Carliphisis acutipennis ( Carl, 1908 )

Tan, Ming Kai, Jin, Xingbao, Wang, Hanqiang, Japir, Razy & Chung, Arthur Y. C., 2022, Taxonomy and bioacoustics of some katydids of the tribes Meconematini and Phisidini (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae, Meconematinae) from eastern Sabah, Zootaxa 5209 (4), pp. 463-475 : 468-469

Carliphisis acutipennis ( Carl, 1908)

( Figs 4 , 5 )

Phisis acutipennis Carl, 1908: 144

Phisis acutipennis — Hebard 1922: 266; Karny 1926a: 172; Karny 1926b: 170

Carliphisis acutipennis — Jin 1992: 64; Gorochov 2012: 23 [comparison with Carliphisis leontopolites (Karny, 1931) ]

Material examined. EAST MALAYSIA • 1♂; Sabah State, Sabah State, Mount Silam, near Lahad Datu ; N4.97542, E118.19000, 369.9± 13.2 m.a.s.l.; under the foliage of a tree; 13 May 2022, 19h22; coll. M.K. Tan , T. Robillard & R. Japir ; SBH.22.59 ( ZRC)

Taxonomic remarks. The specimen belongs to the genus Carliphisis according to the following characters: the middle trochanteral spine is present; the spurs on the front leg are more cylindrical with less dense seta-like spines on the inner surface; the male last tergum, subgenital plate with cerci and styli and the epiphallus are characteristics of Carliphisis ( Fig. 5 ).

It appears most similar to Carliphisis acutipennis ( Carl, 1908) , with nearly indistinguishable phallic complex ( Fig. 5 ). There are however some differences: the male tenth abdominal tergite more broadly and roundly emarginated along the posterior margin (rather than angularly emarginated) and has lateral lobes with more truncated apex; the male subgenital plate with shorter latero-apical lobes ( Fig. 5 ). However, these characters can also be easily distorted during preservation.

Whether Carliphisis comprises one or two species is still debatable (see Jin, 1992 and Gorochov, 2012). Jin (1992) has considered specimens from Java and Malay Peninsula ( Singapore and Malaysia) as a single species, whereas Gorochov (2012) resurrected Carliphisis leontopolites from Malay Peninsula based on his specimens from Pulau Tioman (Johor State). However, we only have a single specimen from Mount Silam in a completely new locality (i.e., Borneo), and we could not compare the phallic complex of Carliphisis leontopolites from Malay Peninsula. Therefore, we are cautious against describing a new species and tentatively identified this specimen as C. acutipennis .

Distribution. Java; Borneo: Sabah: Mount Silam [new locality record]

Type locality. INDONESIA: Java

Figures

FIGURE 4. Carliphisis acutipennis (Carl, 1908) ♂ adult in its natural environment in Mount Silam, Lahad Datu, typically under a foliage. Note that the image is inverted 180°.

FIGURE 5. Carliphisis acutipennis (Carl, 1908) ♂ adult: abdominal apex in lateral (A), postero-lateral (B), dorsal (C) and ventral (D) views; phallic complex in dorsal (E) and ventral (F) views; epiphallus in dorsal (G) and lateral (H) views. Scale bars: 1 mm (A–F); 0.5 mm (G, H).