Ergaula nepalensis
Creators: name: Qiu, Lu
name: Che, Yan-Li
name: Wang, Zong-Qing
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Blattodea
Corydiidae
Ergaula
Ergaula nepalensis

description: Ergaula nepalensis (Saussure, 1893)   
(Figures 2a–d; 3d–f, k, o, s; 6, 7; 10b)  
 Dyscologamia nepalensis Saussure, 1893: 300, male, ‘ India: Sikkim’; Kirby 1904: 173; Hanitsch 1927: 41; Princis 1950a: 204.   
 Ergaula nepalensis: Princis 1963a: 80.   
 Material examined   
 35 males. CHINA: Hainan: 5 males, Mt. Wuzhishan, Wuzhishan City, 795 m, 18 May 2014, Shun-Hua Gui and Xin-Ran Li leg. (SWU, 3 in preserved 100% alcohol); 1 male, Mt. Wuzhishan, Wuzhishan City, 730 m, 8 May 2007, Xian Li leg. (IZCAS); 2 males, Yabin, Shuiman Township, Wuzhishan City, 740 m, 28–30 June 2008, Wei-Wei Zhang leg. (SWU); 2 males, Mt. Jianfengling, Ledong County, 6 May 1983, Mao-Bin Gu leg. (SWU); 1 male, Mt. Jianfengling, Ledong County, by light trap, 3 June 1982, Zhi-Qing Chen leg. (SWU); 1 male, Mt. Jianfengling, Ledong County, by light trap, 24 May 1982, You-Dong Lin leg. (SWU); 1 male, Mingfenggu, Mt. Jianfengling, Ledong County, 968 m, 26 May 2014, Shun-Hua Gui, Xin-Ran Li and Jian-Yue Qiu leg. (SWU); 1 male, Mt. Yinggeling, Baisha County, 11 May 2011, Xiao-Qing Yang and Lin-Fei Wang leg. (MHBU); 2 males, Miaocun Village, Baisha County, 4–5 May 2007, Yi-Bin Ba and Jun-Tong Lang leg. (MHBU); 2 males, Dongyi Station / No. 1 East Station, Mt. Bawangling, Cangjiang County, 750 m, 5–7 June 2008, Yi-Bin Ba and Jun-Tong Lang leg. (MHBU); 1 male Dong’ er Station / No. 2 East Station, Mt. Bawangling, Cangjiang County, 1050 m, 8 May 2007, De-Yan Ge leg. (IZCAS); 1 male, Mt. Diaoluoshan Administration Bureau, Mt. Diaoluoshan, Lingshui County, 5 May 2007, Hui Xiao leg. (IZCAS). Guangdong: 3 males, Luogangdong, in suburb of Guangzhou City, 11 June 1964, Yu-Liang Luo and Yao-Quan Li leg. (SWU). Guangxi: 2 males, Luoxiang Township, Jinxiu County, 450 m, 30 June 2000, Wen-Zhu Li leg. (IZCAS); 1 male, Luoxiang Township, Jinxiu County, 450 m, 30 June 2000, Jian Yao leg. (IZCAS). VIETNAM: Da Nang: 8 males, Mt. Ba Na, 1450 m, April 2015, purchased by Qiao-Zhi Yang from a local collector (4 in SWU, 4 in QZYC). MYANMAR: 1 male, ‘BURMA ca 200m./ Washaung, 20km./ East of Myitkyina /14 June (19)34 Malaise (leg.)’, with a handwritten label, identifying it as: ‘ Dyscologamia nepalensis Sauss. male det. K. Princis’ (NRM, No. 0000083).   
 Diagnosis   
 The male of the species can be distinguished from the congeners by the large transparent markings on the tegmina (viz. two large irregular whitish spots each on the lateral fore margins, distal half widely whitish transparent, apex slightly pale brownish. (Figure 2a) and the very narrow interocular space (Figure 3e), while the other species of the genus with small transparent markings on tegmina or simply with unicoloured tegmina: E. capucina and E. carunculigera with a band across the tegmina; E. pilosa with a small spot on the centre of the tegmina; E. capensis and E. funebris with unicoloured tegmina. The male E. silphoides is still unknown to science.   
