Pycnoscelus aurantius Hanitsch, 1935

Wang, Yi-Shu, Dong, Xiao-Jiao, Wang, Zong-Qing & Che, Yan-Li, 2025, Taxonomic update of Pycnoscelus Scudder, 1862 (Blattodea, Blaberidae, Pycnoscelinae), with descriptions of two new species from China, ZooKeys 1231, pp. 45-67 : 45-67

publication ID

https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1231.141287

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B49EADBB-C7AE-4C91-8536-6B9A022D63C4

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15001852

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/87368253-DA52-5898-8EB5-630AA1095A2A

treatment provided by

ZooKeys by Pensoft

scientific name

Pycnoscelus aurantius Hanitsch, 1935
status

 

Pycnoscelus aurantius Hanitsch, 1935

Fig. 7 View Figure 7

Pycnoscelus aurantius Hanitsch, 1935: 18; Bruijning 1947: 210; Roth 1998: 125.

Pycnoscelis [sic] aurantia: Princis 1964: 275.

Material examined.

Malaysia • 1 male; Sabah, Mt. Trus Madi ; 1121 m; 5 Oct. 2015; Gui-Qiang Huang leg.

Diagnosis.

General color dark orange, similar to P. semivitreus , but P. aurantius can be readily distinguished from P. semivitreus by its smaller right style and the apical part of sclerite L 2 D blunt without any process.

Supplementary description of male.

Tegmina is somewhat bicolored as P. semivitreus , from proximally orange to distally yellowish, with the boundary indistinct (Fig. 7 E View Figure 7 ). Male genitalia: right phallomere with distinct bristles, caudal part of sclerite R 1 T nearly rectangular, R 2 curved, R 3 forked, R 4 small; R 5 lies above R 2, irregular, prolonged (Fig. 7 H View Figure 7 ). The basal part of sclerite L 2 D strongly sclerotized with apical portion less sclerotized and nearly transparent; the apical part of sclerite L 2 D C-shaped, outer margin without any tooth; apical membrane less developed, covered with microtrichia (Fig. 7 I View Figure 7 ). Sclerite L 3 hook slender, inner curved margin with a tooth at apex; sclerite L 4 U divided into two parts (Fig. 7 J View Figure 7 ).

Measurements (mm).

Body length including tegmen: 21.9; pronotum length × width: 4.6 × 6.5; tegmen length: 19.8.

Remarks.

The specimen we examined is generally identical to the description of P. aurantius provided by Roth (1998). However, Roth (1998) examined the type of P. aurantius and found its left style present, whereas this structure is absent in the specimen we examined (Fig. 7 G View Figure 7 ). As only a single specimen is available in our study, it is difficult to determine whether the style is missing or naturally absent. More specimens will be needed in the future to clarify this question, and for now, we have tentatively identified the specimen as P. aurantius .

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Blattodea

Family

Blaberidae

SubFamily

Pycnoscelinae

Genus

Pycnoscelus

Loc

Pycnoscelus aurantius Hanitsch, 1935

Wang, Yi-Shu, Dong, Xiao-Jiao, Wang, Zong-Qing & Che, Yan-Li 2025
2025
Loc

Pycnoscelis [sic] aurantia: Princis 1964: 275 .

Princis K 1964: 275
1964
Loc

Pycnoscelus aurantius

Roth LM 1998: 125
Bruijning CFA 1947: 210
Hanitsch R 1935: 18
1935