Conocephalus (Megalotheca) zlobini, Gorochov, 2009

Gorochov, Andrej V., 2009, Katydids of the genus Ewanella and of the subgenus Megalotheca (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae), African Invertebrates 50 (2), pp. 435-435 : 443-445

Conocephalus (Megalotheca) zlobini sp. n.

Figs 19–21 , 39–42

Etymology: In memory of the Russian entomologist Vladimir Zlobin.

Description:

Male.

Coloration yellowish grey with the following marks: head with a pair of lighter (yellowish) longitudinal stripes running from lateral sides of rostral base and along dorsal edges of eyes to hind part of vertex, more or less brownish antennae or only several proximal segments of antennal flagellum, and sometimes light brown area between above-mentioned stripes; pronotum with 2 pairs of light yellowish stripes (not reaching hind edge) along lateral edges of disc and ventral edges of lateral lobes; sometimes pronotum with light brown areas between these stripes; tegmina more or less transparent with yellowish thick vein along costal edge, brownish or greyish venation of stridulatory apparatus, and light greyish or whitish venation in rest of tegmina; tergites of pterothorax and abdominal base with a pair of yellowish longitudinal stripes and brown area between them; rest of abdomen with less distinct stripes and sometimes light brown area between them. Shape of head similar to that shown in Figs 11, 12 . Pronotal disc almost as in Fig. 12 , but hind part not curved upwards; pronotal lobes with almost vertical anterior and hind edges (first edge shorter than second one), round anterolateral and posterolateral corners, slightly oblique anterior half of ventral edge, and shallow (but distinct) notch at its hind half ( Fig. 19 ). Tegmina distinctly shortened, reaching hind half of 5 th abdominal tergite, with very narrow (especially at middle) costal area, thick proximal and middle parts of Sc, and venation of dorsal part as in Figs 20, 21 ; hind wings strongly shortened, reaching anterior half of 1 st abdominal tergite. Abdomen rather long, with 10 th tergite as in Fig. 39 ; cerci weakly elongate, almost conical, and with almost acute apex, narrow and slightly arched large denticle in middle part, small (but very distinct) proximal denticle, and small medial lamellar lobe between these denticles (this lobe with narrower distal part situated above large denticle; Figs 39, 40 ); genital plate with slightly widened hind part (having wide and moderately deep angular notch at apex) and long thin styles ( Fig. 41 ); genital sclerites as in Fig. 42 .

Female.

Coloration and structure of body similar to those of male, but median area of pterothoracic and basal abdominal tergites lighter (yellowish or brownish), lateral parts of basal and middle abdominal tergites sometimes brownish, both pairs of wings very small (covering only small anterior parts of meso- and metanotum respectively) and in nymphal position. Genital plate rather small, with rounded hind half; ovipositor long (ratio ovipositor/hind femur 1.6–1.7), straight, slightly widened in profile, very narrow from above, with distal part almost gradually narrowing to acute apex, brown dorsal and clearly lighter ventral valvae, and without distinct traces of imaginal slip sutures between valves.

Length (mm): Body: ♂ 16–19, ♀12 –16; pronotum: ♂ 2.9–3.2, ♀2.6 –2.9; fore femur: ♂ 2–2.2, ♀1.8 –2; tegmen, ♂ 4.5–4.9; hind femur: ♂ 7.5–8.2, ♀7.2 –8; ovipositor 12.8– 13.2.

Holotype: ♂ SOUTH AFRICA: KwaZulu-Natal: northern Drakensberg, Cathedral Peak [28 ° 57'S: 29 ° 14'E], 1400–1800 m, mountain grassland ( Fig. 29 ), on grass, at night, 26–28.i.2008, A. Gorochov ( NMSA).

Paratypes: 2 ♂ 4♀same data as holotype ( ZIAS, NMSA) .

Comparison: The new species is intermediate between a group including a few species with rather simple (primitive?) male cerci ( C. marcelloi , C. phasma , C. longiceps , and possibly C. xiphidioides ) and all the other species of Megalotheca having distinctly modified ones. The main differences of the new species from all representatives of this subgenus are given in the key.

Figures

Figs 11–28. Conocephalus, male (after Karny (1907), Uvarov (1928), Gorochov & Llorente (2004), Eades & Otte (2009), and orig.): (11–13) C. phasma, head and pronotum laterally (11), head with base of left antenna, pronotum, and tegmina dorsally (12), stridulatory apparatus of right tegmen (13); (14) C. longiceps, pronotum laterally; (15) C. namibius sp. n., head and pronotum laterally; (16, 17) C. marcelloi, stridulatory apparatus of left (16) and right (17) tegmina; (18) C. xiphidioides, stridulatory apparatus of left tegmen; (19–21) C. zlobini sp. n., pronotum laterally (19), left tegmen (20), strudulatory apparatus of right tegmen (21); (22) C. montana, pronotum laterally; (23) C. parvula, stridulatory apparatus of left tegmen; (24) C. rhodesianus, pronotum laterally; (25) C. bechuanensis, pronotum laterally; (26, 27) C. discolor, pronotum laterally (26), stridulatory apparatus of left tegmen (27); (28) C. inaequalis, pronotum laterally.

Figs 30–56. Conocephalus, male (after Peringuey (1916), Uvarov (1928), Gorochov & Llorente (2004), Eades & Otte (2009), and orig.): (30–32) C. phasma, abdominal apex dorsally (30), hind part of genital plate ventrally (31), genital sclerites (32); (33–35) C. marcelloi, abdominal apex without left part dorsally (33), hind part of genital plate ventrally (34), genital sclerites (35); (36, 37) C. namibius sp. n., abdominal apex without left part dorsally (36), genital sclerites (37); (38) C. longiceps, cercus dorsally; (39–42) C. zlobini sp. n., abdominal apex dorsally (39), inner side of cercus (40), hind part of genital plate ventrally (41), genital sclerites (42); (43–45) C. montana, cercus dorsally (43) and laterally (45), its inner side (44); (46–49) C. parvula, cercus dorsally (46) and laterally (48), its inner side (47), hind part of genital plate ventrally (49); (50–52) C. vaginalis, cercus dorsally (50) and laterally (51), hind part of genital plate ventrally (52); (53) C. rhodesianus, cercus dorsally; (54, 55) C. discolor, cercus dorsally (54), genital sclerites (55); (56) C. inaequalis, cercus dorsally.

Fig. 29. Type locality of Conocephalus zlobini sp. n.