Alulacris shilinensis ( Zheng, 1977 )

Zhang, Yi, Mao, Benyong, Hill, JoVonn G. & Huang, Jianhua, 2025, Revision of the genus Alulacris Zheng, 1981 (Orthoptera, Acrididae, Melanoplinae) with proposals of new synonyms, ZooKeys 1253, pp. 171-194 : 171-194

publication ID

https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1253.158995

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:56E964FA-1AA8-4171-953E-189063A4DFEE

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17193657

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/C2744249-B085-5884-9C7A-B4D835CA791C

treatment provided by

ZooKeys by Pensoft

scientific name

Alulacris shilinensis ( Zheng, 1977 )
status

 

Alulacris shilinensis ( Zheng, 1977) View in CoL

Figs 1 View Figure 1 , 2 View Figure 2 , 4 View Figure 4 , 5 A – D View Figure 5

Pseudogerunda shilinensis Zheng, 1977: 305, 311. Type locality: China ( Yunnan: Shilin). View in CoL

Alulacris shilinensis (Zheng); Zheng 1981: 60, 65; Zheng 1985: 157; Zheng 1993: 114; Otte 1995: 268; Li and Xia 2006: 260; Mao et al. 2011 a: 94, 302; Zheng et al. 2013: 90, 91; Xu et al. 2021: 4, 13. View in CoL

Alulacris yanshanensis Mao et al., 2011 a: 95, 302. Type locality: China ( Yunnan: Yanshan). Syn. nov. View in CoL

Type material examined.

A. shilinensis . China • Holotype female; Yunnan, Kunming, Shilin, Lunan ; July 1974; Sumin Zheng leg. ( SNU) . • 1 ♂ 1 ♀; Yunnan, Kunming, Shilin ; 21 August 1978; Zhemin Zheng leg. ( SNU) . • 2 ♂ 1 ♀; Yunnan, Kunming, Shilin ; 12 September 1980; Zhenmin Lian leg. ( SNU) . • 6 ♂ 4 ♀; Yunnan, Kunming, Shilin County, Shilin Landscape area ; 24°48'19"N, 103°19'16"E; 1778 m; 15 August 2017; Bing Jiang Leg. ( CSUFT) GoogleMaps . • 1 ♂ 1 ♀; Yunnan, Kunming, Shilin ; 1 August 1985; Yuan Huang leg. ( SNU) . • 5 ♂ 6 ♀; Yunnan, Kunming, Shilin ; 1700 m; 15 August 2017; Benyong Mao leg. ( DU) . • 3 ♂ 2 ♀; Yunnan, Xinping County, Xinhua ; 23 August 2019; Benyong Mao leg. ( DU) .

A. yanshanensis . China • Holotype female; Yunnan Province, Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Yanshan County ; 9 November 2003; Jishan Xu leg. ( DU).

Morphology.

Male. Body small to medium-sized, covered with s sparse hairs. Head shorter than pronotum. Vertex short and strongly oblique, fastigium broadly connected with frontal ridge. Frons slightly inclined backward in profile view. Frontal ridge straight, with distinct longitudinal sulcus throughout and nearly parallel lateral margins which slightly expand near the antennae in some individuals (Fig. 4 F View Figure 4 ). Antennae filiform, extending beyond posterior margin of pronotum. Eyes oval, with a longitudinal diameter 1.3–1.5 × as long as transversal diameter and 1.5–2.2 × as long as the subocular furrow. Interocular distance ~ 0.4 mm. Pronotum cylindrical, rugulose, and punctate; anterior margin relatively straight or slightly concave in the middle; posterior margin roundly convex; median carina distinct in metazona; lateral carina absent; posterior transversal sulcus located near the middle of pronotum; prozona 1.4–1.7 × as long as the metazona; lower margin of the lateral lobe roundly and bluntly convex near the middle, with broadly rounded anterior angle and acutely rounded posterior angle. Prosternal process conical, with a rounded apex. Lateral lobes of mesosternum slightly broader than long, with rounded inner margins. Lateral lobes of metasternum nearly contiguous with each other posteriorly. Tegmina broadly squamiform with sparse long hair, reaching the middle (Fig. 2 H View Figure 2 ) or slightly exceeding the posterior margin (Fig. 2 I View Figure 2 ) of the second abdominal tergite, partially contiguous dorsally in most individuals (Fig. 4 E View Figure 4 ) or slightly separate in a few individuals. Hind wings extremely vestigial. Hind femora with upper basal lobe of outer surface distinctly longer than lower basal lobe, upper median keel smooth and sharply spinous apically, lower genicular lobe rounded apically. Hind tibia with 10 or 11 spines at both inner and outer margins; outer apical spine absent. Tarsus with large arolium exceeding apex of claws. Tympanum large and rounded. Dorsum of abdomen with distinct median keel. The tenth abdominal tergite with a pair of small circular furculae. Supra-anal plate broadly triangular and longitudinally sulcate in the middle, with two tubercles at basal lateral margins. Cerci broadly laterally compressed and lamellate, not reaching apex of supra-anal plate, with broad base and slightly rounded apex. Subgenital plate short conical with pointed apex and long hair. Epiphallus with a broad undivided bridge; general outline trapezoidal in dorsal view; bridge a little broad; lateral margins oblique inwards; ancora long and lamellate, as high as the anterior projections (Fig. 5 B View Figure 5 ), strongly curved ventrally, with bluntly rounded apex; anterior projection triangular and posterior projection long conical; lophi vertical, large, lamellate and broadly auriform, with broadly rounded apical margins. Phallic complex with apical valves of penis and valves of cingulum slender and lamellate. Valves of cingulum deeply emarginate in the middle of apex. Apodemes elongate, nearly reaching apex of the basal valves of penis.

