Oncodopus janetae, Ünal, Mustafa & Beccaloni, George W., 2017

Ünal, Mustafa & Beccaloni, George W., 2017, Revision of the Madagascan genera Oncodopus Brongniart and Colossopus Saussure (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Conocephalinae; Euconchophorini), with description of Malagasopus gen. nov., Zootaxa 4341 (2) : 199-202

Oncodopus janetae sp. nov.

( Figs. 20–29 , 110 , 113 )

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Orthoptera .speciesfile.org:TaxonName:499685

Type locality. Madagascar, Toliara Province, Andohahela National Park. Holotype male ( NHMUK).

Description. Male (Holotype): Body size average for genus strongly variable in other males ( Tab. 2 ). Fastigium of vertex ( Figs. 20, 21 ) simple, conical, elongated into a short horn; upper surface flattened with a wide furrow; 2.6 times longer than diameter of eye; its basal part broader than antennal scape; its apex slightly downcurved, straight in some males. Fastigium of frons ( Fig. 21 ) with a large spiniform tooth. Face flattened, granulated, with 4 very distinct spiniform teeth. Pronotum (20, 21) large, anterior margin convex, posterior margin with a large incision; pronotum clearly concave in lateral view, three times longer than its height, very slightly longer than its width, in Bekily population pronotum clearly longer than wide; prozona 1.5 times longer than metazona. Prothoracic auditory spiracle large, triangular but with corners rounded, a large portion concealed under lateral lobes of pronotum. Mesothoracic auricle and its opening large, ventral lobe distinct. Prosternum with 2 long, U-shaped spines, reaching to level of ventral margin of fore coxa. Fore coxa with a long dorsal spine projected forward. Fore femur ( Fig. 20 ) with a large inner spine on anterio-lateral margin; with 5 inner spines ventrally, in other males with 5–7 inner spines ventrally. Fore tibia ( Fig. 20 ) with 4 very large inner and 4 smaller outer ventral spines. Mid femur with 3 ventral spines on outer side (other males have 2–4 spines). Hind femur with 2 ventral spines on outer margin of right leg, left leg with 4 spines (other males have 2–5 spines). Fore and mid tibia without dorsal spines. Hind tibia with 5–6 dorsal spines on inner margin (other males have 3–6 spines); with 4 apical spurs ventrally, inner 2 slightly smaller than outer ones. Tegmina fully concealed under pronotum ( Figs. 20, 21 ), reaching to end of mesonotum (in some males they protrude a little beyond the hind margin of pronotum). Last tergite ( Fig. 23 ) narrow and very wide, with a small median notch. Male cercus ( Fig. 24 ) stout, short and thick; apical arm rounded, with a short spine, slightly curved inwards; inner arm short, pointed with a spine. Subgenital plate ( Fig. 25 ) with long styli, longer than depth of posterior incision of plate.

Female: Head as in male. Pronotum ( Figs. 26, 27 ) broader than long and 3 times longer than its height; straight in lateral view; its hind margin distinctly concave; metazona very short, almost 1/6 of total length of pronotum; prozona 4.7 times longer than metazona in typical form. Legs as in male. Tegmina ( Fig. 27 ) strongly reduced, scale like laterally, reaching just beyond the middle of mesonotum, in some females fully concealed under pronotum. Subgenital plate ( Fig. 29 ) triangular, broader than long, hind margin with a small median notch. Last tergite very short, with an indistinct median notch. Cercus simple, triangular, pointed at apex. Ovipositor ( Fig. 28 ) slender, gradually upcurved, in some females straighter; slightly longer than hind femur.

