Rhacocleis parnassica Willemse, Odé & Stefanidis, 2025

Rhacocleis parnassica Willemse, Odé & Stefanidis sp.nov.

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Figs 1–21 View FIGURES 1–6 View FIGURES 12–17 View FIGURES 18–19 View FIGURES 20–21 , 24 View FIGURE 24

Material examined ( 2♂, 1♀): Holotype ♂ ( RMNH. INS1452570 ) 1♀ allotype ( RMNH INS1452563 ), 1♂ paratype ( RMNH. INS1452574 ): Greece (Phokis) Mt. Parnassos , southern slopes ab. Arachova; in scree; N 38.5030°, E 22.6200°; 1450 m; leg. L. Willemse & A. Stefanidis. GoogleMaps

Generic Placement

Based on traditional characters (e.g. Brunner von Wattenwyl 1882, 1893, Caudell 1908, Harz 1969) the new species keys out to Rhacocleis Fieber 1853 : prosternum with pair of spines, fore tibia with upper outer margin presenting an apical spur, hind tibia with a single pair of large ventral apical spurs (outer spurs), pronotum with no median keel, meso- and metasternum not spined and free, plantulae of hind tarsus relatively long. With 1–2 spurs on the upper inner margin of the fore tibia, in addition to the absence of inner spurs at the ventral tip of the hind tibia, the new species fits Rhacocleis rather than Pterolepis (see also the checklist of recognized taxa of Rhacocleis and Pterolepis in F. Willemse & L. Willemse, 2005b).

Description

Male (figs 1, 3, 5). Medium size. Integument silky glossy, smooth.

Head. Fastigium of vertex parallel sided, convex, slightly wider than scapus.

Pronotum (figs 8–9). Pronotum subcylindrical, edges rimmed, in profile straight lightly undulating, metazona relatively short, dorsum very slightly convex without median keel, roundly merging with lateral lobe, hind margin weakly convexly rounded, humeral excision weak, impressed; lateral lobes slightly laterally spread, along fore and lower edges impressed. Prosternum on either side with a tiny spine, mesosternum with low triangular projections, similar projections of metasternum wider but less extending. Thoracic tympanum widely open, strongly elongate.

Fore wing. Tegmina reaching hind margin of 1 st tergite; left forewing (fig. 10) about as wide as long; for edge weakly convex, apex broadly obtuse; hind edge with distinct cubital sinus; Sc, R and M veins well raised; SC and R reaching edge, subparallel, proximally slightly diverging, apically slightly converging; M almost reaching the edge. Stridulatory file (fig. 11) as seen from below short, shortest distance between proximal and distal end, ca. 3 mm, at the proximal and distal end curved, remainder straight, apical half slightly more raised; total number of teeth about 60, of which ca. 35 are strongly sclerotized; widest spacing between teeth about halfway 8 teeth per 0.5 mm, distance between middle of two successive teeth is 0.06 mm; greatest width of middle teeth 0.13 mm.

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FIGURES 7–11. Rhacocleis parnassica sp.nov. male paratype RMNH.INS1452574. 7. fore tibia, dorsal view 8. Pronotum, dorsal 9. Pronotum, lateral 10. Left forewing, ventral 11. stridulatory file, ventral. Scale bars: 1 mm.s

Legs. Hind femur not very slender, 4.9 times longer than wide about three times as long as pronotum, fore femur shorter than pronotum. Tibial tympanum slit-like. Plantulae of hind tarsus three quarters as long as first tarsal segment. Fore femur with 2–3 tiny spines in apical half of inner margin, mid femur unarmed or with a single tiny spine along outer margin, hind femur with 3–4 and 5–6 tiny spines along the mid part of the lower outer and inner margin respectively; inner and outer genicular lobes of fore and mid femora with 2 in hind femora with 1 tiny spines; upper inner (=anterior) margin of fore and mid tibia (fig. 7) with 1–2 spurs (in the fore tibia, a proximal one at the distal end of the tympanal opening, that may be absent, and one in the mid third of the tibia); upper outer (=posterior) margin of fore and mid tibia with 3 spurs (in the fore tibia, a proximal one at the distal end of the tympanal opening, one halfway the tibia and an apical one); both lower margins of fore and mid tibia with 6 spurs; tip of hind tibia with a pair of ventral outer apical spurs without a pair of pits in between them.

