Glyphotmethis Bey-Bienko, 1951

Ünal, Mustafa, 2007, Revision of the genus Glyphotmethis Bey-Bienko, 1951 (Orthoptera: Pamphagidae), Zootaxa 1581, pp. 1-36 : 4-6

Genus: Glyphotmethis Bey-Bienko, 1951

Bey-Bienko 1951: 313 (1963: 334). Type species: Eremobia escherichi Krauss, 1896

Karabağ 1958: 110; Dirsh 1961: 376; Cejchan 1965: 453; Gümüşsuyu 1968: 120; Weidner 1969: 154; Karabağ et al. 1971: 85; Karabağ et al. 1974: 11; Harz 1975: 194; Demirsoy 1975: 100; Demirsoy 1977: 37; Salman 1978: 63; Karabağ et al. 1980: 14; Presa & Garcia 1984: 14; Otte D. 1994: 157; Ünal 1997: 20; Zang et al. 2003: 219; Ünal 2006: 21.

Diagnosis: Body large, broad and depressed dorso-ventrally, mostly with distinct tubercles and sparse hairs. Prozona high with distinct and sharp lobes or with less distinct blunt lobes or rarely without lobes like a carina; metazona strongly descended, broad plate like, hind margin angular or rounded. Tegmina brachypterous to macropterous in male, always squamipterous in female. Dorsal side of male mesotibia with distinct tubercles (except males of G. ovipennis ), without or less distinct in female. Dorsal carina of hind femur mostly excised in distal part (view from inner side), its ventral carina more or less wavy; Brunner’s organ present. Inner side of hind legs colorful with black, dark blue, violet, different shades of red, pink and yellow; inner side of hind femur mostly with an irregular, variable sized, dark macula at base; hind tarsus concolorous. Hind tibia slightly bent outwards in middle part; arolium large in female, reaching to half of claws; distinctly larger in males, reaching far beyond the half of claws; first abdominal tergite with a pair, large tympanum and a small subtympanal lobe; Krauss’ organ large with distinct tubercles on the second abdominal tergite; hind margin of each abdominal tergite with 3 projections dorsally; penis valves paired and divided; epiphallus plate-shaped, its posterior margin mostly broadly rounded, lophi with a group of spines, ancorae are distinct.

This genus is most related to the genera Asiotmethis Uvarov, 1943 and Glyphanus Fieber, 1853. It is different from Asiotmethis Uvarov by the much more shortened female tegmina (squamipterus in Glyphotmethis , brachypterous in females of Asiotmethis ), the lower and less distinct median carina of metazona (distinctly raised in Asiotmethis ), absence of a plate like projection of the first abdominal tergite dorsally (more or less distinct in Asiotmethis ); From Glyphanus Fieber by the shorter prozona (clearly shorter than metazona in Glyphotmethis ; nearly equal in Glyphanus), mostly presence of the lateral projections of mesozona (absent in Glyphanus), presence of the dorsal tubercles of mesotibia in male (except G. ovipennis ) (absent in Glyphanus), more developed male tegmina (strongly abbreviated laterally, scale like in both sexes of Glyphanus), stouter penis valves, larger and stouter body.

Ecology: The grasshoppers of this genus prefer mostly hot and dry climate and open areas. They are found on the stony and rocky ground in the open vegetation and on slopes and flats. They are mostly found in the open areas of Thymus spp. , Astragalus spp. , Artemisia spp. steppes or of the Quercus spp. , Juniperus spp. forests. They are distinctly heliophil and are mostly awaiting the sunshine in the cloudy times for their activities. They feed on the plants but there is no record as pest. The adults are mostly found between May and July, rarely up to September; the nymphs are found after the mid April to mid June (It is changed according to the regions). The Anatolian forms are found between 640–1565 meters but exceptionally there is a G. adaliae record from 1700–1900 m in Antalya. The lowest record was given for G. heldreichi from Greece as 50 meters. All the taxa except G. heldreichi (found in Greece and Macedonia) are endemic to Anatolian part of Turkey.

Krauss’ organ: According to Uvarov (1943) and Shulov (1952) the Krauss’ organ was first mentioned by Stal (1873), then by Graber (1875), and was described by Krauss (1878) in Prionotropis hystrix as a soundproducing organ. Brunner (1882) and Pantel (1886) did not accept this view. Uvarov (1943, 1948) discussed the matter in full and coined the name “ Krauss’ organ ” for this structure considered as an organ for the perception of air pressure. Shulov (1952) studied the structure and function of this organ in Tmethis pulchripennis asiaticus Uvarov. In the result of this study, Krauss’ organ has no particular sensorial differentiation. No conspicuous nerves leading to its integument were observed. It was not demonstrated to play a role in the responses of these grasshoppers toward light and air pressure. It has no effect to controls in eating, courting or mating. According to Shulov (1952) “the role of this organ seems to consist of protection the second abdominal spiracle against the pressure of the hind femur upon the plump and heavy body.”

