Scelimena discalis (Hancock, 1915)

Qin, Ying-Can, Liu, Jing, Li, Xiao-Dong, Chen, Ya-Zhen & Deng, Wei-An, 2023, On the specific status of Scelimena spicupennis and a new record of S. discalis from China with mitochondrial genome characterization (Orthoptera, Tetrigidae), ZooKeys 1185, pp. 83-104 : 83

Scelimena discalis (Hancock, 1915)

Figs 1 , 2 , 3

Eugavialidium discalis Hancock, 1915: 71; Fletcher, 1921: 7.

Scelimena discalis (Hancock, 1915): Günther 1938b: 374; Steinmann 1970: 222; Shishodia 1991: 18; Blackith 1992: 162; Storozhenko and Dawwrueng 2015: 546; Zha et al. 2017: 374; Muhammad et al. 2018: 44.

Links.

http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/Common/basic/Taxa.aspx?TaxonNameID=1101763.

Material examined.

P. R. China: Guangxi: 4♂ 4♀, Duan, 18 August 2015, in CLSGNU ; 1♂ 3♀, Huanjiang (Mulun), 24 September 2016, in CLSGNU.

Redescription.

Female. Body large-sized for the genus. Body surface interspersed with coarse protuberances and notches.

Head. Head not exserted above the pronotal surface. The fastigium of the vertex short; in dorsal view, the width of the vertex between eyes 1.4-1.5 × the width of a compound eye; the anterior margin of the fastigium nearly straight, not surpassing the anterior margin of the eye; median carina visible anteriorly; lateral margins slightly elevated; vertex uneven with paired fossulae. In lateral view, the frontal costa straight and invisible before the eyes, protruded anteriorly and broadly rounded between the antennal grooves. In the frontal view, the vertex with U-shaped concavity; the frontal costa bifurcated above lateral ocelli, the longitudinal furrow divergent between antennae, width of the longitudinal furrow of the frontal ridge much narrower than the antennal groove diameter. Antennae long, filiform, antennal grooves inserted far below inferior margins of compound eyes, 15-segmented 14-segmented: 1st large scapus, 2nd stout pedicel, 3rd - 6th elongated basal segments, 7th and 8th very elongated mid segments (~ 10.0-12.0 × longer than its width), 9th - 11th long subapical segments, 12th - 14th reduced apical segments. Eyes globose, slightly exserted above the pronotal surface in lateral view. Lateral (paired) ocelli located in between inferior margins of compound eye height.

Thorax. Pronotum coarse, its surface granulose and with sporadic protuberances and concavities. The pronotum very long (macropronotal state), surpassing the apex of the hind tibiae. Disc of the pronotum gently depressed behind the prozona, slightly swollen between the humeral angles and depressed behind shoulders; bear low and short lineate tubercles between the humeral angles; the middle and posterior parts with sparse short carinae and protuberances and notches. In dorsal view, anterior margin of the pronotum truncated; extralateral projections anteriorly armed with strongly projected FL2, which are pale yellow; FM small, FL1 unrecognizable; anterior half of pronotal median carina entire and posterior half obscure; median carina depressed in front, swollen between sulci and behind the shoulders; lateral carinae in the prozona parallel; humeral angle arched, abbreviated carinae absent; external lateral carinae of pronotum behind the shoulders bear a series of yellowish white denticles (approximately eight or nine): ML strong tubercle directed outward, yellowish white, not spine-like; with a tubercle before ML, but smaller than ML; weak ML2 and ML3 on the external lateral carina behind ML. In profile, the anterior half of the median carina of the pronotum undulated and the posterior half straight; FM minute, PM minute and present as a weak and blunt elevation, MM1 distinct and blunt elevation. MML1 and MML2 small and recognizable, present as small elevations on the dorsum. The ventral margin of the lateral lobe of the pronotum finely serrated, curved forwards, VL strongly produced and sharp. Posterior margins of lateral lobes of pronotum with ventral sinus and tegminal (upper) sinus. Tegmina elongate, punctate, acuminate. Hind wings extend upto the apex of the hind pronotal process.

