First report of the female Acanthogryllus asiaticus Gorochov, 1990 (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Gryllinae) from India and updated description of two crickets of Gryllini
Author
Meena, Ashok Kumar
0000-0002-8856-0250
ICAR Emeritus Scientist Scheme, Department of Entomology, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, MPUAT, Udaipur (Rajasthan) - 313001 & akmeenaentomology @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 8856 - 0250
akmeenaentomology@gmail.com
Author
Swaminathan, Rajamani
0000-0002-4634-9721
ICAR Emeritus Scientist Scheme, Department of Entomology, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, MPUAT, Udaipur (Rajasthan) - 313001 & udaiswami 57 @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 4634 - 9721
udaiswami57@gmail.com
Author
Swaminathan, Tatiana
0000-0001-9977-6527
tatianaswaminathan 1966 @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 9977 - 6527
tatianaswaminathan1966@gmail.com
text
Zootaxa
2022
2022-04-08
5125
2
144
156
journal article
55215
10.11646/zootaxa.5125.2.3
6571fc1d-8173-4d3f-8cc9-d875c0448236
1175-5326
6424456
BE6996B6-BFE8-4E00-8E63-C4B1569196A1
Subgenus
Velarifictorus
Randell, 1964
Velarifictorus, Gorochov, 2001: 319
; Storozhenko, 2004: 206, Storozhenko and Paik, 2007:99; Kim, 2013:298; Storozhenko, Kim and Jeon, 2015: 114.
Diagnosis:
Body form large to rather small. Head very large, upper half of head almost globular. Pronotum with parallel sides, somewhat widening in front. Male genitalia: hind margin of epiphallus with relatively long median projections, which is directed backwards. In this subgenus about 91 species occur worldwide; of these, 44 species have been reported from Asia-tropical, including the Indian subcontinent and the Indo-China region (
Cigliano
et al
., 2022
).
Velarifictorus
(
V.
)
raychaudhurii
(
Bhowmik, 1967
)
[Plates: I (a) & (b)]
Scapsipedus raychaudhurii
Bhowmik. 1967
. J. Zool. Soc.
India
20: 124.
Velarifictorus raychaudhurii,
Vasanth. 1993
. Rec. Zool. Surv.
India
, Misc. Pub., Occas. Paper 132(1-6): 43.
Velarifictorus raychaudhurii,
Ingrisch & Garai. 2001
. Esperiana 8: 758.
Scapsipedus raychoudhurii
(mis-spelt), Shishodia, K. Chandra & S.K. Gupta. 2010. Rec. Zool. Surv.
India
, Misc. Pub., Occas. Paper 314:203.
Material examined:
6 ♂
,
India
,
Meghalaya
,
Khasi
hills W,
04. vi.2013
,
25° 31’ 0.12’’ N
,
91° 16’ 0.12’’ E
,
1499 m
.;
from
Grasses
/
Tea
; coll.
R
.
Nagar
,
U Shillong
,
08.vi.2013
,
25° 34’ 33.6’’ N
,
91° 52’ 58.8’’ E
,
1495 m
.;
from
Grasses
; coll.
R
.
Nagar
(1) &
Jhabar Mal
(2),
RRTC
Rib Bhoi
,
03.vi.2013
,
25° 54’ 0’’ N
,
91° 53’ 0’’ E
,
1955 m
.;
from
Grasses
; coll.
R
.
Swaminathan
,
Dawki
,
06.vi.2013
,
25° 11’ 0’’ N
,
92° 1’ 0’’ E
,
26 m
.; from
Grasses
; coll.
R
.
Swaminathan
.
PLATE
I (a).
V. (V.) raychaudhurii
♂
(1-5): 1. Male; 2. Head & pronotum dorsal view; 3. Tegmina; 4. Supra anal plate; 5. Subgenital plate
PLATE
I
(b).
