Morphna lucida Anisyutkin, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Anisyutkin, Leonid N.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Blattodea
Blaberidae
Morphna
Morphna lucida

description: Morphna lucida Anisyutkin, sp. nov.
(Figs. 1D, E, 4 A–M, 9 A)
Material. Holotype — male, SOUTH INDIA, state Tamil Nadu, Nilgiri Hills, Devala, 3200 ft., May 1961, coll. P.S. Nathan (MMUM).
Description. Male (holotype). General color light yellowish, with scattered small brown spots (Figs. 1D, E, 4A, B); facial part of head yellow, with small brown dots located mostly between eyes and on the vertex (Figs. 1D, 4 A); eyes blackish brown; antennae and mouthparts yellowish; pronotum yellowish, lateral parts nearly translucent, with small brown spots at margins (Figs. 1 E, 4B); tegmina yellowish, with not numerous scattered small brown spots, a pair of larger ones (one on each tegmen) located at the middle of tegmina (Fig. 1 E); legs, thorax and abdomen from below yellowish. Surfaces smooth and lustrous, distal parts of antennae (approximately from 18–19th segments) and 5th segment of maxillary palps dull; fine punctation present only in basal parts of tegmina; facial part of head with transverse wrinkles between eyes, antennal sockets and above clypeus (Figs. 1D, 4 A). Head longer than wide (Figs. 1D, 4 A); ocellar spots large; facial part with weak impressions between eyes; distance between eyes 0.7 times of the eye length; distance between antennal sockets 1.5 times of the scape length (1.5 mm); approximate length ratio of 3rd–5th segments of maxillary palps 1: 1: 1.2. Pronotum as in Figs. 1 E, 4B. Tegmina and wings completely developed, surpassed abdominal apex, truncated apically (Figs. 1 E, 9A). Tegmina with emarginated apex (Figs. 1 E, 9A); weakly sclerotized; venation distinct; costal field wider and shorter as compared with those structures of Rhabdoblatta praecipua (Fig. 9 B) and well sclerotized; Sc thickened (well visible on ventral side of tegmen); R, M and CuA stems separated; CuP distinct. Anterior margin of fore femora armed according to the type B, with 7 spines, including 2 apical ones. Structure of hind tarsi: metatarsus slightly shorter than other segments combined, with euplantula more than 3/4 of segment length (Fig. 4 C); euplantulae of 2nd-4th segments large; spines absent, with exception of several delicate spinules located on metatarsal euplantula (Fig. 4 C, spi.); claws symmetrical, simple; arolium about half of claw length. Anal plate (tergite X) widely rounded caudally, with small triangular median incision (Fig. 4 D). Cerci long, flatten, with segments distinctly separated (Fig. 4 D). Paraprocts of blaberid-type (Fig. 4 E). Hypandrium nearly symmetrical (Fig. 4 F); antero-lateral parts short (Fig. 4 F, l.s.a.); caudal margin between styli rounded, with distinct median incision; styli fusiform.
Male genitalia (Fig. 4 G–M). Right phallomere (R+N) with caudal part of sclerite R1T subrectangular in shape (Fig. 4 G, H, c.p.R1T), densely covered with bristles; R2 weakly curved (Fig. 4 G, H); R3 distinctly widened caudally (Fig. 4 G, H); R4 large (Fig. 4 H); R5 large, fused with sclerite R3 (Fig. 4 G, H). Sclerite L2D (L1) divided into basal and apical parts (Fig. 4 I); basal part rod-like, moderately widened cranially (Fig. 4 I); apical part rounded, densely covered with recumbent bristles (Fig. 4 J); "dorsal outgrows" flat (Fig. 4 J, d.o.). Sclerite L3 (L2d) without basal subsclerite; "folded structure" distinct, without bristles (Fig. 4 K, L, f.s.); apex of L3 with "small tooth" (Fig. 4 K–M, s.t.), groove hge absent. Sclerite L4U (L3d) distinct and triangular.
Female unknown.
Measurements (mm). Head length 5.7, head width 5.4, pronotum length 9.2, pronotum width 12.5, tegmen length 40.0, tegmen width (in place where CuP running into posterior margin of tegmen) 13.0.
Comparison. The new species can readily be distinguished from M. auriculata, M. badia, M. clypeata, M. dotata, M. humeralis, M. imperatoria, M. maculata, M. moloch, M. plana and M. pustulata by its nearly uniform, light yellowish coloration, with brown spots being small and sparse. Morphna lucida sp. nov. can be distinguished from M. decolyi by the fully developed tegmina and wings surpassing the abdominal apex; these structures are strongly abbreviated in M. decolyi (see below for the description).
By its light coloration, the new species is somewhat similar to M. amplipennis, but differs from it in having the comparatively smaller pronotum [the ratio length of tegmen/length of pronotum in M. lucida sp. nov. is about 4.3, while in M. amplipennis —3.6], the distinctly elongated abdomen and the color pattern of pronotum and tegmina [cf. Figs 1 E, 4B and photos of M. amplipennis holotype in Beccaloni (2007)].
description: Published as part of Anisyutkin, Leonid N., 2014, On cockroaches of the subfamily Epilamprinae (Dictyoptera: Blaberidae) from South India and Sri Lanka, with descriptions of new taxa, pp. 301-332 in Zootaxa 3847 (3) on pages 309-311, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3847.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/253194