Colour (dry specimens). Body dark with dark reddish brown and black in typical form. Head reddish brown, labrum, eye, scapus, lighter. Pronotum dark yellowish brown in male, blackish brown in female. Apical part of fore femur blackish brown, basal and outer parts yellowish with dark spots in male, much darker in female with black. All tibiae yellowish in male, brownish in female. Apical part of mid and hind femora dark with black, basal part yellowish. Tarsi darker than tibiae with blackish brown. Abdomen pale reddish and yellowish brown with transverse black stripes and spots, darker in female. Pronotal and abdominal sternites yellowish milky brown. Subgenital plate and cercus yellowish brown. Ovipositor dark, with black, apical part reddish black.

Diagnosis. This new species is most closely related to O. zonatus judging by the structure of the head, the last tergite of the male, the female subgenital plate, and possibly the variable body size. But the new species differs from it in having a wider pronotum, a shorter inner arm of the male cercus, and its colouration (without distinct transverse band, especially on the pronotum) in the typical form. In some populations the shape of pronotum is also near to O. zonatus , but, it is easily recognizable by the male cercus and colouration. Without the male, it is difficult to separate the females of O. zonatus and this new species except by the colour.

Material examined. Madagascar, Toliara Province, Andohahela National Park: Mangatsiaka parcel, (-24.83, 46.57) [24 ° 49'48'' S, 46 ° 34'12'' E], 30.11.2004, Coll. G.W. Beccaloni, 1 male (Holotype) , 1 female; Madagascar, Toliara Province, Andohahela National Park: Tsimelahy parcel, (-24.93, 46.65) [24 ° 55'48'' S, 46 ° 38'60'' E], 1.12.2004, Coll. G.W. Beccaloni, 1 male , 1 female, at base of [a living leaf of] Dypsis decaryi ; Madagascar, Toliara Province, littoral forest fragment, nr. Saint Luce , (-24.78, 47.18) [24 ° 46'48'' S, 47 ° 10'48'' E], 2.12.2004, Coll. G.W. Beccaloni, 1 male ; Fort Douphin [ Dauphin ], 1 male (leg. Scott Elliot) (all in NHMUK). Bekily, Red sud de L’ile, January 1932, 3 males , 4 females, 4 male nymphs, January 1933, 1 female (leg. A. Seyrig); Col de Sakaralama , Alluaud, 1901, 1 female ; Sud de Morondava, Torev de Be Fasy , 1 female ; Madagascar, Rég d’Ankazoabo , 1920, 4 male nymphs, 2 female nymphs (leg. C. Le Barbier); Andohahela [National Park?], 1800 m , 1 female, 1500 m, 1 female; Madagascar, Fénerive, 1902, 1 male (leg. F. Genot); Ambatoloma [ Ambatalaona ?], 1907, 1 female (leg. Bernard) ; Madagascar, Forét d’Andampy, 60 km S.O. de Voheinar [Vohémar], Co’te N.E., 1889, 3 male nymphs (leg. M. Grandidier) (all in MNHN) . Madagascar, 1 male nymph ( ZMB). Ampandrandave, Sud de Madagascar , 12.1931, 3 females (leg. A Seyrig) ( MNCN) . Madagascar, Toliara Prov., Réserve Spéciale de cap Sainte Marie, 14.9 km 261°W. Marovato , elev. 160 m., 13–19 Feb. 2002, 25 ° 35'40" S, 45 ° 8'49" E, 1 female , 12.3 km 262°W. Marovato , elev. 200 m., 11–15 Feb. 2002, 25 ° 34'54" S, 45 ° 10'6" E, 1 female (leg. Fisher, Griswold et al.), in spiny forest thicket ; Toliara Prov., Parc National d’Andohahela, Forét de Manantalingo, 33.6 km 63 ENE Amboasary, 7.6 km. 99 E Hazofotsy , 12–16 January 2002, 24 ° 49'1" S, 45 ° 36'36" E, elev. 150 m. , 1 male (leg. Fisher, Griswold et al.), in spiny forest thicket; Toliara prov., Parc National de Zombitse , 19.8 km 8 E Sakaraha, elev. 770 m. , 5–9 Feb. 2003, 22 ° 50'36" S, 44 ° 42'36", 1 female (leg. Fisher, Griswold et al.), in tropical dry forest (all in CAS).

