Onychopygia brachyptera Cadena-Castañeda & Monzón-Sierra, 2014

Cadena-Castañeda, Oscar J. & Monzón-Sierra, José, 2014, A new species of the genus Onychopygia Beier (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Pseudophyllinae) from Guatemala, Insecta Mundi 2014 (329), pp. 1-8 : 3-5

Onychopygia brachyptera Cadena-Castañeda & Monzón-Sierra , new species

Figures 1-13

Type material. Holotype male (Natural History Museum of the Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas ( MUD)) labeled “ Guatemala, Huehuetenango, Barillas, Unión Las Palmas. 1,444 m., 15.9311000° -91.2993100°. May, 15, 2012. J. Monzón & F. Camposeco Col. ” . Allotype female ( Universidad del Valle de Guatemala Collection of Arthropods ( UVGC)) labeled as holotype . Paratypes two males labeled as holotype deposited in MUD.

Description. Holotype male. General color is light brown, femora with apical area black, wings’ venation yellowish. Head: Fastigium slightly pronounced scape and pedicel unarmed, frontal ocellus oval, lateral ocelli inconspicuous. Thorax: Pronotum softly granular with pronotal regions distinct ( Fig. 5 ). Prosternum armed with two small pyramidal spines. Mesosternum rectangular, mesosternal striae separated by the anterior lobe, not connecting with the lateral ones. Metasternum hexagonal, wider than long; anterior lobe expanded, separating the lateral lobes, metafurcal furrow deep and elongated, as wide as the inferior lateral margin of the anterior lobe, anterior lobes of meso and metasternum armed with one spine subelevated over each infero-external margin ( Fig. 6 ). Coxae armed with typical Eucocconotini tribe tubercula. Anterior and medial femora and tibiae cylindrical and slender, posterior femora with regular shape and armed with three or four ventral spines close to the apex, posterior tibiae armed with spines above ventral and dorsal margin. Posterior femora genicular lobes armed, anterior femora unarmed, middle tibiae genicular lobes’ external margin armed on the internal face. Wings: Tegmina barely covering the first abdominal tergite, venation reticulated, M vein and base of the R strongly sclerotized and prominent ( Fig. 7 ). Stridulatory region sclerotized with the exception of the mirror which is membranous and notorious in both tegmen. Stridulatory crest prominent, thinning from left to right, stridulatory row with 103 laminar and elongated teeth, tight spaced ( Fig. 8 ). Abdomen: wide, ninth and tenth tergites fussed and as wide as the sixth, seventh and eight tergites together, compressing slightly on the posterior margin above the dorsum, forming a wide “U” shaped emargination ( Fig. 2 ); epiproctum widened, covering the cerci and thinning from the medial region in the whole length, forming from there on a cylindrical prolongation that curves moderately, fitting in the emargination of the subgenital plate, apex truncate and in sucker shape ( Fig. 3 ). Subgenital plate rectangular up to mesal region where it narrows down abruptly, apex bifurcated in lateral view, emargination “U” shaped ( Fig. 4 ). Cerci are minute, curving towards their posterior margin.

Allotype female. Similar in shape and color to the male ( Fig. 9 ). Epiproctum lanceolate, apex truncate and covering the anal aperture. Ovipositor as long as a fourth part of the total length of the body, curving gradually towards the sharp apex, ventral and dorsal margin without denticulations ( Fig. 11 ). Subgenital plate rectangular, apex prominent and “U” shaped ( Fig. 10 ).

Measurements: (mm) Holotype: Total length 37.0; pronotum 4.0; tegmina 4.0; hind femora 17.0; hind tibiae 20.0; subgenital plate 8.0; cerci 0.9. Allotype: Total length 39.0; pronotum 5.0; tegmina 3.2; hind femora 18.0; hind tibiae 20.0; subgenital plate 4.2; ovipositor 12.0. Paratypes: Total length 36.0-37.0; pronotum 4.0; tegmina 3.8-4.0; hind femora 17.0-17.5; hind tibiae 20.0-21.0; subgenital plate 8.0; cerci 0.9.

Etymology. The name makes reference to the brachypterous condition of the species.

Distribution and remarks. Currently Onychopygia brachyptera n. sp. is only known from the type locality and can be separated from O. panamensis by several important characters ( Table 1).

Discussion. With the description of O. brachyptera the known distribution of the tribe Eucocconotini is extended considerably in Central America. It was previously known only from Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, northern Brazil, Surinam, Guiana and Panama ( Eades et al. 2012). Additional field work is necessary as there might be other interesting species of this tribe between Panama (where O. panamensis is found) and Guatemala.

The taxonomic status of the tribe Eucocconotini needs revision as members are very similar to the members of the tribe Cocconotini . The main characters that separate these two tribes are in Eucocconotini the anterior and medial bicuspid coxae and generally the lateral lobes of the meso and metasternum are erected or sharped; these characters are variable in Cocconotini . Gorochov (1988) proposed a different classification for the Pseudophyllinae , although it has not been used, except for himself in his most recent publication ( Gorochov 2012). This new classification is not appropriate to separate satisfactorily the tribal characters of the subfamily Pleminae (sensu Gorochov) because the Gorochov was concerned with the higher classification of Ensifera, from suborder to subfamilies, and did not take into consideration the tribes. Further studies are necessary to establish the relationship and organization of this subfamily and its tribes.

Figures

Figures 1-4. Onychopygia brachyptera n. sp. (Male). 1) Habitus lateral. Terminalia: 2) Posterior view. 3) Lateral view. 4) Subgenital plate.

Figures 5-8. Onychopygia brachyptera n. sp. 5) Dorsal view. 6) Sternum (pro, meso and metasternum). 7) Male tegmina. 8) Stridulatory file.

Figures 9-11. Onychopygia brachyptera n. sp. (Female). 9) Habitus lateral. 10) Subgenital plate. 11) Ovipositor.

Figures 12-13. Living Onychopygia brachyptera n. sp. 12) Female with spermataphore. 13) Male.