Liturgusa manausensis, Svenson, Gavin J., 2014

Svenson, Gavin J., 2014, Revision of the Neotropical bark mantis genus Liturgusa Saussure, 1869 (Insecta, Mantodea, Liturgusini), ZooKeys 390, pp. 1-214 : 57-59

Liturgusa manausensis sp. n.

Type.

Holotype Male, pinned. National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA.

Type locality.

Brazil: Amazonas, 18.1 km e Campinas field sta. Km 60 n Manaus, 22 Feb 1979, 02°30'S, 060°15'W, Terra firme forest canopy fogged with Pyrethrum Sample # 12, Montgomery, Erwin, Schimmel, Krischik, Date, Bacon colls (Lat. -2.500000, Long. -60.250000).

Material examined.

Liturgusa manausensis sp. n.

Diagnosis.

One of the smaller species, Liturgusa manausensis is mostly black and whitish across the body with strongly asymmetrically colored forewings. Known only from north of Manaus, Brazil. The male genitalia are distinct from others in the Maya Group with its elongate ventral left sclerite (L4A) with a medial bulge.

Description.

Male. (Fig. 12A) N=1: Body length 19.40; forewing length 12.93; hindwing length 9.66; pronotum length 5.68; prozone length 1.62; pronotum width 2.07; pronotum narrow width 1.47; head width 4.66; frons width 1.59; frons height 0.54; prothoracic femur length 5.54; mesothoracic femur length 7.27; mesothoracic tibia length 5.72; mesothoracic tarsus length 4.97; metathoracic femur length 7.52; metathoracic tibia length 7.95; metathoracic tarsus length 7.83; pronotal elongation measure 0.28; pronotal shape measure 0.36; frons shape measure 0.34; anteroventral femoral spine count 15; anteroventral tibial spine count 10; posteroventral tibial spine count 7.

Head (Fig. 42E): Transverse, the juxta-ocular protuberances small, but pronounced, the apex in the lateral half; the vertex is straight, just below the dorsal margin of the eyes. Frontal suture with a slight medial carina forming a continuous arc, the entire carina depressed into a trough, the margins sharp transitions. Ocelli small and protruding slightly on small cuticular mounds; the lateral ocelli oriented outward. The carina on the frons not pronounced, but present. Clypeus transverse, the upper margin slightly convex, the lower margin straight; the central, transverse carina not very pronounced, straight. Antennae scape and pedicel pale, the flagellum pale proximally, fading gradually to brown, then to black distally. Black band extending straight over the medial carina of the frontal suture, the center of the carina pale; two pale marks positioned on the lower region of the vertex. Frons pale; clypeus pale; the mandibles and labrum pale; the vertex and juxta-ocular protuberances mostly pale with brown speckling; the area immediately adjacent to lateral ocelli black. Palpi are pale.

Pronotum (Fig. 47P): A little less than three times as long as wide with a moderately defined supra-coxal bulge; dorsal surface with disperse, small tubercles in the posterior half. Prozone square with slightly convex margins that gradually taper to an evenly rounded anterior margin; margins smooth or with very few blunt tubercles. Metazone with concave lateral margins with medial bulges; margins with numerous small tubercles; posterior margin with flat posterolateral corners and with a medial emargination; the dorsal surface of the posterior third of the metazone depressed. Mostly pale with black markings across the surface, especially just before the posterior margin and laterally just posterior to the supra-coxal sulcus.

Prothoracic Legs: Femur normal with a concave dorsal margin; strongly defined pale to dark banding on posterior (external) surface; anterior (internal) surface with a three black bands, one basally, one medially that connects to the dorsal margin, and one adjacent to the femoral brush; the ventral surface pale. Posterior surface of femur with few tubercles. A shallow femoral pit to accommodate terminal posteroventral tibial spine positioned medial to and between the first two proximal posteroventral spines, in line with the most distal discoidal spine; pit is pigmented brown. Posterior prothoracic femoral genicular spine half the length of the posteroventral spines, originating distal to the beginning of the genicular lobe. Prothoracic tibial posteroventral spines with the first (proximal) smallest and the third through sixth of similar length, the second much longer. Prothoracic coxae smooth, the anterior surface with a very small, black spot medially towards the distal terminus.

Meso- and Metathoracic Legs: Femora with ventral (posterior) carina; dorsal (anterior) carina present. Mesotarsi with first segment shorter or as long as the remaining segments combined.

Wings: Forewings mottled with pale (whitish) and black coloration; the costal region mostly pale with a few black marks, no regular banding; vein coloration is pale, not matching surrounding cell coloration; discoidal region evenly mottled with pale and black markings, whitish color more dominant distally. Forewings asymmetrically colored; one being mottled as described the other is darkened significantly with a black tone, the mottled pattern barely visible; extending just beyond the terminus of the abdomen. Hindwings with opaque black discoidal region; the anal region smoky black and translucent; the terminus of the discoidal region projecting far beyond the distal margin of anal region, the wing appearing elongate.

Abdomen: Slightly widened, the fifth or sixth tergite the widest region before a gradual posterior narrowing; a smooth, brown and black colored dorsal surface. Tergites without posterolateral tergal projections. Supra-anal plate transverse with a broadly rounded terminus. Subgenital plate irregularly rounded and without styli.

Genital Complex (Fig. 51H.1): The main body of ventral left sclerite (L4A) elongate, a rounded terminus with a medial bulge that could be considered as a slightly protruding and blunt distal process (pda). The apofisis falloid (afa) of the main body of dorsal left sclerite (L4B) elongate and forming a tapered sharp point with concave lateral margins, sometimes curved; the apical process (paa) elongate and thick, the terminus tapering to a narrowed, rounded tip. The right dorsal phallomere (fda) of the first sclerite of right phallomere (R1) tapers to a rounded, membranous terminus; the ventral plate (pia) long and broad with very well defined, curved grooves proximally; the ventral process (pva) small and tooth-like and curved at the proximal base, the distal tip irregular, but narrowing to a point.

Etymology.

Named for Manaus, Brazil, near where the species was collected.