Measurements (mm). Holotype (male): Body length: 44; pronotum length: 16.4; width of pronotum: 14.6; fore femur length: 16.1; width of fore femur: 6.8; fore tibia length: 15.9; hind femur length: 18.7. See Table 2 for the range of measurement of the other specimens including females.

Etymology. This species name is dedicated to Janet Beccaloni who provided considerable help to the second author with collecting work in Madagascar.

Distribution. Southern and eastern Madagascar ( Fig. 110 ). Toliara Province: Morondava, Toliara, Bekily, Fort Dauphin, Ankazoabo, Andohahela N.P., Marovato, Zombitse-Vohibasia N.P. Toamasina Province (see remarks below): Fénerive, Ambatoloma [Ambatalaona?], Forét d’Andampy.

Habitat. This species is known from littoral forest, spiny forest and tropical dry forest. Records for rainforest are dubious (see remarks below). It has been found under dead bark and in the natural cavity found at the base of living leaves of the palm Dypsis decaryi .

Phenology. Adult individuals have been found between November and February and nymphs in January.

Remarks. We regard the three old (1889, 1902, 1907) locality records in the Toamasina Province as dubious since these sites are located in the humid climatic zone ( Cornet 1974) which has rainforest vegetation, whereas all other records are from dry forests in arid regions with a long dry season. Very extensive collecting of arthropods since 1992 at more than 300 sites all over Madagascar ( Fisher 2017), including many in the humid climatic zone, by a team led by Brian Fisher of the California Academy of Sciences has failed to collect any specimens of O. janetae , or indeed any of the other taxa discussed in our study, in rainforest habitats. Also note that old collecting localities are often difficult to identify in Madagascar due to the large number of synonymous locality names and because geographic coordinates are absent from the data labels.

The body size is highly variable in this species as it is in O. zonatus (see the remarks under O. zonatus and Table 2 ).

Figures

FIGURES 20 – 29. Oncodopus janetae sp. nov. Male: 20 forelegs, head and pronotum, dorsal view, 21 head and pronotum, lateral view, 22 habitus, dorso-lateral view, 23 last abdominal tergite, 24 cercus; 25 subgenital plate. Female: 26 forelegs, head and pronotum, dorsal view, 27 head and pronotum, lateral view, 28 habitus, dorso-lateral view, 29 subgenital plate. Scale bars 1 mm.

FIGURES 109 – 111. Maps. 109 map of Madagascar, 110 distributions of Oncodopus spp., 111 distributions of Malagasopus spp. and Colossopus spp.

FIGURES 112 – 119. Living specimens. 112 Oncodopus zonatus, adult male, natural resting posture, Zombitse – Vohibasia National Park, Toliara Province. 17.11. 2004. © G. W. Beccaloni, 113 Oncodopus janetae, adult female, Mangatsiaka parcel, Andohahela National Park, Toliara Province. 30.11. 2004. © S. Stammers, 114 Oncodopus brongniarti, adult female, near village of Mangily, Toliara Province. 11.11. 2004. © G. W. Beccaloni, 115 Oncodopus brongniarti, threat display of adult female, near village of Mangily, Toliara Province. 30.12. 2015. © M. Bader, 116 Oncodopus brongniarti, adult pair, natural resting postures, Belo Sur Mer, Toliara Province. 22.11. 2007. © J. Beccaloni, 117 Oncodopus saussurei, adult female, beside R. N. 7 south of Ambohimahasoa, Fianarantsoa Province. 13.11. 2004. © S. Stammers, 118 Malagasopus desutterae, male nymph, 80 km north of Tulear, near village of Ankililoaka, Toliara Province. 6.2008 © O. Pronk, 119 Colossopus grandidieri, eggs: newly laid eggs lower right; older (swollen) eggs upper left. Captive stock. © G. J. N. González.