Ornebius xinyao Tan, new species
Creators: name: Tan, Ming Kai
name: Dawwrueng, Pattarawich
name: Artchawakom, Taksin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Orthoptera
Mogoplistidae
Ornebius
Ornebius xinyao

description: Ornebius xinyao Tan, new species
(Figs. 2, 3)
http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Orthoptera.speciesfile.org:TaxonName:471937
Material examined. Holotype (male): Singapore, Pulau Ubin, Chek Jawa, secondary coastal forest, on leaves of tree, 21 October 2014, coll. M. K. Tan & H. Yeo (ZRC).
Paratype: 1 male, same data as holotype (ZRC).
Diagnosis. This species has paraproct process with the basal half slender; apical half with interior margin expanded; apex obtuse with two distinct short and stout setae pointing posterior-externally on each process.
Description (n = 2). Habitus of male as shown in Fig. 2. Frontal rostrum 1.1 times wider than scapus; with transverse furrow and a less distinct medial furrow (Fig. 3 B). Maxillary palps with three apical segments of subequal length, apical (= fifth) segment strongly widened, apical and third segments slightly longer than fourth (Fig. 3 A). Pronotum in male about 1.2 times longer than wide with anterior dorsal margin slightly convex; lateral margin widening posteriorly; posterior margin convex, not covering base of mirror of tegmen (Fig. 3 B). Tegmen about 1.1 times wider than posterior area of pronotum; posterior margin convex; mirror roughly triangular, about as long as wide (Fig. 3 B). Fore tibia with internal tympanum round to oval; without external tympanum. Hind femur 1.4 times longer than hind tibia; hind tibia 3.4 times longer than hind metatarsus.
Male. Supra-anal plate with last abdominal tergite and epiproct distinctly separated by a transverse suture; last abdominal tergite transversely triangular, with short setae along posterior margin; epiproct broadly rounded, only slightly emerging beyond last abdominal tergite (Fig. 3 C). Paraproct process long, with basal half slender; apical half with interior margin expanded; apex obtuse with two distinct, short and stout setae pointing posteriorexternally on each process. (Figs. 3 C, 3D). Epiphallus and ventral lobe of phallic complex membranous. Sclerotised part of male genitalia as in Fig. 3 E. Lateral valves forming dorso-ventrally compressed, separate lobes; lobe elongated, anteriorly surpassing medial valve; internal margin straight and external margin convex, tapering into a narrowly truncated apex. Medial valve curved at base forming a semi-circle, apex obtuse. Internal sclerite of medial valve not surpassing medial valve.
Female. Unknown.
Colouration. Head dark yellow brown; frons, scapus, and frontal rostrum darker (Fig. 2 A). Maxillary and labial palps pale yellow brown. Pronotal dorsal disc yellow brown, apical margin with white scales; lateral lobes dark. Male tegmen yellow; in dorsal view, apex with broad black margin; black band continues to the ventral half of lateral field (Figs. 2 A, 2B). Femur generally light to pale yellow brown basally and covered with black thereafter; tibia black to dark yellow brown. Hind femur white baso-ventrally, otherwise covered with grey scales. Abdomen with tergites dark grey to black dorsally; sternites white except the apical sternites (Fig. 2 C). Abdominal apex black, subgenital plate black. Cercus light brown at base, black thereafter.
Measurements. See Table 1.
Etymology. This species is named after xinyao (noun in apposition), a Romanised (Pinyin) form of the Chinese name a (xin) W (yao). It refers to the Singapore folksongs in the 1980s and 1990s. It also reflects the melodious chirping songs of many scaly crickets that can be heard in the forest of Singapore at night.
Discussion. This species is very similar to Ornebius nigrifrons Chopard, 1969 and Ornebius nigrirostris Chopard, 1969 from Peninsular Malaysia (Table 2). Only non-sexual characters from the descriptions given in Chopard (1969) can be used for comparison. However, colour patterns remain relatively reliable characters to differentiate species of Ornebius. Table 2 compares Ornebius xinyao sp. n. with three other similar species and there are evidences that Ornebius xinyao sp. n. is indeed new. This species is also similar to Ornebius citrus Ingrisch, 2006 and Ornebius flori Ingrisch, 1998 having the male tegmen yellow with black hind margin, and the lateral valves of the male phallic complex forming dorso-ventrally compressed lobes. It differs however from the two other species by the maxillary palps, male supra-anal plate and paraproct processes. This species is also similar to Ornebius brevipalpus Ingrisch, 2006 from Thailand by segments of maxillary palps short and abdominal apex but different by tegmen colour and male phallic complex.
O. xinyao sp. n. O. albipalpus O. nigrifrons O. nigrirostris Tegmen and Pronotum not covering Pronotum not covering Pronotum protruding Pronotum not covering pronotum base of mirror base of mirror posteriorly, covering base of mirror
base of mirror Male paraproct Swollen in the middle Slender and curved Short Slender process
* In Chopard (1969), the holotype was recorded at altitude 13950 ft but the highest point of Kedah Peak is only 3235 ft.
description: Published as part of Tan, Ming Kai, Dawwrueng, Pattarawich & Artchawakom, Taksin, 2015, Contribution to the taxonomy of scaly crickets (Orthoptera: Mogoplistidae: Mogoplistinae) from Southeast Asia, pp. 381-394 in Zootaxa 4032 (4) on pages 383-384, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4032.4.3, http://zenodo.org/record/245123