Platycleis albopunctata ( Goeze, 1778 )

Farooqi, Mohd Kaleemullah, Ali, Mohd, Amir, Mohammad & Usmani, Mohd Kamil, 2022, First record of grey bush-cricket Platycleis albopunctata (Goeze, 1778) (Tettigoniidae: Tettigoniini) on the agricultural crops from Trans Himalaya India, Zootaxa 5120 (3), pp. 435-442 : 436-439

Platycleis albopunctata ( Goeze, 1778)

( Fig. 1 , 2 , 3 and 4 a, b ), ( Table 1)

Tettigonia albopunctatus Goeze. 1778 . Entomologische Beyträge zu des Ritter Linné zwölften Ausgabe des Natursystems 2:89.

Chelidoptera albopunctata Kirby, W. F. 1906 . A Synonymic Catalogue of Orthoptera ( Orthoptera Saltatoria , Locustidae vel Acridiidae ) 2:203.

Metrioptera albopunctata Caudell. 1908 . Genera Insectorum 72:31.

Platycleis albopunctata Kaltenbach. 1963 . Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien 67:439-442.

Platycleis albopunctata Bellmann. 1985 . Heuschrecken: beobachten, bestimmen 100.

Redescription. Body medium to large in size, light brown in colour; fastigium of vertex broad and convex, surpassing the base of antenna and is almost two times wider than scapus of antenna; eyes large, bulging outwards and centrally blackened; pronotum depressed dorsally with a median keel or carina at metazona, anterior and posterior margin rounded; lateral lobes of pronotum higher than long, with distinct humeral sinus; prosternal process rudimentary; mesosternum divided at the middle by a deep V- shaped incision into two triangular lobes; metasternum bifurcated medially with shallow grove, lateral margin of basal lobes rounded, apical lobes angularly rounded apex; tegmina and wings not surpassing the tip of ovipositor when straightened; mirror almost oval shaped, stridulatory file slightly curved with 67 teeth which are evenly arranged, middle teeth are large and gradually decreasing in length at both the proximal and distal end; file gradually narrow at distal end; tibia dorsally sulcate; fore coxae armed by an incurved spine; all femora dorsally unarmed; fore and mid femora ventrally unarmed; hind femora ventrally armed by a single sub-basal spine on inner margin; 4 small, thick black colored spines arranged on outer margin; tympanum present on fore tibia; fore tibia usually armed with 3 spines dorsally on outer margin, ventrally armed with 6 spines on inner and outer margin; hind tibia dorsally armed with 26 spines on inner margin and 29 spines on outer margin; single dorsal pair of spurs and two ventral pairs (inner smaller and outer larger) present; tenth abdominal tergite cut medially with deep V- shaped incision.

Male genitalia: Supra-anal plate triangular with obtusely angular apex; subgenital plate longer than broad, apical margin with small median triangular incision; styles conical and moderate-sized; the anal tergite with a median shallow depression; cerci thick basally with blunt ends, internal tooth short with incurved spine at the middle.

Female genitalia: Tenth abdominal tergite cut medially with shallow depression; supra anal plate triangular, medially grooved with obtusely angular apex; subgenital plate broader than long, with shallow rounded incision into lobes with rounded apex; cerci conical, straight, thick and gradually thin at subapical end; ovipositor thick, sword shaped, regularly curved, surpassing the hind femur when straightened.

Material examined. INDIA: Ladakh : Kargil, 3♂, 3♀, 24-VII-2021 on alfalfa grass; Hardas Karkitchu, 1♂, 2♀, 28-VII-2021 on barley (Coll. By Mohd Ali) .

Distribution. World: Tuva: ET, UKH, UVS.—S Europe, S Siberia, SW Asia, the Caucasus, Kazakhstan, Middle Asia, NW China, Mongolia, south eastern part Republic of Khakassia and southern part of Krasnoyark.

India: Ladakh: Kargil and Hardas Karkitchu

Figures

FIGURE 1. Platycleis albanctopunctata: A. Male, B. Female.

FIGURE 2. Platycleis albopunctata. (A-Q): A—Frontal view of head, B—Dorsal view of fastigium of vertex, C—Dorsal view of pronotum, D—Lateral lobe of Pronotum,, E—Sternum, F—Ventral view of Stridulatory file, G—Dorsal view of mirror, H—Lateral view of Fore tibia, I—Hind tibia, J—Hind femur, K. Male supra anal plate; L. Male sub-genital plate; M. Female supra anal plate; N. Female sub-genital plate; O. Male cerci; P Female cerci; Q. Ovipositor.

FIGURE 3. Map showing distribution of P. albopunctata (Kargil, Ladakh).

FIGURE 4. (a & b). Collection sites of P. albopunctata.