Thoradonta spiculobaoides Zha and Kang, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Zha, Ling-Sheng
name: Wen, Ting-Chi
name: Kang, Ji-Chuan
name: Hyde, Kevin D.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Orthoptera
Tetrigidae
Thoradonta
Thoradonta spiculobaoides

description: Thoradonta spiculobaoides Zha and Kang sp. nov.
(Figures 3A–C, 4A–F, 5A–D)
Male
Body size small, covered with numerous small granules and many nodules (Figure 3A–B). Head not protruding over level of pronotal surface; vertex 1.5–1.6 times as wide as one eye, anterior margin straight, protruding but not surpassing anterior margins of eyes, lateral margins folded upwards but not surpassing top of eyes (Figure 4A, C); median carina conspicuous and protruding in anterior half which is visible before eyes in profile, while obscure or absent in posterior half; vertex and frontal ridge roundly protruding, excessively concave between lateral ocelli, and then excessively archedly protruding between antennae, longitudinal furrow about as wide as first segment of antenna (Figure 4B). Antenna filiform, 15-segmented, inserted slightly below lower margins of eyes (Figure 4B), length of longest segment (segment IV) about six times its width. Eyes globose, protruding but not above level of pronotum; lateral ocellus situated slightly below middle of anterior margin of eye. Pronotum very coarse, covered with numerous small granules and many nodules; anterior margin straight, lateral keels erected, slightly contracted backward, sometimes interrupted in middle or distal part excessively contracted inward (Figure 4A). Mid-keel not reaching anterior margin of pronotum, otherwise nearly complete, in profile upper margin distinctly undulate with wave peaks becoming lower backward and disappearing in distal area. These sinusoidal waves lamellate and erected, first highest, with intumesced base, both sides of intumescence with a pair of big nodules at margins of pronotum; second lamella longest and undulate, on both sides pronotal disc distinctly concave followed by a pair of long oblique nodules, and lateral margins of pronotum distinctly folded upwards; the latter mid-keel with about seven or eight lamellae, no less than four are visible and they connect with nodules of both their sides respectively (Figure 3A, B). Humeral angle obtusely angled, with a pair of abbreviated carinae between shoulders, pronotum slightly uplifted between shoulders (Figure 3A, B); hind process of pronotum long cone-shaped, surpassing slightly beyond top hind femora, distal part slightly upcurved and apex truncate (Figure 3A, B); posterior angles of lateral lobes of pronotum extending outwards, distal part nearly transverse or slightly oblique backward, fore margin of posterior angle smooth while hind margin with small teeth, apex spine-like; posterior margin of each lateral lobe with two concavities. Tegmina ovate, 2.3 times as long as its width, apex rounded (Figure 5C). Hindwing not reaching top of hind process of pronotum but slightly surpassing beyond top of hind femur (Figure 3A). Upper and lower margins of fore and mid femora undulate, with fine teeth; mid femur wider than tegmen and fore femur, middle femur distinctly narrowed from basal to distal side, and basal part thicker than distal part (Figure 5A, C). Hind femur about 2.5 times as long as wide, upper and lower margins dentate, outer side and upper side with a series of nodules; upper margin with a triangular protrusion before antegenicular, antegenicular isolated and long triangular, its apex nearly right angled, genicular denticle fingered extending backward and apex nearly quadrate (Figure 5B). Hind tibia distally slightly wider than basally, outer side with five to seven spines, inner side with for or five spines; first segment of hind tarsus 1.3–1.4 times (variable in different specimens) longer than third, third pulvillus about as long as second and slightly longer than first pulvillus, apices of all pulvilli sharp (Figure 5D). Subgenital plate short cone-shaped, apex bifurcate and bidentate (Figure 4D).
Body dark brown. Antenna brown and colour of distal segments darker; hindwings black; fore and mid femora and tibiae with three yellowish brown bands, bands of femora obscure; lower outside of hind femur black, centre of inner side of hind femur dark brown; hind tibia with two long yellowish brown bands.
Female
Slightly larger than male. Upper margin of fore femur arched, distinctly narrowed from basal to distal side; width of mid femur slightly narrower than width of tegmen, not narrowed or thicker from basal to distal area (Figure 3C). Ovipositor: length of upper valvulae about 4.0 times its width, outer margins of upper and lower valvulae with small saw-like teeth (Figure 4E). Posterior margin of subgenital plate: middle triangularly protruding, sometimes this protrusion folded inward, forming a basal concavity and a protrusion on both sides, and even the triangular protrusion invisible in ventral view (Figure 4F).
Measurements
Length of body (mm): ♂ 6.0–6.8, ♀ 6.8–7.8; length of pronotum: ♂ 6.0–6.9, ♀ 6.4–7.2; length of hind femur: ♂ 3.4–3.8, ♀ 3.7–4.5.
Type material
Holotype (No. 15-0644, MFLU): ♂, Thailand, Chiang Rai (20°19 ′ 43 ′′ N, 99°51 ′ 48 ′′ E, 402.3 m altitude), 25 November 2014, collected by ZHA Ling-Sheng. Paratypes: 1♂ 2♀ (No. 15-0645, 15-0646, 15-0647, MFLU) 3♂ 4♀ (HNU), same data as holotype.
Diagnosis
Thoradonta spiculobaoides sp. nov. is similar to T. spiculoba Hancock, 1912 (Zheng 2005) and T. dianguiensis Deng, Zheng and Wei 2006, It differs from the former by: (1) vertex only 1.5–1.6 times as wide as one eye (Figure 4A); (2) antenna inserted decidedly below lower margins of eyes (Figure 4B), length of longest segment six times its width; (3) upper margin of hind femur with a triangular protrusion before antegenicular, antegenicular isolated and long triangular (Figure 5B); (4) first segment of hind tarsus only 1.3–1.4 times as long as third, apices of all pulvilli sharp (Figure 5D); (5) female size distinctly smaller. It differs from the latter by: (1) body size decidedly smaller; (2) humeral angle obtusely angled (Figure 3B); (3) hind process of pronotum only slightly surpassing beyond top hind femora, never reaching one-third of hind tibia (Figure 3A–C); (4) upper margin of hind femur with a triangular protrusion before antegenicular, antegenicular isolated and long triangular (Figure 5B).
Etymology
The new species epithet is derived from Thoradonta spiculoba, which means it is similar to that species.
Distribution
Thailand (Chiang Rai).
description: Published as part of Zha, Ling-Sheng, Wen, Ting-Chi, Kang, Ji-Chuan & Hyde, Kevin D., 2015, The genus Thoradonta in Thailand (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae: Scelimeninae) with description of two new species, pp. 833-845 in Journal of Natural History 50 on pages 840-843, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1091101, http://zenodo.org/record/3990463