Indoapterolampra Anisyutkin

Genus Indoapterolampra Anisyutkin, gen. nov.

The gender is feminine.

Type species: Indoapterolampra rugosiuscula gen. et sp. nov. By monotypy.

Description. Male with tegmina and wings completely absent (Figs. 1B, 2 B). Hind metatarsus slightly longer than other segments combined, with large euplantula along lower margin, spinules on euplantula absent; 2nd–4th segments with large euplantulae (Fig. 2 D, E); tarsal spines absent; claws on fore and mid legs symmetrical and simple (pretarsi of hind legs in the studied specimens are broken off), arolia vestigial (Fig. 2 F). Abdominal tergites without visible glandular specializations; spiracle-bearing outgrowths of tergite VIII laterally rounded (Fig. 2 G). Anal plate (tergite X) wide and trapezoidal (Fig. 2 G); paraprocts of blaberid-type (Fig. 2 J); cerci strongly shortened, with segments fused (Fig. 2 G–I). Hypandrium nearly symmetrical; antero-lateral parts of hypandrium asymmetrical (Fig. 2 K, l.s.a.); caudal margin partly membranous; styli small (Fig. 2 K).

Male genitalia (Fig. 3 A–J). Right phallomere (R+N) with sclerite R1T caudally rounded, densely covered with bristles (Fig. 3 B, E, c.p.R1T); R2 weakly curved (Fig. 3 B, E); R3 subtriangular in shape, caudally widened, with cranial apex bent upward (Fig. 3 B–F); R4 large (Fig. 3 B, E); R5 comparatively small, as compared with majority of Rhabdoblatta and Morphna species (Fig. 3 B, E). Sclerite L2D (L1) divided into basal and apical parts (Fig. 3 A); basal part rod-like (Fig. 3 A, b.L2D), with small rounded "additional sclerite" under the basal part of L2D (Fig. 3 A, a.scl.); apical part with "forked sclerite" (Fig. 3 A, G, H, f.scl.) located on large "membranous lobe" (Fig. 3 A, G, H, m.l.); bristles absent. Sclerite L3 (L2d) with small basal sclerite (Fig. 3 A, I, b.L3); "folded structure" distinct (Fig. 3 A, I, f.s.), without bristles; apex of L3 as in Fig. 3 I, J, hook hla without groove hge. Sclerite L4U (L3d) in shape of elongated plate (Fig. 3 A, L4U).

Differential diagnosis. Based on the complex of somatic (pronotum, fore femora and tarsi) and genitalic (right phallomere and sclerite L2D) morphological structures (Princis 1960; McKittrick 1964), the genus Indoapterolampa gen. nov. belongs to the subfamily Epilamprinae.

The subfamily Epilamprinae currently consists of 42 genera (see Roth 2003 and Beccaloni 2007), including the genera Comptolampra Saussure, 1893 (= Compsolampra) and Rhicnoda Brunner von Wattenwyl reasoning from the complex of their somatic and genitalic structures (Anisyutkin 1999 and author’s unpublished data). Thus, the Epilamprinae includes the following genera: Africalolampra Roth, Alphelixia Roth, Anisolampra Bey-Bienko, Antioquita Hebard, Apsidopis Saussure, Aptera Saussure, Ataxigamia Tepper, Blepharodera Burmeister, Calolampra Saussure, Calolamprodes Bey-Bienko, Capucinella Hebard, Cariacasia Rehn, Colapteroblatta Hebard, Comptolampra Saussure, Dryadoblatta Rehn, Epilampra Burmeister, Galiblatta Hebard, Gurneya Roth, Haanina Hebard, Homalopteryx Brunner von Wattenwyl, Howintoniella Roth, Juxtacalolampra Roth, Litopeltis Hebard, Miroblatta Shelford, Molytria Stal, Morphna Shelford, Notolampra Saussure, Opisthoplatia Brunner von Wattenwyl, Orchidoeca Gurney & Roth, Phlebonotus Saussure, Phoraspis Audinet-Serville, Pinaconota Saussure, Placoblatta Bey-Bienko, Poeciloderrhis Stål, Prinsisola Gurney & Roth, Pseudophoraspis Kirby, Rhabdoblatta Kirby, Rhabdoblattella Anisyutkin, Rhicnoda Brunner von Wattenwyl, Stictolampra Hanitsch, Thorax Saussure and Ylangella Roth.

The genera Africalolampra, Alphelixia, Anisolampra, Antioquita, Apsidopis, Aptera, Ataxigamia, Blepharodera, Calolampra, Calolamprodes, Capucinella, Cariacasia, Colapteroblatta, Comptolampra, Dryadoblatta, Epilampra, Galiblatta, Gurneya, Haanina, Homalopteryx, Litopeltis, Miroblatta, Molytria, Morphna, Notolampra, Orchidoeca, Phlebonotus, Phoraspis, Pinaconota, Poeciloderrhis, Princisola, Pseudophoraspis, Rhabdoblatta, Rhabdoblattella, Rhicnoda, Thorax and Ylangella readily differ from the new genus in having the more or less developed tegmina and wings, at least in the males. The genus Indoapterolampra gen. nov. is easily distinguished from the genera Howintoniella and Juxtacalolampra by the complete absence of tegmina and by the structure of tarsi: in Howintoniella —"... metatarsus ... armed beneath with a double row of spines, pulvillus apical ..." (Roth 1981, p. 417) and in Juxtacalolampra —"hind metatarsus ... with a double row of ventral spines ..." (Roth 1981, p. 412). The genera Opisthoplatia and Placoblatta can readily be distinguished from the new genus by the structure of the apical part of sclerite L2D in the male genitalia, cf. Fig. 3 G, H and Figs. 44, 68, 69, 74 in Anisyutkin (1999).

Composition. The type species only.

Notes. In my opinion, the genus Indoapterolampra gen. nov. is characterized by the poorly marked sexual dimorphism: the tegmina and wings are completely absent in both sexes (Figs. 1B, 2 B). The apterous state in the females of I. rugosiuscula sp. nov. can be justified by the common rule for all the known cockroaches: if the sexual dimorphism exists, the shortening of tegmina and wings is better expressed in females. Therefore, as the studied males of this species are completely apterous, the females are highly likely to be apterous as well.

It is possible that the large "membranous lobe" beneath the "forked sclerite" of L2D (Fig. 3 G, H, m.l.) is really homologous to the cap-like "apical sclerite" of L2D covered with bristles in Morphna, Rhabdoblatta and other related genera, while the "forked sclerite" (Fig. 3 G, H, f.scl.) itself is homologous to the "dorsal outgrowth" of apical part of L2D. In this case the reduction of bristles could be explained by the less sclerotization of the apical part of L2D.

The modified structure of the apical part of L2D, i.e. the presence of large "membranous lobe" and "forked sclerite", can be considered as an unique autapomorphy of the genus Indoapterolampra gen. nov.