Leiodontocercus vicentae, Massa, 2023

Massa, Bruno, 2023, Biodiversity hotspot in the Sangha Trinational Protected Area revealed through Orthoptera Tettigoniidae, Zootaxa 5331 (1), pp. 1-67 : 32-37

Leiodontocercus vicentae n. sp.

Figs. 18a, 18b , 19b, 19c, 19d , 22

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:0C6A364B-7864-4EC8-A739-3B543C77FBB8

Material examined. Republic of Congo, Sangha prov. , N-N NP, Mbeli Camp (Gibertiodendron forest) 02°12’48.5”N, 16°23’45.6”E (370m) 24–26.VI.2022, Actinic Light Trap, V. Dérozier (♁ holotypus) ; Republic of Congo, Sangha prov. , N-N NP, Ndoki formation (secondary forest), 02°12’47.7”N, 16°23’45.8”E, 29.IX–1.X.2022, MV Light Trap, V. Dérozier, B. Fouka, A. Kirk-Spriggs, H. Takano (1♁ paratypus) ; Republic of Congo, Sangha prov. , N-N NP, Bomassa camp (secondary for.) (341m) 02°12’36.9”N, 16°11’30.2”E, 10–16.X.2022, MV Light Trap, V. Dérozier, B. Fouka, A. Kirk-Spriggs, H. Takano (2♀ paratypi) ( ANHRT) ; Republic of Congo, Sangha prov. , N-N NP, Mbeli camp ( Gilbertiodendron forest) (341m) 02°14’23.8”N, 16°23’52.1”E, 1–10.X.2022, MV light trap, V. Dérozier, B. Fouka, A. Kirk-Spriggs, H. Takano (1♁ paratypus) ( BMPC) .

Description. Male. General habitus and colour. Predominantly green-brown, two lateral black spots on anterior margin of pronotum and corresponding hind margin of head, black stripe on the posterior margin of pronotum, abdomen yellow, last abdominal tergite orange with anterior brown stripe, antennal segments yellowish and black, legs green-yellowish, hind tibiae yellowish with black rings ( Figs. 18a, 18b ). Head and antennae. Eyes oval-roundish, prominent, antennae long and thin. Thorax. Anterior margin of pronotum slightly concave, posterior margin straight ( Fig. 18a ). Lower margin of pronotal lobes rounded. Wings. Tegmina very narrow. Stridulatory file consisting of ca. 100 teeth, stridulatory area of the left tegmen reddish a little protruding backwards ( Figs. 18a, 18b ). Right tegmen without mirror. Legs. Fore coxae armed. Tympana on fore tibiae open on outer, closed on inner side. Fore femora with 8 inner ventral spines, fore tibiae with 5 inner and outer ventral spines. Mid femora armed with 7 outer ventral spines, mid tibiae with 3 inner and outer spines ventral margins. Hind femora with 7–8 outer and inner ventral spines, hind tibiae straight with many ventral spines + 3 spurs on each side. 2 pairs of small spines on the outer and inner knees of hind femora. Abdomen. Cerci stout and apically excavated, apex downcurved and its margins denticulate; from ventral view a small spine is visible at the base ( Figs. 19b, 19c, 19d ). Posterior margin of the subgenital plate nearly straight, styli absent.

Female. Same characters of the male, ovipositor very reduced, typical of the genus. Abdomen yellow with last tergite black.

Measurements (mm). Males. Body length: 14.7–14.8; length of pronotum: 3.3–3.4; depth of pronotum: 2.9– 3.0; length of hind femora: 21.3–21.5; length of tegmina: 27.3–27.9; width of tegmina: 2.8–3.2. Females. Body length: 15.4–15.8; length of pronotum: 3.3–3.4; depth of pronotum: 3.0–3.1; length of hind femora: 23.0–23.3; length of tegmina: 27.8–28.0; width of tegmina: 2.8–3.0.

Etymology. Leiodontocercus vicentae n. sp. is with pleasure named after Vicenta Llorente del Moral, distinguished Spanish entomologist, who has contributed very much to the knowledge of European and African Orthoptera .

Distribution. Presently it is only known from Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park ( Republic of Congo). Fig. 22 summarizes the known distribution of all the species of this genus.

Affinities. Figs. 18a, 18c–18h , 19a, 19e , 15f , 20a–20f compare the characteristics of all the species of the genus Leiodontocercus , in particular, presenting the pattern of the stridulatory area and cerci (cf. Massa 2020).

Figures

FIGURE 15. Stridulatory file and cerci of Arantia tanzanica Hemp & Massa, 2017 from Tanzania (a, b), Arantia aff. tanzanica from Côte d’Ivoire (c, d), Arantia marginata Massa, 2021 from Gabon (e, f), Arantia rectifolia Brunner von wattenwyl, 1878 from Central African Republic (g, h), Arantia aff. rectifolia from Côte d’Ivoire (k, i).

FIGURE 18. Head, pronotum, stridulatory area (a) and stridulatory file of Leiodontocercus vicentae n. sp. (b), head, pronotum and stridulatory area of L. vicii Massa, 2020 (c), L. spinicercatus Massa, 2020 (d), L. muticus Massa, 2020 (e), L. philipporum Massa, 2020 (f), L. condylus Ragge, 1962 (g), L angustipennis Chopard, 1954 (h).

FIGURE 19. Frontal view of cerci of Leiodontocercus malleus Ragge, 1962 (a), lateral view (b), frontal view (c) and ventral view (d) of cerci of L. vicentae n. sp., frontal and lateral view of cerci of L. viciii Massa, 2020 (e, f).Arrows show the characteristic denticulate margin of cerci and the spine on the underside of cerci in L. vicentae n. sp.

FIGURE 20. Frontal and lateral view of cerci of Leiodontocercus condylus Ragge, 1962 (a, b), L. angustipennis Chopard, 1954 (c, d), L. philipporum Massa, 2020 (e, f). The arrow shows the claw-like shape in the cerci of L. condylus.

FIGURE 22. Presently known distribution of the species of the genus Leiodontocercus Chopard, 1954.