Sedulia specularia ( Stål, 1875 ), Stal, 1875

Tan, Ming Kai, Robillard, Tony & Kamaruddin, Khairul Nizam, 2016, Revision of the grasshopper genus Sedulia Stål, 1878 (Acrididae: Catantopinae) from Malay Peninsula, Zootaxa 4107 (2), pp. 255-266 : 259-265

Sedulia specularia ( Stål, 1875)

( Figs. 3–8 )

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Orthoptera .speciesfile.org:TaxonName:56381

Sedulia specularia ( Stål, 1875) : 31; Stål, 1878: 28; Kirby, 1910: 472; Sjöstedt, 1932: 40; Miller, 1934: 540; Dirsh, 1956: 277; Willemse, 1957: 367; Storozhenko, 2009: 19; Tan et al 2013: 101.

Type material. Syntypes: 3 males and 2 females (NRM-ORTH0003813-0003817), Peninsular Malaysia, Malacca [examined, images from Gunvi Lindberg, NRM].

Other material examined. 5 males, 1 female, Peninsular Malaysia: 2 males (LAR.15.70, 71), Perak, on Bukit Larut, circa N4.86191, E100.79556, 1136± 5.4 m, forested, shaded area by the side of the road; near ground, with some herbs and mosses, 18 June 2015, 1201–1247 h; 1 male (LAR.15.113), on Bukit Larut, circa N4.86169, E100.80005, 1165±5.0 m, shaded forest, on ground with leaf litter, 19 June 2015, 1013 h; 1 male (LAR.15.120) and 1 female (LAR.15.121), on Bukit Larut, circa N4.86027, E100.80280, 1277± 7.6 m, shaded forest, on ground with leaf litter, mating, 19 June 2015, 1216 h; 1 male (LAR.15.187), on Bukit Larut, circa N4.86626, E100.78865, 920.4± 4.6 m shaded forest, on ground with leaf litter, 19 September 2015, 1925–2049 h (all collected by M. K. Tan, S. T. Toh, K. N. Kamaruddin & Illias bin Abdul Rani).

1 male, 5 females, Singapore: 1 male ( ZRC.ORT.1023), Central Catchment Nature Reserve, Woodcutter Trail, freshwater swamp forest, 24 August 2013; 1 female ( ZRC.ORT.1059), Central Catchment Nature Reserve, Chestnut Track, lowland secondary forest, on leaf litter, 11 June 2014; 2 females ( CIL.04.1.4, CIL.04.1.5), Central Catchment Nature Reserve, MacRitchie Reservoir, lowland primary forest, on leaf litter, 9 November 2014; 1 female, MacRitchie Reservoir, lowland secondary forest, on ground, 11 January 2015; 1 female ( CIL.09.1.2), MacRitchie Reservoir, lowland primary forest, on ground, 6 May 2015 (all collected by M. K. Tan & H. Yeo) ( ZRC).

New diagnosis. Tegmen with apex obtusely pointed in males and broadly rounded in females. Male epiproct triangular with two flattened protrusions near the baso-lateral margin; with lateral lobe triangular or roundly triangular, broader than apex of epiproct.

Description. Habitus as shown in Figs. 3 , 8 A, 8B. Head considerably shorter than pronotum ( Fig. 4 ). Frontal ridge narrow, parallel-sided above median ocellus and feebly widened below median ocellus, not widened around median ocellus. Vertex between eyes about as broad as frontal ridge between antennae. Eyes large. Antennae 19–21-segmented, reaching or slightly surpassing posterior margin of pronotum. Pronotum long, 1.5 times in male and 1.4 times in female longer than wide, crossed by three transverse furrows ( Fig. 4 ); prozona 1.7 times in male and 1.8 times in female as long as metazona; anterior margin of prozona very obtusely rounded; posterior margin of metazona gently angularly rounded, sometimes emarginated in the middle; lateral carinae absent; median carina distinct. Prosternal spine straight, conical, with obtuse apex ( Fig. 7 A). Mesosternal lobes broad, about as wide as long or slightly wider; mesosternal interspace trapezoidal ( Fig. 7 A). Tegmen brachypterous ( Fig. 4 ). Hind wings absent. Hind femora stout, 3.7 times as long as maximal width of these femora; dorsal carina bluntly serrated. Hind tibiae with 6–7 outer dorsal spines and eight inner dorsal spines; outer apical dorsal spine absent. Hind tarsi short, not longer than half of hind tibiae; arolium large, almost reaching apex of claws. Abdominal tergites appear punctuated.

