Axylus, Stal, 1877

Tan, Ming Kai, Ingrisch, Sigfrid, Robillard, Tony, Baroga-Barbecho, Jessica B. & Yap, Sheryl A., 2018, New taxa and notes on spine-headed katydids (Orthoptera: Conocephalinae: Agraeciini) from the Philippines, Zootaxa 4462 (3), pp. 331-348 : 341

Axylus c.f. philippinus (Hebard, 1922)

( Figs. 8 , 9 )

Material examined. 1 male (TR349) and 1 female (TR350): Philippines, Luzon, Laguna, UPLB University Land Grant , 4.vii.2011, secondary forest at night, N14°23'56.9" E121°32'47.2", 376 m. a.s.l., coll. T. Robillard ( MNHN) .

Remarks. Our specimens resemble Axylus philippinus in habitus ( Figs. 8 , 9A, 9B ), shape of the male cercus ( Figs. 9E, 9F ) and the female ovipositor ( Fig. 9K ) but differ as follows: frons red brown, of same colour as genae ( Figs. 9C, 9D ), instead of black distinctly different from genae; male subgenital plate angularly and deeply excised ( Fig. 9G ) instead of roundly and less deeply excised; female subgenital plate not regularly curved from one side to the other ( Fig. 9J ). Since the titillators of congeners of Axylus can differ drastically in shape, the similarities of the titillators between that of our specimens ( Figs. 9H, 9I ) and those examined in Ingrisch (2015) suggest that despite the differences in other morphology, our specimens from Laguna, UPLB University Land Grant are probably a variant or subspecies of Axylus phillipinus . To test the species boundaries, we reckon that incorporation of molecular data could be useful.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Axylus philippinus male (A) and female (B) habitus in lateral view. Scale bars: 10 mm.

FIGURE 9. Axylus philippinus: head and pronotum in dorsal (A) and lateral (B) views; male (C) and female (D) face in anterior view; male abdominal apex in posterior (E) and lateral (F) views; male subgenital plate in ventral view (G); male titillators (H, I); female subgenital plate in ventral view (J); and ovipositor in lateral view (K). Scale bars: 5 mm (A, B, K), 2 mm (C–G, J), 1 mm (H, I).