Pycnoscelus puteus Wang & Che 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Wang, Yi-Shu
name: Dong, Xiao-Jiao
name: Wang, Zong-Qing
name: Che, Yan-Li
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Blattodea
Blaberidae
Pycnoscelus
Pycnoscelus puteus

description: Pycnoscelus puteus Wang & Che sp. nov.
Fig. 4
Type material.
Holotype. China • male; Yunnan Prov., Xishuangbanna, Mengla County, Menglun Town, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden; 25 May 2016; Lu Qiu & Zhi-Wei Qiu leg.; SWU -B-BB 120101. Paratypes. China • 2 males; same collection data as holotype; SWU -B-BB 120102 and 120103 • 1 male; same collection data as holotype; 27 May 2016; SWU -B-BB 120104 • 4 males; Yunnan Prov., Pu’er City, Meizihu Lake; Lu Qiu & Zhi-Wei Qiu leg.; 20–21 May 2016; SWU -B-BB 120105 to 120109 • 1 male; Yunnan Prov., Xishuangbanna, Jinghong City, Dadugang; 5 May 2013; Zong-Qing Wang leg.; SWU -B-BB 120110.
Differential diagnosis.
Pycnoscelus puteus sp. nov. is very similar to P. nigra in general appearance and coloration but differs strongly from the later in interocular distance and male genitalia, especially the sclerotized part associated with sclerite R 1 T and R 2 (compare Fig. 3 F, I and Fig. 4 F, J in present paper). Furthermore, the male genitalia distinguish this new species from all other known species of genus Pycnoscelus except P. rothi, but the coloration of the pronotum could separate them easily (compare Fig. 4 E with Anisyutkin 2002: fig. 1).
Description.
Male (holotype). General color black (Fig. 4 A, B). Head black except for yellowish brown clypeo-labral area; maxillary palps and antennae brownish black; eyes black, ocellar spots whitish. Pronotum shining black, with two indistinct, narrow yellow borders anterolaterally (Fig. 4 E). Tegmina similar to those of P. nigra, dark when folded. Abdomen and legs brownish black. Cerci slightly lighter.
Body slender. Head slightly exposed. Eyes comparatively small; outer margin of ocelli obscure; interocular space wider than the distance between the inner margin of ocellar spots, and smaller than distance between antennal sockets (Fig. 4 F). Pronotum subpentagonal, densely punctured (Fig. 4 E). Tegmina and wings extending beyond the end of abdomen. Front femur Type C 1. Hind metatarsus distinctly longer than other segments combined; four proximal tarsomeres with well-developed pulvilli, the one on the first tarsomere occupying almost the complete length of the segment; claws symmetrical and simple; arolium large. Supra-anal plate transverse, slightly asymmetrical, hind margin with a small medial incision (Fig. 4 G). Paraprocts of blaberid type, asymmetrical. Subgenital plate asymmetrical, with the right posterolateral corner acute and upturned. Left style minute, right one large and robust (Fig. 4 H).
Male genitalia. Right phallomere with caudal part of sclerite R 1 T rounded; R 2 curved; an outgrowth arising from the junction of R 1 T and R 2, with an additional heavily sclerotized part whose surface is pitted; R 3 forked caudally, R 4 plate-like, R 5 absent (Fig. 4 J, K). Sclerite L 2 D divided into basal and apical parts: the basal part short, apically widened; the apical part strongly sclerotized with posterior margin distinctly toothed; apical membrane well developed, with surface covered by microtrichia (Fig. 4 L). Sclerite L 3 hook with apical incision, inner curved margin with a small tooth; sclerite L 4 U present and divided into two parts (Fig. 4 M, N).
Variation.
Body broader, brownish black (Fig. 4 C, D); some individuals lack left style (probably missing, Fig. 4 I); inner curved margin of hook of sclerite L 3 with two small projections (Fig. 4 N).
Measurements (mm).
Male, body length including tegmina: 20.1–20.9; pronotum length × width: 3.7–4.0 × 5.0–5.6; tegmen length: 16.1–18.0.
Etymology.
Derived from the Latin word puteus, referring to the pitted surface of the sclerotized enlargement associated with sclerites R 1 T and R 2.
description: Published as part of Wang, Yi-Shu, Dong, Xiao-Jiao, Wang, Zong-Qing & Che, Yan-Li, 2025, Taxonomic update of Pycnoscelus Scudder, 1862 (Blattodea, Blaberidae, Pycnoscelinae), with descriptions of two new species from China, pp. 45-67 in ZooKeys 1231 on pages 45-67, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1231.141287