Parapetasia rammei Sjöstedt, 1923

Yetchom Fondjo, Jeanne Agrippine, Husemann, Martin, Nzoko Fiemapong, Armand Richard, Missoup, Alain Didier, Kenne, Martin, Tindo, Maurice, Hawlitschek, Oliver, Duressa, Tarekegn Fite, Xu, Sheng-Quan, Zhu, Wenhui & Hemp, Claudia, 2024, Integrative taxonomic revision of the grasshopper genera Parapetasia Bolívar, 1884, and Loveridgacris Rehn, 1954 (Orthoptera, Pyrgomorphidae), with description of a new species of Loveridgacris, Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 71 (2), pp. 265-287 : 265-287

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.3897/dez.71.125877
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:8108C5B0-40C9-40CA-A38B-8805F173900D
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13961290
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/2ED22B0E-776E-5CB1-81B9-E55B6611E4CB
treatment provided by	Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift by Pensoft
scientific name	Parapetasia rammei Sjöstedt, 1923
status

Treatment

Parapetasia rammei Sjöstedt, 1923 View in CoL

Figs 1 C, D View Figure 1 , 2 B, E, H View Figure 2 , 6 B, E, H, K View Figure 6 , 7 B, E, H View Figure 7

Holotype.

Cameroon • ♀; Bare-Dschang , [Stockholm]

Paratypes.

Cameroon • 1 ♂, Bamenda; Adametz S. G. leg.; MfN URL: http://cool.mfn-berlin.de/u/bb659e [ MfN] View Materials . • 1 ♀; Bangwe ; 1000 m; Mitte V-Mitte VI. 99 [mid-May. – mid-Jun. 1999]; G. Conrau S. leg.; MfN URL: http://cool.mfn-berlin.de/u/d4c8af [ MfN] View Materials .

Material examined.

Cameroon. • 1 male; Bamenda ; Adametz S. G. leg.; URL: http://cool.mfn-berlin.de/u/bb659e ( MfN) View Materials . • 1 female; Bangwe ; 1000 m; Mitte V – Mitte VI. 99 [mid-May. – mid-Jun. 1999]; G. Conrau S. leg.; URL: http://cool.mfn-berlin.de/u/d4c8af ( MfN) View Materials . • 1 female; Fotouni , West; 5.362°N, 10.246°E; 15 Jun. 2020; J. A. Yetchom Fondjo; SMNK; CMJ 678 GoogleMaps . • 1 female; Fotouni , West; 5.362°N, 10.246°E; 13 Aug. 2020; J. A. Yetchom Fondjo leg.; SMNK; CMJ 61 GoogleMaps . • 2 males, 2 females; Fotouni , West; 5.362°N, 10.246°E; 16 Jan. 2021; J. A. Yetchom Fondjo; SMNK; CMJ 679 GoogleMaps . • 1 female; Fotouni , West; 5.362°N, 10.246°E; 14 Mar. 2022; J. A. Yetchom Fondjo; SMNK; CMJ 63 GoogleMaps . • 2 females; Fotouni , West; 5.362°N, 10.246°E; 15 Mar. 2022; J. A. Yetchom Fondjo; SMNK; CMJ 64 GoogleMaps .

Redescription.

