Terpnistria zebrata (Serville, 1839)

Hemp, Claudia, 2013, Annotated list of Ensifera (Orthoptera) and further records on Caelifera (Orthoptera) of Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Zootaxa 3613 (4), pp. 301-342 : 330-331

Terpnistria zebrata (Serville, 1839)

( Fig. 13 G)

Distribution. South and East Africa (Ragge 1980).

Habitat. Hemp C. 2005. Common species on Acacia trees in the savanna. Rarely found in the plantation belt and here collected on the introduced tree Acacia mearnsii.

Altitudinal range at Mt Kilimanjaro: 1000–1500 m.

Records: 3

Remarks. Ragge noted under the genus Terpnistria in the entomological collection of the Natural History Museum London: “Stål (1876) assumed, perhaps on the basis of a female from “Damara”, that T. zebrata (described from a unique male holotype, now no doubt lost) normally has a long ovipositor, and Brunner (1878) repeated this assumption. However, most of the BMNH females have short ovipositors and I have treated the ones with long ovipositors as a separate form. The short and long ovipositor forms do not differ in any other character, but could nevertheless be a different species. T. zebrata and T. lobulata differ in a number of nonsexual characters, e.g. pronotum, first antennal segment, dorsal spines on the fore tibae”.

Also in this taxon morphological and molecular studies together with habitat and on the acoustics are necessary to clarify the status of this taxon.

Figures

FIGURE 13. Phaneropterinae species of Kilimanjaro A – B. Male (A) and female (B) Melidia laminata Chopard, eastern slopes, tree savanna, Chala area, 1000 m C. Male Plangia graminea (Serville), southern slopes, plantation belt, 1430 m D – E. Phaneroptera sparsa (Stål), southern slopes, female (D) plantation belt 1430 m and male (E), bush in savanna grassland, colline zone eastern slopes F. Male Diogena denticulata Chopard on Acacia sp., eastern slopes, tree savanna, Chala area G. Female Terpnistria zebrata (Serville), on Acacia sp., southern slopes, plantation belt 1430 m H. Female Tylopsis dispar Sjöstedt, eastern slopes, savanna grassland, 1100 m, imitating bract leaves of Cyperus niveus I. Male Tylopsis rubrescens Kirby, savanna grassland, eastern slopes, 1000 m.