Diestramima, Storozhenko, 1990

Dorji, Cheten, Morgan-Richards, Mary & Trewick, Steven A., 2025, Little-known wingless crickets of Bhutan (Rhaphidophoridae): discovery and description of nine new species, Zootaxa 5653 (1), pp. 1-32 : 6-8

Genus DIESTRAMIMA Storozhenko, 1990

Type species: Diestrammena palpata Rehn, 1906 , by original designation

The genus Diestramima was defined by Storozhenko (1990) and has 42 recognised species divided among a number of subgenera (Cigliano et al. 2025). The general characteristics that unite the species within this genus, such as the projection from 7 th abdominal tergite of males are described here.

HEAD. Oval in shape. Face smooth and shiny, and usually with short hair on the dorsal surface of head, maxillary palps and antennae. Fastigium vertici always projecting forward, dividing into apical half of conical tubercles. Bases of tubercles drawn together with obtuse apices. Eyes oval, almost the size of antennal scapi. Median ocellus oval to oblong, and lateral ocelli oval or almost circular situated on lateral surface of basal fastigium vertici.

THORAX. Body medium in size with abundant fine black and brown hairs ( Table 2 ). Anterior margin of the pronotum straight, posterior margin protruding and obtusely rounded, posterolateral margins almost rounded. The posterior margin of mesonotum obviously protruding backward, lateral margins angular; posterior margin of metanotum rather straight with almost circular lateral margins. Posteromedian projection of 7 th abdominal tergite variable from short to long covering distal half or entire part of paraproct ( Fig. 7 & 8 ). The shape of the 7 th abdominal tergite projection is described under each species account. The paraproct variable with short to long almost finger-like structure ( Fig. 7 & 8 ). The cerci usually slender, conical, and have acute apices.

LEGS. Legs long compared to Rhaphidophora ( Table 2 ). Fore femora with single short, retrolateral, apical spine and mid femora with a pair of prominent apical spines (one prolateral and one retrolateral). Hind femora with 5–13 inferior retrolateral spines ( Table 3 ). Fore and mid tibiae each with four inferior linear spines (two prolateral and two retrolateral), three inferior apical spines (one prolateral, one ventral and one retrolateral) and with one superior apical spine on fore tibiae (retrolateral) and two superior apical spines on mid tibiae (one prolateral and one retrolateral). Hind tibiae with variable number of linear, short, fixed spines on superior surface (in two rows of prolateral and retrolateral) ( Table 3 ), and typical eight, articulated apical spines. The longest pair of these (sometimes referred to as spurs) are shorter than 1 st and/or 2 nd segments of hind tarsi combined. The 1 st tarsal segment of hind tibiae have between one to four superior spines.

COLOURATION. Head with short brown or black hairs. Face white and glabrous always with 4 vertical black stripes below eyes and inner sides of antennal scapes, and a pair of lateral marks on clypeus ( Fig. 8A ). Body usually black with small brown or yellowish spots on thoracic (dorsolateral) and abdominal tergites, covered in black and brown short hairs. Legs dark and pale speckled, hind femur dark to pale speckled especially at proximal half.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Diestramima matermagna sp. nov. Male holotype (MPN_CW5486; NBCB146): (A) Anterior view of head. (B) Lateral view of body showing short 7th abdominal tergite (pink arrow) and paraproct (green arrow). (C) Ventral view of lower abdomen showing short triangular paraproct (green arrow). (D) Dorsal view of lower abdomen showing narrowing 7th abdominal tergite (blue arrow) and truncate or slightly convex apex (pink arrow). (E) Lateral view of lower abdomen. (F) Dorsal view of body. (G) Lateral view of hind femur and (H) basitarsus. Female (MPN_CW5487; NBCB152): (I) Lateral view of ovipositor and (J) finely serrated apex. (K) Ventral view of lower abdomen showing subgenital plate. Scale bars = 2 mm.

FIGURE 8. Diestramima minjiwoonga sp. nov. Male holotype (MPN_CW5484; NBCB147): (A) Anterior view of head. (B) Lateral view of body. (C) Ventral view of lower abdomen showing characteristic black spots on dorsal side of paraprocts. (D) Dorsal and (E) lateral view of lower abdomen showing 7th abdominal tergite (pink arrow). (F) Dorsal view of body. (G) Lateral view of hind femur and (H) basitarsus. Scale bars = 2 mm.