Legs. Fore and mid femora elongated and not compressed laterally; margins finely serrated, with carinated, with one or two indistinct teeth and slightly undulate; fore femora and mid femora equal in width, width of middle femora distinct narrower than the width of visible part of tegmina. Hind femora elongated, 3.4 × as long as wide, dorsal margin finely serrated before the middle and after the middle with three distinct large teeth; antegenicular small and obtuse, genicular denticles small and acute; ventral margin with six or seven teeth. The hind tibia is slightly enlarged from the proximal to distal part, with margins finely serrated, outer side with one or two small spines, and the inner side with four small spines. Fore segment of the hind tarsus widened its width 1.1 × the width of the mid femur. Length of the first segment of posterior tarsus longer than third, third pulvillus longer than first and second, apices of first and second acute, apices of third obtuse.

Abdomen. Ovipositor narrow and long, length of upper valvulae 4.5 × its width, upper and lower valvulae with slender saw-like teeth. Length of subgenital plate longer than its width, posterior margin of subgenital plate with three teeth.

Coloration. Body dark brown or grey or greyish ferruginous. Antenna black, the area between segments pale. Nodules along the median carina of the pronotum are pale yellow. Tubercles of the external lateral carinae of the pronotum behind the shoulders and VL yellowish white. Fore and mid femora dark brown. Fore and middle tibiae are black, with a pale ring in the middle. The hind femur is dark brown with two or three yellow spots. The hind tibia is black, with two pale rings in the middle.

Male. Similar to females, but smaller and narrower. The width of the vertex between the eyes 1.3-1.5 × the width of the compound eye; the outer side and the inner side of the hind tibia with 0-1 spine. Subgenital plate short, cone-shaped, apex bifurcated.

Measurements (mm).

Length of body: ♂ 11.5-12.5, ♀ 18.5-19.0; length of pronotum: ♂ 23.0-24.5, ♀ 26.5-27.8; length of hind femur: ♂ 7.5-8.0, ♀ 9.0-9.7.

Distribution.

Northeast India (Assam), Thailand, and China (Fig. 7 ). New record from China. May be also present in Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam.

Notes.

Scelimena discalis is morphologically similar to S. gombakensis Muhammad, Tan & Skejo, 2018 from which it differs in dorsal and ventral margins of fore and mid femora with one or two teeth (dorsal and ventral margins of fore and mid femora without tooth in S. gombakensis ); dorsal margin of hind femora after the middle with three distinct large teeth, ventral margin with six or seven teeth (dorsal and ventral margins of hind femora smooth in S. gombakensis ).

Scelimena discalis is similar to S. songkrana Zha & Wen, 2017. It differs in that the humeral angle is arched (humeral angles distinctly obtusely angled in S. songkrana ); projections of pronotal disc indistinct behind the shoulders (pronotum with two pairs of large humps behind the shoulders in S. songkrana ); teeth of margins of fore and mid femora indistinct (teeth of margins of fore and mid femora distinct and large in S. songkrana ).

Scelimena discalis is very similar to S. chinensis (Hancock, 1915) from Vietnam, which may be a synonym of S. discalis . There is a chance ' S. chinensis ' will be found to be the Chinese ' S. discalis ' in the future, but before the holotype of S. chinensis is examined, we retain the name ' S. chinensis ' for this population.

Figures

Figure 1. Scelimena discalis (Hancock, 1915), female A body, dorsal view B body, lateral view C head and anterior part of pronotum, dorsal view D head and anterior part of pronotum, lateral view.

Figure 2. Scelimena discalis (Hancock, 1915), female A head, frontal view B right fore femur, lateral view C right mid femur, lateral view D right hind femur, lateral view E right hind tibia, lateral view F right posterior tarsus, lateral view G subgenital plate of female, ventral view.

Figure 3. Scelimena discalis (Hancock, 1915), male A body in dorsal view B body in lateral view.

Figure 7. Distribution map of S. discalis and S. spicupennis.