Atlasacris brevipennis, Massa, Bruno, 2015

Massa, Bruno, 2015, New genera, species and records of Phaneropterinae (Orthoptera, Phaneropteridae) from sub-Saharan Africa, ZooKeys 472, pp. 77-102 : 86

Taxon classification Animalia Orthoptera Phaneropteridae

Atlasacris brevipennis sp. n. Figs 41, 42, 46, 47, 52

Material examined and depository.

NW Tanganyika (now Tanzania) 1910 (♂ holotype), Grauer (MfN).

General habitus and colour.

Antennae reddish, green on the face, pronotum and apical parts of tegmina; also femora are green, but their apex is reddish; tibiae are green with apex and base reddish, tarsi are reddish; fore area of tegmina brown, their fore borders cream; abdomen yellow.

Description.

Male. Head and antennae: head long, eyes round, prominent. Fastigium of vertex compressed, narrower than the first antennal segment, sulcate above, a small concave in lateral view. Thorax: pronotum without carinae, undulated and selliform, with inflated posterior lateral and hind parts, anterior margin rounded, posterior margin undulate and inflated (Figs 41, 46-47). Legs: the spine on fore coxae is not present, fore tibiae have 3 spines on the outer ventral margin plus apical spur, 2 spines on outer upper margin plus apical spur, and only apical spur on upper inner margin; femora are unarmed. Tympana of fore tibiae are open. Mid tibiae end with a long inner spur and the first tarsal segment is longer than the other ones and shows a long concavity, where the long spur may be hidden (Fig. 42). Tegmina are reduced, just surpassing the 1st abdominal segment, overlapping for most of their median length (Fig. 46). Alae present, but concealed below tegmina. The stridulatory file corresponds to that described by Hemp et al. (2009) for Monticolaria Sjöstedt, 1909; it consists of about 50 teeth. The proximal part contains more teeth (about 35) than the much longer distal part which bears around 20 large, asymmetrical and widely spaced teeth. The right tegmen has a wide triangular speculum that covers ca. ¾ of the tegmen length. Abdomen: tenth tergite enlarged, with a wide concavity and two postero-lateral pointed and up-curved tips (Figs 49-50); the sub-genital plate is long and has apically a v-shaped concavity. Styli are absent, but two small protrusions are present on the lateral tips of the sub-genital plate (Fig. 52). Cerci are stout, in-curved and with an apical in-curved pointed tip.

Female. Unknown.

Measurements.

Body length: 16.2; pronotum length: 4.0; fore femur: 7.2; mid femur: 7.4; hind femur: 18.7; tegmina: 3.4.

Etymology.

From Latin: brevis = short, pennis = feather, because of its reduced tegminal lobes.

Diagnosis.

Atlasacris brevipennis is smaller than Atlasacris peculiaris (body length 16.2 vs 17-19.5; pronotum length 4.0 vs 4.6-5.2; tegmina: 4.0 vs 5.2-5.5; hind femora: 18.7 vs 19.5-21.5) and the shape of tegmina is clearly different (Figs 39, 41, 46, 47); speculum of Atlasacris peculiaris covers ca. half the length of right tegmen. Tenth tergite, cerci and sub-genital plate of Atlasacris peculiaris (Figs 51, 53) are very similar to those of Atlasacris brevipennis sp. n.

Distribution.

Atlasacris brevipennis sp. n. is known only from the type locality: NW Tanzania.