ISSN 0973-1555(Print) ISSN 2348-7372(Online) HALTERES, Volume 10, 1-6, 2019 S. PRABAKARAN, M. SENRAJ AND CRISTIAN C. LUCANAS doi: 10.5281/zenodo.2620772 A new species of Allacta Saussure & Zehntner 1895 (Blattodea: Ectobiidae: Pseudophyllodromiinae) from India *S. Prabakaran¹, M. Senraj² and Cristian C. Lucanas³ 1 Freshwater Biology Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Hyderabad - 500 048, India. 2 Southern Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Chennai - 600 028, India. 3 Museum of Natural History, University of Philippines Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines. (Email: [email protected]) Abstract A new species of Allacta Saussure & Zehntner, 1895, A. kalakadensis sp. n. is described and assigned to - hamifera species group. It differs from other known members of the –hamifera species group by the sexual wing dimorphism, pronotal and facial markings, and the structure of the male genitalia. Keywords: Allacta kalakadensis; Cockroach; Diversity; Western Ghats; Wing dimorphism. Received: 28 December 2018; Revised: 8 April 2019; Online: 9 April 2019. Introduction The Western Ghats of India is considered Mundanthurai survey of the Southern Regional as a biodiversity hotspot, a region with high Centre, Zoological Survey of India and specimens species richness with high percent endemicity, but collected during night survey at Valaiyathu odai, with alarming degrees of threat (Myers, 1988; Thirukurungudi Range, Tamil Nadu. Specimens Bossuyt et al., 2004). Depite such high species collected from light trap and the bark of richness, only 26 of 170 known Indian cockroach Tamarindus indicus were preserved in 90% ethyl species are reported from Western Ghats, mainly alcohol. Genital segments were dissected and from Karnataka (19 species; Prabakaran, 2010) mounted on the permanent slide as described in and Tamil Nadu (7 species; Beccalloni, 2014). Lucañas and Lit (2016). Recent collection trips to the Western Ghats have Terminologies used for male genitalia resulted in an array of cockroach specimens, follow Klass (1997), Li et al. (2018) for wing including an undescribed species of Allacta venations and Roth (2003) for other characters. Saussure & Zehntner, 1895. The measurements and photographs were taken The genus Allacta is differentiated from by Leica EZ4E Stereozoom Microscope. other Pseudophyllodromiinae mainly by the Illustrations were made using Inkscape 0.92.3. presence of pulvilli being only on the fourth The specimens used in this study are deposited in tarsomere of all legs (Roth, 1993). Currently, it the collections of the Southern Regional Centre, contains 42 species distributed in Tropical Asia Zoological Survey of India, Chennai. and Australasia (Beccaloni, 2014). Despite the high diversity of the Western Ghats and the high Taxonomy number of Allacta species, Prabakaran and Senraj Superfamily Blaberoidea (2018), only recorded three species in India: Family “Ectobiidae” Allacta crassivenosa Bolivar, 1897 [placed as Subfamily Pseudophyllodromiinae incertae sedis by Roth, 1993], Allacta diluta Genus Allacta Saussure and Zehntner, 1895 (Saussure, 1863) and Allacta figurata (Walker, Allacta Saussure & Zehntner, 1895: 45 (Type 1871). Here, a new species Allacta kalakadensis species: Abrodiaeta modesta Brunner von sp. n., is described from Tamil Nadu. Wattenwyl, 1893 by selection); Roth, 1991: 996; 1993: 361; 1995: 51; 1996: 235. Materials and Methods Abrodiaeta Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1893: 13 The material for the present study are (Types pecies: Abrodiaeta modesta based on recent collections from Kalakkad- Brunner von Wattenwyl by selection) 1 S. Prabakaran, M. Senraj and Cristian C. Lucanas Pseudochorisoblatta Bruijning, 1948: 90 (Type Distribution: Australasia (Papua New species: Phyllodromia interrupta Hanitsch, Guinea and Queensland); Tropical Asia by selection.); Princis, 1965: 151. (Beccaloni, 2014). Arublatta Bruijning, 1947: 224 (Type species: Blatta punctata Walker, 1869 = Arublatta Species incertae sedis crassivenosa (Bolivar, basivittata Bruijning, by monotypy.); Roth, 1897) 1991: 996. Described by Bolivar (1897) as Compsosilpha Princis, 1950: 178 (Type Ceratinoptera (Allacta) crassivenosa based on a species: Chorisoblatta karnyi Hanitsch, specimen from Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India. 