V. (V.) raychaudhurii
♂
(6-9): View of genitalia: 6. Dorsal; 7. Ventral; 8. Lateral; 9. Spermatophore
Additional description:
Lateral ocelli clearly connected by a yellow band. Maxillary palpi, I and II segments yellowish in colour, remaining segments are externally whitish and internally dark in colour, length of
III
and
IV
maxillary palpi is almost equal, while the
V
one is little longer than the previous segments. Fore tibiae with externally oval shaped and internally small spot like tympanum, but in some specimens, internal tympanum is less visible. Mirror longer than wide, but in some specimens length and width almost equal. Apical field of tegmina well developed with 2 to 4 longitudinal veins and with clear reticulations. Dorsal side of the abdomen and cerci are dark brown, while abdomen is yellowish in colour on the ventral side.
Genitalia:
Supra-anal plate (SAP) cap-shaped, semi-membranous with small to large hair, anterior half wider than long and also having a small brown depression, apex of supra-anal plate is rounded. Subgenital plate is little wider than long, anterior half membranous and posterior half semi-membranous. When the subgenital plate is dorsally pressed it appears W-shaped, but apico-laterally rounded on both sides. Epiphallus is bridge-shaped and longer than wide, anterior margins of epiphallus sinuate and posterior half of epiphallus is trilobate dorsally, the lateral lobes narrow, apex blunt, but with small to long hair; middle lobe of epiphallus shorter and wider than lateral lobes and distinctly round, slightly or little deeply notched in the middle. Epiphallic apodemes are narrow present at the antero-lateral aspect of epiphallus, closely attached to epiphallus and is sinuate. Ramus is paired elongate, rod-shaped, forming the antero-lateral projection of epiphallus. Ventrally, ectoparameres are longer than lateral lobes and middle lobe of epiphallus and closely attached to lower side of epiphallus by membranes, ectoparameres are anteriorly divided, narrow in inner side and wide in outer side; anteriorly ectoparameres are slender-shaped, but in middle wider, more bulbous and posteriorly narrow, presenting small teeth-shaped, pointed apex, curved upward and facing towards middle lobe of epiphallus. Principal ectoparameral apodemes are elongate, apically joined together to each other, appearing compressed dorsally, inverted W-shaped and laterally J-shaped. Apices of virga extend to 1/4
th
of anterior ectoparameres with acute apex. Spermatophore, as given in Figure (9).
Female:
Unknown
Measurements (mm) Male: Body length 12.0-13.50; head length 3.5, width 4.0; pronotum length 2.10-3.75, width 3.50-4.25; tegmina 7.0-7.50; hind femur 8.0-10.0 and hind tibia 5.50-6.25.
Remarks:
Velarifictorus raychaudhurii
was initially described as
Scapsipedus raychaudhurii
by H. K. Bhowmik in the year 1967 from
India
. According to OSF (
Orthoptera Spices File
) and while browsing online, this species has been included in the genus,
Scapsipedus
Saussure, 1877
; however, in our view and as per earlier published papers of
Vasanth (1993)
and
Ingrisch & Garai (2001)
this species belongs to the genus,
Velarifictorus
(
Velarifictorus
)
Randell, 1964
. Both the genera differ slightly morphologically, but their male genitalia are significantly different.
In the genus
Scapsipedus
Saussure, 1877
, the following is important: male genitalia; epiphallus is triangular in shape or elongate, wider and almost V-shaped and the epiphallus is dorsoventrally flattened and if we view ventrally and laterally, posterior middle lobe of the epiphallus is longer than the lateral lobes. While, in the genus,
Velarifictorus
(
Velarifictorus
)
Randell, 1964
, as follows, the male genitalia epiphallus is bridge-shaped and wider than long, posterior half of epiphallus is dorsally trilobate, middle lobe of epiphallus shorter and wider than lateral lobes and distinctly round, slightly or little deeply emarginated in middle of apex. Ventrally, ectoparameres are longer than lateral lobes.
Distribution:
Asia-tropical, Indian subcontinent,
India
(West Himalaya,
Uttarakhand
and
Meghalaya
).