Melaneremus atrotectus (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1888 )

Ingrisch, Sigfrid, 2018, New taxa and records of Gryllacrididae (Orthoptera, Stenopelmatoidea) from South East Asia and New Guinea with a key to the genera, Zootaxa 4510 (1), pp. 1-278 : 210-213

Melaneremus atrotectus (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1888)

Figs. 74I , 75 J–K

Material examined. Holotype (male): India: Dehra Dun , (30°19'N, 78°2'E), leg. Dr. Warth., 1884—(Stuttgart SMNS).

Diagnosis. The species is characterized by the male ninth abdominal tergite being almost rectangularly downcurved laterally and apically, the curved area is bulging behind and after that split into two lobes giving room for the upright projections of the tenth tergite.

Description. Small, subapterous species ( Fig. 74I ). Head: Face ovoid, rather wide; forehead nearly smooth; fastigium verticis furrowed in midline, carinate on both sides and towards fastigium frontis; ocelli distinct; with wide, shallow furrow along clypeo-frontal suture.

Wings: tegmen reduced to small lateral scales not surpassing tip of mesonotum; without distinct venation.

Legs: Fore coxa with a spine at fore margin.

Coloration. General color yellowish brown with black marks. Face uniformly yellowish brown, but vertex black. Tergites with black anterior band.

Male. Eighth abdominal tergite normal. Ninth abdominal tergite longer than preceding tergites; lateral and apical surfaces strongly bent down from dorsal surface; apical surface with a dorsal bulge, afterwards divided into a pair of long-triangular lobes with rounded tips; within the cleft between those lobes a pair of upright sclerotised projections of the tenth abdominal tergite appears ( Fig. 75K ). Tenth abdominal tergite in middle with a pair of upright projections with obtuse tips. Subgenital plate wider than long; apical margin concave; styli inserted at apico-lateral angles ( Fig. 75J ).

Female unknown.

Measurements after Brunner (1888) (1 male).—body w/o wings: 16; pronotum: 5; hind femur: 9 mm.

Figures

FIGURE 74. Genus Melaneremus: A–D, M. fruhstorferi (Griffini, 1914) male holotype (A), female allotype (B) and male from Hoang Lien (C–D), E–H, M. sikkimensis sp. nov. holotype; I, M. atrotectus (Brunner, 1888) male holotype.—J–K, Melanogryllacris atrata (Walker, 1869) female in NHMW.—Habitus lateral view (A–B, I–J), habitus dorsal view (C, E, K), face (D, H), anterior area of body with head, pronotum and thorax (F), lateral view on reduced wings (G).

FIGURE 75. Genus Melaneremus: A–E, M. fruhstorferi (Griffini, 1914) male (A–B), male holotype (C), female freshly molted (D–E); F–I, M. sikkimensis sp. nov. holotype; J–K, M. atrotectus (Brunner, 1888) holotype; L–O, M. pupulus (Bolivar, 1900) type; P–Q, M. harmandi (Griffini, 1912) type?.—Male abdominal apex in apical (A, C distorted, F, K, L), ventral (B, G, J, M) and dorsal view (H, O), female seventh abdominal sternite, subgenital plate and base of ovipositor in ventral view (D), female abdomen with ovipositor (E, P), female subgenital plate (Q), stridulatory pegs on second and third abdominal tergites, front is right (I).