Tetraconcha maculosa, Massa, 2023

Massa, Bruno, 2023, Biodiversity hotspot in the Sangha Trinational Protected Area revealed through Orthoptera Tettigoniidae, Zootaxa 5331 (1), pp. 1-67 : 51-52

Tetraconcha maculosa n. sp.

Figs. 29a–29d

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Material examined. Republic of Congo, Sangha prov. , N-N NP, Makao camp (secondary for.) 02°35’42.2”N, 17°10’08.3”E, 23–29.IX.2022, MV Light Trap, V. Dérozier, B. Fouka, A. Kirk-Spriggs, H. Takano (♁ holotypus) ; Republic of Congo, Sangha prov. , N-N NP, Makao forest (secondary for.) 02°36’42.5”N, 17°09’23.8”E, 24– 29.IX.2022, Actinic Light Trap, V. Dérozier, B. Fouka, A. Kirk-Spriggs, H. Takano (1♁ paratypus) ; 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) ; Republic of Congo, Sangha prov. , N-N NP, Mondika camp (352m) 7–14.II.2023, Lepiled light trap, N.M. Bakala, V. Dérozier, A. Kirk-Spriggs, G. László (6♁ paratypi) ; Republic of Congo, Sangha prov. , N-N NP, Mondika camp (352m) 02°21’50.63”N, 16°16’25.82”E, 7–14.II.2023, Actinic light trap, N.M. Bakala, V. Dérozier, A. Kirk-Spriggs, G. László (5♁ paratypi) (holotypus and 9 paratypes in ANHRT, 4 paratypes in BMPC) .

Description. Male. Colour. Brown, with greenish costal area of tegmina and pronotal disc, black spots on stridulatory area of the left and right tegmina, abdomen yellow ( Fig. 29a ). Head and antennae. Fastigium of vertex narrow, apically bifid, separated from fastigium of frons. Eyes rounded, well projecting. Antennae long. Pronotum narrowing anteriorly, flat above, anterior margin incurved, posterior margin rounded, humeral sinus well developed, lobes of pronotum rounded. Legs. Fore coxae armed with a thin spine. Fore tibiae furrowed dorsally, distinctly widening above tympanum, conchate on both sides. Fore femora armed on inner ventral side with 7–9 spines, fore tibiae with 7–8 spines + 1 spur on inner and on outer ventral sides, 2–3 spines + 1 spur on outer dorsal side, mid femora armed with 7–8 spines on outer ventral side, mid tibiae with 15 spines on outer and inner ventral sides + 1 spur on each side, and 5 spines + 1 spur on inner dorsal side, hind femora armed with 2–3 small spines on outer ventral side, hind tibiae with many spines on ventral and dorsal sides + 3 spurs on each side. Tegmina narrow with rounded apices, hind wings longer than tegmina. Stridulatory area of left and right tegmina as shown in Fig. 29a ; stridulatory file 1.8–2.0 long, arched and composed of ca. 74–78 evenly spaced teeth followed by 24–25 more spaced teeth, separated by a bulge with 2–3 raised teeth ( Fig. 29b ). Distance between left tegmen base and max width of lower cubital area 4.2–4.4 mm, size of upper and lower cubital areas 0.6 and 0.5 mm. Abdomen. Subgenital plate short with a V-shaped concavity, with two style-like appendices, cerci stout and incurved ( Figs. 29c, 29d ).

Female. Unknown.

Measurements (mm). Males. Body length: 16.8–17.8; length of pronotum: 4.9–5.2; depth of pronotum: 3.3– 3.4; length of hind femora: 24.5–25.6; length of tegmina: 31.5–32.7; depth of tegmina: 4.0–4.1.

Etymology. Named after its black spots on stridulatory area of tegmina (from Latin macula).

Affinities. Tetraconcha maculosa n. sp. could belong to the species of the group of T. smaragdina Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1891 , even if generally they are greenish in colour. It is the seventeenth species found in tropical Africa, and it is characterized by its black spots on the stridulatory area of the tegmina. The most similar species is T. fusca Massa, 2021 (type locality: Gabon, Mikongo, Rougier, Mts de Cristal), which, however, is smaller, lacks the black spots on the stridulatory area and has a different stridulatory file (it is composed of ca. 25 evenly spaced teeth followed by a dozen teeth separated by a bulge with 2–3 raised teeth) (cf. Massa 2021a).

Figures

FIGURE 29. Tetraconcha maculosa n. sp. a) stridulatory area of the male; b) stridulatory file under the left tegmen; c) dorsal view of cerci and subgenital plate; d) ventral view of cerci and subgenital plate.