Brachytrupes chopardi Uvarov, 1922

Simeu-Noutchom, Alain, Heller, Klaus-Gerhard, Nyobe, Philene Corinne Aude Um & Kekeunou, Sevilor, 2023, Taxonomy review of the genus Brachytrupes (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) with the description of a new species and key to the species, Zootaxa 5336 (3), pp. 373-388 : 378-379

Species Brachytrupes chopardi Uvarov, 1922 ( Table 2 )

Brachytrupes chopardi Uvarov, 1922: p. 736

Brachytrupes hoggarensis Chopard, 1941 syn. nov.

We assume that B. hoggarensis belongs to B. chopardi since Gorochov (1988) identified Brachytrupes specimens from Tamanrasset, the type locality of hoggarensis , as Brachytrupes chopardi . Gorochov did not mention hoggarensis , but assumed that even B. mauritanicus may belong to chopardi . In his poor description of hoggarensis, Chopard (1941) compared his new species only with the much larger species from tropical Africa.

Type material: holotype ♁, Asia-Temperate, Arabian Peninsula, Ktubu (unlocatable), BMNH .

Description ( Gorochov, 1988): Head slightly broader than pronotum. Face flattened into shape of a regular circle (its vertical diameter being equal to its horizontal one). Fastigium of vertex with a not-deep impression in the form of a half-moon. Ocelli as usual for the genus size; the middle ocellus placed a little lower than the line connecting lateral ocelli; the latter placed on the outer side of vertical keels, which are distinctly convergent downwards and not extending beyond the base of antenna; middle facial space between these keels trapezoidal, distinctly higher than broad, with a wide, slightly raised coarsely lineato-rugose transverse band; in the middle of which there is a small tubercle with the median ocellum; below this band, face is rugose, except for smooth oval space just beneath ocellum; lower part of face slightly convex, below and a little outwardly from bases of antenna, there are short vertical keels, slightly raised and obtuse. Clypeus with a distinct transverse keel. Occiput strongly convex, raised above pronotum, and very sparsely and minutely punctured. Pronotum constricted in the back, but not as much as in B. megacephalus ; its length slightly longer than its basal width, and its apical width half the length. Disc rugose, with a short smooth median line in the front half. Fore margin slightly concave; hind margin straight. Lateral lobes a little longer than high, scarcely concave; hind margin straight, scarcely broadened downwards; fore margin and fore angle broadly rounded; lower margin straight, slightly ascending backwards; Tegmina about four and half times as long as pronotum. Tympana field slightly longer than broad. Harpa with three long and 1–2 short oblique veins. Speculum oblique, elongate; its externo-anterior margin straight; fore angle nearly straight, slightly rounded. Apical field occupies less than one-third of the whole length of tegmina. Lateral field with 5 branches of radial vein and 8 obliques veins, with feeble transverse venules. Wings fully developed, extending about one-fourth of their length beyond the apex of tegmina. Fore tibia with a large oblique tympanum on the outer side, and with but a small one inwardly; apical tibial spurs short and obtuse, the two inner ones equal to one-third part of the first tarsal joint; the outer spur about one-half of the inner. Fore tarsi are about twice as long as the tibia; first joint is as long as the second and third combined; the apex seen from beneath is oblique and obtusely produced; the second joint is one-third as long as the first; the third joint is twice as long as the second; and the claws are thin, almost straight, with a bent acute apex. Middle tibia armed with four thick and short apical spurs, the two inner and lower outer ones being subequal to each other, while upper outer is shorter. The hind tibia armed inwardly and outwardly with 3–4 irregular spines of varying size and shape, as well as six apical spurs, the upper inner spur being the longest, reaching about the middle of the metatarsus, and incurved; two lower spurs short and rather thin, the inner being little shorter than the outer; three remaining spurs are sub-equal in length to each other, about one-third of metatarsus, thick, straight metatarsus equal to one-half of tibia, armed with three short irregular spinules outwardly and four inwardly, and with two apical spurs, the outer spur being quite short, very thick, and obtuse, while the inner reaches about the middle of the third joint of tarsus, thick. Slightly recurved, with obtuse apex. Supraanal plate thick, with middle part impressed. Cerci slender long, with long perpendicular hairs. Subgenital plate, acutely navicular. General coloration brownish-pale. Face pale, with the suture between it and clypeus blackish-brown; trapezoidal space upwards from the middle ocellum and its lateral margins, as well as upper margin of antenna impressions, vertex light castaneous, color gradually fading in occiput with pale median line bifurcate anteriorly, and two darker indefinite narrow submedian longitudinal fasci. Pronotum pale with fore and hind parts of disc castaneous; the hind castaneous part being twice as broad as the fore one; both are connected by a longitudinal median castaneous fascia, including a pale median line; a round pale point near fore margin and another before hind margin; lateral lobes pale. All legs pale; hind knees with castaneous semilunar patches. Tegmina not strongly infumate; wings hyaline, feebly infumating apically.

Distribution: Saudi-Arabia, Somalia, Algeria