Australian Journal of
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Eburnocauda saxatilis Beasley-Hall & Iannello sp. nov.
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urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8B87B014-F45E-487E-A65E-24B2B5B823EF

Type material. Holotype: Adult ♂, Britannia Creek Cave, Wesburn, VIC, -37.793817, 145.671536, coll. S. Iannello, May 18, 2024, ANIC 14-009154. Paratypes: 2♀, same collection information as holotype, ANIC 14-009155 and MM OTH 268. Adult ♂, Britannia Creek Cave (twilight zone, near entrance GP48), Wesburn, VIC, coll. S. Iannello, April 16, 2015, MM OTH 269.

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Figure 3. Eburnocauda saxatilis Beasley-Hall & Iannello sp. nov. Head (a); dorsal view of terminalia (b ♂, d ♀); ventral view of terminalia (c ♂, e ♀); lateral view of ovipositor (f, g); dorsal view of hind tibia (h); ventral view of middle tibia, showing rows of paired linear spines (arrows) and apical spines to the right. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Diagnosis. A medium-sized cave cricket with diagnostic features as per the monotypic genus and an adult body length of 12–14 mm. Currently only known from the Highlands – Southern Fall bioregion of Victoria, Australia.

Description. Measurements. Body length 12–14 mm (holotype 12 mm), hind tibia 18–21.5 mm (holotype 21.5 mm). Ovipositor 9–11 mm.

Head. Head mid brown with dark brown patterning on the vertex and frons. Eyes black. Fastigium approximately twice as long as high, indented medianly and divided into two dark brown, laterally-compressed tubercles. A single median ocellus present.

Body. Basic body colour light to mid brown with dark brown patterning. Dorsal surface of the body moderately clothed with short, mid brown setae. Ventral surface of the body densely setose, particularly at the distal margins of abdominal sclerites. Thoracic nota with light brown patches laterally, often glabrous, and interspersed by light brown mottling which extends to the abdominal tergites. Legs light to mid brown and interspersed with light brown striations and patches on hind femora. Ovipositor a saturated orange.

Legs. Apical spination as in generic description. Dorsal surface of hind tibiae with an average of 26 linear spines prolaterally (min. 24, max. 29, holotype 26) and 26 retrolaterally (24–30, holotype 25). First segment of hind tarsi with an average of 3 dorsal linear spines prolaterally (1–4, holotype 2) and 2 retrolaterally (2–3, holotype 2). Second segment of hind tarsus with an average of 1 dorsal linear spine each prolaterally and retrolaterally (1-2 for both, same for holotype). No apparent sexual dimorphism in armature of the legs.

Male terminalia. Suranal plate mid brown, rectangulate, with distolateral corners forming two convex, square lobes. Distal margin of plate weakly to moderately emarginate. Subgenital plate mid brown, rectangulate, truncate distally; densely setose at distal and lateral margins and bearing styles. Styli densely setose, broad, and very long, reaching around two-thirds length of the cerci. Ventral surface of each style curved inward, forming a cylindrical indentation along the length.

Female terminalia. Suranal plate mid brown, broadly square in shape and weakly convex laterally; distolateral corners rounded and weakly emarginate at distal margin. Plate setose at the distal margin but otherwise glabrous. Plate indented medianly with a crease-like horizontal depression terminating in two indentations on either side. Subgenital plate beige, trilobed, with lateral lobes at least twice length of the median lobe and sclerotised such that they appear orange. Median lobe small and with a rounded apex. Plate weakly setose at the distal margin but otherwise glabrous. Ovipositor 0.8x length of body with very weakly produced teeth on the dorsal margin, of which 5–6 are visible.

Figure 3. Eburnocauda saxatilis Beasley-Hall & Iannello sp. nov. Head (a); dorsal view of terminalia (b ♂, d ♀); ventral view of terminalia (c ♂, e ♀); lateral view of ovipositor (f, g); dorsal view of hind tibia (h); ventral view of middle tibia, showing rows of paired linear spines (arrows) and apical spines to the right. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Remarks. The individual collected in 2015 (MM OTH 269) was subjected to phylogenetic analysis by Beasley-Hall et al. (2024) and is referred to as gen. nov. 1 in that paper.

Distribution. Britannia Creek Cave, Wesburn, Victoria, Australia (Fig. 1a).

Etymology. From Latin saxatilis, meaning that which lives amongst rocks. It is a feminine adjective in the nominative singular case.