Male. Body: robust, depressed, with strongly rugose and tuberculated integument. Head (Fig. 2 B, E, H View Figure 2 ): acutely conical; fastigium of vertex slightly curved upwards, flat, slightly concave in basal part, distinctly triangular and narrowing toward apex; antennae thick, shorter than head and pronotum together, with short transverse or subtransverse segments, the last apical segment being distinctly longer than others. Thorax (Fig. 2 E, H View Figure 2 ): pronotum with large inflation in front of first sulcus, strongly and intensely rugose with more pointed tubercles; median carinae interrupted, lateral carinae absent; inferior margins of lateral lobes of pronotum straight; prozona shorter than metazona; posterior margin of metazona slightly emarginate in the middle; prosternal process very short, subacute; mesosternal interspace wider than long. Legs (Figs 1 D View Figure 1 , 2 E, H View Figure 2 ): hind femur slender, its external area not expanded; upper-median margin of hind femora distinctly raised; obliquely expanded area at the base of hind femur strongly pronounced; external apical spine of hind tibiae present; hind tarsal segments not elongate. Elytra (Fig. 1 D View Figure 1 , 2 E, H View Figure 2 ): less reticulated, shortened or brachypterous, oval, semilobed, reaching dorsally the third abdominal tergite, anterior margins rather curved, with very broadly rounded posterior margins. Abdomen (Figs 1 D View Figure 1 , 2 E, H View Figure 2 ): often annulated; abdominal tergites each with a trigonal medio-dorsal tubercle; male subgenital plate compressed toward apex above, margins slightly incised, parallel; male supra-anal plate conical; male cerci (Fig. 7 B View Figure 7 ) conical, straight. Epiphallus (Fig. 6 B View Figure 6 ): bridge narrow, its anterior margin curved emarginate, posterior margin almost straight; anterior projections small; lateral plates oblique or divergent, its external margins fairly expanded; appendices of epiphallus narrow, subparallel, with apical lobes having only broader terminal processes, smaller processes absent, attached marginally to the basal part of external expansion of lateral plates, lying marginally to the external expansion of lateral plates; lophi very small or short, slightly curved, and anteriorly directed with acute apex. Ectophallus (Fig. 6 E, H, K View Figure 6 ): central membrane fairly narrow, subtriangular, marked at its lateral margins by furrows; zygoma broadly transverse, not extending halfway along the cingulum; suprazygomal plate rather U-shaped, slightly shorter than the zygoma; apodemal plates strongly produced ventrally, the apices fairly close to each other; valves of cingulum of smaller size, narrow, divergent in dorsal view; rami of cingulum narrow in dorsal view; dorsal cleft of cingulum large, ventral cleft narrow; suprarami well developed, large; sheats of moderate size, the inner margins separated from each other; ventral process of cingulum broadly triangular, slender, almost exceeding beyond endophallic apodemes in ventral view; basal emargination of cingulum very deep; Endophallus (Fig. 6 E, H, K View Figure 6 ): endophallic apodemes of medium size, strongly produced forwards ventrally, exceeding beyond the basal emargination of cingulum; aedeagal valves small, short with button-like apices, with ventrolaterally directed process in its distal part; aedeagal sclerites narrow and of moderate size; pseudoarch small; spermatophore sac small, ovoid, not extending beyond the lateral limits of endophallic apodemes; gonopore at the middle.

Female. Similar to male but larger. Abdomen (Fig. 7 E View Figure 7 ): ovipositor valves large, not sinuate; subgenital plate without carina, narrowed posteriorly, slightly emarginate at apex; egg guide prominent, conical, and slightly elongated; median longitudinal groove of genital chamber slender. Genitalia (Fig. 7 H View Figure 7 ): spermatheca thick, lacking an apical pocket, with a laminated appearance in the apical part; spermatheca duct short, secondary diverticulum of spermathecal appendage of varying shape.

Color. Predominantly grayish; eyes red dark or entirely black in adults; labium, labrum, and mandibles red; hind knee entirely black in adults; elytra yellow-brown with brown veins; cerci yellowish or blackish; abdominal segments all separated by red lines; lower external, lower internal, mid internal, and upper internal hind femoral areas bright black.

Female. Pronotum testaceous brown with blood-like colored tubercles, more or less blackish below; antennae and legs reddish brown, more or less outlined with red; the outer-medial and upper-external area slightly variegated with yellowish brown, the margins more or less red, the tips of the femora black; hind tibiae all reddish brown, sometimes outlined with a blood-like color.

Male. Apex of antennae, apical 2 / 3 of hind tibiae, and ankles with blood-like colored tubercles; margin of vertex, lower part of antennae, fore and median femora, upper-external and medio-external areas of hind femora, anterior and median tibiae, and basal part of hind tibiae marked with yellow, especially on ribs.

Nymph with entirely black antennae, hind knees completely yellow.

Measurements.

Male. Body length 32.83–35.37 mm; Female. Body length 43.22–49.73 mm. Adult individuals of P. rammei exhibit very large size variations in both sexes (Table 1 View Table 1 ).

Geographical distribution.

Parapetasia rammei (as shown in Fig. 8 View Figure 8 ) is limited to Cameroon. The species has been primarily observed in highland zones and grass fields, specifically in Bare-Dschang (the type locality), Bamenda, Bangwe, Fotouni, and Mt. Manengouba.

Ecology.

Parapetasia rammei is typically associated with highland ecosystems. The species is commonly found on bare ground, low vegetation, and sometimes on shrubs in open vegetation, such as cultivated farms and fallows, as well as in steppe habitats. In its natural habitat, it can be observed throughout the year, with adults being particularly abundant during the rainy season. Nymphs are more commonly found during this period as well. Foamy secretions on tergites 7 and 8 are notable characteristics of the species and are also common in other pyrgomorphid species.