3.2. 4.

Specimens examined.

Holotype: • 1 ♂ (in UIUC Dept. of Entomology to be deposited in the Museo de Historia Natural of Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos); Los Amigos Research Station, Trail 17 & 2; 12°33'34.4"S 70°06'27.6"W; 6 Jul. 2021; E. Medina Espinoza, D. Evangelista-Huaman, I. Evangelista-Huaman; Hand collected at night; AUDE-PE-14-32. — Paratypes: • 1 ♀ adult; Los Amigos Research Station; 12°34'08.9"S 70°06'01.3"W; 2 Jul. 2021; same collectors as holotype; collected in and around buildings at night; AUDE-PE-14-24. • 1 ♀ adult; Los Amigos Research Station, Trail 8; 12°34'18.2"S 70°05'35.2"W; 1 Jul. 2021; collected by coleopterists; AUDE-PE-14-17. • 1 ♀ adult; Los Amigos Research Station; 12°34'08.9"S 70°06'01.3"W; Jul. 2021; same collectors as holotype; collected in and around buildings at night; AUDE-PE-14-34. • 1 ♂ adult; Finca Las Piedras Research Station; 12°13'43"S 69°06'52"W; 12 Jul. 2024; E. Medina Espinoza, D. Evangelista-Huaman, J. Schwartz, J. Martin; Trails in forest, near station at night; UIRB-PE-22-89. • 1 ♂ adult;, Finca Las Piedras Research Station; coordinates same as previous; 13 Jul. 2024; same collectors as previous; Trails in forest, near station at night; UIRB-PE-22-98. • 1 ♂ adult; Finca Las Piedras Research Station, Anaconda and Tapir trail; coordinates same as previous; 15 Jul. 2024; same collectors as previous; UIRB-PE-25-26. • 1 ♀ adult; same information as previous; UIRB-PE-25-25. • 1 ♀ adult; Finca Las Piedras Research Station; coordinates same as previous; 11 Jul. 2024; same collectors as previous; UIRB-PE-25-48. • 1 ♀ adult; Kawsay Biological Station; 12°31'37"S 69°00'54"W; 18 Jul. 2024; same collectors as previous; collected in wood with Passalidae within concession, near station, at night; UIRB-PE-23-52. • 1 ♀ adult; same locality and coordinates as previous; 22 Jul. 2024; same collectors as previous; UIRB-PE-23-56.

Differential diagnosis.

Differs from L. mimetes, its closest known relative (Fig. 7), based primarily on the shape of the interstylar region of the SG plate, with minor differences in hind-leg tarsi. L. mimadelfi has the SG plate truncate between the styli (L. mimetes has the region broadly rounded and expanded posteriorly), and the hind-leg tarsus of a similar length throughout (L. mimetes hind tarsus narrows noticeably at the base). Comparisons of the male and female genitalia may reveal new characters, but genitalia in the types of L. mimetes have not been examined by us.

L. mimadelfi sp. nov. differs from all other Lamproblattidae by the lack of specialization on SA plate (as opposed to specialized SA plate in L. neuque and Lamproglandifera), solid black coloration throughout body (as opposed to bearing yellow stripes and spots laterally on the dorsum, and deep mahogany brown body instead of black in L. flavomaculata), the inflated basal tarsomere on hindleg (as opposed to not inflated or bulbously inflated), and a medial notch on the wide SA plate’s posterior edge (as opposed to no notch on the narrow edge in L. antoni).

Description holotype.

(male; AUDE-PE-14-32) Head. Frons and clypeus near uniformly black and shining, with some sparse hairs. Inter-ocular distance greater than inter-antennal distance. Ocelli yellowish, medium sized and positioned against antennal pit. Maxillary palps whitish or buffy, with distal palpomere (and distal-ventral portion of 2 nd to last palpomere) dark brown. Shape of maxillary penultimate maxillary palpomere similar to L. zamorensis (Fig. 3). — Thorax. Anterior-ventral margin of profemur with 15 large mostly equally sized spines, and two larger apical spines. Proleg without genicular spine. Pulvilli present on all four proleg tarsomeres. Other legs damaged. — Ventral abdomen. Entirely shining black, except for posterior edge of SG plate, which is slightly lighter. Styli small and positioned just medial to cerci. Posterior edge of SG plate forming a rounded-square like projection that is slightly notched medially. — Dorsal abdomen. SA plate wide, subtrapezoidal, with a slightly notched posterior end, forming a W-like shape with rounded peaks; posterior edge whitish. Terga otherwise unmodified, and no tergal gland is visible externally. — Overall, body is shining black with little undertones of brown or red. Some sparse hairs dorsally, mostly near edges of segments. Pronotum is sub-semi-circular and almost covers the head. — Genitalia as in Fig. 8 E – H. Male genital apomorphies for this species are the unique shapes of R 2, R 1 J, and other sclerites.

Description paratype.

(male; UIRB-PE-22-89) Same as the holotype with the following differences. Maxillary palps colored as in holotype but also with small spots of brown at the base of the palpomeres. Clypeus lighter in coloration (light coffee brown). SA plate with sharper peaks and deeper notch on W-shape. Hind metatarsus not narrowing at base as much as in L. mimetes, but otherwise more similar to L. mimetes than L. albipalpus.

Description paratype.

(female; AUDE-PE-14-34) Same as male except in the following. Anterior-ventral margin of profemur with 14 (right) or 16 (left) large mostly equally sized spines, and two larger apical spines. Abdomen entirely shining black with undertones of red, most apparent at the base of the segments. SG plate valvate. SA plate sub trapezoidal, with tip narrow and slightly concave. Ootheca as in Fig. 9.

Remarks.

Juveniles of this species appear the same as adults, but the coxae have large areas of stark white and / or brown.

Rehn (1930) differentiated L. mimetes from L. albipalpus based on the relative width of the SA plate (wider in L. mimetes) and interstylar region of the SG plate, and the angle of the hook on L 3 (acute in L. mimetes, rounded in L. albipalpus). Lacking molecular or further morphological data from L. mimetes, we resort to utilizing external differences established by Rehn (1930) and Hebard (1919) as described above. Our cladistic analysis places L. mimadelfi as sister to L. mimetes.

Individuals from two (Los Amigos, Puerto Maldonado) of the four localities studied are practically identical, and specimens from the other localities are not much different than one another (i. e., compare the holotype and paratype male, which are from distant localities). Thus, we expect that all four populations studied here would have low genetic differentiation and could be considered the same genetic species. This is speculation though, and our species concept for L. mimadelfi is based solely on the morphological characters mentioned above.

Range.

The species is currently only known from the Madre de Dios region of Peru but is widespread in that region.

Etymology.

The specific epithetic combines Greek derived mimetes (imposter) with adelfi (sister). Also, this specimen was first examined at Adelphi University, which also provided partial support for this research.