Parodontomelus Ramme, 1929

Popov †, George B., Fishpool, Lincoln D. C. & Rowell, C. Hugh F., 2019, A review of the Acridinae s. str. (Orthoptera: Acridoidea: Acrididae) of eastern Africa with taxonomic changes and description of new taxa, Journal of Orthoptera Research 28 (2), pp. 37-105 : 44

Parodontomelus Ramme, 1929 Figs 60-63

Parodontomelus Ramme, 1929: 261.

Type species.

- Acteana brachyptera Karny, 1915: 132, by subsequent designation.

Description.

-As in key to genera (pp. 44, 45); figured in Jago (1983b): 105-106, figs 29-36. Superficially fairly similar to Afrophlaeoba but pronotal disc much narrower in prozona, and lateral carinae strongly divergent in metazona. Tegmina of similar length, but markedly broader than in Afrophlaeoba . Distinctive features are as follows: Antennae slightly flattened and broadened basally and evenly narrowing distally; in males always much longer than head and pronotum, in females sometimes shorter. Fastigium of vertex narrow and elongate; medial carinula strong, but transverse sulcus weak or absent, level with front margin of compound eyes. Disc of pronotum: length-width ratio of prozona 2.5-3.0. Tegmina short and broad; length-width ratio 2.0-2.9. Hind-wing rudimentary much shorter than tegmen. Hind femora deep at base and very slender towards knee; length-depth ratio 4.2-5.1. Hind knee unmodified. Genital structures as in Afrophlaeoba .

Editorial comment.

- Johnsen (1990) transferred Chokwea stoltzei Johnsen, 1983 to Parodontomelus . Further, since Popov’s orginal draft, two new East African species have been added to the genus: Parodontomelus microptilus Baccetti, 1997 from SOMALIA, and Parodontomelus luci Hochkirch, 1998 from the Udzungwa Mts. of TANZANIA. Hochkirch (1998) also restored Parodontomelus arachniformis Jago, 1983 from synonymy. Hochkirch (1998) gives a revised key to the species; a modified version of this is presented below instead of Popov’s original, as that included only three species.