Galepsus (Syngalepsus) dudleyi, Moulin, Nicolas, 2018

Moulin, Nicolas, 2018, A revision of Syngalepsus Beier, with the description of two new species from the Central African Republic and Malawi (Mantodea, Tarachodidae), ZooKeys 802, pp. 121-143 : 132-137

Galepsus (Syngalepsus) dudleyi sp. n. Figures 5 A–D, 6C, 7C, 8

Type material.

Holotype male: MALAWI, Mount Soche [15°50'29.0"S - 35°01'21.0"E], Alt. 1500m, 13.I.1973, code M1787, C. O. Dudley leg., genitalia prep. Roy 3312 (MNHN). Paratype male: MALAWI, Zomba, Mlunguzi East [15°23'S - 35°20'E], Alt. 938m, 05.II.1975 (1♂), H. R. Feijen, genitalia prep. Roy 3575 (MNHN).

Type localities.

The type specimen was collected at Mount Soche, South of Blantyre, in the Southern region of Malawi. The altitude of this geological formation is approximately 1500 m. It’s surrounded by urbanization, except in the south where agricultural practices take place. Paratype was also collected in the southern region of Malawi, at Zomba, Mlunguzi East.

Etymology.

Named for the first collector, Cornell O. Dudley, Professor of botanic and entomology in Malawi.

Diagnosis.

Close to Galepsus (Syngalepsus) beieri Kaltenbach and Galepsus (Syngalepsus) bipunctatus Beier with the two black spots on prosternum but different by genitalia conformation: ventral process (pva), of right phallomere, end with several pointy teeth; left phallomere with apical process (paa) without a bump that gives a spoon or mallet appearance. Head as wide as the pronotum; vertex straight; prosternum with two black spots.

Description male.

Fine body, light brown, length 32-34 mm from head to subgenital plate. Hindwings with venation light brown. Head. Slightly wider than pronotum. Vertex: straight, slightly convex. Frontal shield transversal, wider than high. Labial palps with the last two segments stained black at the base on both segments, and below for the apical segment. Maxillary palps broken. Antennae light brown. Thorax. Pronotum, three times longer than its largest width, prozone broader than metazone, lateral margins and surface smooth; median line of the pronotum blackened. Prosternum, same colour of the pronotum, with two black spots closed to centre of prosternum, on both sides of the median line. Forelegs . Coxae without coloured patch, two-three very small tubercles on the anteroventral border. The dark spot on the left trochanter is not a spot of colour on the cuticle but blackened material inside the tegument. Femora: with 11-12 anteroventral spines, four discoidal spines, four posteroventral spines, all spines with black-brown apex. Tibiae: with 11-12 anteroventral spines, eleven posteroventral spines, tarsus with blackened underside. Wings. Forewings and hindwings are uniformly translucent pale brown with light-brown veins. Reaching tip of abdomen.

Abdomen. Flattened. Supraanal plate: almost wider than length, distal margin rounded, pubescent. Cerci: relatively longs, flattened, the last two cercomeri longer than wide. Subgenital plate: triangular shape, pubescent. Styles: relatively short, thick, hairy. Genitalia. Right phallomere with ventral process (pva) and ventral plate (pia) sclerotised; ventral process (pva) margin with large denticles. Apex of the right phallomere rounded, covered on apex and left side with thick bristles; hairs tuft at the posterior part. Ventral phallomere large, with a sharp process on posterior margin, towards the right. Left phallomere with a posterior process of phalloid apophysis (apa) long and sharp, slightly sclerotised at apex. Apical process (paa) long and round at apex, covered at apex by thick bristles; left margin of left phallomere covered by thick bristles.

Female unknown.

Measurements (mm).

Holotype: body length 32, pronotum length 8.6, fore wings length 24.3, fore coxae length 4.2, fore femora length 6.4, fore tibiae length 3.7; width of pronotum 2.9, width of head 3.5, width of fore femora 1.7.

Paratype: body length 33.7, pronotum length 8.0, fore wings length 26.3, fore coxae length 5.0, fore femora length 6.0, fore tibiae length 3.8; width of pronotum 3.0, width of head 4.0, width of fore femora 2.0.

Identification key to species of Galepsus (Syngalepsus) using males

Clé d’identification des espèces de Galepsus (Syngalepsus) d’après les mâles

Checklist of species of G. (Syngalepsus) (Fig. 8)

Galepsus (Syngalepsus) beieri Kaltenbach, 1996: Natal, South Africa.

Galepsus (Syngalepsus) bipunctatus Beier, 1931: Mozambique, Natal, Transvaal, South Africa.

Galepsus (Syngalepsus) birkenmeierae Beier, 1969b: Malawi.

Galepsus (Syngalepsus) bucheti sp. n.: Dzanga-Ndoki National Park, Central African Republic.

Galepsus (Syngalepsus) denigratus Beier, 1954: Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Uganda.

Galepsus (Syngalepsus) dudleyi sp. n.: Malawi.