Nocticola cockingi Trotter, Main & Finston, 2017, n. sp.
Creators: name: Trotter, Andrew J.
name: Main, Dean C.
name: Finston, Terrie L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Blattodea
Nocticolidae
Nocticola
Nocticola cockingi

description: Nocticola cockingi n. sp.
(Figs 5–7)
Type material. AUSTRALIA: Western Australia: holotype male, Jirrpalpur Range, drill hole SF0134R (23°00`21.80"S, 118°58`54.70"E 27 May 2010) (J. Cocking, D. Main) (WAM 84166). Paratypes: 1 female, same data as for previous except for 21 July 2010 (WAM 84167); 1 male, 1 female, 1 nymph, Jirrpalpur Range, drill hole GRR067 (22°58`21.30"S, 119°03`10.30"E), 20 February 2010 (D. Main, G. Pearson) (WAM 84164); 1 male, Jirrpalpur Range, drill hole RP011 (22°57`57.72"S, 119°04`22.08"E), 10 April 2008 (M. Scanlon, G. Pearson) (WAM 84165); 1 male, 1 female, 12 nymphs, Jirrpalpur Range, drill hole GR0014R (23°00`22.08"S, 118°57`51.78"E), 20 February 2010 (D. Main, G. Pearson) (WAM 84160); 1 male, same data (WAM 84161); 1 male, 3 nymphs Jirrpalpur Range, drill hole SF0149R (23°00`38.70"S, 118°59`39.50"E), 19 February 2010 (D. Main, G. Pearson) (WAM 84168); 1 male, 5 nymphs same data except 26 May 2010 (WAM 84169); 1 male, Jirrpalpur Range, drill hole GR0101R (22°58`10.02"S, 119°04`19.32"E), 10 April 2008 (M. Scanlon, G. Pearson) (WAM 84162); 1 female, Jirrpalpur Range, same except for 8 August 2008 (WAM 84163).
Etymology. The specific epithet is a patronym in honour of Jim Cocking, who collected the holotype.
Description of male (holotype).
Body: Approximately 3.1 times as long as wide (Fig. 6A). Total length (excluding cerci) 3.576 mm, 3.186– 3.968 (other males), abdomen width 1.095 mm, 1.066–1.22 (other males).
Colour: Yellowish brown.
Head: Vertex of head slightly exposed, spinules present (Fig. 6B). Eyes absent. Ocelli are absent. Antennae missing on holotype, longer than body, 46 segments (paratype).
Pronotum: Rounded anteriorly, squarer posterior margin, flattened towards margins, convex towards the midline (Fig. 6A, B), 1.112 mm long, 0.925–1.196 mm (other males), 1.155 mm wide, 1.047–1.23 mm (other males), covered in scattered small spinules with stouter longer spinules along lateral margins and some on dorsal surface.
Tegmina: Hyaline, reduced in length, reaching to the fourth abdominal tergum (Fig. 6A), 1.737 mm long, 1.433–1.705 mm (other males), 0.675 mm wide, 0.582–0.675 mm (other males) 4–5 indistinct veins (holotype) are present, covered in recumbent setae, marginal setae fringe short, same length as recumbent setae.
Legs: Hind leg 1.6 times longer than total body length. Femora not uniformly slender, narrowing distally, anterior ventral margin of front femur with a row of minute piliform spinules and one large apical spine (Type C1) (Fig. 6C). Mid and hind femurs with long setae on the ventral margins and a large, long spine on anterior lateral edge (Fig. 6D, E). Mid leg tibia with two accessory spines (Fig. 6D). Hind leg tibia has four medial accessory spine (Fig. 6E). All legs, tibia and tarsi covered with fine hairs and very small spinules. Pulvilli and arolia absent, tarsal claws simple, symmetrical, small. Front femur 1.325 mm, 1.109–1.381 mm (other males), front tibia 0.985 mm, 0.837–1.044 mm (other males), front tarsus 0.811 mm, 0.637–0.794 mm (other males), front metatarsus 0.565 mm, 0.514–0.633 mm (other males). Total front leg length 3.686 mm, 3.153–3.852 mm (other males). Mid femur 1.451 mm, 1.128–1.403 mm (other males), mid tibia 1.257 mm, 0.997–1.135 mm (other males), mid tarsus 0.888 mm, 0.762–0.875 mm (other males), mid metatarsus 0.714 mm, 0.594–0.631 mm (other males). Total mid leg length 4.31 mm, 3.507–3.874 mm (other males). Hind femurs 1.835 mm, 1.574–1.781 mm (other males), hind tibia 1.946 mm, 1.567–1.947 mm (other males), hind tarsus 1.041 mm, 1.005–1.167 mm (other males), hind metatarsus 0.89 mm, 0.755–0.846 mm (other males). Total hind leg length 5.712 mm, 4.969–5.719 mm (other males).