Male. Tegmen brachypterous and with obtusely pointed apex, not touching each other in rest position, 2.3 times as long as wide, reaching or slightly surpassing middle of third tergite ( Figs. 4 A, 4B, 5A–C). Tenth tergite with two very stout and obtuse, tubercle, and distinctly separated furculae on posterior margin ( Figs. 5 D–F). Epiproct triangular, with obtuse to subacute apex; with two flattened protrusions near the baso-lateral margin; lateral lobe triangular or roundly triangular, broader than apex of epiproct; median sulcus shallow, bordered by distinct parallel carinae (most distinct in the basal half) ( Figs. 5 D–F). Cercus when viewed dorsally, highly compressed and gently incurved, in apical third suddenly narrowed, with apex obtusely pointed; sometimes with dorsal distinct lobe in apical third, otherwise a tubercle or none ( Figs. 5 G–I). Subgenital plate conical, with obtuse apex. Male genitalia as shown in Fig. 6 . Epiphallus bridge-shaped, moderately wide ( Fig. 6 A). Anchora highly sclerotized, elongated and triangular (sometimes feebly or slightly curved posteriorly), projecting dorso-apically and interiorly, surface granular, apex obtuse (sometimes appears slightly bulbous) ( Figs. 6 A, 6B). Base of anchora forming a stout and short (never reaching middle of anchora) tubercle, also sclerotized and granular; sometimes slightly pointed ( Figs. 6 A, 6B). Anterior projection of epiphallus long, forming at slightly more than 90º angle with the anchora, apex obtuse. Lophi projecting dorso-apically, seen from behind broadly rounded to slightly bilobous, margins thickened. Oval sclerites present but weakly sclerotized ( Fig. 6 A). Ectophallic membrane thickened to form a dorsal and paired ventral ectophallic sclerites; dorsal ectophallic sclerite bridge-shaped ( Figs. 6 A, 6B). Ventral ectophallic sclerite with two lobes: one elongated with obtuse apex, the other broadly rounded but both strongly sclerotized and granular ( Figs. 6 B, 6C). Cingulum with apodemes as shown in Fig. 6 B. Zygoma with texture granulate prolonged anteriorly into the apodeme; apodeme highly sclerotized and granular, spatulate with obtuse apex ( Figs. 6 A, 6B). Arch of cingulum with a ventro-apical projection elongated, slightly sinuous with obtuse apex. Basal and apical penis valves as shown in Fig. 6 D.

Female. Tegmen brachypterous and with broadly rounded apex, not touching each other in rest position, 1.9 times as long as wide, reaching hind margin of third tergite ( Figs. 4 C, 4D, 7B). Tenth abdominal tergite forming a shallow triangle in the middle on posterior margin, without lateral lobe ( Fig. 7 C). Epiproct elongated, separated into two parts by a middle transverse carina, with obtuse apex ( Fig. 7 C). Cercus bulbous basally, in apical third suddenly narrowed, with pointed apex ( Fig. 7 C, 7D). Subgenital plate slightly longer than broad; posterior margin with large median angular projection and with lateral excisions ( Fig. 7 E). Ovipositor short, hook-like; dorsal valves smooth with apex gently curved dorsad; ventral valves with apex bent ventrad ( Fig. 7 D).

Colouration. Body brown or red brown, with light brown and blackish pattern. Head dark brown dorsally; frons light brown or brown. Antennae mostly brown or red brown, some parts lighter. Posterior part of the eye with a pale yellow stripe that continues to the lateral lobe of pronotum. Disc of pronotum brown, with black spots spaced out along posterior margin and sometimes anterior margin; lateral lobes with black spots spaced out along margins, brown with light brown stripe in dorsal part, beneath the light brown stripe is a blackish stripe. Light brown and blackish stripe of lateral lobe continue along lateral side of thoracic segments. Tegmen brown with large and shining black spot in the middle of tegmen, sometimes with yellow ring around the spot in females, sometimes black pigmentation extend basally along ventral margin in males. Fore and mid legs brown to red brown, sometimes with darker patches. Hind femur brown with ventrolateral area black; in males, three oblique and blackish bands, one near trochanter and two on medial area, almost indistinct in the dorsal half; hind knees brown. Hind tibia brown; its spines dark brown to black. Abdominal tergites brown with some black patterns; abdominal sternites red brown in the middle, sometimes with yellow stripes laterally. Thoracic sternites dark red brown anteriorly to pale brown posteriorly.

Measurements. See Table 1 .

Variations. Shiny black spot on tegmen varies in size and shape, but always along the ventral half and somewhat in the midlength of tegmen; in males, sometimes black pigmentation extend basally along ventral margin; in females, yellow ring around black spot sometimes indistinct. Male epiproct may vary slightly with apex obtuse to subacute and protrusions near the baso-lateral margin sometimes bulbous to tuberculate. Male cercus can vary considerably, with dorsal lobe in apical third distinct, tuberculate or none.

Juvenile. Habitus as shown in Figs. 8 C, 8D.

Distribution: Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore).

Previously reported localities: Singapore, Peninsular Malaysia (Bukit Kutu, Klang Gates, Ulu Gombak, Tampin, Jerantut, Kuala Tahan) ( Willemse 1957).

New locality: Bukit Larut, Perak.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Sedulia specularia (Stål, 1875): male (A, B) and female (C, D) syntypes in dorsal (A, C) and lateral (B, D) views. Scale bars: 10 mm. Images by Gunvi Lindberg.

FIGURE 4. Sedulia specularia (Stål, 1875): male (A, B) and female (C, D) head and thorax in lateral (A, C) and dorsal (B, D) views. Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIGURE 5. Sedulia specularia (Stål, 1875): male tegmen in lateral view (A – C), male abdominal apex in dorsal view (D – F), male cercus in lateral view (G – I). Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIGURE 6. Sedulia specularia (Stål, 1875): male genitalia in dorsal view (A), male genitalia in ventro-posterior view (B), ectophallic (part) in ventral view (C), penis in ventral view (D). Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIGURE 7. Sedulia specularia (Stål, 1875): male head and thorax in ventral view (A), female tegmen in lateral view (B), female abdominal apex in dorsal (C), lateral (D) and ventral (E) views. Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIGURE 8. Sedulia specularia (Stål, 1875): in-situ male adult (A), copulating pair (B), juveniles (C, D) from Singapore.