1923 by monotypy); Roth, 1996: 235. Roth (1993) questioned the placement of this Euhanitschia Princis, 1950: 180 (Type species in Allacta on the basis that Bolivar (1897) species: Phyllodromia diagrammatica suggested that it is closely related to A. Hanitsch by monotypy); Roth, 1996: 235. brachyptera Saussure & Zehntner and A. abbreviata Saussure & Zehntner, which are now Diagnosis: Roth (1993; 1995) described the placed in Anallacta Shelford (Blattellinae). genus as follows: tegmina and wings fully Meanwhile, Wang et al. (2014) listed 41 species developed or reduced in females as in (Allacta in this genus, including crassivenosa. persoonsi Roth, 1995 and Allacta nalepae Roth, Upon examination of the photographs of 1995). Hind wing with radial vein straight, apical the syntype in the Muséum National D’Histoire triangle small or absent. Front femur Type B2 or Naturelle, Paris website, the following characters B3. Pulvilli present only on the fourth tarsomere were observed: Fore femur type C2, pulvilli of all legs. Tarsal claws simple, symmetrical. present on all tarsomeres, and subgenital plate Arolia present. Male genitalia with four major symmetrical or weakly asymmetrical. These phallomeres; hook-like phallomere (L3) on the characters clearly suggest that the species is not right side placing it under Pseudophyllodro- Allacta and is closer to either Balta Tepper or miinae. In females, ootheca not rotated prior to Supellina Bohn (Pseudophyllodromiinae). Closer deposition. inspection of the type specimen, particularly the The bifurcate L2, setal brushes on L2d, structure of the tarsal claws and male genitalia, is presence of median accessory phallomere, as well needed to confirm this placement of this species. as the shape of the subgenital plate suggests its close relation to Sundablatta Hebard, 1929 and -hamifera species group Pseudophyllodromia Brunner von Wattenwyl, Diagnosis: Roth (1993) described the – 1865 (Roth, 1996), as well as, Tagaloblatta hamifera species group as follows: Pronotum dark Lucañas, 2016. It differs from the said genera by with white or colourless lateral borders and or the combination of the following characters: by with pale central macula. Male interstylar margin the presence of pulvilli only on the fourth V-shaped or incise with a lobe formed in the tip it tarsomere of all legs (present on all tarsomeres in appears keel like ridges found on the subgenital Pseudophyllodromia, while absent in plate. Tagaloblatta), and fore femur type B (type C in Remarks: Except for A. crassivenosa, Sundablatta). Roth (1993) placed all of the known Indian Vrsansky et al. (2011) insisted on the close Allacta sp. in the –hamifera species group. relationship between Allacta and Supella Shelford, 1911, based only on external Allacta kalakadensis Prabakaran & Senraj morphology (especially on the coloration of sp. n. Supella (Nemosupella) and some hamifera – (Figures 1 A- J) species group). Despite that, the internal male genitalia of Supella (as illustrated in McKittrick, urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:0CE7F1B1-C79E- 1964 and Roth, 1999): with simple and relatively 4CB1-84A5-2EE10A0524DF elongate L2, distinctly separated L2d and L2vm, long elongate L3, and lacking median accessory Material examined: HOLOTYPE: 1 male, phallomere, and the presence of a setose gland on INDIA, Tamil Nadu, Thirukurungudi Range, the abdominal tergite 7, suggests a distant Valaiyathu odai. (08.41078’N; 77.55662’E) relationship between Supella and Allacta. 142.2m, 24/09/2018. Coll. R. Venkitesan & Party, collected in Light trap. (Reg. No. IB-542). PARATYPES, 3 males, 1 female, same location 2 A new species of Allacta Saussure & Zehntner 1895 from India data as Holotype. Zoological Survey of India, It further differs from the Bornean species Southern Regional Centre, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, by the structure of the male genitalia. India (Reg. Nos. IB-543,544,545,546). Unfortunately, the male of A. diluta and the male genitalia of A. figurata have not been described, Diagnosis: The combination of the which Princis treated as synonyms. It differs from following characters separate the new species the female A. diluta in term of wing size from all other known Allacta –hamifera species (macropterous in A. diluta female, but group: sexually dimorphic: males macropterous; brachypterous in A. kalakadensis sp. n.), females brachypterous, tegmina reaching up to the meanwhile it differs from A. figurata in terms of fourth abdominal segment. Vertex exposed. the pronotal (A. kalakadensis with larger pale Pronotum subparabolic, with large pale central central macula and thinner brown border than A. macula surrounded by brown borders, margin figurata) and facial markings (with two hyaline. Tegmina with a pair of brown macula. longitudinal brown stripes separated by a narrow Profemur Type B3. Pulvilli present only on the pale stripe reaching below the level of the fourth tarsomere of all legs. Tarsal claws simple, antennal socket in A. figurata, while vertex dark symmetrical. Supraanal plate transverse and brown forming two longitudinal brown stripes narrow; paraprocts simple and symmetrical. ending just above the antennal socket and three Subgenital plate weakly asymmetrical; with weak dark spots between the antennal sockets, clypeus posterio-median invagination;