Prionotropis hystrix (Germar, 1817)

Massa, Bruno, Ünal, Mustafa & Verde, Gabriella Lo, 2015, Revision of the genus Prionotropis Fieber, 1853 (Orthoptera: Pamphagidae: Thrinchinae), Zootaxa 4059 (3), pp. 499-524 : 503-506

Prionotropis hystrix (Germar, 1817)

Prionotropis hystrix sontiaca Uvarov, 1923 , confirmed synonym

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Orthoptera .speciesfile.org:TaxonName: 42772

Material examined. Croatia, Krk Is. 29.VII. 1998, A. Foucart (13 ♂, 7 ♀) ( MNHN); Croatia, Krk Is. 29.VII. 1998, A. Foucart (2 ♂, 2 ♀) ( CBGP); Slovenia, Col de Brod, Azam (1 ♂, 1 ♀) ( MNCN); Dalmatia (1 ♀); Slovenia, Carniola (1 ♂, 1 ♀); Bosnia (1 ♂, 1 ♀); Croatia, Fiume (3 ♂, 1 ♀); Croatia, Istria, ex Brunner (4 ♀); Slovenia, Veliki Dol VI. 1909 (2 ♀) (identified as P. s o nt i a c a) ( MNHN); Croatia, Grobnik III. 1877, Krauss (1 ♀); Croatia, Pola [Pula] III. 1877, Krauss (1 ♂); Croatia, Pola (2 ♂, 1 ♀); Croatia, Rovinj, Kaltenbach (1 ♂); Croatia, Zengg [Senj] (3 ♀); Croatia (1 ♀ nymph); Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mostar (1 ♂) ( NMW); Croatia, Senj (Adria), VIII. 1929, W. Ramme (1 ♂, 1 ♀) (AİBÜEM); Italy, "Österreichisches Küstenland", Görzer Karst 1909, Ebner (1 ♂ holotype, 3 ♀, 1 ♀ nymph paratypes of P. hystrix sontiaca Uvarov, 1923 ) ( NMW); Italy, Carso Triestino VII. 2012, P. Fontana (1 ♂, 1 ♀) ( BMCP); Italy, Gabrovizza (Carso Triestino) 9.VIII. 1929, Stolfa (5 ♂, 5 ♀); same locality 16.VII. 1958, Solari (1 ♂); Italy, Duino (Trieste) 12.VII. 1936, A. Schatzmayr (1 ♂, 2 ♀); Italy, Mt. San Michele (Carso Triestino) 5.VII. 1936, F. Capra (1 ♂); Italy, Monfalcone, loc. Redipuglia (Gorizia) VII. 1958 (1 ♂); Italy, Sistiana (Trieste) 15.VIII. 1930 (1 ♂, 1 ♀); Croatia, Rovigno 17.VI. 1929, A. Schatzmayr (1 ♂); Slovenia, Comeno 17.VII. 1926, A. Schatzmayr (1 ♀) (identified as P. hystrix sontiaca ) ( MSNG).

FIGURES. 6–9. Lateral view of males of Prionotropis azami (6), P. rhodanica (7), P. hystrix (8) and P. sontiaca (9); the latter is here synonymized with P. h y s t r i x.

Remarks. P. hystrix was described from specimens collected in the Veglia Is., actually Krk Is. Even if it was not possible to examine the type, we were able to study a long series from the type locality, collected by A. Foucart. Specimens from the "Görzer Karst" (= Carso Goriziano; see above and Uvarov 1923) were described as a separated subspecies, P. hystrix sontiaca Uvarov, 1923 , that we consider synonym of hystrix .

The tegmina of males exceed the 3 rd tergite, their maximum width lies before the centre, tegmina of females exceed just the 1 st tergite and are rounded and apically cut. According to Uvarov (1923), tegmina of males of “ sontiaca ” exceed the 2 nd tergite, those of the females reach just the 1 st tergite and have parabolic apex and hind margin convex. However, female tegmina of " sontiaca " specimens examined by us clearly exceed the 1 st tergite and lie within the variability of hystrix ( Figs 24, 25, 32, 33); indeed Harz (1975) synonymized it with the latter taxon. The epiphallus is rather different from that of the other species, it is short and pseudolophi are parabolically placed, the posterior edge is clearly raised ( Figs 38, 45); penis valves are of intermediate length between those of P. appula / P. willemsorum n. sp. and P. rhodanica / P. az a m i ( Figs 52, 54, 55, 56, 57).

More recently Ingrisch & Böhme (2011), examining the photo of a female specimen collected about 20 km North-West of Trieste (Carso Triestino), found a shorter tegmina than conspecific from Dalmatian area, and proposed detailed studies of more material to solve the question of synonymy proposed by Harz (1975). We compared also the phallic complex of specimens from Carso Triestino and found the same characteristics of specimens originating from Krk Is., namely the parabolic position of pseudolophi, the raised posterior edge and the shape of the penis valves. Although P. hystrix is smaller in size than " sontiaca " ( Table 1; no statistical differences were found), from the biometrical point of view, " sontiaca " lies within the range of hystrix ( Figs 67 a, 67 b). We highlight that the comparison between hystrix and " sontiaca " corresponds to that of insular and continental populations; small differences in size are quite normal in such cases. Thus, we confirm the synonymy of P. hystrix sontiaca with P. hystrix hystrix ; the species consequently is monotypical.

Measurements. see Table 1. Biometric ratios lie within the group flexuosa / maculinervis / azami / appula / willemsorum (males) and rhodanica / azami / flexuosa (females), and do not show any important sexual dimorphism in the length of tegmina ( Fig. 68).

Distribution. It is a Balkanic species present in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia (including several islands) and reaching Italy province of Trieste and Gorizia (Carso Triestino and Goriziano) ( Fontana et al. 2005, Ingrisch & Böhme 2011; see material examined).