Tables

TABLE 2. Length of body elements of adult Diestramima type specimens from Bhutan (mm). Abbreviations and method of measuring applied are provided in table 1.

Trait	Sex	D. matermagna sp. nov. 2 males 2 females	D. minjiwoonga sp. nov. 1 male	D. multidenticuli sp. nov. 2 males 2 females	D. phubdorjia sp. nov. 2 males 1 female	D. samkhara sp. nov. 1 male 2 females	D. tsongkhapa 2 males 2 females
BL	Male	11.9–16	12.6	15.6–16.2	10.4–12.7	12	18.2–20.9
	Female	13.8–18.5	-	13.3–15	12.9	12.6–13.2	13.1–15.1
PL	Male	4.7–5.2	5.1	5.2–5.5	4.4	4.5	5.3–6.5
	Female	5.8	-	4.7–5.6	4.8	3.2–5.5	5.7–6
FFL	Male	9.5	13.1	10–10.3	10.5	9.7	11.8–15.5
	Female	13.4–13.8	-	8.1–9.7	11.5	7.6–12.6	11.7–13.3
FTL	Male	9.6–10.8	12.5	10.3–10.4	11.2–11.3	10.1	12.3–15.8
	Female	13.8–13.9	-	7.4–10.2	12.1	7.7–11.5	12.1–14.6
FBTL	Male	2.9–3.5	4.4	3.1–4.1	3.9	3.5	4.7–5.4
	Female	4.3–4.8	-	3.3	4.1	2.7–4.2	4.2–4.8
MFL	Male	8.2–10.2	10	8.8–9.3	8.4–9.5	8	9.9–13
	Female	11.1–11.6	-	7.3–8.7	10	5.9–9.2	10.1–11.6
MTL	Male	7.7–11	10.3	8.4–9.4	9.1–10.1	8.9	11–13.9
	Female	11.5–12.7	-	7.3–8.9	10.3	6.6–11	11–14.5
MBTL	Male	2.4–2.7	3.2	2.7–2.9	2.1–3	2.7	3.4–3.7
	Female	3.2–3.4	-	2.2–2.3	2.9	2–2.4	3.4 –3.9
HFL	Male	18.2–21.2	21.5	20.4	18.9–19.1	18.2	23.6–29.7
	Female	23.5–24.4	-	17.1–20.6	21.4	13.6–22.3	19.2–22.6
HTL	Male	19.4–22.3	23	22–22.4	21.2–21.8	20.3	30.1–32.2
	Female	27–27.1	-	18–22.5	24.6	14.7–23.8	22.2–25.7
HBTL	Male	3.9–4.2	4.6	4–4.4	4.3–4.6	4	5.3–5.6
	Female	4.3–5.5	-	3.5–4	4.1	2.8–4.5	4.5–6.1
Eye W/L	Male	0.8/1.2–1.4	1–1.1/ 1.4–1.7	0.7–0.8/1–1.2	0.9/1.4	0.7/1.3	1–1.1/ 1.4–1.7
	Female	0.8–0.9/1.5–1.6	-	0.8–0.9/1.3–1.4	1.3/0.7	0.6–1/1–1.7	0.9/1.7–1.8
MPL	Male	2.5–4.2/ 3.2– 4.9/ 4.5–6.6	11 (3, 3.1, 4.8)	3/3.5/49– 5.1	2.6–2.7/ 3.2– 3.4/ 3.6–4.7	(2.7, 2.5, 3.9)	3.8–4.3/ 3.9– 4.4/ 5.4–6.3
	Female	3.4–3.9/3.8– 4.3/ 5.8–6	-	2.9–3.1/ 3.1/ 5–5.2	2.7/ 3.6/ 3.6	2–3.4/ 3.5– 4.9/ 4.7–6.6	3.2–4.5/3.4– 5.2/3.6–7.6
Sgp L	Male	1.2–1.6/0.7–1	1.2/1.1	2–2.1/1.5–1.6	1.6–2/1.3–1.4	1.2/0.9	2.8/1.5
	Female	0.5	-	1.4/0.7	1.7/1.4	-	1.4/ 1.6
CL	Male	3.7–4.2	4.8	4.1	3.1–3.2	2.5	4.5
	Female	4.8–5.2	-	2.3–4.2	3.4	2.3–4.5	5.7
OvL	Female	10.8–17.2	-	6.8–17.1	15	5.7–8.6	15.8–22.5