Prionotropis Fieber, 1853

Massa, Bruno, Ünal, Mustafa & Verde, Gabriella Lo, 2015, Revision of the genus Prionotropis Fieber, 1853 (Orthoptera: Pamphagidae: Thrinchinae), Zootaxa 4059 (3), pp. 499-524 : 500-501

Genus Prionotropis Fieber, 1853

Diagnosis. Vertex sloping obliquely towards the apex of the fastigium, more or less concave, eyes oval, shorter than the subocular furrow, antennae with 17–18 segments, the last 3–4 more thickly spotted, apical segments as long as both the previous ones. Frontal ridge deeply furrowed. Median carina of the pronotum arched or almost flat (mainly in females), prozona and mesozona tectiform, metazona flattened laterally (minute or even absent in females). The transverse sulcus lies about in the mid of the pronotum or just before it; sometimes also the first sulcus notches the dorsum of the prozona. Fore and hind angles of the pronotum rounded or acute, metazona long with a deeply angular hind margin. Prosternum just raised anteriorly. Mesosternal space in males ca. 2 times wider than long, in females 2.5–3.0 times wider than long. Males macropterous to sub-brachypterous, females squamipterous. Hind wings slightly shorter than tegmina, with embossed, curved 1st and 2nd anal veins (characters in common with the other Thrinchinae ). Median carina of the abdomen projecting tooth-like at the end of tergites (mainly in males, less in females) with more or less long terminal spines. Dorsal carina of hind femora with some spines or finely denticulate. Mid tibia denticulate on upper margin (character in common with the other Thrinchinae ). Opening of tympana not covered or partially covered by tegmina. Krauss’ organ with fine tubercles or transverse rows. Epiproct of the male rectangular, pointed on the hind margin and with a longitudinal furrow, which has light carina at each side, in females long with transverse suture and a longitudinal furrow. Male cerci slender or only with a slender apical part, slightly incurved, in females triangular, pointed and incurved apically. Sub-genital plate of the male with a slightly transverse proximal suture, pointed or truncated or incised apically, that of the female with a triangular lobe in the middle. Epiphallus with short ancorae, pseudolophi present ( Ünal 2014), valves of penis up-curved or straight. Ovipositor short, stout, wide.

Species belonging to the genus Prionotropis developed some specializations for stridulation, namely: 1) mid tibiae have the upper margin wrinkled and during flight they rub the lower side of their modified and wrinkled anal veins of the hind wings, like the bow of a violin ( Pantel 1896, Bolívar 1921, Uvarov 1943); all the species, both sexes (also the females, which have micropterous wings), show this specialization ( Figs 1–5 ), that characterizes the subfam. Thrinchinae ; 2) the inner side of the hind femora bear minute rounded tubercles that could rub on Krauss’ organ ( Krauss 1878, Saussure 1888); it was found in both P. hystrix and P. rhodanica , but it is a specialization of most Thrinchinae ( Foucart 1995, Popov 1997, Ünal 2007a, Massa 2012); 3) a tegmino-alar stridulation has been described for P. rhodanica by Foucart (1995) and for P. appula (Massa et al. 2012) , and probably occurs in other species of the genus and of the subfam. Thrinchinae , as well as in many species belonging to the subfam. Pamphaginae (e.g., Johnsen 1972, López et al. 2008, Köhler & Friedrich 2013).

The genus Prionotropis covers isolated areas of Mediterranean region, in Spain, France, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece and Turkey.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 5. Specialization of the sound produced by Thrinchinae: genus Prionotropis. 1. Wings of the male P. flexuosa, showing the modification in the anal veins of the hind wing. 2. Detail of the wrinkled anal vein of the hind wings of P. flexuosa. 3. Mid tibia of P. flexuosa, showing the serrated upper margin. 4. Wings of the male of P. appula, showing the modification in the anal veins of the hind wing. 5 Detail of wings of the female of P. azami, showing that the modification in the anal veins of hind wing is present also in this sex.