Fryerius (Dentitrella) guichardi, Gorochov, 2025

Gorochov, A. V., 2025, Taxonomy of Podoscirtinae (Orthoptera: Gryllidae). Part 17: some Madagascan genera and Varitrella, Russian Entomological Journal 34 (1), pp. 19-36 : 24

Genus Fryerius Uvarov, 1940

NOTE. This genus was recently divided into two subgenera: Fryerius s. str. with eight species and Dentitrella Gorochov, 2023 with three species [ Gorochov, 2023]. In the Orthoptera Species File [ Cigliano et al., 2024], two additional Madagascan species ( Calyptotrypus grandidieri Saussure, 1878 and С. madecassus Saussure, 1878 ) are attributed to Fryerius s.str., but their male genitalia as well as male metanotal gland are unstudied, and their subgeneric and even generic positions are unclear. The nominotypical subgenus differs from Dentitrella in a less narrow head rostrum, the presence of three well developed ocelli, open outer and slit-like inner tympana, symmetrical ectoparameres and formula in the male genitalia, and division of the formula in these genitalia into two isolated sclerites; Dentitrella has a clearly narrower head rostrum, only a pair of distinct lateral ocelli, the inner and out- er tympana more or less open, the male genitalia with clearly asymmetrical ectoparameres and formula as well as with this formula undivided into isolated sclerites. One of species, previously included in Fryerius s.str. ( F. guichardi Gorochov, 2004 ), has all the above-listed characters as in Dentitrella and is here transferred to this subgenus: F. (D.) guichardi comb.n. Thus, now Fryerius s.str. and Dentitrella contain seven and four species, respectively. Besides, the new understanding of Allotrella indicates its big similarity in the male genitalia to Fryerius s.str. and in the external morphology to Dentitrella (the similar width of rostrum, the presence of only a pair of distinct lateral ocelli, and open inner and outer tympana). Allotrella is also similar to Fryerius s.l. in the male anal plate having its proximal portion with a large semimembranous median area and a more or less widely concave posterior edge, but its distal (curved downwards) portion is clearly less transverse (in Allotrella , it is almost semicircular, more or less as in Ombrotrella ). Also Allotrella is distinguished from this genus by the absence of male metanotal gland and some features of the male genitalia: the fold around the dorsal part of the rachis is unsclerotized (vs this fold is partly or mostly sclerotized), ectoparameres are much smaller, and rami are longer.

Moreover, the discovery of a new species with intermediate characters between Fryerius s.l. and Brevitrella Gorochov, 2004 (originally a subgenus of Kilimagryllus Sjostedt, 1909 but later a separate genus [ Gorochov, 2021a]) shows that the latter taxon, decribed for two very similar species (one from Madagascar and one from Africa), is a third subgenus of the genus Fryerius . The subgenus Fryerius (Brevitrella) comb.n. et stat.resurr. is similar to Fryerius s.str. in all the characters except for the structure of the inner tympanum: Brevitrella has this tympanum open (in a new species) or absent (in two other known species including type one), but in Fryerius s.str., it is always developed and distinctly slit-like.