Pseudoeupolyphaga spelunca Ren & Han, 2025

Ren, Yi-Ming, Han, Wei, Che, Yan-Li & Wang, Ji-Rui, 2025, Four new species of the genus Pseudoeupolyphaga Qiu & Che, 2024 (Blattodea, Corydioidea, Corydiinae) from Yunnan, China, ZooKeys 1261, pp. 337-358 : 337-358

Pseudoeupolyphaga spelunca Ren & Han sp. nov.

Figs 4 A – L , 8 B, E, G, H

Type material.

Holotype: China • male ( ZAFU); Yunnan Province, Pu’er City, Yunxian Township, Dashitou Village ; 19 Dec. 2024; Hang Qiu leg; ZAFU -IC-200011 . Paratypes: China • 1 female & 5 nymphs ( ZAFU); same collection data as holotype; ZAFU -IC-200012 to 200017 • 1 male & 2 females & 2 nymphs ( SWU); same collection data as holotype; SWU -B-CC-010080 to 010084 .

Diagnosis.

The males of this species resemble certain Pseudoeupolyphaga congeners with densely maculate tegmina, such as Pseudoeupolyphaga daweishana ( Qiu, Che & Wang, 2018) , Pseudoeupolyphaga hengduana (Woo & Feng, 1992) , and Pseudoeupolyphaga fengi yongshengensis ( Qiu, Che & Wang, 2018) . However, it is readily distinguished from P. daweishana and P. hengduana by the conspicuously sparser maculae in the anal field of the tegmina compared to adjacent areas. Furthermore, it differs from P. fengi yongshengensis by the absence of a longitudinal yellow stripe on the mid-ventral sternum — a diagnostic trait presents in the latter. Additional key diagnostic characters include: denser maculae on the tegmina of P. spelunca males, concentrated primarily basally and medially, but sparse apically. In contrast, the three congeneric males exhibit more uniformly distributed tegmina maculae without such pronounced regional differentiation.

Description.

Holotype. Measurements (mm). Overall length (including tegmen): 24.68; body length: 18.74; body width (tegmina not included): 9.40; tegmen length × width: 20.83 × 8.58; pronotum length × width: 7.73 × 4.14.

Coloration. Body dark brown (Fig. 4 A, B ). Pronotum black, outer margin with pale yellow pubescence, anterior margin yellow (Fig. 4 E ). Tegmina yellowish brown, with large dark brown patches at the basal and middle region; remaining areas with evenly distributed dark brown markings. Hind wings pale yellow, bearing dark brown plaques (Fig. 4 A, B ). Face black. Antennae yellow. Eyes black. Ocelli white. Ante-clypeus pale yellow, post-clypeus dark brown. Labrum yellow (Fig. 4 G ). Legs dark brown. Pulvilli and arolia white. Abdomen dark brown, gradually deepening in color toward the lateral and distal end (Fig. 4 B ).

Body. Head: Sub-rounded, hidden under pronotum. Eyes and ocelli well-developed. Ocellar ridge slightly curved, bearing a row of slender setae along the upper edge. Interocular space narrower than the distance between ocelli, the latter narrower than the distance between antennal sockets. Clypeus developed (Fig. 4 G ). Pronotum: Oval-shaped, widest near the middle. Surface densely covered with short setae and long pubescence, central portion bearing symmetrical black stripes. Anterior whitish margin extremely narrow, disconnect at the middle of the front margin (Fig. 4 E ). Tegmina and hind wings: Basal half of tegmina nearly completely covered by black patches except anal area. Anal area and distal half of tegmina bearing variably sized markings (Fig. 4 A, B ). Legs: Slender, front femur Type C 1. Pulvilli and arolia present (Fig. 4 B ). Abdomen: Supra-anal plate transverse, pubescent, posterior margin slightly protruded medially. Paraprocts simple (Fig. 4 I ). Subgenital plate with short setae, hind margin concave in the middle, the left side less prominent than the right side. Styli short and small (Fig. 4 J ). Genitalia: Well-sclerotized. L 1 apically swollen and bearing two short branches; the two basal branches distinct and elongated. L 2 arcuately curved. Genital hook (L 3) medially swollen, tapering toward hooked apex. L 4 M broadly lamellate. L 4 N well-developed, pda and paa strongly curved. L 8 irregular, plate-like. R 1 M stoutly expanded terminally. R 1 L elongate and banded. R 2 divided into two chunks. R 3 broadly concave (Fig. 4 K, L ).

Female paratype (mm). Body length: 21.92; body width: 12.05; pronotum length × width: 8.64 × 4.87.

Coloration. Terga deep reddish brown (Fig. 4 C ). Vertex black. Face yellow. Antennae yellow. Ocelli yellowish white, space between ocelli, antennal sockets and post-clypeus brown to dark brown. Ante-clypeus and labrum pale yellowish brown. Post-clypeus yellowish brown (Fig. 4 H ). Legs dark brown overall, tarsus slight pale. Spines on legs yellowish brown, terminal nearly black. Sterna uniformly dark brown and middle part with yellow strips (Fig. 4 D ).

Body. Pronotum widest near the hind margin, middle part with symmetrical black dark stripes, anterior whitish margin indistinct (Fig. 4 F ). Ocelli big but not prominent, presenting white spots in a near-triangular shape. The distance between ocelli narrower than the distance between antennal sockets, both measurements less than interocular space (Fig. 4 H ). Front femur Type C 1. Arolia and pulvilli absent.

Nymph. Similar to the female.

Ootheca. Reddish brown, surface with parallel and dense longitudinal lines. Ridges of serrated protuberances slightly small. No respiratory canals (Fig. 8 B, E ).

Etymology.

The species epithet is derived from the Latin term spelunc, which refers to natural caves, indicating it was found in dark subterranean environments (a few hundred meters from the cave entrance).

Remarks.

Intraspecific genetic divergence among five specimens of this species ranges from 0 % to 1.08 % (all specimens from Dashitou Village, Yunxian Township). It exhibits the closest genetic proximity to P. vestis (7.75 % – 8.93 %), followed by P. duani (9.71 % – 10.95 %), while distances to all other congeners exceed 10 %. The male tegmina maculae provide diagnostically distinct characters that readily differentiate this species from both P. vestis and P. duani .

Figures

Figure 4. Pseudoeupolyphaga spelunca Ren & Han, sp. nov. A, B, E, G, I – L. Male holotype; C, D, F, H. Female paratype; A. Habitus, dorsal view; B. Habitus, ventral view; C. Habitus, dorsal view; D. Habitus, ventral view; E. Pronotum, dorsal view; F. Pronotum, dorsal view; G. Head, ventral view; H. Head, ventral view; I. Supra-anal plate, ventral view; J. Subgenital plate, ventral view; K. Genitalia, dorsal view; L. Right phallomere, right-ventral view. Scale bars: 1.0 cm (A – D); 0.2 cm (E – H); 0.1 cm (I – L).

Figure 8. Oothecae of Pseudoeupolyphaga and living individuals. Oothecae lateral view (A – C) and close-up view to show the serrations (D – F). A, D. P. vestis sp. nov.; B, E. P. spelunca sp. nov.; C, F. P. Pilosa; G, H. Male adults of P. spelunca in the laboratory; I. Male adults of P. vestis under the laboratory; J. Female adults of P. vestis under laboratory conditions; K. Male adults of P. menglianensis under the laboratory; L. Female adults of P. dauni under laboratory conditions (G – L by Yi-Ming Ren). Scale bars: 0.1 cm (A-F).