Discotettix (Discotettix) aruanus Skejo, Pushkar et Tumbrinck 2022, sp. n.
Creators: name: Skejo, Josip
name: Pushkar, Taras I.
name: Kasalo, Niko
name: Pavlović, Marko
name: Deranja, Maks
name: Adžić, Karmela
name: Tan, Ming Kai
name: Rebrina, Fran
name: Muhammad, Amira Aqilah
name: Abdullah, Nurul Ashikin
name: Japir, Razy
name: Chung, Arthur Y. C.
name: Tumbrinck, Josef
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Orthoptera
Tetrigidae
Discotettix
Discotettix aruanus

description: Discotettix (Discotettix) aruanus Skejo, Pushkar et Tumbrinck sp. n. (Figs 19–20)
Vernacular name: Aruan Unicorn Pygmy Devil
Type locality: Indonesia: SE Moluccas: Aru Island: Wokam: 10–15 km NEE of Wakua.
Material examined.
Type material. HOLOTYPE (Fig. 19) 1♀ Indonesia: SE Moluccuas: Aru Island, S coast of Wokam I., 10–15 km NEE of Wakua vill., 0–50 m alt. 21–30.I.2015., St. Jakl leg. (ZMUH); PARATYPE (Fig. 20) 1♀ Indonesia: SE Moluccuas: Aru Island, S coast of Wokam I., 10–15 km NEE of Wakua vill., 0–50 m alt. 21–30.I.2015., St. Jakl leg. (FM broken in this specimen) (ZMUH). Type series depository. Zoologisches Museum Hamburg, Germany.
Type series depository. Zoologisches Museum Hamburg, Germany (ZMUH).
Etymology. Named after the island of Aru. The specific epitheton is a masculine gender adjective in the Nominative case made from the Latinisation of the name Aru (aruanus, aruana, aruanum).
Distribution. This species is known to inhabit the Peninsula of Wokam (Wokam Palau), a part of the island of Aru in the southeastern Moluccas. This is the easternmost species of the genus Discotettix.
Specific diagnosis. The new species is very similar to Discotettix selysi from the southern Malaysian peninsula and from Sumatra. It shares many traits with D. selysi, but a few subtle differences exist. Due to morphological differences among D. aruanus, D. selysi and D. doriae (Fig. 21) and because of high geographical isolation, D. aruanus sp. n. is proposed as a new species within the genus Discotettix, and not a subspecies of D. selysi. From D. doriae this species is easily separated by (I) the large FM covering the whole vertex and being produced even in front of the head (in D. doriae FM is much smaller) and (II) by much longer antennae without swollen segments. From D. selysi, the new species can separated by the following set of characteristics: (I) FM somewhat larger and in dorsal and lateral views projected before the head (in D. selysi, there are specimens without and with long projected FM); (III) MMLs more elevated than in D. selysi; (IV) PM and MM1 more elevated and more triangular (usually lower and more oblique in D. selysi); (V) VL spine more distinct in D. aruanus sp. n. because the posterior lobe of the lateral pronotal lobe has smaller spikes than in D. selysi (in D. selysi some specimens are similar to D. aruanus); (VI) femora more slender in D. aruanus sp. n. than in D. selysi; and (VII) humeral angles more projected in D. selysi (well visible in frontal view), and infrascapular area thus wider in D. selysi than in D. aruanus sp. n. For a comprehensive comparison with other species of the genus please consult the diagnoses of D. scabridus and D. belzebuth.
Description (holotype).
General features. Medium-sized, robust species (body length 11.5–13.5 mm in females, pronotum length about 16.5 mm); pronotum granulated and wrinkled, with numerous small tubercles and net-like elevations. The chitinous surfaces are smooth and without tubercles in some places of the dorsum, while the rest is strongly granulated. One large digitate FM on the anterior margin and numerous small triangular protuberances on the dorsal and lateral sides of the pronotum. Almost the entire body (except the eye, labrum, fore and mid tarsi, second and third segments of hind tarsus, and inner side of the hind femur) covered with numerous small tubercles (Figs 19, 20). Only the macropronotal form is known.
Coloration. Body dark brown, only some parts of the pronotal net-like elevations orange-red in color. Antenna dark brown, almost black. Proximal segments of the palpi light brown, and distal black. The visible part of the tegmen dark brown and without spots. Legs dark brown with lighter rings and patches. Fore and mid femora and tibiae dark brown with numerous small tubercles with somewhat lighter apices; fore and mid tarsi black, second segment with a light ring in the middle; 1 st tarsal pads whitish, claws brown. Hind femur dark brown with numerous small tubercles with lighter apices. Hind tibia dark brown with two weak light rings, one in the basal part, and another in the distal third. 1 st tarsus of hind leg pale brown, pads whitish; third segment pale brown with a dark ring in its distal part, claws brown. Tergites, sternites, epiproct, and cerci dark brown.
Head. In dorsal and frontal view, vertex 1.7 times as wide as an eye. In frontal view, lateral carinae of the vertex considerably raised and granulated. Fossula elliptic and deep, but not easily observable because it is covered by large FM of the anterior pronotal margin. Lateral ocelli situated just below the level of the lower margin of a compound eye. Antennal groove significantly below the lower margin of a compound eye. In frontal view frontal costa bifurcated at the level of lateral ocelli into facial carinae, forming narrow parallel scutellum. Scutellum narrower than the antennal grove and the scapus (Figs 19E, 20E). Antenna elongated 13-segmented: scapus (1 st antennomere) and pedicel (2 nd antennomere) massive; basal segments (3 rd to 6 th) elongated and circular in crosssection; central or subapical segments (7 th and 8 th) strongly widened, pennate, 8 th being the widest antennal segment (about 2.8–3 times as long as wide); apical segment 9 th elongated and pennate, smaller than the subapical and much larger than the rest of the apical segments; apical segments 10 th to 13 th reduced, very small, and borders between them barely visible. Antennomeres 3 rd to 9 th bear strong saw-like margins, likely because of the presence of large basiconic sensilla (Figs 19D, 20D).
