Amytta judithae, Hemp, Claudia & Heller, Klaus-Gerhard, 2017

Hemp, Claudia & Heller, Klaus-Gerhard, 2017, Revision of the genus Amytta (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae, Meconematinae) and new species from East Africa, Zootaxa 4263 (2), pp. 295-317 : 301-302

Amytta judithae n. sp. Hemp

( Figs. 5 B, 6, 7 F, 8 I, 11 B)

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Orthoptera .speciesfile.org:TaxonName:496653

Holotype male, Tanzania, North Pare Mountains , Mt Kindoroko, Kilomeni , shaken from understory trees in montane forest, 1800 m, February 2001. Depository MfN.

Paratype. 1 female, North Pare Mountains , same data as holotype but February 2011. Depository MfN.

Further paratype material: 3 males, 5 females, same data as holotype but April 2001, November 2013, August 2015, July 2016 and December 2016. Collection C. Hemp.

Description. Male. General body shape and colour: Alate, small, uniformly light yellowish-green. Behind eyes only in some specimens with two lateral yellow lines continuing to pronotum. Eyes brown to reddish-brown. tegmina meeting median, along the vanal area with brownish lines. Head and antennae: Fastigium of vertex smooth and conical, shallowly sulcate above; conus between eyes less than half the size of first antennal segment. Antennae thin, whitish. Eyes circular, prominent. Cuticle of pronotum shiny with short scattered hairs. Tegmina about body length or slightly longer. Stridulatory area hidden under pronotum. Alae of same length than tegmina. Thorax and legs: Fore and mid tibiae with open tympanum, with 4–5 outer and inner spines, apical with a minute pair of spurs. Abdomen: Last abdominal tergite with elongated, strongly down-curved process ( Fig. 6 A–C). Cerci strongly laterally expanded with shovel-like outer branch and an inner branch which ends bifurcate ( Fig. 6 A–D). Subgenital plate longish with flattened styli ( Fig. 6 D, 7 F).

Female. General body shape, size and colour as male. Ovipositor slender and smooth ( Fig. 5 B). Subgenital plate as in Fig. 8 I. Supra-anal plate with deep median groove ( Fig. 11 B).

Measurements

males (n = 4)

Body length 10–13

Median length of pronotum 4.2–4.4

Length of hind femur 8.5–9.5

Length of elytra 8.0–9.5

females (n = 6)

Body length 9.2–10.9 Median length of pronotum 4.1–4.2

Length of hind femur 8.6–9.2

Length of elytra 7.0–12.5 Length of ovipositor 7.8–8.2 Habitat. Tree and bush layer of montane forest, collected between 1600–1800 m.

Distribution. Tanzania, North Pare Mountains.

Diagnosis. The only alate species with a long and strongly down-curved process of the last abdominal tergite. Females have a supra-anal plate with a deep median groove and bulging lateral parts giving the impression that the supra-anal plate is split into two parts.

Females of A. judithae n. sp. and A. mramba n. sp. are very similar. Both species have shortened tegmina. In A. judithae n. sp. the tegmina are about body length or slightly longer while in A. mramba n. sp. they hardly exceed body length. Both species share an almost identical supra-anal plate with a deep median groove. The subgenital plates, however, are slightly different between these two species. In A. judithae n. sp. the posterior margin of the subgenital plate is broadly incurved ( Fig. 8 I) while in A. mramba n. sp. the posterior margin is broadly rounded ( Fig. 10 D).

Etymology. Named after my daughter Judith who caught the first male of this new species.

Figures

FIGURE 5. A. Male Amytta kilomeni n. sp, North Pare Mountains, Mt Kindoroko, lower border of montane forest 1750 m B. Female Amytta judithae n. sp., North Pare Mountains, Mt Kindoroko, forest clearing, 1800 m.

FIGURE 6. Detail images of male abdominal apex of Amytta judithae n. sp. A. Lateral view B. Rear view C. Dorsal view D. Subgenital plate.

FIGURE 8. Subgenital plates of female Amytta species. A. A. digitata n. sp. B. A. pellucida C. A. olindo D. A. meruensis n. sp. E. A. hanangensis n. sp. F. A. kilimandjarica G. A. merumontana n. sp. H. A. kilomeni n. sp. I. A. judithae n. sp.

FIGURE 10. Morphological details of Amytta mramba n. sp. Abdominal apex of male, dorsal view (A) and ventral view with subgenital plate (B). Female ovipositor (C) and female subgenital plate (D). Scale bars 1 mm.

FIGURE 11. Abdominal apices of female Amytta species. Arrows point at supra-anal plate. A. A. mramba n. sp. with bi-lobed supra-anal plate B. A. judithae n. sp. with deep median groove on supra-anal plate.