ZooKeys 1084: 101-1 17 (2022) A peer-rev iewed open-access journal I

doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1084.77096 RESEARCH ARTICLE #7Z,00Ke y

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Taxonomy of Landrevus species group of
Velarifictorus Randell, 1964 (Orthoptera, Gryllidae,
Gryllinae) with one new species and morphological

diversity of Velarifictorus flavifrons Chopard, 1966

Yan-Na Zheng!, Xin-Ru Cai', Li-Bin Ma'

I College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xian, 710119, China

Corresponding author: Li-Bin Ma (libinma@snnu.edu.cn)

Academic editor: T. Robillard | Received 26 October 2021 | Accepted 17 December 2021 | Published 28 January2022
http://zoobank.ore/96254C08-20EB-4F26-AB2E-DBC62983DA4E

Citation: Zheng Y-N, Cai X-R, Ma L-B (2022) Taxonomy of Landrevus species group of Véelarifictorus Randell,
1964 (Orthoptera, Gryllidae, Gryllinae) with one new species and morphological diversity of Velarifictorus flavifrons
Chopard, 1966. ZooKeys 1084: 101-117. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys. 1084.77096

Abstract

The Landrevus species group includes four Vélarifictorus species that are related to Landrevinae crick-
ets (Velarifictorus elephas Gorochov, 1992, Velarifictorus bubalus Gorochov, 1992, Velarifictorus gradifrons
Ingrisch, 1998, and Véelarifictorus landrevus Ma, Qiao & Zhang, 2019). A new species of the group is
discovered in the Yunnan Province of China, and it is described and illustrated here. Véelarifictorus yun-
nanensis Liu & Yin, 1993 is recognized as a junior synonym of Velarifictorus flavifrons Chopard, 1966. The
morphological variety of V. flavifrons ectoparamere is documented and studied.

Keywords
Calling song, cricket, Grylloidea, Modicogryllini, new species group

Introduction

There are 110 species of Velarifictorus Randell, 1964 (Orthoptera, Gryllidae, Gryllinae:
Modicogryllini) in the world (Cigliano et al. 2021). Four members of the genus are
closely related and look remarkably like crickets of the subfamily Landrevinae; they

Copyright Yan-Na Zheng et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC
BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

102 Yan-Na Zheng et al. / ZooKeys 1084: 101-117 (2022)

are dark or chocolate brown, the tegmina are short, and they have a similar type of
epiphallus. Véelarifictorus elephas Gorochov, 1992, Véelarifictorus bubalus Gorochoy,
1992, Velarifictorus gradifrons Ingrisch, 1998 and Véelarifictorus landrevus Ma, Qiao &
Zhang, 2019 are the species that we recognize as belonging to the Landrevus species
group. We identified a fifth species from Yunnan Province, China, which is similar to
these, and we describe it as a new species for science.

Among the species of the genus Velarifictorus, Velarifictorus yunnanensis Liu & Yin,
1993 has been recorded from China. Gorochov (2001) designated it as a junior syno-
nym of Velarifictorus flavifrons Chopard, 1966. We compared the illustrations in the
original descriptions of both species and conclude that they are not the same. We
analyzed many samples from Yunnan Province referred to as either V. flavifrons or
V. yunnanensis to confirm the relationship between the two taxa. We also report on the
morphological variation of the male genitalia of V. flavifrons and validate the synonymy
as stated by Gorochov (2001).

Materials and methods

The specimens were preserved in absolute analytical-grade ethanol during field-
work and then pinned and dry-preserved in the laboratory. Identification of spe-
cies is mainly based on male morphology. Illustrations of head and genitalia were
taken with a ToupCam digital camera and bundled software (ToupTek, Hang-
zhou, China). Habitats and specimen photographs were obtained using a Key-
ence VHX-6000 super-high magnification lens zoom 3D microscope (Keyence,
Japan). The details of ovipositor were obtained using JEC-6500 lon sputtering
instrument (Hitachi, Japan) and TM3030Plus tabletop electron microscopy (Jeol,
Japan). Genitalia were prepared by placing dissected genitalia into a solution of
alkaline proteinase (0.2g/ml; AOBOX, Beijing, China) with water temperature of
40-50 °C for 48 h.