Pronotum. Pronotum rugose and granulated with numerous small tubercles and net-like elevations, but in some parts smooth and without tubercles (parts of the pronotal disc and some intervals of the median carina of the pronotum). The anterior part of the pronotum bears one large FM, and a few medium-sized and small protuberances. The posterior process of the pronotum slender, surpassing the hind knees for more than a half-length of the hind femur (macropronotal form). The disc of the pronotum is visually flat, but upon a closer inspection, many triangular elevations (projections) may be observed. A depression is visible on the pronotal disc positioned between the bases of the tegmina, then the disc becomes slightly elevated again. Caudad, pronotum gradually descending. The pronotal disc is rich in chitinous net-like elevations, more distinct in the interhumeral region. Medial carina extended along the whole length of the pronotum from the anterior margin to the pronotal apex, slightly undulated by the unpaired projections of variable size: the largest is high and digitiform massive FM, directed upwards and forwards above and before the head and covering the whole area of the fastigium of the vertex; triangular PM, a large triangular MM1, small triangular MM2; small MM3, and almost completely reduced MM4. Prozona subsquare. Prozonal and extralateral carinae in the prozona distinct, surpassing anterior margin of the pronotum as a small dentiform FL1 and large FL2, which is also well visible in frontal view. FL3 small and dentiform. PML1 and PML2 small. MML1 and MML2 distinct; MML3 very small; MML4 and MML5 indistinct. PL1 and PL2 small. Humeral angle obtuse with a pointed apex. ML small, reduced. Pronotum apex narrow, shallowly excised in the middle. The lower part of the lateral pronotal lobe bearing small teeth on the anterior and the posterior margins, with the middle region elongated as a large spine-like VL, directed mostly outwards and slightly backward (Figs 19A–C, 20A–C).
Wings. Tegmina partly covered, not as easily discernible as in D. doriae and D. selysi. The visible part of the tegmen elliptical. Hind wing not reaching the pronotal tip for a few millimeters.
Legs. Fore and mid femora elongated, but with robust armature on the dorsal and ventral margins. Fore and mid femora compressed laterally; with dorsal and ventral margins serrated with genicular tooth on the knees and additional 2–3 strongly projected and sharp teeth on each margin. Hind femur bearing small lappets on dorsal and ventral margins and one small protuberance on the ventral external carina. Genicular tooth large, while antegenicular tooth very small. Both sides of the dorsal margin of the hind tibia finely serrated, with 3–4 outer and 1–3 inner larger teeth.
Abdominal apex. Female subgenital plate in ventral view bearing a longitudinal keel in the middle and has a triangular protrusion in the middle of the posterior margin. Ovipositor, in ventral view, seems to be elongated, but dorsal valvae are not visible because of the decurvation of the pronotal tip, which is directed downward. Ventral valvae are elongated, but for example in D. selysi the dorsal are more robust, which can be expected in D. aruanus sp. n. as well.
Measurements (♀♀ only, HT— holotype, PT— paratype). BL HT 13.45 mm, PT 11.80 mm; PnL HT 16.29 mm, PT 14.94 mm (without FM); PnW HT 8.40 mm, PT 8.49 mm; AnL HT 6.74 mm, PT 7.10 mm; TL HT 1.4 mm, PT 1.0 mm; TW HT 0.4 mm, PT 0.3 mm; fFL HT 4.40 mm, PT 4.22 mm; fFW HT 0.90 mm, PT 0.72 mm; mFL HT 4.41 mm, PT 4.21 mm; mFW HT 0.88 mm, PT 0.75 mm; hFL HT 8.63 mm, PT 7.42 mm; hFW HT 2.50 mm, PT 1.98 mm; OvL HT (Not visible, more than 1 mm), PT (not visible, more than 1 mm); AnL/fFL HT 1.51, PT 1.68; VW HT 1.00 mm, PT 1.05 mm; EW HT 0.59 mm, PT 0.61 mm; VW/EW HT 1.7, PT 1.7; SW HT 0.23 mm, PT 0.26 mm; AgW HT 0.45 mm, PT 0.40 mm; ScW HT 0.42 mm, PT 0.38 mm; SW/AgW HT 0.5, PT 0.65; SW/ScW HT 0.55, PT 0.68; As—L/W HT 2.8, PT 3.0; PrzW HT 3.71 mm, PT 3.43 mm; PrzL HT 1.85 mm, PT 1.78 mm; Prz—W/L HT 2.00, PT 1.92; TL/TW HT 3.5, PT 3.3; mFW/TW HT 2.2, PT 2.5; fFL/fFW HT 4.9, PT 5.6; mFL/mFW HT 5.0, PT 5.8; hFL/hFW HT 3.4, PT 3.7; T1L/T3L HT 1.1, PT 1.1.
description: Published as part of Skejo, Josip, Pushkar, Taras I., Kasalo, Niko, Pavlović, Marko, Deranja, Maks, Adžić, Karmela, Tan, Ming Kai, Rebrina, Fran, Muhammad, Amira Aqilah, Abdullah, Nurul Ashikin, Japir, Razy, Chung, Arthur Y. C. & Tumbrinck, Josef, 2022, Spiky pygmy devils: revision of the genus Discotettix (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae) and synonymy of Discotettiginae with Scelimeninae, pp. 1-64 in Zootaxa 5217 (1) on pages 33-36, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5217.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7403418