Subria, Stal, 1874

Piotr Naskrecki, 2000, Katydids of Costa Rica / Vol. 1, Systematics and bioacoustics of the cone-head katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Conocephalinae sensu lato)., Philadelphia, PA: The Orthopterists Society at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, : 118-121

SUBRIA Stål, 1874

1874 Stål, Rec. Orth. 2: 114; type species: Subria nitida Stål, 1874

1999 Naskrecki and Otte, Illustr. Cat. Orthop. I (CD ROM) >>full references

Note: The genus Subria currently includes 9 described species (plus 3 additional species from Costa Rica and Panama described below), 6 of which (including the type species of the genus) are known from the neotropics. The remaining 3 species are known from the Australasian and Indo-Malaysian regions, and most likely should be placed in a separate genus, as were several other species originally described in the genus Subria (see Ingrisch 1998). All Neotropical members of the genus are currently subjects of a taxonomic review, focusing on the acoustic behavior of several species (Naskrecki and Morris, in prep.). The generic description below is based on the neotropical representatives of the genus.

Diagnosis

Body moderately robust; both sexes macropterous ( Figs. 33 A, 36H); tegumen smooth. Fastigium of vertex rounded, about as wide as scapus; tegumen of head smooth, no traces of genal carinae present; frons flat or weakly convex; eyes small. Legs moderately robust, armed on lower margins with small spines. Male cercus armed apically with 1 or 2 spines; ovipositor upcurved, slightly expanded midlength, apex pointed.

Description (male except where specified)

Head.— Fastigium of vertex rounded apically, weakly protruding in front of eyes, about as wide as scapus; fastigium of vertex continuous with fastigium of frons. Eyes small relative to size of head, not particularly protruding. Frons flat or weakly convex, smooth; tegmen of head smooth, without traces of genal carinae. Mouthparts symmetrical.

Thorax and wings. — Dorsal surface of pronotum smooth and glossy, flat or weakly convex; anterior dorsal margin straight, posterior one moderately to strongly convex; metazona often expanded, entirely covering stridulatory apparatus ( Figs. 33 B-D); lateral lobes 2-2.2 times as long as high, humeral sinus weakly indicated. Thoracic auditory spiracle large, elliptical, completely hidden under lateral lobe of pronotum; posterior edge of spiracle with small, finger-like projection. Prosternum unarmed; mesosternum with basisterna approximately triangular, oblique; metasternum unmodified or metasternal presternum with two, spine-like projections.

Wings in both sexes fully developed, surpassing apices of hind femora ( Figs. 33 A, 36H). Stridulatory apparatus of male well developed; stridulatory file weakly curved ( Figs. 50 G-H. 51A), with evenly distributed, lamelliform teeth; stridulatory area of both wings with no secondary venation; mirror of right wing nearly square, with weak veinlet closely parallel to AA1. Posterior margin of front wing straight; apex of front wing narrowly rounded.

Legs. — Fore coxa with an elongate, forward projecting spine dorsally; middle and hind coxa with ventral spinelike lobes on posterior margins; all trochanters unarmed. All femora unarmed dorsally; fore and mid femora armed only on anterior ventral margins, hind femora armed on both ventral margins with small spines; genicular lobes of all femora armed with short spines, sometimes anterior lobes of fore and mid femora unarmed. Front tibia unarmed dorsally, both ventral margins with immovable spines as long as diameter of tibia. Tympanum on fore tibia bilaterally closed, tympanal slits facing forward, tympanal area moderately swollen, with pair of small pits below tympanal slits; middle tibia unarmed dorsally, ventrally armed on both margins; hind tibia armed on all four dorsal and ventral margins; apex of tibia with two pairs of ventral and one pair of dorsal movable spurs.

Abdomen. — Dorsal surface of abdominal terga smooth, unmodified. Male 10th tergite moderately to strongly incised apically; female 10th tergite with deep furrow along midline, narrowly incised apically; supraanal plate small, triangular. Male cercus stout, weakly incurved, with 1 or 2 apical spines, sometimes apex of cercus incised; female cercus, simple, narrowly conical. Subgenital plate of male with a pair of styli and shallow apical emargination; female subgenital plate much wider than long, with posterior angles forming small, pointed, widely separated lobes.