Song recording and analyses

All the specimens were kept singly in a plastic box (diameter 20 mm, height 50 mm)
with small holes in the laboratory. We recorded songs overnight by placing a Sony
PCM-D50 (Sony, China) recorder near the box, and replayed songs in Raven Lite v.
2.0 (Bioacoustics Research Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology).

Measurements

All specimens were measured using ToupCam digital camera (E3ISPM05000KPA)
and bundled software (ToupTek, Hangzhou, China). All measurements are in mil-
limeters (mm).

Velarifictorus: Landrevus species group & morphology of V. flavifrons 103

Abbreviations

Measurements:

BL _ body length (from head to tip of | PW _ pronotum width (maximum width

abdomen); of pronotum);
HL head length; FWL tegmen (forewing) length;
HW head width; HFL hind femur length;
PL _pronotum length; OL _ ovipositor length.
Male genitalia:
R rami;
G guiding rod;
Ect ectoparamere;

M. Ep medial lobes of epiphallus;
L. Ep lateral lobes of epiphallus.

All specimens studied in the article are deposited in the museum of Flora and

Fauna of Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China (SNNU).

Taxonomy

Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Gryllidae, Gryllinae, Modicogryllini
Genus Velarifictorus Randell, 1964
Type species. Scapsipedus micado Saussure, 1877.

Velarifictorus zhengi Zheng & Ma, sp.nov.
http://zoobank.org/160DF768-6BE9-4845-B8AE-AC1897B84F37
Chinese name: #i [G-} 8&6

Figures 1-4, 8A, D, 9A, D, 10A, D, 13A, D, 14A, B; Table 1

Type material. Holotype. Male. China: Yunnan, Puer, Meizihu Park, 22°74.6'N,
100°97.6'E, VII-18-2021, Zhixin He, Ning Wang, and Wei Yuan leg. (SUUN);
Paratypes. 4 males and 8 females. China: Yunnan, Pu’er, Meizihu Park, 22°74.6'N,
100°97.6'E, VIII-18—2021, Zhixin He, Ning Wang, and Wei Yuan leg. (SUUN). All
specimens were found in leaf litter.

Measurements. Male (7 = 5): BL 15.7340.14, HL 3.63+0.31, HW 5.47+0.08,
PL 3.09+0.03, PW 5.32+0.12, FWL 7.17£0.09, HTL 10.4440.68; Female (z = 8):

104 Yan-Na Zheng et al. / ZooKeys 1084: 101-117 (2022)

.

Figure |. Vélarifictorus zhengi sp. nov. Habitus (alive) in field A male B female (photographed by Zhixin He).

BL 16.9340.72, HL 3.111£0.53, HW 4.85=20.13, PL 3.14£0.03, PW 5.00+0.24,
FWL 2.50+0.03, HTL 10.94+0.61, OL 13.00+0.09.

Etymology. Prof. Zhe-Min Zheng passed away on 16 September 2021. He was
a well-known orthopterist in China, and he made outstanding contributions to the
taxonomy of Chinese grasshoppers. To honor him, we named this new species after him.

Description. Male: vertex broad and flattened, rather inclined. Occiput bright,
slightly convex and somewhat wider than pronotum. Frontal rostrum convex, inclined
dorsally and ventrally, and nearly three times wider than antennal scape. Antennal
scape shield-like. Ocelli transversely ovoid, almost equal in size. Eyes slightly convex,
about 1/4 length of head. Postclypeus shaped as a narrow band, lower margin con-

Velarifictorus: Landrevus species group & morphology of V. flavifrons 105

Figure 2. Bodies of Vélarifictorus zhengi sp. nov. A male B female. Scale bars: 10 mm.

cave; anteclypeus shaped as a broad shield. Labrum shaped as rhombus, apical margin
slightly round. End section of maxillary palpi is about 2/3 length of the third section;
end section of labial palpi depressed and widened, almost equal to the total length of
all other sections.

Pronotum broad and flattened. Median groove of pronotal disc distinct. Posterior
margin straight and middle of anterior margin concaved inside, and both margins
almost equal in width.

Tegmina reaching eighth abdominal tergite. Oblique veins bifurcated proximally, and
each branch of them connected to CuA vein. Three chord veins, connecting to proximal
part of mirror by two transverse veins. Mirror shield-like, about twice wider than basal
field. Dividing vein absent. Apical field narrow and almost 1/4 length of mirror.

