Papilio king cricket (Anabropsis papiliomaculata) and Dulongjiang king cricket (Anabropsis dulongjiangensis)

NEWS - Papilio king cricket (Anabropsis papiliomaculata sp. nov.) and Dulongjiang king cricket (Anabropsis dulongjiangensis sp. nov.) from Yunnan were described, while Anabropsis (Pseudapteranabropsis) nigrimaculatis Pang, Lu & Bian 2023 from a male was reported for the first time and this species was transferred to Anabropsis (Apteranabropsis) Gorochov, 1988.

Up to now, Anabropsis is divided into 7 subgenera, excluding Anabropsis (Anabropsis), the other 6 subgenera with 27 species and one subspecies are distributed in China. The characters of the wings, tibial tympanum, metasternal processes, paraproctal growth of males and subgenital plates are important inter-subgeneric differences.

Anabropsis (Apteranabropsis) papiliomaculata is named after the large black butterfly-shaped spots on the pronotal disc. Chinese name 蝶斑黯螽. The new species has dimensions (mm): BL ♂24.0, ♀22.0; PL ♂6.3, ♀6.2; HFL ♂23.2, ♀21.8; HT ♂22.0, ♀21.5; OvL 14.6. Examined material.

This species is similar to A. ailaoshanica Gorochov 2021, but the pronotal disc has large black butterfly-shaped spots, the external tympanic foretibia is reduced, the basal area of the male paraproctal process is connected, the male subgenital plate is short and wide, about 3/4 of its length, and the spiny apical area of the female subgenital plate is short, about 1/3 of its length.

Anabropsis (Apteranabropsis) dulongjiangensis was given its epithet based on the type locality, Chinese name 独龙江黯螽. The new species has dimensions (mm): BL ♂20.5, ♀24.3–25.5; PL ♂6.0, ♀6.3–6.9; HFL ♂20.3, ♀20.0–21.8; HT ♂20.6, ♀19.0–20.8; OvL 8.1–9.3.

This species is similar to A. magnimaculatus (Bian & Shi, 2019), but the pronotum has incomplete longitudinal yellow lines on the disc, no black spots, the posterior edge of the male subgenital plate is concave.

Anabropsis (Apteranabropsis) nigrimaculatis was originally described based on 3 females. This study is the first to describe a male. The subgenus Anabrospsis (Pseudapteranabropsis) has two branches at the apex of the paraproctal process which is clearly different from the description of the male.

This study proposes to move the species to the subgenus Anabropsis (Apteranabropsis) based on the character of the unbranched apex of the paraproctal process of the male in lateral view and the armed ventral surface of the hind femur.

Original research

Hao Xu & Fuming Shi (2024). Two new species of the genus Anabropsis Rehn, 1901 (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae) from Yunnan, China. Zootaxa 5523 (3): 387–395, DOI:10.11646/zootaxa.5523.3.7

Dlium theDlium

Ralph Holzenthal caddisfly (Rhyacophila lignumvallis) from Corsica in Rhyacophila tristis (Schmid 1970) group

NEWS - Ralph Holzenthal caddisfly ( Rhyacophila lignumvallis Graf & Rázuri-Gonzales, sp. nov.) from the island of Corsica (France) was established as a new species in the Rhyacophila tristis (Schmid 1970) group based on morphological analysis and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (mtCOI), including sequences from 16 of the 28 species in the group. Rhyacophila Pictet 1834 with 814 living and 30 fossil species is the largest genus of caddisflies in the world, distributed mainly in the northern hemisphere, but also in temperate and tropical India and Southeast Asia. One of the groups is the R. tristis group in the branch Rhyacophila invaria . R. lignumvallis is most similar to Rhyacophila pubescens Pictet 1834, Rhyacophila tsurakiana Malicky 1984, Rhyacophila ligurica Oláh & Vinçon 2021, Rhyacophila harmasa Oláh & Vinçon 2021 and Rhyacophila abruzzica Oláh & Vinçon 2021. However, R. lignumvallis differs in the shape of the X tergum, the dorsal arm ...

Golden trumpet (Allamanda cathartica)

Allamanda or golden trumpet ( Allamanda cathartica ) is a species of plant in Apocynaceae, evergreen, woody shrub, upright, up to 2 meters high, old stems are brown due to wood formation and young shoots are green. The leaves have pointed tips, rough surfaces, 6-23 cm long and gathered in 3-4 strands. The flowers are yellow and shaped like trumpets, 9 cm long and 5-7.5 cm in diameter. This species grows around rivers or open areas that are exposed to lots of sunlight with sufficient rain and high humidity throughout the year. This plant is unable to grow in saline or too alkaline soil and cannot withstand low temperatures. A. cathartica grows well and produces flowers in full sun intensity without obstruction. This species grows well in sandy soil, rich in organic matter and well aerated. The right climate for growth is a tropical climate. The native habitat is at an elevation of 0-700 meters, rainfall 1000-2800 mm/year. Flowers grow year-round in many habitats, propagating by seed an...

Bush sorrel (Hibiscus surattensis)

Bush sorrel ( Hibiscus surattensis ) is a plant species in Malvaceae, annual shrub, crawling on the surface or climbing, up to 3 meters long, thorny stems, green leaves, yellow trumpet flowers, grows wild in forests and canal edges, widely used for vegetables and treatment. H. surattensis has stems with spines and hairs, branching and reddish green. Petiole emerges from the stem with a straight edge to the side, up to 11 cm long, sturdy, thorny, hairy and reddish green. The leaves have a length of 10 cm, width of 10 cm, 3-5 lobed, each has a bone in the middle with several pinnate veins, sharp tip, sharp and jagged edges, wavy, stiff, green surface. Flowers up to 10 cm long, trumpet-shaped, yellow with a purple or brown or red center, solitary, axillary. Epicalyx has forked bracts, linear inner branches, spathulate outer branches. Stalks up to 6-7 cm. The seeds have a length of 3-3.5 mm and a width of 2.5 mm. Bush sorrels grow in pastures, marshes, abandoned fields and plantations, ...

Dlium