Abdomen (figs 12–17). Abdominal tergites scarcely folded along midline, no true median keel. Last tergite (fig. 12) slightly hairy along the middle as distal tergites; hind margin rimmed, forming two small triangular acute lobes pointing distally with wide V-shaped median excision. Cercus (figs 14–15) hairy, robust, conical, gradually, and weakly inward bent terminating in an acute tip, pointing downward and inward; inner side at a quarter of the length with a strong compact side tooth with inner margin concave and tip pointing forward. Paraprocts small, knoblike structures not elongated. Subgenital plate (fig. 13) rather compact, as long as basal width, tapering with an indistinct median keel, hind margin wide U-shaped emarginated; styli slender, cylindrical, pointing distad. Titillator (figs 16–17) slender, thin, well sclerotised, basal fusion of right and left titillator membranous, basal part ca. twice as long as apical part, pointing in same vertical direction, widened, slightly twisted; apical part towards the tip flattened and slightly curved, tip hook-shaped, surface smooth.

Colouration (figs 1,3,5). Predominantly unicolorous, in live specimen pearl grey to pale buff, some parts with a greenish haze, distinctly mottled with dark brown. Antennae with flagellum unicolorous brown, scape and pedicel sometimes with darker markings.

Head of general colour, commonly marbled with brown, labrum and lower half clypeus and genae pale, not mottled. Pronotum of general colour, marbled with brown, the center of the pronotal dorsum with a symmetrical black W-shaped blackish patch, lateral lobe uniformly coloured, with a unmottled stroke along hind margin below humeral excision. Fore wing black, small apical part between R and M and some veinlets yellowish, fore margin transparent with greenish haze. Legs of general colour, variegated with dark brown, insertion of spurs commonly black, spurs brown.All femora of general colour mottled with dark brown, except for black pre-genicular incomplete ring, in mid and fore femora apically bordered by white dorsal ring, lacking any other black markings, or hind femur near the base with small black dorsal patch. Tibiae predominantly pale, except for the insertion of the spurs, tympanal area of the fore tibia, apical part of the hind tibia with a greenish haze. Plantulae dark, tarsi pale cream or greenish with dark patches. Abdominal tergites of general colour, hind margins tergites with a tiny median black dot. Pro-, meso-, metanotum, sternites and subgenital plate all unicolorous pale grey white. Male cercus pale, the apical half with a greenish hue.

Female (figs 2,4,6). Head, thorax and legs as in male. Micropterous, tegmina lateral, almost completely covered by pronotum, oval, not reaching front margin of first tergite. Fore femur only slightly shorter than pronotum. Abdominal sternites, including the seventh not modified. Cerci conical, hairy, evenly narrowing to a pointed apex. Ovipositor (fig. 19) ensiform, relatively long and slender, 0.9 as long as the hind femur, in the apical third weakly curved upward, margins smooth. Subgenital plate (fig 18) along entire length with strongly developed median keel, with bristle like hairs, widening from the base, widest in the middle; the basal half on each side of the keel with a wide rounded ridge which runs from the proximal margin parallel and close to the keel, at one third of the length deflecting to the side, forming a deep, large laterally opening pit; apical half narrowing, trapezoid, depressed besides the keel, sides with bristle like hairs, lateral margins near the apex bend inward forming inward pointed, rectangular lobes separated by wide V-shaped excision. Gonangulum elongate, simple.

Colouration (fig. 2, 4, 6) as male but paler. Tegmina unicolorous pale. Head, thorax and legs unicolorous.

Abdomen unicolorous except for hind margins of the tergites with a tiny median black dot.