Microbinthus elegans, Tan & Robillard, 2021

Tan, Ming Kai & Robillard, Tony, 2021, New taxa of the subtribe Lebinthina (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Eneopterinae Lebinthini) from New Guinea and nearby islands, Zootaxa 5082 (6), pp. 583-599 : 594-596

Microbinthus elegans sp. nov.

Figs 9–11

Material examined. Holotype: PAPUA NEW GUINEA • ♂; 15 km NE, by north of Port Moresby; 9°22’S, 147°13’E [ near intersection of Laloki River and Hubert Murray Highway ]; 24 April 1971; Balderson & Baker leg.; Key’s field notes: Trip 171, Stop 27975.6; molecular sample L208 ( ANIC14-037005 ).

Type locality. PAPUA NEW GUINEA: near Port Moresby

Etymology. This species name refers to the elegantly-elongated pseudepiphallic parameres and endophallic sclerite which are unique among congeners.

Diagnosis. This new species differs from congeners by male genitalia with pseudepiphallic lophi broadly spaced apart, with truncated apices pointing obliquely externally (instead of straight posteriorly); pseudepiphallic parameres elongated and enlarged with lateral lobe forming a falcate process; endophallic sclerite long (instead of short).

Description. Size small, average for the genus ( Fig. 9 ). Vertex and fastigium cream-coloured with a dark brown spot in middle. Dorsum of head yellow brown with mottled brown, cream-coloured at posterior end with six longitudinal dark bands, the median ones almost fused together ( Fig. 10A ). Scapes pale generally dark brown. Antennae yellow brown. Face, frons, clypeus and mouth parts black ( Fig. 10B ). Maxillary palpi with segments cream-coloured, with apices dark ( Fig. 10B ). Gena black, posterior end cream-coloured with a black band at the back of eyes and another black band running ventrad towards mouthparts ( Fig. 10C ). Pronotum dorsal disk yellow brown mottled with black spots, anterior margin straight ( Fig. 10A ); lateral lobes black with posterior and ventral margins cream-coloured ( Fig. 10C ). Legs: FI–II light coloured with dark spots and stripes, knees areas dark; TI–II dark brown with two pale rings, one at base and another in middle; tarsomeres 1 and 3 of each leg cream-coloured basally then brown; FIII brown, knees dark brown; TIII red brown. Abdomen dark brown dorsally and laterally, sternites cream-coloured. Cerci dark brown.

Male: FW reaching base of forth tergite. FW colouration ( Fig. 10D ): Dorsal field cells mostly dark brown, veins generally brown or dark brown, veins at apical area yellow; area between M and Sc pale yellow; vein R brown, R and Sc orange. Lateral field cells dark; longitudinal veins dark brown. FW venation: harp oblique vein indistinct. Mirror made of an elongated cell not differentiated from rest of D alignment. Apical field small, made of two short cell alignments; apex of dorsal field truncated. Lateral field with Sc and 4 strong ventral longitudinal veins straight.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 11 ): Pseudepiphallus triangular, elongate, its basal margin substraight, its lateral margins slightly raised dorsally, posterior apex truncated, with paired lophi; lophi broadly spaced apart, setose dorsally and ventrally with apices somewhat truncated and pointing obliquely from each other. Rami longer than half of pseudepiphallus length, slightly curved. Pseudepiphallic parameres elongated, forming a pair of claws oriented posteriorly, with a dorsal lobe small with posterior margin acute, a lateral lobe oriented ventrally producing a falcate process with acute apex, and an extended flat basal lobe. Ectophallic apodemes long, reaching beyond anterior margin of pseudepiphallic sclerite, diverging from each other basally. Ectophallic arc transverse. Ectophallic fold with parallel rectangular sclerites, not reaching base of pseudepiphallic lophi. Endophallic sclerite narrowly Y-shaped, comprising a long anterior region and indistinct median expansion, fairly elongated lateral arms with inner margins straight and outer margins rounded.

Female: Unknown.

Measurements (in mm). Male holotype PronL = 1.8, PronW = 2.8, FWL = 3.2, FWW = 2.4, FIIIL = 7.2, FIIIW = 2.5, TIIIL = 6.1.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Microbinthus elegans sp. nov. male holotype in dorsal (A) and lateral (B) views. Scale bar = 10 mm.

FIGURE 10. Microbinthus elegans sp. nov. morphology. Head dorsum in dorsal view (A); face in anterior view (B); head, pronotum and FWs in lateral view (C); male FW in dorsal view (D). Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 11. Microbinthus elegans sp. nov. male genitalia in dorsal (A), ventral (B) and lateral (C) views. Scale bar = 1 mm.