Leopardia bivittata Baccetti, 1985

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 : 60

Leopardia bivittata Baccetti, 1985 Figs 101-103, 114-116

Material.

-SOMALIA: Giohar; Misciani (Genale) (Type localities); Nr. Afmadu; Mogadiscio. KENYA: 22 km N.W. of Witu along road to Garsen (02°18'S, 40°17'E) 65 m. Dry thicket with lush roadside grass; Hola (01°30'S, 40°00'E); Yasere, Moyale Dist. (03°30'N, 38°55'E). Grass and thorn bush, Adults: VI, XI, XII.

Description.

-Below medium size. Size (in mm): total length males 17-20, females 25-33. Integument moderately shiny, finely pitted, somewhat pilose. Antennae narrowly ensiform, in male slightly longer, in female shorter, than combined length of head and pronotum. Head short, acutely pointed with oblique, straight, to weakly convex frons. Frontal ridge broad, margins thick, well-defined, weakly divergent downwards; fastigial constriction weak (Fig. 103). Fastigium of vertex parabolic, with well-defined medial and lateral carinulae and arcuate sulcus in forward position; surface of fastigium flat to weakly convex, meeting frons at an acute angle to form a sharp overhang above antennal fossae; lacking foveolae. Pronotum weakly tectiform, dorsum in metazona and anterior part of prozona finely pitted; front margin straight, hind margin obtuse-angular; medial carina strong, lateral carinae weaker, but well defined throughout. Only hind sulcus distinct, interrupting all three carinae. Metazona distinctly shorter than prozona in both sexes; lateral pronotal lobes with sinuous, ascending lower margin and rounded posterior and anterior angles; a strong longitudinal callose ridge, parallel to, and somewhat below, the upper margin, with area between darkened, a character more pronounced in females (Figs 101, 102). Mesosternal lobes weakly transverse, interspace length/width ratio 3:2 in males, 1:1 in females. Tegmina narrow and tapering, with parabolically rounded apex, not quite reaching hind knees in either sex; membrane semi-transparent, reticulation sparse, intercalary vein in medial area weak or absent. Hind wings distinctly shorter than tegmina. Hind knees with short, rounded outer and subacute inner lobes. Tibiae length of femora, spines moderately long, inner spurs twice length of outer. Male abdominal appendages as in Figs 111-112. Ovipositor with short, robust valves, curved at apices; lower valves without basal tooth. Internal genital structures as in Figs 114-116, rather similar to those in Duronia ; hind margin of subgenital plate without marked medial projection. Coloration marbled and speckled in shades of brown and stramineous, with dorsum occasionally greenish (more often so in males). Lateral dark fascia varies in intensity, extending from antennal pits along upper margin of lateral pronotal lobes, sometimes filling much of the space between lateral pronotal carinae and ridge on lobe and thence to medial field of tegmina. Tip of abdomen in males yellowish of varying intensity, probably in response to sexual maturation. Hind femur brown, hind knee and base of tibia more or less dark, more intensely in males; hind tibiae brownish with spines tipped black.

Distribution.

-SOMALIA, KENYA.