Dendrobia amanienSiS, Hemp & Ingrisch & Heller, 2017

Hemp, Claudia, Ingrisch, Sigfrid & Heller, Klaus-Gerhard, 2017, A new genus and other new species of Agraeciini from the Eastern Arc Mountains, East Africa (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae; Conocephalinae; Agraeciini), Zootaxa 4311 (1), pp. 1-22 : 5-9

Dendrobia amanienSiS Hemp C. & Ingrisch n. sp.

( Figs. 3–8 )

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Orthoptera .speciesfile.org:TaxonName:497464

Holotype male. Tanzania, East Usambara Mountains, Amani Nature Reserve , December 2016 caught as nymph and reared to adult (Jan 17). Depository MfN . Further paratype material: 1 female, same data as holotype. Depository MfN . Further paratype material: 2 males, same data as holotype. Collection C. Hemp.

Description male. Habitus and colour. Plump medium-sized insect, predominantly leaf green with broad brown-reddish fascia on margins where tegmina meet medially. Remaining part of tegmina with a meshwork of green veinlets surrounding light green cells. Pronotum with 6 shiny black dots arranged in pairs. Eyes reddish. Joints of femora with shiny black patch on tibiae ( Fig. 3 ). Head and antennae. Face broad, green to whitish with two black lateral dots beside labrum ( Fig. 4 ). Antennae yellowish-tawny. Legs. Fore and mid femora with 4–5 stout and white spines ventro-anteriorly. Hind femora with 7–8 broad-based, white-tipped spines ventro-anteriorly along whole length and 1–2 stout spines near joints to tibiae ventro-posteriorly. Tegmina. Both tegmina at base with large, mirror-like cells (left tegmen Fig. 5 A, B). Diameter of left mirror cell 2.49 x 2.64 mm (cross x longitudinal). Stridulatory file situated in the distal part of the tegmen, the basal half of the stridulatory vein without any teeth. File on the underside of right tegmen with about 135 teeth at 2.85 mm, in basal half except for basal area with about 39 teeth per mm, in distal half with about 59 teeth per mm; teeth dark brown, in distal quarter getting white ( Fig. 5 ). Abdomen. Last abdominal tergite broad with medial keel ( Fig. 6 ). Cerci conical, with a wide internal lamella except at base and tip; about distal two thirds of lamella expanded into a compressed up-curved process that terminates into a blunt sclerotized tooth at proximal edge with setose thick outer part and laterally lobe-like expanded inner part and blunt sclerotized tooth dorsal on lobe ( Fig. 6 ). Subgenital plate broad with shallowly incurved posterior margin between thin styli. Phallus: Sclerotized central titillators roughly triangular, white, with dorsal angle conically prolonged and brown to dark brown; dorso-apical margins bordered by flexible semi-sclerotized, elongate, dark brown extentions narrowing towards tip and extended on proximo-internal side by a bulgy, light brown appendage; both structures with rough, pitted surface and additionally provided with scattered, very fine thin hairs; tip of extension strongly sclerotized, black, with a bell-mouthed base and a stout, curved, acute spine at tip. Lateral sclerites elongate, band-shaped, dark brown with rough surface but flexible and only faintly sclerotized, following the folds of the phallus. ( Fig. 7 ).

Female. Similar in habitus and colour as male with same spination ( Fig. 8 ). Ovipositor long, slightly up-curved with smooth sclerotized valves. Subgenital plate broad with sinuous posterior margin, bulging medially to fit square structure located on ovipositor (arrow in Fig. 9 A).

Measurements, males (mm) (N=3). Total length of body (including cerci): 29.0–32.5; Median length of pronotum 12.7–13.5; Length of hind femur 15.5–18.0; Length of elytra 20.5–22.0.

Measurements, females (mm) (N=1). Total length of body 30; Median length of pronotum 11.7; Length of hind femur 17.4; Length of elytra 22; Length of ovipositor 15.7.

Song. Short loud raspy chirps produced irregularly with long gaps of silence during afternoon, evening and (rarely) night hours. During some automatic song registrations over the whole night no activity registered. Chirps consisting of 14±4 (range 9–24; n=37) echemes (echeme repetition rate 3.95 Hz; 2.2–5.2 Hz) each containing 7±1 (6–10) syllables produced at a rate of 45.5 Hz (33.3–55.6 Hz; Fig. 10 ; T = 20–24°C). Syllables with opening and closing hemisyllables, the latter (assumed closing hemisyllable) much stronger than the former. The spectrum of the song broad-banded with a maximum at about 9.8±1.6 kHz (n=2–3 per specimen; Fig. 11 ).

Biology. Dweller of the tree canopy. Probably predaceous, in captivity feeding on fruit, cereals and insect parts.

Habitat. Submontane to montane forest.

Distribution. Tanzania, East Usambara Mountains (Amani Nature Reserve).

Etymology. Named after the village Amani in the East Usambara Mountains.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Male Dendrobia amaniensis n. sp. from Amani Nature Reserve in the East Usambara Mountains.

FIGURE 4. Face of female D. amaniensis n. sp. with two black dots lateral of the labrum.

FIGURE 5. Base of left tegmen in male D. amaniensis n. sp. (A) Upper side, (B) lower side (A and B with tegmen oriented horizontally; scale bar 5 mm), (C) stridulatory file.

FIGURE 6. Dorsal view on male abdominal apex of D. amaniensis n. sp. with evenly curved posterior margin of 10 th abdominal tergite and laterally expanded cerci.

FIGURE 7. Everted male phallus of D. amaniensis n. sp. giving a full sight on the titillators (A) from a fresh dead specimen, (B) after drying from the same specimen.

FIGURE 8. Female D. amaniensis n. sp.

FIGURE 9. Ovipositor and subgenital plate of female Dendrobia amaniensis n. sp. in semi-lateral view (A) and ventrally (B). Scale bar 1 mm. Arrows point to structure on ovipositor causing bulge medially at posterior margin of subgenital plate.

FIGURE 10. Oscillograms of the calling songs of D. amaniensis n. sp., D. octopunctata n. sp. and Afroanthracites nguru n. sp.

FIGURE 11. Power spectra of the calling songs of D. amaniensis n. sp., D. octopunctata n. sp. and Afroanthracites nguru n. sp.