During this revisional study, it has been observed both in the field trips and in the laboratory that Glyphotmethis taxa are using the Krauss’ organ to sound produce for defensive purposes. They rub the anterio-ventral edge of hind femur that has irregular transversal lamellate ridges to the Krauss’ organ that has many distinct teeth. I think the large tympanum is also used as a mirror to amplify the sound. The reason of this behaviour that mostly observed in the females is for safety, not for courtship.

Distribution: This genus is mainly distributed in Anatolia ( Turkey). One species is found in S of Balkan Peninsula ( Greece and Macedonia). It is found in all the provinces of Central Anatolia (Sivas, Kayseri, Yozgat, Nevşehir, Niǧde, Aksaray, Konya, Karaman, Kırşehir, Kırıkkale, Ankara, Çankırı, Eskişehir); in two provinces placed in the inner part of the Central Black Sea Region of Turkey (Çorum, Amasya); in the Aegean Region (S of Bilecik, Afyon, Kütahya, Uşak, Manisa, Muǧla, Denizli); in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey (Adana, Antalya, Burdur, Isparta); in the mainland of Greece and S of Macedonia ( Figs. 15, 16, 17).

Taxonomic characters: It is quite difficult to separate the taxa of Glyphotmethis because of the high variability even in the same population. The main reason of this variability is probably incomplete speciation, adaptation processes to the different habitats and the large contact zones between the subspecies. Especially, using the females for identification causes easily the mistakes. Because of a few taxonomic characters that mostly accumulated in the males, this paper is prepared mainly to base on the males. Nevertheless, some characters are used for both sexes and females as well. The variation are seen even in the used taxonomic characters. Therefore, along the keys, short description, the comparison and differences of the allied taxa, the intermediate populations between the subspecies are given in detail herein.

The geographical distribution is one of the most important characters during the identification process.

Body color is variable according to the habitat. Therefore, it has no taxonomic value.

The tubercles of body surface are mostly variable. But, it is useable for some taxa. G. sevketi has very distinct and large tubercles on body surface. The taxa G. adaliae , G. escherichi inermis and G. holtzi turcicus can be separated with their less tubercles.

The shapes of the vertex, fastigium, frontal carinae, preocellar and supraocellar faveolae are not used.

Pronotum is one of the most important characters in both sexes. The structure of prozona, clarity of prozonal lobes, the lateral projections of mesozona, the shape and structure of metazona are useful characters.

Tegmina and hind wings are useable characters for males. The length and width of tegmina are distinctive. The shape of tegmina is variable. But, it is used for some taxa, e.g. G. adaliae and G. ovipennis have generally stable shape of tegmina. The structure and clarity of axillary 1 and axillary 2 veins are used for some taxa. The both veins are usually separated. In some taxa they are partly fused, e.g. G. efe , G. sevketi . But it is variable, for example, in the different populations of G. inermis . The shape of female tegmina variable. But it is stable in G. ovipennis which is known only from the type locality. It has also a general stable shape in some taxa, e.g. in G. dimorphus and G. holtzi holtzi , female tegmina with larger size and pointed apex.

The coloration of the inner surface of the hind femur and tibia are important distinctive characters. The colors black, dark blue, violet, red, pink, yellow and their shades are seen. The size and clarity of the basal macula of hind femur is more or less stable in some taxa and useable, e.g. G. escherichi elatior , G. dimorphus .

The dorsal margin of mesotibia smooth, without tubercles only in the male of G. ovipennis . This character separates this species from the others.

The distal excision of dorsal carina of the hind femur (view from the inner side of femur) is used for the first time. It is absent or very indistinct in G. heldreichi , indistinct or very slightly distinct in G. adaliae and G. efe and very distinct in the other taxa.

The outer genital structures (supra-anal plate, subgenital plate, cercus, ovipositor) of the both sexes are not used.

The shape of male epiphallus was used to separate the species by Ramme (1951). Uvarov (1943) gave it as generic character. Some details of epiphallus are used herein (the spines number of lophi, e.g. G. adaliae and G.efe have mostly less then 10 spines).

The shape of the apical valves of penis are used for the first time. It is very valuable character for some species, e.g. G. efe , G. adaliae , G. heldreichi . Detailes of the shape of penis and epiphallus is variable in the different populations of the same taxon. On the other hand the illustrations given here are for a single specimen for each taxon. This is true in the other characters as well.

Therefore, the user should look for similarities and differences in several populations rather than those in a single population.