Abdominal terga: Unspecialized but curvature present at midline of tergum 4. Tergum 3 with deeper Vshaped indentation on posterior margin. Abdominal tergal glands absent (Fig. 6A).
Cerci: Very long and slender, consisting of nine segments with setae of varying lengths, some long and trailing. (Fig. 6A). Cerci length 1.248 mm, other male 1.194 mm, all other male specimens with cerci broken or missing.
Genitalia: R 3v flattened and plate-like with edges thickened and more sclerotized (Fig. 7A). R3d is positioned dorsally and is connected to the apical part of R 3v. Thick knob-like, lightly sclerotized and covered in spine-like tubercles (Fig. 7A). R2 which is located between R 3v and R3d. Large, curved tongue-like with distal half covered in large scale-like tubercles in parallel rows (Fig. 7A). R1 connected to R3d. Long cylindrical, distal end blunt with scattered small setae along the ventral margin (Fig. 7A, B). L1, lightly sclerotized, triangular shaped with lateral teeth (Fig. 7A, C). L2d is long hook-like heavily sclerotized with subapical incision (hook), lobe ventral to incision with nine strong setae (Fig. 7D). L3d large, heavily sclerotized spade-like tip with large ventral spine present (Fig. 7A, E, F). L 2v lightly sclerotized, bent (Fig. 7A). L 3v heavily sclerotized, curved with inner end anvil shaped. p short, straight with basal third covered with large spines. Tip of penis slightly bulbous, covered with short hair-like setae (Fig. 7A, G). vp heavily sclerotized, spear shaped, lightly curved with distal half covered in spine-like tubercles (Fig. 7A, H).
Supraanal plate: Supraanal plate in dorsal view symmetrical and trapeziform, hind margin slightly concave, with scattered setae dorsally and marginally. Right and left paraprocts similar, poorly defined without processes (Fig. 8B).
Subgenital plate: Subgenital plate slightly asymmetrical, hind margin slightly concave with scattered setae dorsally and marginally, styles absent (Fig. 8A).
Description of opposite sex (paratype).
Body: Apterous. Similar to male, but larger. Medial length 4.579 mm, 3.767–4.93 mm (other females). Abdomen width 1.643 mm, 1.449–1.633 (other females).
Head: Eyes absent. (Fig. 5B). Antennae longer than body, 56 segments.
Pronotum: Length 1.364 mm, 1.141–1.366 mm (other females), 1.44 mm wide, 1.278–1.387 mm (other females).
Legs: Front femur 1.552 mm, 1.345–1.4 mm (other females), front tibia 1.06 mm, 0.849–0.978 mm (other females), front tarsus 0.858 mm, 0.697–0.76 mm (other females), front metatarsus 0.691 mm, 0.637–0.65 mm (other females), total length front leg 4.161 mm, 3.537–3.788 mm (other females). Mid femur 1.674 mm, 1.425– 1.608 mm (other females), mid tibia 1.44 mm, 1.265–1.344 mm (other females), mid tarsus 1.02 mm, 0.796–0.967 mm (other females), mid metatarsus 0.784 mm 0.622–0.693 mm (other females). Total mid leg length 4.918 mm, 4.179–4.541 mm (other females). Hind femur 2.027 mm, 1.77–1.987 mm (other females), hind tibia 2.111 mm, 1.826–2.02 mm (other females), hind tarsus 1.226 mm, 1.139–1.17 mm (other females), hind metatarsus 0.893 mm, 0.716–0.98 mm (other females), total length hind leg 6.257 mm, 5.482–6.126 mm (other females).
Cerci: Length 1.401 mm, 1.39–1.55 mm (other females); nine segmented though last two segments often hard to distinguish; ventral surface of segments 3, 4 and 5 with modified accessory spines, 1–2 on segment 3, 0–2 other females, 5 on following segments, 4–5 other females (Fig. 5H).
Supraanal plate: Hind margin concavely excavated (Fig. 5D).
Remarks. N.cockingi n. sp. belongs to the simoni -species group due to the absence of a tergal gland in the males (Roth 1988).
description: Published as part of Trotter, Andrew J., Main, Dean C. & Finston, Terrie L., 2017, Speciation in fractured rock landforms: towards understanding the diversity of subterranean cockroaches (Dictyoptera: Nocticolidae: Nocticola) in Western Australia, pp. 143-170 in Zootaxa 4250 (2) on pages 154-157, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4250.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/450968