphna plana (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1865) ( India, Sri Lanka) = Epilampra plana Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1865 = Homalopteryx biplagiata Bolívar, 1897

= Epilampra punctifera Walker, 1868

= Homalopteryx templetoni Kirby, 1903

Morphna pustulata Hanitsch, 1930 (Sumatra)

Morphna sp. ( Germany) extinct, Eocene (MES 10188)

Morphna paleo sp. n. ( Figs. 1A , 2 C)

Holotype. PIN 5142/12. Right forewing fragment; type locality, Archara-Boguchan, Far East, Russia; type horizon, Tsagayan Formation, Danian Paleocene.

Diagnosis. Forewing with length about 23 mm, width 9 mm. Numerous cross-veins present in M and CuA. Anal intercalaries punctuated.

Description. Forewing without coloration. Venation distinct with apparent intercalaries and rich cross-veins in M and CuA. Subcostal area wide, with Sc richly branched (secondarily). R regular, parallel; M (5) slightly curved, running close to R (apomorphy), fusing to CuA. CuA rich (8). Anal veins simple with punctuated intercalaries.

Remarks. The combination of parallel forewing margins, wide and branched Sc, fusion of M with CuA running close to R, basalmost branches of CuA running parallel to CuP and simple A place this taxon in Morphna .

Morphna has been considered to be a comparatively terminal taxon of Epilamprinae (Rehn 1951) . Nevertheless, the new species points to a very initial stage of the evolution of Blaberidae , since compared with Ectobiidae (= Blattellidae ) fusion of M with CuA running close to R and wide, branched Sc are apomorphies. In the living fauna, Morphna is restricted to southeast Asia ( India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Philippines and Thailand). The genus is quite diverse in species and some seem to have little in common (e.g., M. pustulata is elongated, with curved forewing posterior margin). On the other hand, the most closely related living species, M. plana (Brunner von Wattenwyll, 1865) from Sri Lanka, differs only in possessing numerous cross-veins (plesiomorphy) and in size. All the living representatives of the genus are considerably larger than M. paleo sp. n. (apomorphy), with forewing lengths of 41–50 mm.

Two basal branches of R have teratological fusion of veins (see Vršanský 2005: this particular parallel fusion of two ascending R branches is unknown in fossils), but this character is without systematic value. Irregularity between R and M is interpreted as an apomorphy based on the absence of this character in Cretaceous cockroaches.

Etymology. From Greek palaios: ancient or primitive.

Figures

FIGURE 1. A) Morphna palaeo sp. n., holotype PIN 5142 / 12; Danian sediments (or Paleocene sediments) of Archara- Bogučan in the Far East of Russia. Forewing length 23 mm; B) sections of Danian localities Belye Gory: Belaya Gora (1) and Arkhara-Boguchan (2) (1 — conglomerate; 2 — sandstone; 3 — siltstone; 4 — claystone; 5 — coal; 6 — acid tuff; 7 — strata with cross-bedding; 8 — locality of fossil flora; 10 — locality of fossil insects); C) Profiles of Belaya Gora locality, the stratotype section of Tsagayan Formation (1 — conglomerate; 2 — sandstone; 3 — siltstone; 4 — claystone; 5 — coal; 6 — acid tuff; 7 — deposits of the Maastrichtian middle Tsagayan Formation; 8 — deposits of the Danian upper Tsagayan Formation; 9 — locality of fossil flora; 10 — locality of fossil insects; D) Localization (Japan to the Right).

FIGURE 2. A) Ergaula stonebut sp. n. Holotype ANHM 4 / 7; Danian sediments (or Paleocene sediments) of Belaya Gora, Far East, Russia. Left forewing 31 mm long. B) Males of Ergaula capucina, Thailand (Mae Hong Son prov., Soppong, 7. – 12. V. 1996, Vít Kubáň leg., coll. Ľ. Vidlička, ZIN SAS). Note significant folding line on right forewingand strong fold along Sc, apparent also in fossil. C) Morphna palaeo sp. n. Holotype PIN 5142 / 12; Danian sediments (or Paleocene sediments) of Archara-Bogučan in the Far East of Russia. Forewing length 23 mm.