Montana Zeuner, 1941

Massa, Bruno & Fontana, Paolo, 2011, Supraspecific taxonomy of Palaearctic Platycleidini with unarmed prosternum: a morphological approach (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae, Tettigoniinae), Zootaxa 2837, pp. 1-47 : 10-11

5) Montana Zeuner, 1941 ( Figs. 3, 5 , 72, 73, 82, 83, 108)

Characters. Head just larger than long, ratio maximum width/length of head (from vertex to clipeus): 1.1–1.2. Pronotum clearly depressed, humeral excision just evident, keel present in metazona; Ƥ subgenital plate simple or bilobate, broad; ovipositor not laterally compressed ( Decticus - type)> ½ hind femur, whitish; Ƥ VI–VII th sternites not modified; hind femora/pronotum length 3Ƥ: 4.0–4.4; 3 X th tergite with two short pointed or large and flat processes. Basal arms of titillators with spines. Colour of lateral lobes of the pronotum is black bordered with a white stripe.

Remarks. These characteristics permit easy the separation from Platycleis (type of pronotum excision and ovipositor shape), as well as from Tessellana . Çiplak et al. (2002) consider this taxon heterogeneous, mainly for length of tegmina, shape of male cerci and of female subgenital plate. We agree with them; in fact, tegmina may be abbreviated in some species, but in other they are developed, pronotum shape and the subgenital plate of female are much variable. Consequently, some species have been tentatively assigned to this taxon; when more material is available and the relationships among different taxa clearer, the assignement of some of them to it or another taxon will be possible. Montana ankarensis has been transferred to Squamiana by Ünal (2006) (cf. Squamiana ). Concerning Montana decticiformis , we examined a Georgian female specimen ( Figs. 5 , 73, 83; measurements in mm: total length: 27.7; pronotum length: 7.0; length of hind femora: 26.1; length of tegmina: 20.5; ovipositor length: 14.5), which shows characteristics quite different from other taxa belonging to Montana ; in particular, side sclerites are placed between the subgenital plate and VII th sternite, pronotum looks very much alike that of Platycleis , with a very pronounced humeral excision and developed metazona; in addition, size of this species is much larger and the ovipositor is much stouter than in other species of Montana , and the ratio hind femora/pronotum length (3.7) lies below the average of the genus. We think that when much material will be available, this species should be transferred to another taxon.

Distribution. It covers from E Asia to W Europe.

Number of species known (after Eades et al. 2010): 21: 1) armeniaca (Zeuner, 1930) ; 2) barretii (Burr, 1912) ; 3) carpetana (Bolivar, 1887) ; 4) daghestanica (Uvarov, 1917) ; 5) decticiformis (Stshelkanovtzev, 1914) (it probably does not belong to Montana ; specimen examined: Ƥ, Georgia, Caucasus, Mts’Khet’a, Dzvag (619 m), Cross Monastery 4.VII.2003, F.M.Buzzetti, P.Fontana & B.Massa); 6) elegans (Uvarov, 1934) ; 7) eversmanni (Kittary, 1849) ; 8) heinrichi (Ramme, 1929) ; 9) helleri (Çiplak et Taylan, 2006) ; 10) kure ( Ünal, 2006) ; 11) macedonica ( Berland et Chopard, 1922) ; 12) medvedevi (Miram, 1927) ; 13) montana (Kollar, 1833) (type species); 14) richteri (Bei-Bienko, 1958) ; 15) schereri (Werner, 1905) ; 16) striata (Thunberg, 1815); 17) stricta (Zeller, 1849) ; 18) taurica (Bolivar, 1899) ; 19) tianshanica (Uvarov, 1933) ; 20) tomini (Pylnov, 1916) ; 21) uvarovi Karabag, 1950 .

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 10. Lateral view of the pronotum of 10 species of Platycleidini (Platycleis, Tessellana, Montana, Sardoplatycleis, Modestana, Alticolana, Parnassiana, Ariagona, Amedegnatiana).