Epiphallus with a pair of sclerotized, blunt convexities, covered by the phallic membrane but without well developed, strongly sclerotized titillators ( Figs. 33 G-I). Ovipositor long and narrow, straight or weakly curved in apical third, narrowed in basal part ( Fig. 33 J); both dorsal and ventral margins of ovipositor smooth; apex of upper valvula rounded; ovipositor shorter or considerably longer than hind femur.

Coloration. — General coloration variable, green, olive green, brown ( Fig. 36 H) or pinkish; often several different color morphs can be encountered within a single population of one species. In most species dorsum of pronotum with a dark, wide band, bordered with narrow, yellow or white stripes; tegmina often with numerous, small dark speckles; outer pagina of hind femur often with distinct, reticulate pattern.

Remarks.— Costa Rican representatives of the genus can be found on vegetation from the canopy to low understory levels of both the primary and secondary forests. Canopy fogging in the Atlantic lowland forest of La Selva Biological Station often results in collecting a high number of immature individuals of S. sylvestris , although adult individuals of this species are very common on broad-leafed plants in the low understory. At Las Cruces Biological Station, individuals of S. scutellaris can often be found along trails on vegetation at the level of about 2 m and more.

Species of Subria are omnivorous and have been seen feeding on a variety of animal and plant material, including caterpillars and pupae of Lepidoptera , fruits and flowers of a variety of plants, and the bark of the tree Pentaclethra macroloba (Mimosaceae) .

Males of Subria spp. produce quiet, low Q calls, consisting of either paired lisps or short bouts of rattle-like chirps. Males of S. scutellaris alternate their chirps if more than one individual is singing, while S. sylvestris does not show any kind of synchrony among singing males. Courtship behavior also includes substrate tremulation, where males produce short bouts of vigorous body shaking, but unlike the genus Copiphora females do not respond with similar tremulations. Copulation results in production of a spermatophore with a large, gelatinous spermatophylax. Females deposit eggs in plant tissues.

Figures

FIG. 32. Costa Rican species of Eriolus. A-D. E. penicillus: A. male cerci, dorsal view, B. ovipositor, C. epiphallus, posterior view, D. epiphallus, lateral view, E-G. E. acutipennis: E. male cerci, dorsal view, F. ovipositor, G. titillators.

FIG. 33. Subria spp. A. S. sylvestris - male, habitus, B. S. sylvestris - male head and pronotum, dorsal view, C. S. scutellaris - ditto, D. S. crassicerca - ditto, E. S. scutellaris - male head and pronotum, lateral view, F. S. crassicerca - ditto, G. S. scutellaris - apex of right titillator, H. S. crassicerca - ditto, I. S. sylvestris - titillators, J. S. sylvestris - ovipositor, K. S. sylvestris - female subgenital plate, L. S. nitida - ditto.

FIG. 36. Costa Rican species of Conocephalinae s. l. A. Conocephalus angustifrons - male, B. Caulopsis cuspidata - female, C. Acantheremus colwelli - male, D. Vestria punctata - male and female, in copula, E. Copiphora hastata - male, F. Podacanthophorus vargasi - female, G. Copiphora rhinoceros - male eating a snail, H. Subria sylvestris - male, brown form.

FIG. 37. Costa Rican species of Conocephalinae s. l. A. Erioloides longipennis - female ovipositing, B. Erioloides longinoi - male, C. Eriolus penicillus - female, D. Conocephalus cinereus - male, macropterous form, E. Neoconocephalus triops - male, brown form, F. Sphyrometopa atlantica - male, inset - nymph.

FIG. 48. Stridulatory files of Costa Rican species of Conocephalinae s. l. A. Sphyrometopa femorata, C. Sphyrometopa atlantica, C. ditto, enlarged fragment, D. Eppia truncatipennis, enlarged fragment, E. ditto, entire file, F. Caulopsis cuspidata, entire file, G. ditto, enlarged fragment, H. Caulopsis microprora, enlarged fragment, I. ditto, entire file.

FIG. 49. Stridulatory files of species of Erioloides. A. E. longipennis, B. ditto, variation, C. E. macrocephalus, D. E. brevipennis, E. E. latiscobinus, F. E. consobrinus.

FIG. 50. Stridulatory files of Costa Rican species of Conocephalinae s. l. A. Erioloides longinoi, C. Erioloides sikesi, C. Erioloides acutidentis, D. Eriolus duplidentis, E. Eriolus aculeus, F. Eriolus penicillus, G. Subria scutellaris, H. Subria crassicerca.