Arantia (Arantia) gracilicercata Heller

Heller, Klaus-Gerhard, Hemp, Claudia, Liu, Chunxiang & Volleth, Marianne, 2014, Taxonomic, bioacoustic and faunistic data on a collection of Tettigonioidea from Eastern Congo (Insecta: Orthoptera), Zootaxa 3785 (3), pp. 343-376 : 355-358

Arantia (Arantia) gracilicercata Heller sp. n.

Holotype: male ( CH 4939), CONGO (formerly ZAIRE), Centre de Recherche en Sciences Naturelles in Irangi holotype, ca. 100 km (north) west of Bukavu [A], MfN

Further material: females CH 4994, 4998, same locality (in ethanol).

A Pairwise distance

[1] L. viridis _ CH 6817

[2] A. fasciata _ CH 7504 0,0 87

[3] A._ congensis _ CH 4991 0,0 97 0,0 57

[4] A. _ CH 4943 0,100 0,0 58 0,0 0 1 A. congensis

[5] A. _ CH 4992 0,0 79 0,0 30 0,0 0 3 0,0 0 7

[6] A. _ CH 4998 0,0 93 0,0 54 0,0 41 0,0 42 0,0 20

[7] A. _ CH 4994 0,0 94 0,0 57 0,0 46 0,0 46 0,0 18 0,0 26 A. gracilicercata

[8] A. _ CH 4939 0,102 0,0 53 0,0 47 0,0 48 0,0 15 0,0 32 0,0 37 [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

B mean net distances between species

[1] L. viridis

[2] A. fasciata 0,0 87

[3] A. congensis 0,0 90 0,0 47 [4] A. gracilicercata 0,0 81 0,0 39 0,0 18

[1] [2] [3] [4] A pairwise distance

[1] L. viridis _ CH 6817

[2] A. fasciata _ CH 7504 0,100

[3] A. congensis _ CH 4991 0,0 82 0,0 36

[4] A. _ CH 4943 0,0 82 0,0 36 0,0 0 0 A. congensis

[5] A. _ CH 4992 0,0 89 0,0 36 0,0 0 6 0,0 0 6

[6] A. _ CH 4998 0,0 93 0,0 40 0,0 10 0,0 10 0,0 16

[7] A. _ CH 4994 0,0 97 0,0 36 0,0 13 0,0 13 0,0 20 0,0 10 A. gracilicercata

[8] A. _ CH 4939 0,0 89 0,0 36 0,0 0 6 0,0 0 6 0,0 13 0,0 0 3 0,0 0 6 [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

B mean net distances between species

[1] L. viridis

[2] A. fasciata 0,100

[3] A. congensis 0,0 82 0,0 34 [4] A. gracilicercata 0,0 90 0,0 34 0,0 0 6

[1] [2] [3] [4] Diagnosis. In the male sex the species can easily be recognised by its long, slender cerci with strong basal tooth.

Description. Male ( Fig. 9 A, C).

Head. Fastigium verticis about half as wide as scapus, sulcate at tip, met from below by conical fastigium frontis, leaving a gap between tips. Antennal sockets strongly margined (as typical for Pseudophyllinae ; Rentz 1979) ( Fig. 9 D). Scapus large, its distal half slightly inflated. Eyes circular, the diameter at base smaller than further distal.

Thorax. Surface of pronotum smooth, without carinae. Fore coxa with a very small blunt spine, directed anteriorly and slightly inwards. At the lower side fore femora with 7 to 9 spinules at inner edge, mid femora with two spinules distally at anterior edge, hind femora with 4-6 spinules at both edges each. All tibiae with few to many spinules on both edges above and below. Hind tibiae slightly curved. Tibial ears in the fore legs anteriorly conchate, posteriorly open. Auditory spiracle very large, but entrance for the most part covered by paranotum.

Wings. Tegmina narrow (see Table 3 ), rounded at tip, with black markings at the very base ( Fig. 9 B). Stridulatory vein with about 100 teeth, the intervals between becoming continuously smaller from articulation to edge. Alae slightly longer than fore wings. Colour translucent-green, six white markings at irregular intervals along Media Anterior (sensu Ragge 1955). Venation see Fig. 9 A.

Abdomen. Third tergite with a large tubercle, projecting anteriorly into an incision of the second tergite, possibly a gland (see e.g., by Ingrisch 2011). There are no hairs, but some material of unknown provenance covering the top of the successional tergites. Subgenital plate quite short with broad, slightly incised end, without styli. Cerci slightly inward-curved, very long and slender. Dorsally at the end of the basal quarter a strong tooth with a long and inward-curved tip ( Fig. 9 E, F). In live specimens cerci probably decussate with the tips directed downwards, and the basal teeth nearly touching each other.

Female. Since the females differ in the width of the tegmina from the male (see Fig. 9 G) and there are no species–specific characters except male genitalia, their affiliation to the new species is not beyond doubt (see above, Genetics).

Morphology. General habitus as in male.

Thorax. At the lower side fore femora with 4 to 5 spinules at inner edge, mid femora unarmed or with two spinules distally at anterior edge, hind femora with 4-6 spinules at both edges each.

Wings. Tegmina broader than in male (see Table 3 ). Upper side of right tegmen with nine veins carrying stridulatory teeth.

Abdomen. No gland-like structures at first tergites. However, last tergite dorso-posteriorly with a large protuberance, covered with hairs and an obviously sticky substance, only the most posterior part clean and smooth. Ovipositor ( Fig. 9 H) short (4 mm), its edges without teeth or crenulation.

Measurements see Table 3 .

Etymology. Named according to the slender cerci.

Song. The male lived many days in captivity, when its song was recorded. During four continuous records (130 minutes combined), in total 28 separated, isolated syllables were registered ( Fig. 12 ; syllable duration ca. 50 ms at 21ºC) with the animal singing at night. Sometimes two syllables followed each other with quite short intervals (4, 8, 13 s observed).

For the human ear and the recording equipment, the sound was quite faint. However, the main energy was probably above 15 kHz.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Arantia (Arantia) gracilicercata n. sp. A—Male in lateral view, B—Male pronotum and stridulatory organs, C— Male in dorsal view, D—Male head in frontal view. E, F—Male cerci in lateral and dorsal view, G—Female in lateral view, H—Ovipositor, scale 1 mm.

FIGURE 12. Oscillograms of the calling songs of phaneropterine species (1 s sequence).