Tmethis cisti clavelii Lucas, 1851

Massa, Bruno, 2013, Pamphagidae (Orthoptera: Caelifera) of North Africa: key to genera and the annotated check-list of species, Zootaxa 3700 (3), pp. 435-475 : 438

[ Tmethis cisti clavelii Lucas, 1851 ]

Material examined. Algeria: Boghar (type locality), 5♂, 6♀; Ain Sefra, 12♂, 5♀ (MNCN).

Described as species and afterwards considered a subspecies of T. cisti (Uvarov 1943) . According to Lucas (1851) main characteristics of this taxon are: trilobate prozona ( Figs. 32–33 , 40–41 ), long tegmina (more than abdomen) ( Figs. 40–41 , 54 ), hind wings just shorter than tegmina, pink-reddish inside with a central brown stripe (consisting of separated wide spots) just reaching half of the pink-reddish area. Three small spots are present on the fore border of the wing, above the brown area ( Fig. 54 ). Hind tibiae are yellow, as the inner side of femurs, that bear a brown spot inside, shorter than that of other populations. It has been cited only from Algeria (Lucas 1851, Krauss 1902) and has been considered by Saussure (1888) a possible variety of T. pulchripennis , by Chopard (1943) a synonym of T. pulchripennis , and by Uvarov (1943) a subspecies of T. cisti . Its distribution overlaps with that of T. cisti and T. pulchripennis and covers the western part of inner Algeria. Concerning its biometrics (cf. Table 1), they lie within the variability of T. cisti , as well as the pattern of hind wings colour. Therefore, I think that it could be treated as a synonym of T. cisti .

Figures

FIGURES 32 – 39. Lateral view of pronotum of some taxa described in the genus Tmethis, here revised.

FIGURES 40 – 53. Lateral view of males and females of some taxa described in the genus Tmethis, here revised.

FIGURES 54 – 59. Some of the taxa described in the genus Tmethis, view from above to show the pattern of wing colour pattern and the ratio between the length of wings and the body. Figs. 58 a and 58 b show the pattern of pronotum and wings of male and female of T. harterti n. status. Figs. 54 a and 55 a show the apical lobes, large and broadly separated, of epiphallus of T. cisti, while Figs. 59 b and 59 c show the relatively small and narrowly separated lobes of epiphallus of T. pulchripennis (after Uvarov 1943). Figs 54 b and 59 a show the differences in the spurs of hind tibiae, long and slender, with the first tarsal joint long, and its second pulvillus longer than the first or third in T. cisti; shorter and stouter, with first tarsal joint short, its second pulvillus not longer than the first or the third in T. pulchripennis (after Uvarov 1943).