Euryparyphes rungsi, Massa, Bruno, 2013

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 : 452

Euryparyphes rungsi n. sp.

Material examined. Middle Atlas, Col du Zad 27.VIII.1954 (2200 m), C. Rungs, ♂ holotype, ♀ allotype, ♀ paratype (MNCN)

Among the long series of Euryparyphes collected in Morocco, preserved in the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales of Madrid there are three specimens collected by Charles Rungs, who wrote on a second label: Euryparyphes sp. nov. aff. pictipes .

Diagnosis. It is a very small Euryparyphes (see Measurements), similar to E. pictipes and E. atlasicus . Its pronotum is straight in lateral view, just enlarged, with stout median keel; lateral keels are evident and converging backwards.

Description. Small differences between the sexes. Size small (see measurements). Antennae 13- (male) and 17- (female) segmented, shorter than head and pronotum together. Median keel stout, interrupted by the typical sulcus, furrowed, straight, fore border just protruding, hind border cut straight ( Figs. 110–113, 115, 118 ). Lateral keels evident and converging posteriorly. Paranota are wrinkled. The area between median keel and lateral keels is flat. Metanotum with lateral keels, more evident in the male, less in the female. Abdomen is moderately carinate in the male, and slightly carinate in the female. Tegmina are 1.3 (in males) and 2.2 (in the female) longer than high. Mesosternal space just wider than long in the male, evidently wider than long in the female, metasternal space wider than long in the male, three times wider than long in the female ( Figs. 116–117 ). Krauss's organ smooth. Prosternal process is cubic, with an interrupted fore collar and two hind tubercles ( Fig. 114 ). Aedeagus valves are sub-triangular, apical sides longer than basal ones; basal part consisting of 12 columnar keels (six per side); only basal part of apical sides show small keels, the remaining part is not interested by keels, but it is evidently wrinkled and provided with enlarged apical borders. In lateral view the phallic complex shows long valves, covered by columnar reliefs. The epiphallus has ca. 15 small scattered spines on the sides ( Figs. 119–122 ). Inner hind femurs of male are reddish, of female dark with orange base; hind tibiae of male and female are purple-reddish, spines red with black base and apex.

Measurements. Holotype male: total length 25.2; length of pronotum 6.2; height of pronotum 5.5; length of hind femurs: 11.0; height of hind femurs 3.1. Allotype female: total length 28; length of pronotum 6.7; height of pronotum 6.3; length of hind femurs: 11.2; height of hind femurs 3.6.

Affinities. In E. pictipes the pronotum is similar to that of E. rungsi , mainly in the male, slightly wider than long, and clearly enlarged in the metazona; the paranota are callused-wrinkled. The median keel of males is straight, and the area between it and the lateral keels is concave. In female the median keel is slightly raised and the paranota are less callused and wrinkled than in males. Brown stripe in the light dorsal area of the tegmina is generally absent in E. pictipes (but present in the holotype). Abdominal keels are evident in the metanotum and first tergites. Inner side of hind femora is orange or brown-blackish, tibiae are red, their inner spines red, but differently from what has been reported by La Greca (1993) and Massa (2012b) they may be black at base and apex or only at apex. E. pictipes is also known from Middle Atlas. E. atlasicus is a very distinctive species, with a flat pronotum, not tuberculated nor wrinkled; its median keel does not protrude forward, and its lateral keels are straight and evident, just converging posteriorly. Fore border of the pronotum is straight, hind border cut straight. The prosternal process is cubic, the brown stripe in the light dorsal area of the tegmina is absent. The abdominal keel is present, but not very evident; the lateral keels are visible only in the metanotum. The inner side of the hind femora is yellow-ochreous, and the tibiae are ochreous or pinkish. E. atlasicus has been recorded only in the eastern part of the High Atlas.

Derivatio nominis. Euryparyphes rungsi is named after Charles Rungs (1908–1999), who was a clever insect collector and appreciated specialist of Orthoptera , mainly from North Africa. He was head of the Centre de Lutte Antiacridienne de Aït Melloul ( Agadir). Rungs carried out some collections of Acridoidea in North Africa, mainly in Morocco in 1949–1950. Many specimens of Pamphagidae preserved in the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle of Paris and in the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales of Madrid were collected by Rungs, together with Pasquier and Thami, and seven valid taxa of Orthoptera have been named after Rungs (Eades et al. 2013).

Figures

FIGURES 110 – 122. Characters of Euryparyphes rungsi n. sp. from Middle Atlas; holotype (110, 111, 114, 115, 116) and allotype (112, 113, 117, 118); epiphallus (119) and aedeagus valves of holotype, in lateral (120), front (121) and back view (122) (MNCN).