Longchuanacris Zheng et Fu, 1989

Mao, Ben-Yong, Niu, Yao, Ou, Xiao-Hong, Zheng, Zhe-Min & Scott, Matthew B., 2011, A taxonomic study of the genus Longchuanacris Zheng et Fu (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Catantopinae), with descriptions of two new species from Yunnan, China, Zootaxa 3118, pp. 51-61 : 52-53

Longchuanacris Zheng et Fu, 1989

Longchuanacris Zheng et Fu 1989: 305 ; Yin, Shi & Yin 1996: 379; Li & Xia 2006: 100 –101, Figs. a–g; Mao, Ren & Ou 2007: 52 . Type species: Longchuanacris macrofurcula Zheng et Fu, 1989

Generic diagnosis. Size small. Head conical, shorter than pronotum; fastigium broad, slightly depressed in dorsal view, anterior margin roundly projecting; vertex with weakly median carina indicated by a smooth line; interocular distance larger than width between antennae; face sloping, foveolate; frontal ridge with completely (male) or incompletely (female) low longitudinal sulcus, lateral margins nearly parallel; lateral facial keels distinct. Antennae filiform, extending or not to posterior margin of pronotum. Eyes oval. Pronotum nearly cylindrical, disc sparsely foveolate at prozona and densely foveolate at metazona; anterior margin nearly straight; posterior margin incised; median carina weak, three transverse sulci distinct; lateral carinae absent; prozona longer than metazona; lateral lobes with posterior margin distinctly or indistinctly excised. Prosternal spine conical, apex acute or subacute. Mesosternal lobes wider than long; mesosternal interspace longer than width; metasternal lobes contiguous in male or weakly separate in female. Tegmina narrow scalelike, reaching at or beyond posterior margin of 1st abdominal tergite. Hind femora with upper carina smooth, terminating in an obtuse angle; apex of lower genicular lobes spinous. Hind tibiae with apical half nearly cylindrical, with 8 external and 9–11 internal spines on dorsal side; external apical spine vestigial, small, sometimes absent. Hind tarsi with 3rd segment as long as 1st and 2nd segments together. Abdomen with median carina. Tympana opening distinct, oval. In male, 10th abdominal tergite narrowly excised in middle, with furculae large, upright or curved; supra-anal plate scutate with median area distinctly raised and longitudinally furrowed in basal half; cerci conical or triangular, compressed, apex incurve and bilobate or with at least faint bifurcation. Subgenital plate conical. Epiphallus with lophi large, crescent or oblong, nearly projecting in a 90° angle from bridge; bridge divided in middle. In female, supra-anal plate almost rhombic with a median longitudinal furrow in basal half, cerci conical with apex subobtuse; valves of ovipositor narrow with obtuse teeth along margins; subgenital plate with median area concave.

This genus is similar to Caryanda Stål, 1878 , sharing similar general characters on external morphology of body and colouration pattern, especially on: (1) pronotum with posterior margin broadly or triangularly incised, median carina weakly present, lateral carinae absent; (2) prosternal spine conical; (3) squamipterous; (4) hind femora with lower genicular lobes spinous; (5) hind tibiae cylindrical, apex of lower genicular lobes spinous; (6) male subgenital plate conical; (7) epiphallus with bridge divided in middle. The differences between Longchuanacris and Caryanda were listed in Table 1.

Longchuanacris Caryanda

Male 10th abdominal tergite with furculae large, upright or curved Male 10th abdominal tergite with furculae small, horizontal Male cerci with apex distinctly bifurcated or faintly bifurcated at Male cerci with apex acute or subacute least

Hind tibiae with external apical spine vestigial, small or absent Hind tibiae with external apical spine present Epiphallus with lophi slender, crescent or oblong in posterior Epiphallus with lophi stout, triangular or irregularly quadview rangular in posterior view

Remark. The type-species of Longchuanacris was described from one male from Ruili County, Yunnan Province. It is thus somewhat questionable if the original generic diagnosis ( Zheng & Fu, 1989; Li, Xia et al., 2006) is substantive. After all primary types were re-examined, some characters, such as “lateral lobes of pronotum with posterior margin distinctly excised” and “hind tibiae with external apical spine absent” were believed to be unreliable for delimiting the genus; two characters, “male cerci with apex distinctly bifurcated or faintly bifurcated at least” and “epiphallus with lophi slender, crescent or oblong in posterior view” were believed to be substantial for defining the genus.

The epithet Longchuanacris formed by “Longchuan (the name of a river near the type locality) + acris (locust)” should be feminine, so the gender of species names are corrected in the present paper.