Leiodontocercus muticus, Massa, 2020

Massa, Bruno, 2020, Revision of the Afrotropical genus Leiodontocercus (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae, Phaneropterinae) with a description of four new species, ZooKeys 951, pp. 47-65 : 47

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.951.53814
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:96D4ECCD-ECAB-4942-9FE5-FB55D6D1C7B3
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/10E50D8E-F830-4D8D-B231-A74919255CB5
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:10E50D8E-F830-4D8D-B231-A74919255CB5
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Leiodontocercus muticus
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Leiodontocercus muticus View in CoL sp. nov. Figs 8 View Figures 4–8 , 11 View Figures 9–14 , 25 View Figures 21–26 , 26 View Figures 21–26

Material examined.

Gabon, Mikongo (Rougier), Mts de Cristal (secondary forest) (430 m) 0°29'47"N, 11°10'42"E, 28.VII-12.VIII.2019 (MV Light Trap), Albert, Aristophanous, Bie Mba, Dérozier, Moretto (♂ holotypus, 1♂ paratypus) (ANHRT); Gabon, Mikongo (Rougier), Mts de Cristal (secondary forest) (430 m) 0°29'47"N, 11°10'42"E, 28.VII-12.VIII.2019 (Actinic Light Trap), Albert, Aristophanous, Bie Mba, Dérozier, Moretto (1♀) (ANHRT); Gabon, Nyonié (lowland forest) 0°2'22"S, 9°20'25"E (10 m) 23-28.VIII.2019 (LepiLED Light Trap), Albert, Aristophanous, Bie Mba, Dérozier, Moretto (1♂ paratypus) (BMPC); Gabon, Lope National Park 4.IV.2014 (light), N. Moulin (1♀) (BMPC); Cameroon, Campo Ma’an National Park (lowland rainforest) (950 m) 10-22.III.2018 (MV Light Trap), Fotsing, Ishmael, Miles, Safian (1♂ paratypus, 1♀) (ANHRT); Cameroon, Mundame (1♀) (NHW).

Description.

Male. General habitus and colour. Green-brown, tegmina brownish, abdomen yellow, last abdominal tergite brown, cerci brown, antennal segments reddish, legs yellowish. Head and antennae. Eyes oval-roundish, prominent, antennae long and thin. Thorax. Anterior margin of pronotum slightly concave, posterior margin rounded. Lower margin of pronotal lobes rounded. Tegmina very narrow. Central part of the stridulatory file consists of ca 100 teeth (Fig. 8 View Figures 4–8 ). The stridulatory area of the left tegmen wider than the rest of tegmen (Fig. 11 View Figures 9–14 ). Mirror absent on the right tegmen. Legs. Fore coxae armed. Tympana on fore tibiae open on outer, closed on inner side. Fore femora with 9 inner ventral spines, fore tibiae with 6 inner and outer ventral spines. Mid femora armed with 8 outer ventral spines, mid tibiae dorsally with 2 inner spines, 6 spines on outer and inner ventral margins. Hind femora with 9-10 outer and inner ventral spines, hind tibiae straight with many ventral spines. 2 pairs of small spines on the outer and inner knees of hind femora. Abdomen. Cerci stout and hairy, in frontal view slightly incurved with an apical bulge just serrated on inner margin (Figs 25 View Figures 21–26 , 26 View Figures 21–26 ). Posterior margin of the subgenital plate nearly straight, styli absent.

Female. Interestingly, the females collected with males of L. muticus sp. nov. have black spots on the pronotum and black rings on the hind legs, like the other species of the genus. In addition, an alive female specimen photographed by P. Moretto (Fig. 29 View Figures 28, 29 ) shows alternate black and white abdominal sternites. In the males of L. muticus sp. nov. these black markings are absent. The female from Mundame (Cameroon) at NHW is tentatively identified, in absence of males.

Measurements (mm).

Body length: 12.9-14.9; length of pronotum: 2.9-3.2; depth of pronotum: 3.0-3.2; length of hind femora: 19.6-19.7; length of tegmina: 24.4-24.6; width of tegmina: 3.4-3.5.

Etymology.

Leiodontocercus muticus sp. nov. is named after the complete absence of any spine or appendage on the male cerci.

Distribution.

This species is known from some forested areas in Gabon and in Cameroon, situated about 300 km apart.