Mecopoda platyphoea Walker, 1870

Panhwar, Waheed Ali, Sultana, Riffat, Wagan, Muhammad Saeed & Khatri, Imran, 2016, New records of Mecopodinae (Orthoptera: Tettigonioidea: Tettigoniidae) from Pakistan., Arquivos Entomolóxicos 15, pp. 269-274 : 271

Mecopoda platyphoea Walker, 1870 ( Fig. 1 a-e)

Mecopoda platyphoea Kirby, 1891

Mecopoda platyphoea Redtenbacher, 1892

Diagnostic features:

Head robust, sulcate with transverse lateral apices. Fastigium of vertex rugose anteriorly with transverse carina. Antennae long, annulated. Abdomen cylindrical shaped. Pronotum flat, slightly truncate anteriorly ( Fig. 1a, b ), two transverse sulci present at dorsal side ( Fig. 1c, d ), lateral lobes with dark patches ( Fig. 1a ). Tegmina and wings well developed reaching the hind femoral apices; tegmina 21 mm longer than the total body length ( Fig. 1a, c ), narrow, having light bands on the anterior margin of the tegmina. Femora with 3 spinules. Ovipositor arcuate, elongate (24.5-25 mm long), brownish in color, slightly tapering to apex ( Fig. 1e ).

Material examined: Pakistan: Punjab: Islamabad, 9.IV.2014, 2 ♀♀ (W.A Panhwar & R. Sultana ) .

Measurements: ♀, LP 9-9.5; LT 53.5-54; LF 43-43.5; LTB 39.5-40; LO 24.5-25; TBL 32.5-33.

Remarks: Kirby (1891) reported 1 ♂ and 1 ♀ Mecopoda platyphoea from Berlin. In addition to this, he also provided detail information about its morphometrics. This is the first record of this species for Pakistan.

Ecological account:

Field observations showed that these katydids voraciously feed upon the fresh tips of paddy crops that are comparatively soft. In the present survey a very few number of specimens were captured. The present study recommends that more surveys would be carried out in other areas of Islamabad, and particularly Margalla hills would be visited, as these hills present a great diversity of trees, shrubs, herbs, climbers, grasses as well as fodder crops. Beside this, the vegetation of the southern slopes along with flowering trees as Ficus carica , F. religiosa , Bauhinia variegata , Pinus roxburghii or Quercus leucotrichophora are also the shelter of many insects. Furthermore, typical version of humid subtropical climate of Islamabad is favorable for the biodiversity of this group.

Figures

Fig. 1a-e.- Mecopoda platyphoea Walker, 1870, female: