Paramacroxiphus aberrans C.Willemse 1961

Ingrisch, Sigfrid, 2008, Revision of the genera Paramacroxiphus C. Willemse 1961 and Pseudomacroxiphus C. Willemse 1961 (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Conocephalinae: Agraeciini), Zootaxa 1755 (1), pp. 1-34 : 7-9

Paramacroxiphus aberrans C.Willemse 1961

Figs. 1–4 , 7 , 16–18 , 42, 44 , 57–59 , 67–68 , 95

Paramacroxiphus aberrans C. Willemse 1961a , Publ. natuurh. Gen. Limburg 12: 34, figs. 6–7.

Holotype (male): Papua New Guinea: Gulf district, Murua Agricultural Station (near Kerama), 1–31.vii.1959, F.X. Ryan . Holotype in Collection of C. Willemse in Natuurhistorisch Museum Maastricht, Netherlands .

Specimens Examined (Paratypes): 1 male, 2 females (including allotype), same data as holotype ( NHME) .

Description. Fastigium verticis: eye diameter = 1.5: 2.0 mm; projecting 1.0 mm in front of eyes. Femora with the following number of spines on ventral margins: profemur 6–8 external, 5–7 internal; mesofemur 6–7 external, 3–5 internal; postfemur 14–16 external, 14–19 internal.

Male. Stridulatory file 3.1–3.2 mm long; curved in about middle, with large teeth in basal, narrow teeth in apical half ( Fig. 7 ); with about 124–133 teeth or 39.5–41.5 teeth per mm; in middle with 34.9–36.7 teeth per mm; in basal half with 21.5–24.7 teeth per mm. Mirror rectangular with little curved margins, apex convex; 2.05–2.11 mm long, 1.74 mm wide. Tenth abdominal tergite globular; apical margin bulging and a little projecting, excised in middle and with a short rounded lobe on both sides of excision; setose at apical margin ( Fig. 18 ). Epiproct with approaching lateral margins in basal and apical areas, parallel-sided in middle; with a deep pit in apical half. Projection of paraprocts transverse, lamellar. Cerci conical, short and stout, strongly curved mediad and narrowing in apical half; apex subacute ( Fig. 16 ); ventral surface in apical area with an undulating lamella and before lamella with a short stylate projection ( Fig. 17 ). Subgenital plate wide in basal area with a faint medial and two faint lateral carinae; the lateral carinae continued as long curved projections of subgenital plate; styli short and stout ( Fig. 42 ).

Titillators with basal areas fused, compressed; apical parts elongate, large, subfused: connected by a hyaline membrane which becomes sclerotised towards base; apical parts with a roughly triangular lobe near base, separated from apical lobe by a transverse groove; apical lobe with row of hairs arranged in tuft; apical margin of sclerotised parts concave and forming on external side an acute angle; apex surpassed by a hyaline fold which later fuses with that of the other side to connect both titillators; top of hyaline structures covered by a membranous fold of phallus ( Figs. 57–59 ).

Female. Subgenital plate divided in midline by a narrow membranous suture, resulting plates curved; apex with a projecting membranous lobe that terminates at both posterior angles into a short, stiffened, acute cone ( Figs. 67–68 ).

Coloration. Almost uniformly ochre ( Figs. 1–2 ). Frons reddish brown or ochre; mandibles dark brown or black ( Fig. 4 ). Tegmen with tessellate pattern indistinct. Legs (especially femora) marmorated (with light dots and strokes on a brown surface; not always distinct in museum specimens). Female subgenital plate blackish brown, apex light.

Measurements: body male 33–38, female 30–42; pronotum male 10.3–10.5, female 10–10.8; tegmen male 40–40.5, female 45–50; postfemur male 23–24, female 26.5–28.5; ovipositor 45–51.5 mm. Tegmen width near base male 9.0, female 9.0–10.0; do. near apex male 6.0, female 7.0– 8.2 mm.

Diagnosis. P. aberrans belongs to the species with strongly globose tenth abdominal tergite in male. From the three other species with globose tergite ( P. maculatus , P. securiformis , P. rufus ), it differs by the apex being only little excised in middle instead of divided into two distinct lobes and by the broad conical instead of narrow cylindrical cerci. The titillators have a bunch of dense hairs near apex and the proximal branch of the apical parts short triangular instead of roughly wide ovoid. The female has the apical area of the subgenital plate membranous. It differs from P. maculatus and P. uniformis that have a similar modification of the subgenital plate, by the membranous area carrying an acute sclerotised cone at the apico-lateral angles.

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. Habitus (1–2), ovipositor (3), and face (4–6) of Paramacroxiphus species: 1–4, P. aberrans (1, 4, male paratype; 2–3, female paratype); 5, P. tessellatus female holotype; 6, P. bifasciatus male holotype.

FIGURES 7–10. Stridulatory files on underside of left tegmen of Paramacroxiphus males: 7, P.aberrans paratype; 8, P. rufus holotype; 9, P. maculatus holotype; 10, P. securiformis holotype.

FIGURES 16–28. Male cercus and tenth abdominal tergite of Paramacroxiphus species: 16, 19, 22, 26, cercus in dorsal view; 17, 20, 23, do. ventral view; 24, 27, do. internal view; 18, 21, 25, 28, male tenth abdominal tergite in dorso-apical (18) or dorsal view (21, 25, 28).—16–18, P.aberrans holotype; 19–21, P.rufus holotype; 22–25, P. maculatus holotype; 26–28, P. securiformis holotype.

FIGURES 35–44. Male subgenital plate (35–43) and stridulatory area of right tegmen (44) of Paramacroxiphus species: 35, P. elongatus holotype; 36, P. irregularius holotype; 37, P.rufus holotype; 38, P. securiformis holotype; 39, P.armatus holotype; 40, P. bifasciatus holotype; 41, P. maculatus holotype; 42, P. aberrans holotype; 43, P. brunneus holotype; 44, P.aberransparatype. Abbreviations: m mirror, s scrapper, sp field of spinules.

FIGURES 57–66. Male titillators of Paramacroxiphus species in ventro-distal view (57, 60, 63, 65), dorso-proximal view (58, 61, 64, 66), lateral view (59), and view on apex (62): 57–59, P. aberrans holotype; 60–62, P. securiformis holotype; 63–64, P. maculatus holotype; 65–66, P. rufus holotype. Abbreviations: ap apical part of titillator; as apico-lateral sclerite; bp basal part of titillator; bs baso-lateral sclerite. Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURES 67–79. Female subgenital plate of Paramacroxiphus species in ventral view (67, 69, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78), lateral view (68, 71, 73, 75, 77) or recurved (79): 67–68, P. aberrans allotype (67) and paratype (68); 69, P. tessellatus holotype [the white arrow points at the apical cones]; 70–71, P. maculatus allotype; 72–73, P. uniformis holotype; 74–75, P. securiformis allotype; 76–77, P.rufus allotype (76) and paratype (77); 78, P.armatus paratype; 79, P. brunneus allotype. Abbreviations: ac apical cone; m membranous area; po pits at very base of ovipositor; ps pits at lateral area of subgenital plate; sd inner [= dorsal] surface of recurved subgenital plate; vv base of ventral valves of ovipositor usually hidden under subgenital plate.