Female. Similar to male, except for the following. Lateral margins of frontal ridge complete (Fig. 1 B View Figure 1 ) or absent near the clypeus (Fig. 1 A, C, D View Figure 1 ). Interocular distance relatively wider, ranging from 0.6 to 1.0 mm. Prozona 1.2–1.4 × as long as metazona. Lateral lobes of metasternum distinctly separated. Tegmina at least reaching the posterior margin of the first abdominal tergite (Fig. 2 C View Figure 2 ), or exceeding the posterior margin of the second abdominal tergite (Fig. 2 G View Figure 2 ), but not reaching the middle of the third abdominal tergite, slightly separated from each other dorsally in most individuals (Fig. 2 B View Figure 2 ) but partially contiguous with each other dorsally in a few individuals (Fig. 2 H View Figure 2 ). Epiproct elongated triangular, with a transverse sulcus in the middle and a longitudinal sulcus at basal half. Cerci shortly conical, only reaching half of epiproct. Outer margin of dorsal valves of ovipositor with small blunt denticles.

Coloration.

Body dark olivaceous. Hind femur with outer and upper sides green, and inner and lower sides orange-yellow to orange-red; lower knee lobe dark green, yellowish brown or black. Hind tibia bluish-green. Hind tarsus pale brown.

Measurements.

Male: BL: 16.0–17.0 mm; PNL: 4.0– 4.5 mm; TL: 4.0– 4.5 mm; HFL: 9.0–10.0 mm. Female: BL: 23.0–24.0 mm; PNL: 5.0–6.0 mm; TL: 5.5–6.0 mm; HFL: 13.0–14.0 mm.

Distribution.

China ( Yunnan: Shilin, Yanshan, Xingping).

Biology.

No data on the biology of the species ( Mao et al. 2011 a).

Remark.

Alulacris yanshanensis was described only based on a single holotype female and differs from A. shilinensis mainly in five external morphological traits as mentioned in the Introduction, of which three are quantitative and two are qualitative. However, after a careful comparison of the type of A. yanshanensis with the type series of A. shilinensis as well as some additional material, no significant difference in both qualitative and quantitative characters were found between these two species (Table 1 View Table 1 , Figs 1 View Figure 1 , 2 View Figure 2 ). Therefore, A. yanshanensis is considered herein as a junior synonym of A. shilinensis .

SNU

Seoul National University

DU

Duke University Vertebrate Collection

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Orthoptera

Family

Acrididae

SubFamily

Melanoplinae

Genus

Alulacris

Loc

Alulacris shilinensis ( Zheng, 1977 )

Zhang, Yi, Mao, Benyong, Hill, JoVonn G. & Huang, Jianhua 2025
2025
Loc

Alulacris shilinensis (Zheng); Zheng 1981: 60 , 65; Zheng 1985: 157 ; Zheng 1993: 114 ; Otte 1995: 268 ; Li and Xia 2006: 260 ; Mao et al. 2011 a : 94 , 302; Zheng et al. 2013: 90 , 91; Xu et al. 2021: 4 , 13.

Xu HY & Mao B-Y & Storozhenko SY & Huang Y & Chen ZL & Huang JH 2021: 4
Zheng Z-M & Deng WA & Wei SZ 2013: 90
Li HC & Xia KL 2006: 260
Otte D 1995: 268
Zheng Z-M 1993: 114
Zheng Z-M 1985: 157
Zheng Z-M 1981: 60
Mao B-Y & Ren G-D & Ou X-H : 94
1981
Loc

Pseudogerunda shilinensis

Zheng Z-M 1977: 305
1977
Loc

Alulacris yanshanensis

Mao B-Y & Ren G-D & Ou X-H : 95