Speluncasina Desutter-Grandcolas

Desutter-Grandcolas, Laure & Jaiswara, Ranjana, 2012, Phalangopsidae crickets from the Indian Region (Orthoptera, Grylloidea), with the descriptions of new taxa, diagnoses for genera, and a key to Indian genera, Zootaxa 3444, pp. 1-39 : 23-24

Speluncasina Desutter-Grandcolas n. gen.

Type species. Speluncacris (?) annandalei Chopard, 1928: 26

Distribution. Known from Darjeeling only.

Diagnosis. Small species characterized by the following combination of morphological characters: Eyes protruding. Fastigium narrow, not as wide as the scape ( Fig. 10 B); scape longer than wide. Pronotum not particularly transverse ( Fig. 10 A); lateral lobes raised dorsally. TI without tympanum. TIII with four pairs of subapical spurs, the outers the longest; median apical spurs the longest on both inner and outer sides ( Fig. 9 K, L); serrulation sparse. Male unknown. Female apterous. Female genitalia: Copulatory papilla small and flat, flap-like ( Fig. 9 O).

Remark. Speluncasina Desutter-Grandcolas n. gen. resembles Phalangopsina and Opiliosina Desutter- Grandcolas n. gen. by the relative size of its TIII apical spurs and the lack of a tympanum. Its differs from these genera by its less transverse pronotum, narrow fastigium and female genitalia.

Habitat. Found in caves, but natural habitat not precisely assessed.

Description. Size small ( Fig. 10 A). Head. Eyes slightly protruding anteriorly and laterally ( Fig. 10 B). Fastigium long and narrow, not as wide as the scape ( Fig. 10 B). Scape longer than wide, rectangular ( Fig. 9 I) Ocelli protruding; arranged as a wide triangle, the distance between the lateral ocelli longer than the distance between one lateral and the median ocelli; median ocellus subapical. Maxillary palpi not very elongate; joint 3 shorter than joint 4, and joint 5 the longest; joint 5 slightly widened apically ( Fig. 9 J). Pronotum. Wider than long, but not particularly transverse; greatly widened posteriorly ( Fig. 10 A). Dorsal disc: anterior and posterior margins respectively slightly concave and convex; a median longitudinal furrow. Lateral lobes raised dorsally. Legs. Long and very thin. TI without tympanum; two long and thin apical spurs, the inner the longest. TII with two long and thin apical spurs, the inner the longest. FI and FII thinner at mid length than in apical third. FIII filiform in apical third. TIII with four pairs of subapical spurs, the outers longer and located higher on tibia than the inners, the outer subapical spurs 2 and 3 the longest; three pairs of apical spurs, the dorsal spur the longest on both inner and outer sides ( Fig. 9 K, L); serrulation sparse with small spines both between and above subapical spurs. Tarsomeres 1-III less than one fourth TIII length, with two sparse rows of dorsal spines. FIII filiform in distal third ( Fig. 10 D).

Male. Unknown.

Female. Apterous. Ovipositor widened at apex, lanceolate ( Fig. 9 N); valves without ornementation apically. Female genitalia. Copulatory papilla very short and flap-like ( Fig. 9 O).

Figures

FIGURE 9. Phalangopsina gravelyi Desutter-Grandcolas n. sp. (A – H) and Speluncasina annandalei (Chopard, 1928) n. comb. (I – O). A, I, scape, anterior side; B, J, maxillary palpus; C, K, L, apical spurs of hind tibia, inner (C, L), outer (K); D, M, female subgenital plate; E, N, female ovipositor apex, lateral; F, G, H, O, female copulatory papilla, dorsal (F), ventral (G, O), lateral (H). Abbreviations, see text p. ***. Scales 1 mm.

FIGURE 10. Speluncasina annandalei (Chopard, 1928), n. comb. (A – C) and Opiliosina meridionalis Desutter-Grandcolas n. sp. (D – G). A, D, E, Head, pronotum and body shape; B, F, face; C, G, hind femur. Scales 1 mm.