Patiscus quadripunctatus Bolivar, 1900

Meena, Ashok Kumar, Swaminathan, Rajamani & Swaminathan, Tatiana, 2020, Some lesser known silent crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Euscyrtinae) from the hilly tracts of India, Zootaxa 4881 (3), pp. 559-572 : 569-571

Patiscus quadripunctatus Bolivar, 1900 (Plate IV & Fig. 1 )

Material examined: Ƌ (1): India, Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore , TNAU, 19.i.2014, 11° 0’ 44.5’’ N, 76° 56’ 8.12’’ E, 411 m.; from grasses; coll. Rajendra Nagar. ♀ (1): Same location, coll. Jhabar Mal.

Revised description: Male. Body is slender with a yellowish brown colour. Head is longer than wide, significantly long and slightly wider than pronotum, flattened above, vertex with narrow three light brown stripes; a broad longitudinal brown band exists from the back of the eyes to the apex of the tegmina, passing through lateral sides of the pronotum. Rostrum is very narrow, with parallel margins, shorter than the first antennal joint. Ocelli triangularly arranged. Maxillary palpi length variable, segments 1 st to 4 th are almost equal, but the 5 th one is exactly twice in length to others. Pronotum is significantly wider than long, with anterior margin feebly concave and the posterior margin more or less sinuate; disk almost flat, light brown with a fine yellowish median line and four brownish spots at the angles, the anterior spots are less visible, while posterior spots are conspicuous; in addition, one dark brown horizontal hyphen-like spot is present on the lateral sides. On the posterior lobes of pronotum a longitudinal band can be seen on each side dorsally; the lateral lobes are long, with rounded anterior angles; the posterior lobes possess a row of pin-head type spots and some scattered spots. The metanotal gland is well developed with yellowish, glandular pubescence; the anterior part is wider than the posterior part and the metanotal gland evinces a horizontal dark brown stripe, somewhat bottle shaped; anterior part of the metanotal gland is narrower than the posterior. Tegmina extending to the end of the 4 th abdominal tergite; dorsal field presenting five straight, parallel veins; lateral field brown in colour with three to five parallel veins. Hind wings may range from being shorter to longer than the tegmina in the male, sometimes being almost equal. Abdomen is of yellowish colour; legs are yellowish brown and densely covered with yellowish brown hairs; the anterior and median legs are short; the foreleg and middle leg femora are slender, while hind femora is moderately wide. The length of tibiae is almost equal to femora; the anterior tibiae possess the tympanum that is externally small and oval shaped; while, internally large and elongated. Fore femora presenting small pin-head sized spots on upper surface; hind femora with light brown spots and hind tibiae armed with 7 external and 11 internal subapical spurs, which is uneven in length, blackish at the tips, and have rather numerous black denticles.

Genitalia: Subgenital plate of the male is very long, narrowing towards the apex, which is feebly rounded with yellowish brown hairs. Phallus with narrow and long epiphallus, deeply bifurcated at apex up to middle of rachis; bifurcated parts of epiphallus after rachis apex, running parallel, their length almost equal; outer side of apical epiphallus is less sclerotized and with hairs, the apical parts curved ventrally and rounded. Ramus closely attached to epiphallus, basal part of ramus significantly wider than the apices, length of ramus reaching nearly 1/3 rd length of semitubus. Ventral posterior lobes of the epiphallus are equal in form and closely attached to epiphallus; separated from each other, sclerotized, and shaped as if the thumb and forefinger are in apposition, with darkened nodules dorsally. Epiphallus having transparent paired endoparameral apodeme. Virga, presenting short, spine-like sclerotized rachis (= guiding rod) with acute apex. Semitubus is an unpaired sclerotized or semi-membranous groove between rachis and formula. The mould of spermatophore (known as formula) is weakly sclerotized, plaited and having unpaired apodeme.

Female: Similar to the male in shape except for the following characters: body colour somewhat dark yellowish brown, body size, pronotum spots are clearly visible. Cerci are whitish brown, with longer whitish and smaller brownish hairs; besides, having small to slightly large nodulations. Hind tibiae armed with 8 external and 12 internal subapical spurs. Ovipositor is of light yellowish brown colour, almost straight, feebly curved downwards towards the apex.

Distribution: India: Travancore (Kerala), Kodaikanal, Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu); Ceylon: Haputale; Sri Lanka.

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Figures

FIGURE 1. Euscyrtus (E.) tubus sp. nov. Ƌ Holotype: 1 & 2. Tympanum: 1. Outer side; 2. Inner side; Patiscus quadripunctatus Bolivar Ƌ (3–6): 3. Maxillary palpus; 4. Tegmina, dorsal view; 5&6. Tympanum: 5. Outer side; 6. Inner side.