19 



the phallomeres (phallic nerve = nerve 5a in Pipa). Their basal branchings are symmetrical. 

 After entering the phallomeres, where the branches innervate the phallomere muscles, the 

 branching pattern becomes completely asymmetrical. The ventral phallomere gets its 

 innervations exclusively from branches coming from the left nerve. 

 The morphology of the two symmetrical specimens and the innervation pattern suggest 

 that the ventral phallomere is neither an unpaired ventromedian element of the phallomere 

 complex nor a part of its right half but a lobe-like part of its left half. I term it the vla- 

 lobe, and the left and ventral phallomeres together I term the left complex. There is another, 

 more practical (though not decisive) reason for this concept: The morphological relations 

 between the left phallomere and the ventral phallomere are often very close, and the border 

 between them is in many cases not very distinct. And this is with high probability the 

 ground-plan situation (like in fig.321e,i). However, the question of the correct assignment 

 of the ventral phallomere or vla-lobe is certainly not finally settled. 

 The homology relations between the phallomere elements of Blattaria and Mantodea on 

 the one hand and the elements of the external genitalia of other Ectognathan taxa on the 

 other are completely unclear. Only the earliest rudiments or primary phallic lobes can be 

 reliably regarded as homologous. 



The abdominal segments 10 and 11 and the telson 



This morphologically posteriormost part of the body lies dorsal to the phallomere complex 

 and covers it completely (Blattaria) or partly (Mantodea) (fig. 320, 321a,b). For many 

 sclerotisations of this region it is unclear whether they belong to abdominal segment 10 

 or 11 or to the telson, or to the segment 12 proposed by Matsuda (1976). 



Description of morphology 



The principal morphology of this area is in Blattaria and Mantodea always quite similar: 

 Tergite 10 (TIO in fig. 320, 321a,b) is somewhat triangular by a more or less pronounced 

 expansion of its median part to the posterior. Along the posterior edge of tergite 10 (X in 

 fig. 320, 321a,b) the cuticle bends sharply ventrad and anteriad, and the sclerotisation of 

 TIO often - and to a varied extent - follows this bend and forms the ventral sclerotisation 

 of tergite 10 (TlOv in fig. 320, 321b). In some species tergite 10 is longitudinally divided 

 along its midline by a stripe of membrane (a derived condition). 



The cerci (Ell in fig.321a,b) are the appendages of abdominal segment 11. They have 

 their bases laterally beneath the posterior edge of tergite 10. The basal article of each 

 cercus has at its dorsal basal margin a distinct articulation with a node-like thickening on 

 the posterior margin of tergite 10 (articulations A98 in fig. 32 lb and e.g. fig. 58). Median 

 to the cereal bases there may be some further sclerotisations (three pairs at most; not 

 shown in fig.321): The crescent-shaped Ca-sclerites (e.g. in fig. 263) are close to the cereal 

 bases and often lie upon distinct bulge-like evaginations. The Cb- and Cc-sclerites take 

 more median positions (e.g. in fig. 169, 170). 



The anterolateral parts of tergite 10 curve ventrad and then mesad; these parts are the 

 paratergites (TlOp in fig.321b,c), which take a position posterolateral to the phallomere 



