Trichophallus tricuspis, Naskrecki, Piotr & Rentz, David C. F., 2010

Naskrecki, Piotr & Rentz, David C. F., 2010, Studies in the orthopteran fauna of Melanesia: New katydids of the tribe Agraeciini from Papua New Guinea (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Conocephalinae), Zootaxa 2664, pp. 1-35 : 27-29

Trichophallus tricuspis n. sp.

(Fig. 11A–M)

Type locality. PAPUA NEW GUINEA: East New Britain, Nakanai Mts., Tompoi (5°20'37.5''S, 151°18'52.7''E), 1608 m, 19–25.iv.2009, coll. P. Naskrecki—male holotype ( ANSP)

Differential diagnosis. This new species is similar in its overall appearance and the shape of the male cercus to T. concolor (Redtenbacher) , but can be distinguished from this and other species of the genus by a strongly modified, hook-like projection on the male 10th abdominal tergite (Figs. 11F, G), and the shape of the titillators, which lack the long setation present on the titillators of T. concolor and other species. The female subgenital plate of the new species also lacks the deep apical incision present in T. concolor .

General. Body cylindrical, of medium size, slender; macropterous (Fig. 11A).

Head. Frons flat, oblique, smooth (Fig. 11B). Fastigium of frons fused with fastigium of vertex; fastigium of vertex triangular when seen from above, blunt apically, at base nearly as wide as scapus, narrowing towards apex, shorter than half of scapus (Fig. 11C). Eyes globular, moderately protruding; median ocellus present, circular; lateral ocelli present, circular; antennal scapus unarmed; antennae about twice as long as body.

Thorax. Pronotum surface smooth; anterior margin of pronotum straight (Fig. 11C), flat; metazona flat (Fig. 11K), posterior edge of metazona broadly rounded; lateral lobe twice as long as high; humeral sinus of pronotum weakly indicated; marginal fold of pronotum very narrow, smooth. Thoracic auditory spiracle narrowly oval, completely hidden under pronotum. Sternum flat, unarmed.

Legs. Front coxa armed with long spine; front femur armed on both margins; genicular lobes of front femur with single spine on both sides; front tibia unarmed dorsally, with 8 spines on posterior and 7 on anterior ventral margin; tympanum bilaterally closed, with narrow, forward facing slits, ventral spines on front tibia as long as tibia diameter. Mid coxa armed with small but distinct spine; mid femur armed on both ventral margins, but posterior (inner) margin with only 2–3 small, spines at base; genicular lobes of mid femur with single spine on both sides; mid tibia unarmed dorsally, with 9 spines on posterior and 12 on anterior ventral margin. Hind femur armed on both ventral margins, spines on posterior margin only at base of femur and right below knee; genicular lobes of hind femur with 2 spines on each side, lower spine minute; hind tibia armed on both dorsal and ventral margins, spines on ventral margins smaller and more sparsely distributed.

Wings. Tegmen distinctly surpassing apex of abdomen; front margin slightly sinuate; apex narrowly rounded. Costal field proportionately very wide, at base wider than width of tegmen between Sc and posterior margin of tegmen; strongly narrowing towards apex. Veins Sc and R diverging towards apex of tegmen; Rs branching off in apical third of tegmen; Rs with 2 apical branches; Rs, M, and Cu slightly diverging towards apex; right stridulatory area with large, fully developed mirror; mirror roughly rectangular, stridulatory file 1.66 mm long, 0.12 mm wide, with 164 teeth. Hind wing as long as tegmen.

Abdomen. Tenth tergite strongly modified, heavily sclerotized and forming apically tri-lobed “hook” that overhangs epiproct (Figs. 11F, G), nearly touching subgenital plate. Cercus long and thin, bent inwards, with shallow, angular lobe mid-length (Fig. 11E); epiproct reduced to small, membranous lobe; paraprocts modified into small, hook-like structures pointing upwards. Phallus with thick, robust and heavily sclerotized titillators covered with dense, minute hooks (Figs. 11H, I). Subgenital plate broadly trapezoidal, with deep, rectangular incision (Fig. 11D); styli cylindrical, about 4 times as long as wide. Female subgenital plate about as long as wide, nearly square, with straight, heavily sclerotized posterior margin (Fig. 11L).

Ovipositor. Ovipositor shorter than hind femur (ratio femur/ovipositor 0.70–0.75); weakly curved upwards, apex with both valvulae smooth, pointed (Fig. 11M).

FIGURE 11. Trichophallus tricuspis n. sp.: A. holotype male; B. face; C. male head and pronotum, dorsal view; D. male subgenital plate; E. male 10th abdominal tergite and cerci, dorsal view; F. ditto, lateral view; G. ditto, posterior view; H. titillators, lateral view; I. ditto, posterior view; J. left stridulatory area; K. male head and pronotum, lateral view; L. female subgenital plate; M. ovipositor.

Coloration. Coloration pale brown; tegmen with small, irregularly scattered dark spots (Fig. 11A); face with pair of black, diverging stripes below median ocellus and two small, black patches above clypeus (Fig. 11B); pronotum with thin, black stripe along midline.

Measurements (3 males, 4 females). body w/wings: male 32–38 (35.7±3.2), female 39.5–41 (40.6±.8); body w/o wings: male 31, female 29–31 (30.5±1); pronotum: male 7.3–8 (7.7±.4), female 7.2–8 (7.6±.3); tegmen: male 26–29.5 (28±1.8), female 30–31 (30.8±.5); hind femur: male 20–20.5 (20.2±.3), female 20–21.5 (20.9±.6); ovipositor: 15–16 (15.5±.6) mm.

Material examined (10 specimens). Papua New Guinea: East New Britain, Pomio, Nakanai Mts., Tompoi, elev. 1608 m (5°20'37.5''S, 151°18'52.7''E), 19–25.iv.2009, coll. P. Naskrecki— 4 females, 3 males (incl. holotype, paratypes), 1 nymph female ( ANSP, MCZ); Nakanai Mts., Vouvou, elev. 866 m (5°26'45.5''S, 151°27'48.7''E), 10–18.iv.2009, coll. P. Naskrecki— 1 male (paratype), 1 nymph female ( MCZ).

Etymology. Named in reference to the three points at the end of the overhanging abdominal tergite.