Phaloria (Papuloria) insularis ( Bolivar, 1912 )

Hugel, Sylvain, Warren, Ben H. & Desutter-Grandcolas, Laure, 2021, The Phalangopsidae crickets (Orthoptera, Grylloidea) of the Seychelles Archipelago: Taxonomy of an ecological radiation, Zootaxa 5047 (3), pp. 201-246 : 239-241

Phaloria (Papuloria) insularis ( Bolivar, 1912)

( Figs 1B , 19A–C, G–I , 20, Table 11)

Heterotrypus insularis Bolivar, 1912: 290 .

Phaloria (Phaloria) insularis — Gorochov 1996: 62.

Phaloria (Papuloria) insularis — Gorochov 2014: 83.

Type locality. Seychelles, Mahé and Silhouette .

Type specimens. Lectotype: 1 male, Mah , 08-9, Seychelles Exped. ( MNCN, not examined) . Paralectotypes, 6 males: 2 males, Silhouette , Mare aux cochons, 08-9, Seychelles Exped. ( NHM, not examined) ; 2 males, Mah , 08-9, Seychelles Exped. ( CUMZ, not examined) ; 2 males, Mah , 08-9, Seychelles Exped. ( NHM, not examined). The specimens from Mahé were collected from Cascade Estate or near Morne Blanc ( Bolivar 1912: 291). The paralectotypes from Silhouette will have to be dissected to verify their identity related to P. (P.) bolivari Hugel & Desutter-Grandcolas , n. sp .

Specimens examined. Seychelles, Mah, Morne Blanc, 18.VII.2010, 1M, 1F (without PIII), SH005-006, male recorded, S. Hugel, MNHN-EO-ENSIF12273, 12274.

Complement of description (specimens from Mah). Hind tibia (after male MNHN-ENSIF-EO12273) little serrulated; inner margin: no spine between apical spur and isa1, between isa1 and isa 2, and between isa2 and isa3, with two spines between isa3 and isa4, and four spines above isa4; outer margin: no spine between apical spur and osa1, two spines between osa1 and osa 2, three spines between osa2 and osa3, four spines between osa3 and osa4, and seven spines above osa4. Hind basitarsomere with three dorsal outer spines in addition to apical spine; no inner spine.

Coloration. Head dorsum light yellow with light brown longitudinal bands, one along the inner and one along the outer margins of each eye, and two thinner median ones prolonged toward lateral ocelli. Face light yellow with median longitudinal clear-brown bands, one under the lower angle of each eye and one under median ocellus between antennal pits; this band including between the antennae two elongate yellowish spots, delimited by a thin dark brown line; a wide whitish round spot between the median brown band and each antennal pit. Palpi light yellow, article 5 distal part light brown. DD light brown, darker along posterior margin; LL distinctly lighter, with a distinct limit with dorsal brown coloration. Femora I and II light yellow with a brown subapical ring. TI and TII with three inconspicuous brown rings.

Male. Stridulatory file with 89 teeth (n=1). Harp crossed by seven oblique, parallel veins. Mirror crossed by two transverse, parallel veins (only one vein in the lectotype male), in addition to a strongly sinuate distal vein. Subgenital plate deeply furrowed along its basal 5/6 of its length.

Male genitalia. Fig. 19A–C . Pseudepiphallic median lobes rectangular, membranous, with short and thickbased setae on distal half; median lophi clearly below pseudepiphallic sclerite, between pseudepiphallic sclerite (dorsal) and ectophallic fold (more ventral); median lophi separated by a distance shorter than one lobe width. Pseudepiphallic sclerite transverse, its median length shorter than median lobe length; lateral part of pseudepiphallic sclerite elongate distally as an acute lobe (pseudepiphallic lateral lophi?), which produce ventrally a small lateroventral hook-shaped process; these lobes thick at base, due to the very convex sides of pseudepiphallic sclerite. All these sclerites symmetrical. Rami very long, with a short and thin anterior part, and a wider distal part with an acute apex. Pseupiphallic parameres with a smaller dorsal hook and a more elongate and largely bifid ventral sclerite. Ectophallic apodemes long and straight, almost vertical. Ectophallic arc incomplete but wide and high; sclerotization of epi-ectophallic invagination abruptly widened close to pseudepiphallic sclerite. Ectophallic fold nearly reaching pseudepiphallus distal margin, wide, truncate distally, with a pair of membranous, digit-shaped distal process; sclerotized laterally. Endophallic sclerite very short, concave, bearing crest- and lamella- apodemes. Dorsal cavity short but well-shaped between endophallic sclerite and apex of ectophallic fold.

Female. FWs reaching beyond the abdomen and covering the base of cerci; lateral field well shorter than dorsal field. Venation with strong longitudinal veins and few, weak transverse veins; dorsal field with 4 plain longitudinal veins, in addition to two most lateral ones, stronger and more largely separated. HWs slightly longer than FWs. Subgenital plate wider than long; distal margin largely concave. Ovipositor almost as long as FWs.

Female genitalia. Copulatory papilla small, broadly triangular with a very thin apex, very flat but concave dorsally ( Fig. 19G–I ).

Calling song. The song of Phaloria (Papuloria) insularis was recorded at Morne blanc (Mah), at 10.00 pm (ambient temperature 26°C). It is composed of short motives emitted at length ( Fig. 20). The mean duration of the motives is 370 msec (min 350 msec., max 380 msec., n=10). The inter motive duration is quite variable, with a mean duration of 1.64 s. (min 0.87 s., max 2.52 s., n=8). Each motive is made of 13 to 14 syllables (mean number 13.6, n=10), with no clear pattern of amplitude variation within each motive, or between successive motives. Syllables are very regular (duration between 11–12 msec). Sound is emitted between 3900 and 5000 Hz, with a dominant frequency about 4500 Hz.

Habitat. Phaloria insularis occurs in both preserved and moderately modified forested areas above 300 m. During night hours, most males call from near the canopy, but specimens can frequently be heard and observed on bushes in the undergrowth (S. Hugel, pers. obs.).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Phalangopsidae crickets from the Seychelles in the wild. A, Paragryllodes nitidula (Bolivar, 1912) n. comb., female. B, Phaloria (Papuloria) bolivari Hugel & Desutter-Grandcolas, n. sp., male. C, same, female. D, Phaeogryllus fuscus Bolivar, 1912, male. E, same, female. F, Phalangacris ferlegro Hugel & Desutter-Grandcolas, n. sp. male, G, same, female.

FIGURE 19. Phaloria (Papuloria) insularis (Bolivar, 1912) (A–C, G–I) and Phaloria (Papuloria) bolivari Hugel & Desutter- Grandcolas, n. sp. (D–F, J–L):A–F, male genitalia in dorsal (A, D), ventral (B, E) and side (C, F) views; G–L, female copulatory papilla in dorsal (G, J), ventral (H, K) and side (I, L) views, scale bar 0.1 mm.Abbreviations: see Material and methods.