Balta spinea Che and Chen

Che, Yanli, Chen, Li & Wang, Zongqing, 2010, Six new species of the genus Balta Tepper (Blattaria, Pseudophyllodrominae) from China, Zootaxa 2609, pp. 55-67 : 56-57

Balta spinea Che and Chen sp. nov.

Figures 1–12

Description. Pronotum length×width 3× 4.2 mm; tegmen 13.0 mm; overall length including tegmen 15.5 mm. Body yellowish brown. Vertex with black stripes, each with pale yellow spot in center ( Figs.1–2 ); in anterior view, vertex with two irregular blotches between eyes and two small spots on the blotches ( Fig. 2 ). Pronotum brown with dark brown maculae and spots ( Fig.3 ). Venter pale yellow. Vertex with interocular space less than distance between antennal sockets ( Fig. 1 ). Fourth and fifth maxillary palpomeres about same length, both distinctly shorter than the third. Pronotum with one irregular central macula and two spots posterolaterally ( Fig. 3 ). Tegmen with discoidal veins strongly oblique. Hind wing with costal veins slightly clubbed or thickened; medial vein slightly curved at middle and without branches; cubital vein with 3 complete branches, median branch forked, triangular apical area reduced and small ( Fig. 4 ). Front femur of Type C2 ( Fig. 5 ), tarsal claws strongly asymmetrical and unspecialized ( Fig. 6 ). Male genitalia with supra-anal plate in ventral view short, with mediodistal region rounded convex, and middle of hind margin curved ( Fig. 7 ); right and left paraprocts slightly asymmetrical, plate simple with apices rounded ( Fig. 7 ). Subgenital plate in dorsal view nearly circular, lateral margins strongly arched, hind margin deeply and concavely excavated; styli small, spiny, arising on each side of excavation and directed laterad ( Fig. 8 ). Left phallomere enlarged, sclerotized plates irregular ( Fig. 9 ). Median phallomere long, sticklike, with blunt base and bifurcated near apex ( Fig. 10 ), one branch tapering, the other blunt and densely covered with short setae; one associated median phallomere appendage present and arising on apex of median phallomere, which is smoothly arched with tapering base ( Fig. 11 ). Hook with sclerotized portion very small, on right side, slender and with V-shaped incision ( Fig. 12 ).

Material examined. Holotype m?, China, Hainan, 10 April 1936, G. Ros. coll. Paratype: 1 m?, same data as holotype.

Remarks. This species resembles Balta notulata (Stål, 1858) , but differs from the latter in the following characteristics: cubital vein of hind wing with 3 complete branches and without incomplete branch (4 complete branches in B. notulata ); vertex with two black interocular stripes and two spots ( B. notulata without this pattern); hind margin of subgenital plate deeply, concavely excavated but without projecting medial lobe (with one projecting medial lobe in B. notulata ).

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the Latin word “ spineus,” which refers to the acuminate, spiny styli.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 12. Balta spinea Che and Chen sp. nov. 1. Head. 2. Vertex, anterior view. 3. Pronotum. 4. Hind wing. 5. Front femur. 6. Tarsal claws and arolium. 7. Supraanal plate and paraprocts, ventral view. 8. Subgenital plate, dorsal view. 9. Left phallomere. 10. Median phallomere. 11. Appendage of median phallomere. 12. Right phallomere.