Haplogryllacris simplex ( Walker, 1871 )

Ingrisch, Sigfrid, 2018, New taxa and records of Gryllacrididae (Orthoptera, Stenopelmatoidea) from South East Asia and New Guinea with a key to the genera, Zootaxa 4510 (1), pp. 1-278 : 188-191

Haplogryllacris simplex ( Walker, 1871)

Figs. 66 H–I, 67C, 67E–G

Haplogryllacris hieroglyphica (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1888)

Haplogryllacris hieroglyphicoides ( Chopard, 1924) syn. nov.

Material examined. Sri Lanka: Ceylon— 1 male (holotype of H. simplex ) (London BMNH) ; Ceylon S.O., leg. F. Sarasin— 1 female (holotype of H. hieroglyphica ) (Wien NHMW) ; India: Paini Hills , Pusa coll.— 1 male (London BMNH) ; India: Madras , Ganjan Dist. , Chilka Lake, Barkuda Island, (19°46'N, 85°20'E), 2 females (incl. 1 syntype of H. hieroglyphicoides )—coll. Chopard (Paris MNHN) .

Description. Large species ( Fig. 66H ). Head wider than pronotum. Face ovoid, rather wide and robust, forehead shagreened with two deep grooves at inner ends of interrupted clypeo-frontal suture; fastigium verticis wider than scapus, separated by a curved suture from fastigium frontis; ocelli distinct (especially median ocellus); fastigium frontis elevated with step-like lateral margins; subocular furrows distinct.

Wings almost reaching to stretched hind tibia. Tegmen ( Fig. 67F ): Radius with RS branching little before midlength of tegmen; both R and RS or only R forked in apical area; media anterior free from base but in basal area very close to R, single-branched; cubitus anterior at base with a single branch that forks into two veins, the anterior branch makes a curvature and receives an oblique connection vein from MA and shortly after divides again into two parallel branches, MP and CuA1, while the posterior branch (CuA2) does not divide further; cubitus posterior undivided, free throughout; with 4 and a short incomplete fifth anal veins.

Legs: Fore coxa with a spine at fore margin; fore and mid femora unarmed. Fore and mid tibiae with four pairs of large ventral spines and one pair of smaller ventral spurs.

Coloration. General color light brown; head with indistinct lighter and darker patches; pronotum with hieroglyphic ornaments ( Fig. 67F , in type of H. simplex little expressed). Face medium brown; median ocellus bright yellow; clypeus and upper part of labrum yellow, lower part reddish; mandibles maroon in basal area, afterwards black ( Fig. 66I ). Tegmen semi-transparent with brownish veins; cross veins partly darker; hind wing semi-transparent with brownish veins; cross veins yellowish with a very fine dark band on both sides.

Male. Ninth abdominal tergite globular, at hind margin with a pair of short black spines little separated from each other. Subgenital plate wider than long; apical margin subtruncate to slightly convex; short styli inserted apico-laterally ( Figs. 67E, G ).

Female. Seventh abdominal sternite of normal shape but apical margin in midline connected to a wide but short, elevated outgrowth between seventh sternite and subgenital plate that is provided on top with a deep transverse furrow. Subgenital plate little wider in basal area, otherwise lobate with tip slightly sub-angular ( Fig. 67C ). Ovipositor elongate, little curved, substraight in middle; tip subobtuse.

Measurements (2 males).—body w/wings: 52–53; body w/o wings: 32; pronotum: 6.8–7.8; tegmen: 38.5–41.0; hind femur: 17.5 mm; measured from photos.

Measurements after Brunner 1888 (1 female).—body w/o wings: 38; pronotum: 8.5; tegmen: 44; hind femur: 21; ovipositor: 25 mm.

Measurements after Chopard 1924 (1 male, 2 females).—body w/o wings: male 35, female 44; pronotum: male 7.9, female 9; tegmen: male 39, female 42; hind femur: male 16.6, female 18.5; ovipositor: 19 mm.

Discussion. The synonymy of H. hieroglyphica was established by Kirby (1906) and later confirmed by Karny (1929a). In the holotype of H. simplex , the fore wings are clued to the body, but at the opposite sides (left tegmen on right side and vice verse) and upside down. That makes it difficult to interpret this specimen. Haplogryllacris hieroglyphicoides ( Chopard, 1924) is regarded here as a new synonym. The female syntypes of H. hieroglyphicoides as extensively illustrated at http://coldb.mnhn.fr/catalognumber/mnhn/eo/ensif1640 do not show any significant difference to the female holotype of H. hieroglyphica in morphology or coloration. The female subgenital plate is also identical with that of the type of H. hieroglyphica . Moreover both female types have in the prolonged space between the seventh abdominal sternite and the subgenital plate a narrow stiffened structure that carries before hind margin a very distinct narrow transverse furrow (http://mediaphoto.mnhn.fr/media/ 1493306646453NJQ 1I 3d0bvWyfk9y and http://mediaphoto.mnhn.fr/media/ 1493306528817zSpUQOjtnQOXDXUm). Thus both, the types of H. hieroglyphica and those of H. hieroglyphicoides can be regarded as belonging to the same species. Moreover, the description of the male by Chopard (1924) and the figure he added show no marked differences between H. hieroglyphicoides and the male type of H. simplex . H. hieroglyphicoides should thus become a new synonym of H. simplex .

Figures

FIGURE 66. Genus Haplogryllacris: A–C, H. bilobulata sp. nov. female holotype; D–E, H. castanea (Brunner, 1888) male holotype; F–G, H. verticalis (Burmeister, 1838) [type of H. latifrons (Brunner, 1888)]; H–I, H. simplex (Walker, 1871) [type of H. hieroglyphica (Brunner, 1888)] female.—Habitus dorsal view (A, D, F, H), face (B, E, G, I), stridulatory pegs on second and third abdominal tergites, front is left (C).

FIGURE 67. Genus Haplogryllacris: A–B, H. bilobulata sp. nov. holotype; C, H. simplex (Walker, 1871) [type of H. hieroglyphica (Brunner, 1888)]; D, H. verticalis (Burmeister, 1838) [type of H. latifrons (Brunner, 1888)]; E–F, H. simplex (Walker, 1871) det. Karny; G, H. simplex (Walker, 1871) holotype; H, H. castanea (Brunner, 1888) holotype.—Female habitus lateral view (A), female end of abdomen with seventh sternite, subgenital plate and base of ovipositor (B–C), male abdominal apex in ventral (D–E, G) and apical view (H), male head, pronotum and tegmen in dorsal view (F); the black arrow aims at the point where a short branch of MA fuses with a branch of CuA and shortly after divide into MP and CuA1; the blue arrows aim at the small spines at apical margin of ninth tergite.