Outer tympanum larger than the inner, inner tympanum oval; outer tympanum
elongate-oval. Hind tibiae armed with dorsal spurs (numbered 5:6) almost equal in
length; and apical spurs outside three (the dorsal one longest and about two times longer
than the dorsal spurs, ventral one about half length of the dorsal, the middle one slightly
longer than the dorsal) and inner two (equal in length and about 2/3 length of the dorsal).

106 Yan-Na Zheng et al. / ZooKeys 1084: 101-117 (2022)

-,

Figure 3. Genitalia of Velarifictorus zhengi sp. nov. A dorsal view B lateral view C ventral view.

KHz 13.647 7 13.75 13.8 13.85 13.9 13.95 14 14.05 14.4

Figure 4. Calling song of Vélarifictorus zhengi sp. nov. A oscillogram of chirp (amplitude versus time)

B oscillogram of pulse (amplitude versus time) C spectrogram (frequency versus time).

Genitalia. Lateral lobes of epiphallus sheet-like, tapering, apically acute, and
armed with pilose at the apex. Middle lobe of epiphallus angularity forming an obtuse
angle and apically rounded, about 1/3 length of lateral lobes. Ectoparamere stripe-like,
tapering, and about 2.5 times longer than epiphallic lateral lobes.

Velarifictorus: Landrevus species group & morphology of V. flavifrons 107

Table |. Descriptive statistics of acoustic parameters in calling song samples of Velarifictorus zhengi sp. nov.

n minimum maximum mean std

Chirp interval 26 0.181 3,289 1.735 1.554
Chirp duration 26 0.115 0.191 0.153 0.042
Chirp period 26 1.296 3.480 1.888 1.596
Chirp elements 26 3 5 4 1

Pulse interval 26 0.010 0.022 0.016 0.006
Pulse duration 26 0.031 0.029 0.030 0.001
Pulse period 26 0.041 0.051 0.046 0.007
Peak frequency 26 3.898 6.171 5.035 1.137

The time and frequency parameters are in seconds and kHz respectively. 7= number of samples analyzed; std= standard deviation.

Calling song. Chirps lasting from 1.296 to 3.480 s (mean 1.888), and their dura-
tion vary from 0.115 to 0.191 s (mean 0.153). Each chirp equally contains four pulses
(Fig. 4B). The peak frequency is between 3.898 and 6.171 kHz (mean 5.035), and the
average temperature is 28.0 °C. In terms of spectro-temporal variation, its frequency
modulation is inclined downward, which is obvious in the second harmonic.

Female. Resembles the male. Head almost as wide as pronotum. Tegmen extends
anteriorly to the second abdominal tergite (Fig. 2B), which is shorter on the inside
and progressively grows longer on the outside. Dorsally 3 or 4 longitudinal veins and
laterally 6 Sc branches (the outermost of which is basally branched) arm the tegmen
(Fig. 13D). Ovipositor smooth and slightly longer than the posterior femur. The
dorsal ovipositor valve is hooked and has a sharp apex, whereas the apex of the ventral
ovipositor valve is slightly rounded (Fig. 14 A, B).

Coloration. Body dark brown. Ocelli light yellow. Eyes brown; between eyes and
anterior margin of pronotum marked with yellowish -brown band. Maxillary reddish
brown. Cercus and legs yellowish brown.

Remarks. ‘This species resembles species of the Landrevus group in features of the
body and genitalia. In V. gradifrons, however, the inner tympanum is absent and the apical
margin of epiphallic middle lobe is straight. In the new species, both tympana are present
and the apical margin of epiphallic middle lobe is curved. The apical field of the tegmina
of V. bubalus and V. elephas are longer than in V. zhengi sp. nov., and the apical margins
of the epiphallic middle lobe are straighter than the new species. Furthermore, the new
species is distinguished from V. landrevus, another Chinese species, in morphological and
acoustical characters. Véelarifictorus zhengi sp. nov. bears a longer epiphallic middle lobe,
whose apex is partially pentagon-like in dorsal view and possesses more pulses (9-15) per
chirp at a lower peak frequency. Finally, the absence of a dividing vein in the new species
(observed in all type material) is distinct from all other species of the Landrevus group.

