Latiblattella angustifrons Hebard 1920

Latiblattella angustifrons new species (Plate II, figure 22.)
Closely related to the preceding species, L. inornata, the males agreeing in size, coloration of pronotum and tegmina and general character of male subgenital plate; differing particularly in the narrower interocular space, shorter and heavier process at the base of the sinistral style, decidedly shorter and heavier tarsal claws and somewhat smaller arolium (compare figures 21 and 22, Plate II.)"
^' In these features, closely agreeing with the type series of pavida before us. In that species a weak huffy marking is present mesad between the antennal sockets, margined laterad with a somewhat darker suffusion than the general coloration of the face.
*2 The dark longitudinal markings of the vertex, suffusion of the face and the shorter tegmina and wings, with veins of the latter darkened, may represent additional specific diagnostic features, or may prove to be due to mere individual variation. This can be determined only when series of the insect have been obtained.
Type. — d"; Porto Bello, Panama. February i8, 191 1. (A. Busck.) [United States National Museum.]
Agrees with inornata, as described, except in the following features. Head with interocular space slightly less than one-half as wide as that between the antennal sockets." Tegmina and wings slightly shorter than in inornata. Wing veins darkened; costal veins showing distinct distal enlargement.^'' Concealed genitalia:" the mesal projecting lobe is subchitinous and the lanceolate dextral process shows no velvety pile. Subgenital plate as described for inornata except for the following feature; mesad at base of sinistral style, a stout cylindrical process curves in an even arc, so that its apex touches the sinistral style; the brief mesocaudal portion of the plate fits in tightly between the styles, its margin curled inward along the dextral style. Tarsal claws of unequal length, as characteristic of the genus, rather short and appreciably stouter than in iiwrnata, the shorter not extending beyond the well developed arolium.
General coloration of type buffy, tinged with buckthorn brown. Head with vertex buffy with vertical blackish chestnut stripes, remaining portions, as well as eyes and lateral portions of body and abdomen, shining blackish chestnut, except the ocellar spots and a subocular dot on each side which are buffy. Limbs buffy. Median portion of abdomen and all of subgenital plate ochraceous-tawny. Pronotum with disk ochraceous-buff, mottled with buckthorn brown, with a few symmetrically placed but weakly defined spots of prout's brown, margins of pronotum transparent, very weakly tinged with buckthorn brown. Tegmina transparent, weakly tinged with buckthorn brown, but more heavily so than in inornata. Wings hyaline, showing a feeble iridescence, veins translucent dresden brown.
The paratype is less intensively colored, the face having a considerable mesdl buffy suffusion, the ventro-lateral portions not darkened and the pronotal markings reduced.
In the maximum recessive condition of coloration it is probable that individuals of this species would show in coloration close similarity to the examples of inornata here described.
Measurements {in millimeters)
Length of Length of Width of
O body pronotum pronotum
Porto Bello, type ii.i 3 4.1
Tcihoga. sdLnd, paratype . 10. i 2.9 3.8
In addition to the type, a single male paratype from Taboga Island, Panama, taken June 14, 191 1, by Busck, and two immature males, bearing the same data, but taken June 10 and 1 1, are before us,
^^ In the paratype even narrower, nearer one-third than one-half as wide.
'''' This is decidedly greater than in inornata and aberrant for the genus, in the paratype at hand it is not as marked.
*^ The concealed genitalia appear to have been soft and niisshaj^en in the type, the anal chamber is crushed in the paratype. In the immature examples the darker markings, found in the early stages of species of the present genus, are unusually extensive. The disk of the pronotum in one is heavily suffused, in the other with large maculae of blackish chestnut brown meso-laterad and with two smaller and more approximate maculae cephalad of these, the remaining portions buffy. The mesonotum is blackish chestnut brown except for a broad meso-proximal area the caudal margin of which is convex, and lateral portions, which are buffy. The metanotum is bufty, narrowly marked along the caudal margin with blackish chestnut brown. The median and four proximal dorsal abdominal segments are chestnut brown, becoming blackish laterad before the lateral margins, which are buffy brown; the succeeding segments are bufty, the more distal washed with brown. The head is blackish chestnut brown, shading to hazel on the occiput.