Macroscirtus brunneotestaceus ( Chopard, 1954 )

Simeu-Noutchom, Alain, Heller, Klaus-Gerhard, Affa’A, Glwadys Zang, Wandji, Alain Christel & Nzike, Marcelle Mbadjoun, 2022, Review of the genus Macroscirtus Pictet, 1888 (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) with the description of a new species, Zootaxa 5188 (2), pp. 133-144 : 136-137

Macroscirtus brunneotestaceus ( Chopard, 1954)

Fig. 2 , 6 ; Table 3

Synonym Euthypoda brunneotestacea Chopard, 1954 ( Chopard, 1954)

Type material: holotype ♂, Africa , West Tropical Africa , Ivory Coast, Mt. Nimba, primary forest. MNHN Paris .

Description ( Table 3 ), ( Fig. 2 ): Body large, light brown above, very dark on the sides, shiny, hairless. The head is slightly convex, with some large pitting; the colour limit between the top and sides is clear, following the internal edge of the antenna pits; fastigium vertex very wide, with parallel edges, slightly keeled, slightly concave above with a small median keel; convex apex. Face slightly marbled, brownish, the top of the broad facial crest with parallel edges, separated from the fastigium vertex by a deep furrow. Eyes small, but rather prominent, rounded; ocellus invisible. Antennae slender, testaceous. Palps brownish; 4 th segment of the maxillary palpi very short, 5 th long, barely widened at the top.

Pronotum with straight anterior edge, posterior edge slightly convex; pronotal disc bright yellowish, almost flat, with very sparse punctuation, two slightly more marked impressions near the anterior edge and a transverse furrow in posterior third; lateral lobes high, dark brown, boundary with light colour of the disc forming a re-entrant angle on the prozone; sinuate lower edge, very rounded posterior angle, coarsely pitted surface ( Fig. 2d ). Prosternum with long and strong spines; meso and metasternum with short-weakly angular lobes. Abdomen yellowish brown, tergites keeled in the middle and showing a small projecting angle at the posterior edge; 10 th tergite short, slightly indented at posterior edge, with rounded angles; rounded epiproct; subgenital plate very elongated, with parallel edges; apex deeply and angularly notched, lobes slightly rounded at apex; zero styles ( Fig. 2c ). Cerci not exceeding half of the subgenital plate, rather thick at the base, abruptly thinned and curved at right angles towards apical third, apex ending in a fine short point.

Fore and mid legs long, with color of the light part of the body; femur weakly keeled towards apex, the middle ones armed with a small spine at the internal genicular lobe; anterior tibiae perforated by two oval eardrums, furrowed above, armed with 3 very small external spines, 2 internal, brown at the base, and 2 apical spurs; below 5 external spines, 6 slightly longer internal ones, and also 2 apical spurs. Intermediate tibiae with 4 external spines, 5 internal above, 6 on each side below, 4 apical spurs; tarsi with 1st and 2nd articles very short, 3 rd very enlarged, 4 th measures the length of the first two joined together; claws short and fairly thick. Hind femur very thick at the base, abruptly thinned towards the middle, with a dark brown external face, a bit rough, rather strongly keeled in the middle; lower edges armed in the apical half with 2 external and 4 internal spines; genicular lobes armed with a small spine.

Tegmina not exceeding half of the 3 rd abdominal tergite, rounded at the apex ( Fig. 2a,b ); dorsal field flat, thick, light brown with a brown spot near the inner edge, with faint veins on a coarsely pitted and weakly reticulate background; venation similar on both tegmina, comprising a single thick rib on the awn (R + M) bifurcated towards apical third, and a weaker rib (Cu) dividing tegmina obliquely; base thick, punctate, without trace of stridulatory field; lateral field very poorly developed, darker than dorsal field, showing only weak Sc vein, straight and simple, coarsely punctate and reticulate. Wings completely aborted.

Female larger, but similar to male. Female subgenital plate rounded at the posterior edge, rather strongly keeled on the median line. Oviscapt long, almost straight, acute at the apex, with smooth edges ( Fig. 2b ).

Distribution ( Fig. 6 ): Ivory Coast, Mt. Nimba (type locality), Man, Mt. Tonkoui (1171m), Mt. Nimba camp ( Massa et al. 2021); Guinea: Southeast Guinea ( Naskrecki, 2006)

Figures

FIGURE 2. Macroscirtus brunneotestaceus (holotype): (a) male habitus, (b) female habitus, (c) male subgenital plate, (d) pronotum (http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org)

FIGURE 6. Distribution of the genus Macroscirtus in Africa