Velarifictorus (Velarifictorus) landrevus Ma, Qiao & Zhang, 2019
Chinese name: ~~}#&

Figures 5—7, 8B, E, 9B, E, 10B, E, 13B, E, 14C, D, Table 2

Velarifictorus (Velarifictorus) landrevus Ma, Qiao & Zhang, 2019: 104

108 Yan-Na Zheng et al. / ZooKeys 1084: 101-117 (2022)

Figure 5. Calling song of Velarifictorus landrevus A oscillogram of chirp (amplitude versus time) B oscil-

logram of pulse (amplitude versus time) C spectrogram (frequency versus time).

Examined material. 5 males and 2 females, Yunnan, Mengla, Wangtianshu, 21°59.7'N,
101°58.8'E, X-12—23-2014, Zhang, Tao leg. The specimens were collected on grasses
or leaf litter of a hillside.

Measurements. Male (7 = 5): BL 19.49+0.60, HL 3.7140.23, HW 6.52+0.31,
PL 4.47+0.19, PW 6.20+0.23, FWL 9.32+0.98, MTL 5.42+0.22, HFL 13.82+0.26;
Female (7 = 2): BL 18.59+0.09, HL 3.71+0.56, HW 5.81+0.24, PL 4.61+0.02, PW
6.34+0.08, FWL 4.72+0.14, HFL 13.93+0.23, OL 13.68+0.41.

Description. Male: vertex broad and flattened, slightly inclined. Occiput slightly
convex and almost as wide as pronotum. Frontal rostrum convex, inclined dorsally and
ventrally, nearly1.5 times wider than antennal scape. Antennal scape shield-like. Ocelli
transversely ovoid, almost equal in size. Eyes ovoid, about 1/5 length of head. Postcl-
ypeus shaped as narrow band, anteclypeus shaped as broad shield. Labrum shaped as
rhombus, apical margin slightly round. End section of maxillary palpi almost as long as
the third; end section of labial palpi depressed and widened, almost equal to the total
length of remainder sections.

Velarifictorus: Landrevus species group & morphology of V. flavifrons 109

\--

i]

Figure 6. Bodies of Velarifictorus landrevus A male B female. Scale bars: 10 mm.

Table 2. Descriptive statistics of acoustic parameters in calling song samples of Velarifictorus landrevus.

n minimum maximum mean std
Chirp interval 26 2.629 5.191 3.910 1.281
Chirp duration 26 0.394 0.553 0.474 0.080
Chirp period 23 3.023 6.463 4.384 1.361
Chirp elements 23 9 15 12 3
Pulse interval 23 0.021 0.028 0.024 0.03
Pulse duration 23 0.011 0.024 0.017 0.006
Pulse period 23 0.032 0.052 0.042 0.010
Peak frequency 23 2.383 5.347 3.865 1.482

The time and frequency parameters are in seconds and kHz respectively. 7= number of samples analyzed; std= standard deviation.

Pronotum broad and flattened. Median groove of pronotal disc distinct. Posterior
margin straight and middle of anterior margin concave, and both margins almost equal
in width.

Tegmina not reaching apex of abdomen. Chord veins two. Diagonal vein proxi-
mally bifurcated, one branch of connected to the proximal of chord vein, while another
branch connected to CuA vein. Mirror shield-like, anterior margin and the posterior

110 Yan-Na Zheng et al. / ZooKeys 1084: 101-117 (2022)

Figure 7. Genitalia of Velarifictorus landrevus A dorsal view B lateral view C ventral view.

almost equal in width. Apical field about 1/5 length of basal field, possessing two or
three wing cells.

Inner tympanum absent; external tympanum elongate-oval. Hind tibiae armed
with dorsal spurs (numbered 6:6) almost equal in length; and apical spurs three outside
(the dorsal one slightly longer than the dorsal spurs, the ventral and middle almost
equal in length and about half length of the dorsal) and inner two (equal in length and
about two times longer than the dorsal).

Genitalia. Lateral lobes of epiphallus sheet-like, tapering, apically truncat-
ed, and pilose along margins. Middle lobe of epiphallus partially pentagon-like
(dorsally viewed) and about half length of lateral lobes. Ectoparamere stripe-like,
proximally broad, tapering, upward curved, and about twice as long as epiphallic
lateral lobes.

Calling song. Chirps lasting from 3.023 to 6.463 s (mean 4.384) and their du-
ration varying from 0.394 to 0.553 s (mean 0.474). Each chirp equally contains 12
pulses (Fig. 5B). The peak frequency is between 2.383 and 5.347 kHz (mean 3.865)
and the mean temperature is 27.8 °C. Regarding spectro-temporal variation, the fre-
quency modulation is inclined downward (Fig. 5C).

