Description d'une nouvelle espèce de Deropeltis (Dictyoptera, Blattaria, Blattidae) et intérêt phylogénétique de la forme des paraproctes femelles chez les blattes

Previous studies indicated that the shape of cockroach paraprocts is phylogenetically informative, and that it especially helped to define the family Polyphaginae as a monophyletic group which comprises the genus Cryptocercus. This inference was recently challenged by Klass (1995, 1997) on the basis of the observation of a few Blattidae paraprocts. Contrary to the statement of this author and according to his figure, the paraprocts of Polyphagidae actually present a sub-basal and internal membranous area while the paraprocts of Blattidae present a median or a distal membranous area. Deropeltis princisi n. sp. and its paraprocts are described in the present paper as an additional contribution to the definition of this phylogenetic character. This new species is presently known from oriental Usambara mountains in Tanzania. It differs from the related species previously described from East and South Africa by the shape of pronotum, ocelli and clypeus and by the small size of the pulvilli of hind metatarsi.