Pterotiltus ngoylaensis Oumarou-Ngoute & Rowell, 2024

14. Pterotiltus ngoylaensis Oumarou-Ngoute & Rowell, 2024

Figs 39–41 View Fig View Fig View Fig ; Table 12 View Table 12

Pterotiltus ngoylaensis Oumarou-Ngoute & Rowell, 2024: 129 View in CoL .

Type material

Holotype

CAMEROON • ♂; High-Nyong Division, Ngoyla, Nki National Park ; alt. 510 m a.s.j.; 10 May 2021; C. Oumarou-Ngoute leg.; MfN 2021007 View Materials ( Fig. 39A View Fig ).

Paratypes

CAMEROON • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; MfN 2021006 View Materials • 1 ♂; same data as for holotype; 16 May 2021; RC 2021005 • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; RC 2021017 .

Description

Condensed from Oumarou-Ngoute & Rowell (2024), who provided more detail. As this species and P. campoensis have been newly described only recently, we have reduced our treatment here to avoid unnecessary duplication.

Male

Body of medium size (average L = 20.3 mm).

HEAD. Antennae filiform, longer than head and pronotum together.

THORAX. Pronotum cylindrical, lateral and medial carinae absent; metazona short, about one-fourth of the length of prozona, and only 19% of the total pronotal length; posterior margin of metazona slightly notched in the midline, otherwise straight; anterior margin of pronotum slightly convex, minutely notched in midline; prosternal process conical, pointed; mesosternal space as wide as long; metasternal space open, about half the length of mesosternal space. Tegmina extremely reduced: elytra minute, slender and straight, not reaching the posterior margin of mesothoracic segment. Hind tibia slightly expanded apically. External apical spine of tibia present, 6 additional external tibial spines, 9 internal spines.

ABDOMEN. Tympanum wide, oval; last abdominal tergite divided, with a small. Furcula ( Fig. 43A View Fig ); cercus slightly incurved, strongly compressed laterally, with acute apex, shorter than subgenital plate but exceeding supra-anal plate. Supra-anal plate as in generic diagnosis.

PHALLIC COMPLEX ( Fig. 41B–H View Fig ). It is of large size for the genus, epiphallus with large forwardly curved blade-like outer lophi ( Fig. 41G–H View Fig ); inner lophi absent; anterior processes of epiphallus only slightly developed. The oval sclerites have two small tubercles on their ventral surfaces. The valvular plate is large and well developed ( Fig. 41E–F View Fig ), its basic structure similar to that of P. hollisi ( Fig. 40 View Fig ).

Female

Female of medium size (L = 24.4 mm). In general, similar to the male.

Colouration

Male and female of similar colouration ( Figs 39–40 View Fig View Fig ). Body multi-coloured, predominantly green and black in life, but dried specimens discolour rapidly to a rather uniform olive-brown. Scape and pedicel of antenna green-brown, flagellum green-brown, sometimes brown apically; fastigium green; vertex blue-black with black longitudinal bands either side of the midline, which extend dorsally onto the pronotum; eyes conspicuously violet in life, fading to brown when dried; upper half of male frons blue-black, lower half white-yellow, extending posteriorly across the lower genae as a white-yellow subocular stripe, and forming two pale patches on the ventral margin of the pronotal lobes, sometimes on the mesothoracic and metathoracic pleura as well. Pronotal disc multi-coloured, predominantly black, in life with two longitudinal whitish-yellow bands; these bands are prolonged dorsally onto the mesothoracic and the metathoracic tergites but are indistinct in dried specimens; thoracic sterna green; hind femur green with the upper genicular lobe reddish brown; all tibiae and tarsi green. The first abdominal segment black, with two white-yellow longitudinal bands; the 2 nd and 3 rd segment black, sometime slightly white dorsally; the 4 th segment green, sometimes whitish in dorsal view; all the remaining abdominal segments are green.

Measurements

See Table 12 View Table 12 .

Remarks

Pterotiltus ngoylaensis has eyes conspicuously violet in life ( Figs 39B View Fig , 40B–C View Fig ), which is, to date, a unique character in the genus. The large forwardly curved blade-like outer lophi are typical of the genus, and close to the structure seen in P. coeruleocephalus ; however, in ngoylaensis the oval sclerites have two small tubercles on their ventral surfaces, absent in other species. Externally, the two species are completely different: the male of P. coeruleocephalus is predominantly blue in life, whereas P. ngoylaensis is green. At first glance ngoylaensis resembles P. hollisi , but is somewhat larger and lacks the well-defined pale spots on the thoracic terga; further, its hind knees are reddish brown, not black as in hollisi .

Distribution

Eastern Cameroon: Ngoyla: Nki National Park; 2°24′0″ N, 13°51′0″ E, altitude 498 m. Also, Haut Nyong Division, Lobeke National Park. These localities are in National Parks, which should guarantee conserving the natural habitat against deforestation. However, the species could probably be found in other localities in southern Cameroon. Its habitat is typical of the genus: rainforest, 400 to 600 m a.s.l., with abundant Marantaceae R.Br. and Commelinaceae Mirb. in the understorey. These conditions are found in many parts of the south Cameroon plateau and in the neighbouring countries ( Congo, Gabon, Central African Republic).

Status of taxonomic material

Adequate, both sexes present in collections, modern localities known.