Pagopedilum Karsch, 1896

Massa, Bruno, 2020, Remarks on some interesting African Pamphagidae and Acrididae (Insecta Orthoptera: Acridoidea), Zootaxa 4751 (1), pp. 29-54 : 30-33

Pagopedilum Karsch, 1896 (= Stolliana Bolívar, 1916 , new synonym) (Figs. 4-40)

Karsch (1896) described only the female sex of the genus Pagopedilum : “ Pronotum superne in cristam lamellarem acutam et integram, antice posticeque productam elevatum. Prosternum laeviusculum, tuberculo crasso longo, antice lamellariplano, postice paullo compresso, mesosterni planum superante instructum ” (= Pronotum with a high crest, laterally compressed, entire, acutely protruding anteriorly and posteriorly. Prosternal tubercle stout, long, anteriorly flat, posteriorly compressed, exceeding the mesosternum in lateral view). The type species of the genus is Pagopedilum subcruciatum Karsch, 1896 (holotype ♀ from Transvaal, South Africa). Later, Dirsh (1958) stated that the prosternal tubercle is broad, its posterior surface with wide, strongly projecting carinula (cross-section of the tubercle similar to letter T), and the high crest of pronotum has three fenestrae not crossed by the transverse sulci.

FIGS. 1-3. Porthetis carinata . 1) Bristles on the inner side of the hind femur; 2) Abdomen of the male with the Krauss’ organ and the supplementary stridulatory ridges below it; 3) The same area of the abdomen in the female.

The majority of species that according to Dirsh (1958) belong to this genus has been described from the female sex only: Pagopedilum subcruciatum Karsch, 1896 (holotype ♀ from Transvaal, South Africa), P. martini Bolívar, 1915 (holotype ♀ from Natal, South Africa), P. bradyanum (Saussure, 1887) (holotype ♀ from Transvaal, South Africa) [ Dirsh (1958) synonymized Xiphocera mannulus Saussure, 1887 (holotype ♀ from Grahamstown, South Africa) with X. bradyana Saussure, 1887 , later moved to the genus Pagopedilum ]; and P. brevis ( Walker, 1870) from the male sex (holotype ♂ from South Africa).

Females of Pagopedilum are apterous, the male of P. sordidum is brachypterous, nearly micropterous.

Bolívar (1916), describing the genus Stolliana , wrote: “ Pronotum dorso utrinque oblique planiusculo; crista modice alta, regulariter arcuata haud interrupta antice posticeque acutangulato producta postice plerumque bidentate… Prosternum tumore antice alto, bispinoso, retrorsum declive et bidentato ” (= Both margins of pronotum flat, crest moderately high, regularly curved, not interrupted, acutely protruding anteriorly and posteriorly, with many teeth on the hind margin. Prosternal tubercle anteriorly high, with two spines, sloping posteriorly with two teeth). Dirsh (1958) added that the prosternal tubercle is cuneiform, with bilobate apex and numerous tubercles on the posterior surface, and the pronotum has also three fenestrae.

FIGS. 4-6. Pagopedilum . 4) Habitus of the male of P. sordidum (after Dirsh 1958); 5) Lateral view of the male of P. bradyanum from South Africa; 6) Lateral view of the male of P. brevis from South Africa.

Bolívar (1916) established Porthetis sabulosus Stål, 1875 as the species type of the genus and included within the genus Stolliana also Pamphagus sordidus [presently Pagopedilum sordidum ( Walker, 1870) ], Xiphocera bradyana [presently Pagopedilum bradyanum (Saussure, 1887) ], Xiphocera mannula (presently synonymous with Pagopedilum bradyanum ), and two species presently belonging to the genus Lobosceliana [ Xiphicera compressa Kirby, 1902 = Lobosceliana loboscelis (Schaum, 1853) ] and to the genus Transvaaliana ( Xiphicera granulosa Kirby, 1902 = Transvaaliana granulosa ).

Pagopedilum and Stolliana are very similar and difficult to separate; further, some species are known only from the female sex. In both genera the pronotal crest may be more or less high and the prosternal tubercle is highly variable [see the detail of prosternal process in the figure of Pagopedilum subcruciatum by Karsch (1896), reproduced in Fig. 21 and also the prosternal process of some specimens of different species in Figs. 7-10 and 19-20]. Both genera have the abdomino-femoral stridulatory organ below the Krauss’ organ, and the males of both genera have the hind wings atrophied. Within the male genitalia, it is possible to find small differences in the teeth position of pseudolophi on the epiphallus and in the shape of apical valves of penis (Figs. 29-40); these differences do not justify the erection of different genera. In conclusion, the following synonymy is proposed: Pagopedilum Karsch, 1896 = Stolliana Bolívar, 1916 .

According to Dirsh (1958) and Johnsen (1990) four species are presently known in the genus Stolliana : S. sabulosa (Stål, 1875) (holotype ♂ from Namibia, Damaraland, presently Pagopedilum sabulosum ), S. angusticornis Dirsh, 1958 (holotype ♂ from South Africa, Cape province, Willowmore, presently Pagopedilum angusticornis ), S. minor Dirsh, 1958 (holotype ♂ from South Africa, Cape province, De Wet, presently Pagopedilum minor ) and S. giliomeei Johnsen, 1990 (holotype ♂ from South Africa, Cape province, Jonkershoek, presently Pagopedilum giliomeei ). The male of P. sabulosum is brachypterous, the other three are macropterous. Females are apterous.