Pagopedilum brevis ( Walker, 1870 )

Massa, Bruno, 2020, Remarks on some interesting African Pamphagidae and Acrididae (Insecta Orthoptera: Acridoidea), Zootaxa 4751 (1), pp. 29-54 : 33-39

Pagopedilum brevis ( Walker, 1870) (Figs. 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 23, 24, 32, 33, 34)

Material examined: 7 specimens. South Africa, Port Natal (= Durban) VI.1929 (3♂, 4♀) ( MZUR).

Remarks. P. brevis was described from the same area as P. martini Bolívar, 1915 , but the holotype is a nymph; however, Walker (1870) wrote “ Keel of the prothorax very high and much rounded, acute in the middle of the fore

border, more acute in the middle of the hind border, near which is slightly dentate. Hind borders of the abdominal segments acutely dentate in the middle ”. These characters match very well those of P. martini (see also Fig. 24 after the plate of Bolívar 1916). Thus, P. martini is here synonymized with P. brevis which has the priority. Concerning P. subcruciatum Karsch, 1896 , it is very similar to P. brevis (Figs. 21, 23), but their type localities are apart (about 600 km), and it is possible that the former is a valid species.

FIGS. 7-12. Pagopedilum . 7) Prosternal tubercle of P. bradyanum male from South Africa; 8) 9) 10) Prosternal tubercles of two females (8, 10) and one male (9) of P. brevis from South Africa; 11) Left tegmen of P. bradyanum male from South Africa; 12) Left tegmen of P. brevis male from South Africa.

FIGS. 13-16. Pagopedilum (= Stolliana ). 13) Habitus of P. sabulosum male; 14) Habitus of P. angusticornis male; 15) Head and pronotum of P. minor male; 16) Habitus of P. giliomeei male (13, 14, 15 after Dirsh 1958, 16 after Johnsen 1990).

FIGS. 17-20. Pagopedilum (= Stolliana ). 17) and 18) Males of P. sabulosum from Namibia; 19) Prosternal tubercle of a male of P. sabulosum from Namibia; 20) Prosternal tubercle of a female of P. sabulosum from Namibia.

FIGS. 21-24. Pagopedilum . 21) Habitus and prosternal tubercle of P. subcruciatum female (after Karsch 1896); 22) Habitus of Pagopedilum bradyanum female from South Africa (drawing by N. Falchi); 23) Lateral view of P. brevis female from South Africa; 24) Habitus of P. martini female (= P. brevis ) (after Bolívar 1916).

FIGS. 25-28. Pagopedilum (= Stolliana ). 25) Habitus of P. sabulosum female (after Bolívar 1916); 26) 27) 28) Three females of P. sabulosum from Namibia.

Male specimens above listed have tegmina as long as or just longer than abdomen; they have been collected in the type locality of P. brevis , of which only the female nymph was known. Thus, this is the first record of the adult male and female of this species.

Description of adults. Male (Figs. 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 32, 33, 34). Large and granulose, antennae missing. Fastigium of vertex above narrow, with angulate apex, in lateral view straight. Crest of pronotum thin, high and strongly curved in lateral view, not serrated in metazona, with shallow transverse sulci and three fenestrae. Tegmina wide, not exceeding the end of abdomen and as long as ¾ of the hind femora, with regularly excurved anterior and nearly pointed apical margins, and with ca. 18-20 stridulatory veins. Hind femur moderately long, relatively stout; upper margin with short, acute teeth, lower margin shallowly serrated. Apical valves of penis stout, narrow, and covered with many small teeth. Posterior margin of epiphallus excurved, pseudolophi placed anteriorly with few teeth. General colouration brownish-grey; on side of pronotum on eye level there is a whitish stripe that continues straight on tegmina (Fig. 12). Second pair of wings vestigial.

Female (Figs. 23, 24). Same characters of the male with the following differences. The pronotum crest is moderately high, fenestrae are well visible. Abdominal tergites have a small spine on the posterior margin. Apterous.

P. brevis may be distinguished from P. bradyanum because the former has a higher pronotum and mid abdominal segments dentate, while the latter has a lower pronotum and abdominal segments not dentate. Antennae of P. brevis are shorter than those of P. bradyanum .

Measurements. See Table 1.