New state records of some Dermaptera De Geer, 1773 (Insecta) species in India

: The insect order Dermaptera is globally composed of approximately 2,000 species distributed over 245 genera and 16 families, of which approximately 285 species composed within 72 genera and 16 families are known from India until now. A recent examination of some unidentified Dermaptera species housed in the National Zoological Collection of the Zoological Survey of India revealed new state records for six Dermaptera species in India. All the six species are dealt herein with material examined, diagnostic characters, distribution, remarks, and photographs of adult male and female, penultimate sternite and ultimate tergite with forceps, and male genitalia.


INTRODUCTION
Insects of the order Dermaptera together with Orthoptera and Phasmatodea are commonly grouped as 'orthopteroid insects' because of their characteristic interrelationship (Deepak & Ghosh 2018). Elongated flattened bodied earwigs are the most common members of this order (Deepak & Ghosh 2018).
The order Dermaptera is known by approximately 1,900 species distributed over 245 genera and 16 families (Hopkins et al. 2017). In India, the order is recorded by 285 species belonging to 72 genera and seven families (Srivastava 1986(Srivastava , 1988(Srivastava , 1989(Srivastava , 1993(Srivastava , 1997(Srivastava , 2003a(Srivastava ,b, 2005a(Srivastava ,b, 2008a(Srivastava ,b, 2013Julka & Purohit 1984;Hegde et al. 2015;Deepak & Ghosh 2018;Karthik et al. 2022). A recent examination of the unidentified specimens housed in the National Zoological Collection of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and labeled as collections of different states of India along with respective verbatim data revealed many new distributional records for different states of India.
The present communication reports new distribution records of six species of dermapterids in India.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
In the present study, some unidentified Dermaptera specimens collected by many scientists from different parts of the country and housed in the National Zoological Collection of ZSI, some of which date back to 1964-65, were examined. The specimens were found preserved in 70% ethanol.
The specimens were examined under stereo-zoom trinocular microscope (LIECA EZ4) and identified up to species level using the keys of Srivastava (1988Srivastava ( , 2003Srivastava ( , 2013 and other relevant literature. The male genitalia were dissected from the penultimate sternite with the help of forceps and examined for confirming species identity. The photographs of dorsal habitus of adults and male genitalia were captured with the camera (LIECA M205 A) attached to the stereo-zoom microscope. The photographic plates were compiled in Adobe Photoshop CS3.

RESULT
Of the examined species, Euborellia compressa (Borelli, 1907)  Body colour black to reddishbrown; sides of pronotum, antennae, and legs yellow; head yellowish-brown in male and reddish-brown in female; ultimate tergite dark brown in both sexes. Head triangular, longer than broad; frons slightly convex with its hind margin faintly emarginated in the middle. Eyes shorter than postocular area. Pronotum quadrate, slightly longer than broad, widened posteriorly with straight lateral margin. Prozona slightly raised and metazona flat. Abdomen elongated; 5 th -9 th segments with oblique carina; ultimate tergite smooth, transverse, gradually sloped backwards and obliquely and weakly concave above the base of forceps; penultimate sternite transverse, posteriorly narrowed with its hind margin subtruncate in the middle. Forceps asymmetrical, remote at base, gradually tapering with its internal margin serrated.
Male genitalia (Image 3A): Paramere as long as broad, square-shaped with distinct oblique median membrane; external apical angle sharp and tips obtuse; distal lobes with denticulate chitinous pads; virga not visible.

Diagnosis (male):
Body colour dull blackish-brown; pronotum dark brown; elytra and wings yellowishbrown with the apical part of wing bright yellow; legs yellow with femur and tibiae having black bands. Head quadrate with its hind margin emarginate in the middle. Eyes as long as the postocular area. Pronotum slightly longer than broad, posteriorly widened with its margin round. Abdomen finely pubescent. Penultimate sternite triangular with slight emargination present in the middle of hind margin. Forceps gently incurved, tapering, with the apices pointed; inner margin ventrally crenulate with a distinct tooth at apical third.
Male genitalia (Image 3B): Parameres three times longer than broad, narrowed apically with pointed acute tips; external margin covex; virga thin, tubular with distinct basal vesicle.
Male genitalia (Image 3C): Parameres flat, three to four times longer than broad, with its margin staright, and bears a membranous epimerite at the apex; virga distinctly visible, basally with a vesicle and an inner sinuous tube.
Remarks: The species exhibit extreme variations in general body colouration, size and shape of pronotum, texture and extent of elytra and wings, and shape of ultimate tergite and forceps (specially the inner armature). Distribution

DISCUSSION
Earwigs are generally nocturnal insects and take shelter in small, dark, and moist areas during the daytime. Some species show wider distribution throughout the country while some are found only in specific regions. For example, Nala lividipes (Dufour, 1829), Labidura riparia (Pallas, 1773), Forcipula quadrispinosa (Dohrn, 1863), and F. trispinosa (Dohrn, 1863) are the dominant species of the country as are widespread throughout many states. Moreover, Nala lividipes (Dufour, 1829) and Labidura riparia (Pallas, 1773) are also common inhabitant of agricultural crop fields of the country. Another frequently available species is Euborellia compressa (Borelli, 1907) which shelters inside the bark of rotting logs as well as in moist ground. On the contrary, Echinosoma parvulum Dohrn, 1863 is a relatively less distributed species in India. Indian Dermaptera fauna represents only about 15% (285/1,900) of the world fauna, indicating that the group is not well studied in the country. This shortfall of documentation demands for a comprehensive taxonomic exercise on Dermaptera fauna of the country.
Of the 285 Dermaptera species known from India and the oriental region, 165 are known only from India, exhibiting a high endemism of about 58 percent.

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