Female. Resembles the male. Tegmina reaches the apex of the second abdominal
tergite (Fig. 6B) and is armed with longitudinal veins (inside shorter and progressively
growing outward), dorsally four longitudinal veins, and laterally six Sc branches (the
innermost of which medially and apically branched) (Fig. 13E). Ovipositor arrow-
shaped, constricted, long, and with a somewhat sharp tip (Fig. 14 C, D).

Coloration. Body chocolate brown. Head dark brown. End section of maxillary
palpi light yellow. Cercus and legs yellowish brown. CuA and Sc of female ornamented
with yellowish band.

Velarifictorus: Landrevus species group & morphology of V. flavifrons 111

Figure 8. Front view of heads of Velarifictorus A, D V. zhengi sp. nov. B, E V. landrevus C, F V. flavifrons
A-C male D-F female.

Velarifictorus flavifrons Chopard, 1966
Chinese name: #5 #)l-|-W&
Figuresr8G, ROGOEK 10GB WD w1S Ge E48 uF

Velarifictorus flavifrons Chopard, 1966: 607; Chopard, 1967: 124

Velarifictorus (Velarifictorus) flavifrons, Shishodia et al., 2010: 212; Kim and Hong
2014: 61; Zhang et al. 2017: 26; Chen et al. 2018: 502

Scapsipedus arorai Tandon & Shishodia, 1972: 281; synonymized by Vasanth 1993: 38

Scapsipedus bhadurii Bhowmik, 1967: 127; synonymized by Vasanth 1982: 123

Velarifictorus dehradunensis Tandon & Shishodia, 1974: 299; synonymized by Bhow-
mik 1985: 30

Velarifictorus jaintianus Biswas & Ghosh, 1975: 221; synonymized by Bhowmik 1985: 37

Scapsipedus lohitensis Yandon & Shishodia, 1972: 281; synonymized by Vasanth 1982: 123

Scapsipedus sikkimensis Bhowmik, 1967: 126; synonymized by Gorochov 2001:321

Velarifictorus yunnanensis Liu & Yin, 1993: 90, 93; synonymized by Gorochov 2001: 321

Examined material. 5 males and 2 females, Yunnan, Gongshan, 21°69.4'N,
101°57.3'E, VI-14—2019, Libin Ma leg.; 10 males and 2 females, Xizang, Motuo,
Beibeng, 29°24.5'N, 95°17.6'E, V-31—2019, Libin Ma leg.; 5 males, Guangxi, Jingxi,

112 Yan-Na Zheng et al. / ZooKeys 1084: 101-117 (2022)

Figure 9. Dorsal view of heads and pronotum of Velarifictorus A, D V. zhengi sp. nov. B, E V. landrevus
C,F V. flavifrons A-C male D-F female.

Longbang, 22°87.3'N, 106°32.8'E, V—1-2019, Libin and Tao Zhang leg. Specimens
in grass and leaf litter.

Measurements. Male (z = 15): BL 16.7+0.53, HL 3.23+0.23, HW 5.13+0.23,
PL 3.13+0.76, PW 4.98+0.03, FWL 8.98+0.64, MTL 5.18+0.22, HFL 9.23+0.26;
Female (v7 = 4): BL 17.98+0.24, HL 3.87£0.54, HW 5.31£0.76, PL 4.43+£0.03, PW
6.34+0.35, FWL 4.43+0.15, HFL 13.45+0.76, OL 13.63+0.18.

Description. Male: vertex broad and flattened, slightly inclined. Occiput slightly
convex, almost in equal length with pronotum. Frontal rostrum convex, inclined
dorsally and ventrally, and nearly twice wider than antennal scape. Antennal scape
shield-like. Median ocellus transversely ovoid, lateral ocelli ovoid. Eyes ovoid, about 1/3
length of head. Postclypeus shaped as narrow band, lower margin convex; anteclypeus
trapezoidal. Labrum rhomboid, apical margin slightly rounded. End section of
maxillary palpi slightly longer than the third; end section of labial palpi depressed and
widened, almost equal to the total length of all other sections.

Pronotum broad and flattened. Median groove of pronotal disc distinct and orna-
mented with symmetrical blade-pattern on both sides. Posterior margin straight and
middle of anterior margin concave inside, and both margins almost equal in width.