 Redescription   
 Male. General: body length 20.6–23.2 mm; overall length including tegmen 30.0– 36.0 mm; pronotum length × width 6.2–7.3 × 10.1–12.6 mm; tegmen length: 25.0– 27.5 mm. Body dark chestnut (some old specimens lighter, Figure 2d), broad, medium to large, with large hyaline markings on tegmina (Figure 2a–d). Head: dark brown; eyes large, interocular space very narrow; ocelli yellow, small but distinct, ocelli ridge slightly curved, with some yellowish pubescence surrounding, below with three dimples; face flat, with two dimples each beside the antennal sockets; antennae brown, pubescent; clypeus smooth, small, anteclypeus pale, brownish yellow, postclypeus brown; labrum brown, median upheaval, margins rough narrowly; maxillary and labial palpi brown, slightly pubescent (Figure 3e). Pronotum: unicoloured, chestnut, thick, punctate, covered with very small brownish-yellow pubescence, margins thickened (Figure 3k); anterior margin transverse, gradually curved, lateral fore borders strongly angled, which is the widest of the pronotum, lateral margins oblique, posterior border narrow, with lateral corners bluntly angled (Figure 3d). Tegmina and wings: Tegmina brown, with distinct whitish transparent markings, Sc swelling present (Figure 3f); in resting position, two large irregular whitish spots each on the lateral fore margins; distal half widely whitish, transparent, apex slightly pale brownish; left tegmen with a small whitish spot on the hind corner of CuP in cfr; the covered part of right tegmen smooth, dark. Wings with basal half brownish hyaline, distal half colourless hyaline, apex brownish, venation brown (Figure 2a, c–d). Venation as in Figure 10b, tegmen with Sc branched distally, R largely occupying the whole outer margin, branches of M and CuA simple, slender, straight, parallel; wing with a single Sc and RA, RP with about six branches, M slender, straight, branched at the apex, CuA with a distinct circle at the base, the main vein straight, with about 13 straight, parallel branches. Legs: brown, with brownish-yellow pubescence, spines on the legs reddish brown, arolia present (Figure 3s). Abdomen: thin, brown, lateral corners of each segment transparently brownish yellow, surface fully with yellowish pubescence. Supra-anal plate (Figure 6a) thoroughly pubescent, brown, with hind hyaline medially, transverse, generally trapezoidal shaped, but with lateral hind corners strongly rounded, median slightly sunken; paraprocts brown, well sclerotised, irregular; two median sclerites slender, one larger than the other; cerci slender, dark brown, spheroid sense organs present. Subgenital plate brown, well bristled, round, styli slender, pubescent (Figure 6b). Genitalia: well sclerotised (Figure 6c). Left phallomere: L1 ringed, with a large process dorsally (Figure 6e), L2 thick, robust, curved, L3 robust, strongly curved, apex very sharp, the hook apex pointing ventrally, pda small, L4M small, L8 weakly sclerotised, membraned (Figure 6f), L7 thick, adhering to R2 (Figure 6g). Right phallomere: R1M short, R2 simple, integrated with R3 widely, R3 with anterior strongly protruded (Figure 6d).   
 Variation   
Besides the body size, the most distinct variation in males is the markings on the tegmina. The two irregular spots on the lateral margin of the basal half and the median spot of CuP in cfr vary from small to large, extreme individuals have the lateral spots expanded and fused with the distal transparent part; the brownish portion of the apex varies from pale to dark (Figure 2a, c).  
 Distribution   
 India: Sikkim (type locality); China (new record): Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi; Vietnam (new record): Da Nang; Myanmar: Myitkyina.   
 Natural history   
Unknown. The males can be caught by light trapping (Figure 7).  
 Remarks   
 Ergaula nepalensis was originally reported from Sikkim (Saussure 1893). Princis (1950a) also recorded this species from north Myanmar (Figure 2d; we have examined the specimen recorded by Princis (1950a) in NRM). Based on our studies, the distribution of this species extends southwards to central Vietnam and eastwards to Guangdong and Hainan, China.
description: Published as part of Qiu, Lu, Che, Yan-Li & Wang, Zong-Qing, 2018, Contributions to some Corydiinae genera (Blattodea: Corydioidea: Corydiidae) from China, pp. 1433-1461 in Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) (J. Nat. Hist.) 52 (21 - 22) on pages 1449-1452, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2018.1463406, http://zenodo.org/record/5174798