Kaszab Zoltán (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 74. (Budapest 1982)

Steinmann, H.: A revision of the genus Ancistrogaster Stal, 1855 (Dermaptera, Forficulidae)

ANNALES HISTORICO-NATURALES MUSEI NATIONALIS HUNGARICI Tomus 74. Budapest, 1982 p. 75-84. A revision of the genus Ancistrogaster Stâl, 1855 (Dermaptera, Forficulidae) by H. STEINMANN, Budapest Abstract — A survey and elaboration of the Neotropical Ancistrogaster STÂL species and the description of A. significans sp. n. (Brazil), and A. scabiosa sp. n. (Venezuela). With 23 figures. C. STÂL in 1855 simultaneously with the description of the species luctuosa referred the species with sometimes visible lateral spine on their middle tergites of abdomen to a separate genus. M. BURR in 1907 separated the subfamily named as Ancistrogastrinae being in the same systematical position in the family Forficulidae as the subfamily Brachylabiinae in the Carcinophoridae. These species are characterized by the unusual length of their antennái joints and especially by their attenuated scape and 4th antennái joint. Their tegmen are fully developed or abbreviated, sternum broad, and the mesosternum posteriorly rounded. Somewhat later BURR erected the genera Osteulcus, Sarakas, Praos and Vlax for the species-groups having fully developed tegmen, and on the basis of proportional measurements of pronotum as well as the formation of the hind margin of the penultimate sternite. A. BORELLI, an eminent specialist of the Dermaptera, in 1909 classified progressively the species-groups and, furthermore, described the new genera Paracosmia, Mixocosmia and Tristanella. In 1975 in my supergeneric classification of the taxa of Dermaptera (STEINMANN, 1975) the species of BURR'S subfamily were divided into two subfamilies on the basis of the presence or absence of a longitudinal keel on the lateral margins of tegmina, namely the genera with keel were arranged in the subfamily Ancistrogastrinae (Ancistrogaster, Osteulcus, Praos and Mixocosmia), and the rest of the genera (Sarcinatrix, Tristanella) without keel were assigned to a separate subfamily, Sarcinatricinae. The examination of the male genitalia of the species is our present task. Considering the extreme variability of the species, thorough revision may be accomplished only on the basis of the microsystematics of the male genital apparatus. The revisionary examination of the genital armature proved that the virga of the great majority of the species of Ancistrogaster is characteristically arched, and the virga of the other species of the subfamily is straight, the virga of the holotype of alfari BORELLI is hook-form. The tegmen and the wing of the majority of the species are well developed, however, the holotype of the species alfari BORELLI as well as biolleyi BORELLI are shortened. Unfortunately the penis is lacking in the majority of BORELLI'S male types deposited in Museo ed Istituto di Zoológia Sistematica della Université di Torino, thus the unambiguous idetity of these species is impossible. Ancistrogaster STÂL Ancistrogaster STÂL, 1855, Oefv. Vet. Akad. Förh., 12: 349.-BORMANS, 1900, Das Tierreich, 11: 89-BURR, 1911, Genera Insectorum, 122: 86.-SAKAI, 1973, Dermapterorum Cat. Prael., 7: 116-REICHARDT, 1971, Pap. Avuls. Zool., S. Paulo, (12) 24: 175. Type-species : Ancistrogaster luctuosa STÂL, 1855. Body with forceps large, rather depressed. Joints of antennae long and slender, first joint long, a little longer than distance between antennái bases, fourth joint quite or almost as long as third. Pronotum with or without median longitudinal furrow. Tegmina fully developed or abbreviated, with lateral longitudinal keel; wings present or absent. Sides of abdominal tergites 4-7 with smaller Annls hist.-nat. Mus. natn. hung., 74, 1982