Oblique veins three. Diagonal vein proximally bifurcate, each branch connected
to CuA vein. Chord veins three. Mirror shield-like, posterior margin slightly rounded,

Velarifictorus: Landrevus species group & morphology of V. flavifrons IES

: mM
Figure 10. Lateral view of heads of Velarifictorus A, D V. zhengi sp. nov. B, E V. landrevus C, F V. flavi-
frons A-C male D-F female.

and dividing vein curved. The apical field almost as wide as mirror and armed with
regular cells.

Inner tympanum relatively small or absent, and outer tympanum elongate-oval.
Hind tibiae armed with dorsal spurs (numbered 5:6) almost equal in length; apical
spurs external three (dorsal one about 3/2 length of dorsal spurs; ventral and middle
nearly equal in length and almost equal to dorsal spurs) and inner two (equal in length
and about 2/3 length of the dorsal).

Genitalia. Lateral lobes of epiphallus sheet-like, apically rounded, and pilose.
Middle lobe of epiphallus about 1/2 length of epiphallic lateral lobes, ventrally
possessing projections and about 1/3 length of epiphallic lateral lobes. Ectoparamere
proximally rod-like and distally sheet-like. Ectoparamere curved dorsally (degree of
curvature variable). Apex of ectoparamere bifurcate, outer branch rather long (slightly
longer than epiphallic lateral lobes) and apically rounded, and the inner relatively short

114 Yan-Na Zheng et al. / ZooKeys 1084: 101-117 (2022)

Figure 12. Genitalia of Vélarifictorus flavifrons A dorsal view B, C lateral view (ectoparamerea are
movable and may touch or be separated from middle epiphallic lobe in some material) D ventral view
E-H caudal view E inner branch observable and apically acute F inner branch small and asymmetry
(observed five samples), as evident here, the left apically rounded and the right somewhat acute G inner

branch relatively weak H inner branch similarly placed as in F but different in details.

Velarifictorus: Landrevus species group & morphology of V. flavifrons 115

rN
r

Figure 13. Right tegmina of Veélarifictorus A, D V. zhengi sp. nov. B, E V. landrevus C, F V. flavifrons
A-C male D-F female.

Figure 14. Ovipositor of Véelarifictorus A, B V. zhengi sp. nov. C, D V. landrevus E, F V. flavifrons
A, C, E inside of ovipositor B, D, F outside of ovipositor.

116 Yan-Na Zheng et al. / ZooKeys 1084: 101-117 (2022)

(only a small protrusion and varied in size and shape: round or acute, or asymmetry
with one round while another acute) (Fig. 12E—H).

Coloration. Body brown. Occiput dark brown, vertex armed with six yellowish-
brown strips. Anteclypeus dark brown, postclypeus light brown. With a broad
yellowish-brown band between ocelli. End section of maxillary palpi dark brown and
remainder sections light yellow.

Female. Resembles the male. Tegmen reaches apical abdominal tergite (Fig. 11B)
and dorsally armed with irregular longitudinal veins and laterally with five Sc branches
(innermost of which branches medially and apically) (Fig. 13F). Ovipositor brown,
smooth, arrow-shaped, and slightly longer than posterior femur. The dorsal ovipositor
valve apically truncated, whereas the ventral valve with apex slightly acute (Fig. 14E, F).

Remarks. Gorochov (2001) considered V. yunnanensis to be a junior synonym
of V. flavifrons. We checked the original descriptions and found that the figures of
these species differ. To confirm the relationship of these species, we studied material
collected from Yunnan Province (seven individuals), which should either bear the name
of V. flavifrons or V. yunnanensis. Most of these specimens were collected at the same
time and in the same location. We conclude that morphological variation of is present
in the male genitalial complex (Fig. 12), as follows: (1) ectoparamere dorsally curved
and variable in its curvature; (2) ectoparamere bifurcate and inner branch variable in
size (clearly or weakly observable); (3) inner branch of ectoparamere morphologically
variable (round or acute, or asymmetry with one acute and the other rounded). Thus,
our observations confirm the synonymy of V. flavifrons and V. yunnanensis as proposed
by Gorochov (2001).

Acknowledgements

We thank Zhixin He and Ning Wang of Shaanxi Normal University and Wei Yuan of
Sichuan Agricultural University for their specimen collection and photography. ‘This
work is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 32070474,
31750002) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
(2021CSZL007, cx2021029).

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