Gemeneta opilionoides (I. Bolivar , 1905)

Ngoute, Charly Oumarou & Kekeunou, Sevilor, 2017, Redescription and diagnosis of the African genus Gemeneta Karsch, 1892 (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Catantopinae), Journal of Orthoptera Research 26 (2), pp. 161-170 : 162-164

Gemeneta opilionoides (I. Bolivar, 1905) Tables 1, 2; Figs 4-8

Escalera opilionoides = Bolívar, 1905 (syn. Dirsh 1958).

Gemeneta rostrotuberculata = Kevan, 1956 (syn. Dirsh 1958).

Holotype.-

E. opilionoides : Africa, West-Central Tropical Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Cabo San Juan, Biafra; 1 ♀; MNCN Madrid Mus.

Recorded localities.-

Biafra, Equatorial Guinea (1°18'284"N, 9°36'336"E) By Bolívar 1905; Makak, Cameroon (3°43'333"N, 12°78'333"E) by Kevan 1956; former holotype of G. rostrotuberculata , ZMUC Copenhagen; Ngutadjap, Cameroon (2°42'N, 11°03'E) by Oumarou Ngoute (Fig. 1).

Material examined.-

Cameroon, Ngutadjap forests, 1 ♂, 1♀, in the Laboratory of Zoology, University of Yaoundé 1, Cameroon.

Diagnosis.-

The species differs from G. terrea in having the integument strongly granulated and tuberculate, body greenish mottled with dark brown; median inner area of hind femur greenish, fastigium of vertex without apical furrow, cercus almost as long as the paraproct in female, ventral aedeagal valves dorsally flattened and curved outwards, lophi lobiform but wide.

Description.-

Body slightly elongated, 5 to 6 times the length of the pronotum; integument granulated and strongly tuberculate in pronotum. Head strongly conical, the maximum width of head across the eyes almost as long as the pronotum; fastigium about 1 /2 the length of the pronotum and nearly 2 times longer than the fastigium of G. terrea (Table 1: FL); width of fastigium about 1/3 to 1/2 the length of pronotum; fastigium projected forward, flat, horizontal, narrowing toward apex and fusing with the frontal ridge to form a rostrum; frons strongly concave below rostrum; frontal ridge weak, and obsolete below the medial ocellus; eyes globular, slightly longer than wide; antenna fine, filiform, but slightly expanded at the base; antenna longer than the head and pronotum together. Pronotum cylindrical, tuberculate, lateral and median carinae absent; disc of pronotum crossed by three sulci, (2 to 4) (sulcus 1 obsolete on the disc and visible only on the lobes); sulci 3 and 4 deep and extend almost to the ventral margin of the lobes; anterior and posterior margins of pronotum straight but emarginated in the midline; prosternal spine vertical, conical, with acute apex; mesosternal interspace almost as long as wide; mesosternal lobes rounded; tympanum oval, slightly longer than wide. Hind femur 5 to 6 times longer than wide, 3 to 4 times longer than the foot and 1.5 times longer than the hind femur of G. terrea (Table 1: F); upper internal and external genicular lobes rounded, lower internal and external lobes pointed with a rounded apex; posterior tibia almost as long as the femur; the third segment of foot longer than the first, and the first longer than the second (Table 1: Ta1, Ta2, Ta3). Epiproct triangular with deep transverse furrow and rounded apex; valves of ovipositor long, straight, with slightly curved apices; cercus conical, almost as long as the paraproct in female and exceeding paraproct in the male; male subgenital plate conical. The male phallic complex of the G. opilionoides is in general very similar to that of G. terrea , and the differences are very small, especially the tips of the ventral aedeagal valves in endophallus are dorsally flattened and curved outwards; the lophi of epiphallus lobiform but much wider than those of G. terrea .

Coloration.-

Body greenish with brown color in some parts; vertex, frons and genae green mottled brown; antennae brown basally, blackening distally. Pronotum greenish brown with discontinuous brown bands on the lateral lobes in life; knee light brown; median inner and external areas of femur light green, lower inner and external areas greenish; upper inner and external areas greenish but mottled brown; posterior tibia greenish; tarsus red-brown. Abdomen greenish with discontinuous brown bands in the lateral parts, most pronounced behind the hind femur; external genitalia green-yellowish.