Tricondylomimus coomani Chopard, 1930

Kamila, Ambayathingal P. & Sureshan, Pavittu M., 2024, First report of the genus Tricondylomimus Chopard, 1930 (Mantodea, Gonypetidae) from India with a note on its geographical distribution, Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics 10 (1), pp. 43-49 : 44-47

Tricondylomimus coomani Chopard, 1930 ( Figs 1–6, 7)

Tricondylomimus coomani Chopard, 1930:229 ; Beier, 1935, 203:45; Ehrmann, 2002, 239; Otte & Spearman, 2005, 114; Thinh, 2010, 32 (1):20; Zhu et al., 2012, 30; Stiewe & Shcherbakov, 2017, 53 (3):183; Schwarz & Roy, 2019, 55 (2):137.

Material examined. 1 ♀. INDIA, Arunachal Pradesh, Changlang, Namdapha National Park, Hornbill (27°31'50.16" N, 96°25'19.2" E, Alt. 634 m a.s.l.), 06.xi.2009, Coll. J.K. De & Party, Reg. No. ZSI/ WGRC / IR/INV. 24630 .

Brief description. Head ( Figs 1–2). Pentagonal. Lower frons transverse, upper edge arched in the middle, disc with a pair of small notches in middle. Ocelli very small, round. Vertex bulging, extending beyond eye level. Juxta-ocular bulges prominent, round. Pronotum ( Fig. 2). Laterally wavy. Metazone more than two times as long as prozone. Lateral edges denticulated more in metazone than prozone. Supra-coxal dilation distinct. Prozone semicircular, strongly bulging in middle. Metazone strongly bulging anteriorly; laterally constricted in the middle; posterior end with two middle tubercles. Foreleg ( Figs 3–5). Coxa a little longer than metazone and a little widened just after base; upper edge with a row of small tubercles each with a long seta; coxal lobes divergent, anterior lobe extended to dorsal side. Trochanter distinctly curved. Femur with four posteroventral, four discoidal, 14 anteroventral (IiIiIiIiIiiIiI) and a genicular spine on each side. First anteroventral spine highly enlarged, almost as long as first posteroventral spine. Tibia with six long, sharp posteroventral and 11 anteroventral spines, first one small, gradually increase in length towards apex. Tarsus completely ciliate, basitarsus a little longer than other tarsomeres together. Spination formula of foreleg: F = 4DS/14AvS/4PvS; T = 11AvS/6PvS. Wings ( Fig. 6) Shorter than abdomen. Smoky, sub-opaque with irregular cells. Costal area of forewings darker, widest near base, nearly reaching apex; anal area with a small oval pale transparent patch near base; stigma like a large, oval, transparent patch.

Distribution ( Fig. 9). India: Arunachal Pradesh (New record); Elsewhere: Vietnam; Lào Cai, Hòa Bình, Vin Phuc, Kon Tum ( Stiewe & Shcherbakov, 2017).

Measurements (in mm). Body length 28.24; Pronotum 7.72 (PZ 2.41, MZ 5.2); Foreleg – coxa 5.82; femur 6.70; tibia 4.22; Basitarsus 4.27; Other segments together 3.87; Midleg – coxa 2.76; femur 8.79; tibia 7.21; basitarsus 2.93; Other segments together 4.14; Hindleg – coxa 2.04; femur 10.88; tibia 10.94; basitarsus 4.18; Other segments together 5.09.

Remarks. Morphologically, this species resembles tiger beetles of the genus Tricondyla Latreille, 1822 ( Coleoptera , Carabidae , Cicindellinae) ( Fig. 8), commonly known as arboreal tiger beetles found in South and Southeast Asia, which gave Tricondylomimus its name. The beetle species T. macrodera Chaudoir, 1860 and T. tuberculata Chaudoir, 1860 were reported from Northeastern India ( Pearson et al., 2020). Chopard (1930) and Stiewe and Shcherbakov (2017) also pointed out the similarity between them.