Mimoscudderia paulyi, Massa, 2017

Massa, Bruno, 2017, New genera, species and records of Afrotropical Phaneropterinae (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae) preserved at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Bruxelles, Zootaxa 4358 (3), pp. 401-429 : 420

Mimoscudderia paulyi new species

Figs 15B, 15E, 15F, 15H

Material examined. Madagascar, Manakambahiny, A. Pauly (♂ holotype) ( RBINS).

Measurements. Male. Body length: 25.0; length of pronotum: 4.7; height of pronotum 4.0; length of tegmina: 45.6; width of tegmina: 12.1; length of fore femora: 7.7; length of hind femora: 24.1; length of hind tibiae: 28.0.

Diagnosis. Mimoscudderia paulyi n. sp. is characterized by larger size and wider tegmina than congeneric species; additionally it has a modified 10th tergite and a long and up-curved subgenital plate.

Description of the male ( Figs 15B, 15E, 15F, 15H ). Species of large size. Colour. Anterior margin of tegmina black, tegmina yellow with brown wide spots. Fastigium of vertex narrow, furrowed above, clearly separated by fastigium of frons. Eyes just semi-spherical, well projecting, without fronto-genal carinae below them. Legs comparatively long. Fore coxae armed with a small spine. Fore tibiae furrowed superiorly, distinctly widening above tympanum, which is open on both sides. Fore femora armed with 8 inner ventral spines, mid tibiae with 9 spines on outer ventral margin and unarmed inner ventral margin, hind femora armed ventrally with 7 spines on inner and 9 on outer margins, hind tibiae with many spines on ventral and dorsal margins + 3 spurs on each side. All femora with armed genicular lobes. Pronotum narrowing anteriorly, flat above, anterior margin straight, posterior margin just rounded, humeral sinus evident, lobes of pronotum rounded and short. Tegmina widened with rounded apices. Wings just as long as tegmina. Stridulatory area of left tegmen short, stridulatory file curved and consisting of ca. 80 teeth, proximal higher and distal smaller ( Fig. 15H ). 10th tergite modified, consisting of a double bulge with a wide concavity, where the subgenital plate is inserted. Cerci stout, straight, with a small inner apical spine. Subgenital plate very long, narrow and up-curved to the concavity of the 10th tergite, styli absent ( Figs 15B, 15E, 15F ).

Diagnosis. According to Carl (1914, translated from Latin), who described the female of M. modesta , it differs from M. picta by its smaller size (body length: 16.0; length of tegmina: 39.0; width of tegmina: 7.5; length of fore femora: 8.0; length of hind femora: 26.0 mm), colour slightly variegated, pronotum lobes higher than long, and ovipositor less up-curved. Concerning the colour of M. modesta , the pronotum is ochreous, with one-colored metazona, posterior margin of pronotum blackish, posterior margin of tegmina brown, absence of black rings on legs and upper fore tibiae darkish. The male above listed of M. paulyi n. sp. is of a larger size than the male of M. picta (see above measurements of this species) and the female of M. modesta , has much longer and wider tegmina than the male and the female of M. picta and the female of M. modesta , has the anterior margin of tegmina black, tegmina yellow with brown wide spots. Thus, differences may allow to exclude the possibility that it might be the male of M. modesta . Differences from the other known species M. modesta Carl, 1914 , M. picta Carl, 1914 and M. spinicercata Massa, 2017 are based on the colour and shape of tegmina, but mostly (at least for M. picta and M. spinicercata , of which males are known) by the shape of last tergite and cerci.

Etymology. This species is named after Alain Pauly (Directorate Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Bruxelles), who collected many interesting Orthoptera in Gabon and Madagascar, now preserved at the RBINS.

Figures

FIGURE 15. Two MadagaScar SpecieS of the genuS Mimoscudderia. A) Lateral view of laSt abdominal SegmentS of Mimoscudderia picta Carl, 1914. B) Lateral view of laSt abdominal SegmentS of Mimoscudderia paulyi n. sp. holotype. C) DorSal view of male cerci and Subgenital plate of M. picta. D) Ventral view of male cerci and Subgenital plate of M. picta. E) DorSal view of male proceSSuS and Subgenital plate of M. paulyi n. sp. F) Ventral view of male proceSSuS and Subgenital plate of M. paulyi n. sp. G) Stridulatory file of left tegmen of M. picta. H) Stridulatory file of left tegmen of M. paulyi n. sp. I) Lateral view of the ovipoSitor of M.picta.