Mixodusa retusa Ünal, 2018

Ünal, Mustafa, 2018, Tettigoniinae (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) from Turkey with key to genera and descriptions of six new species, Zootaxa 4432 (1), pp. 1-66 : 16-17

Mixodusa retusa Ünal , sp. nov.

( Figs. 26, 29, 39, 43, 52, 53, 55, 198–206, 312–317)

Description. Male (holotype): Fastigium of vertex 1.4 times wider than scapus ( Fig. 29), frontal part vertical, basal part sloping with smooth surface. Pronotum ( Figs. 198–200, 312) almost cylindrical along its length dorsally, without median and lateral carinae; 1.8 times longer than its height and 1.1 times longer than fore femur; anterior margin almost straight, posterior margin very broadly rounded; shoulder incision very weak in lateral view. Tegmina ( Figs. 198–200, 312) brachypterous, reaching slightly beyond end of first abdominal tergite. Fore tibia with 3 dorsal spines on outer side. Hind tibia with 4 apical spurs ventrally. Plantula scale like, 2.6 times shorter than metatarsus. Femora without dorsal spines; outer lobe of fore femur without, but all the other lobes of femora with an indistinct small spine. Hind femur ( Figs. 198, 312) very long, almost as long as body length (see measurements). Prosternum with 2 very small, narrow triangular projections. Last abdominal tergite ( Figs. 52, 201, 314) quite short, with a narrowly rounded posterior incision; posterior lobes very short and rounded at apex. Cerci ( Figs. 53, 201, 315) short and broad; proximal part before inner tooth wide and almost cylindrical, distal part narrow triangular and slightly recurved, with a distinct, sharp inner tooth, not longer than distal part of cercus. Subgenital plate ( Fig. 202) with a triangular posterior median incision, styli longer then the depth of posterior incision. Titillators ( Figs. 43, 316) with long apical arms with a row of sharp teeth along its outer side; inner side of apical arms with a distinct projection at the base; basal arms short and strongly upcurved, reaching to half of apical arms. Female: Fastigium of vertex 1.75 times wider than scapus. Pronotum ( Figs. 55, 203–205) almost cylindrical, 1.8 times longer than its height, and 1.1 times longer than fore femur; anterior margin slightly concave, posterior margin very broadly rounded; shoulder incision more distict than that of male. Tegmina ( Figs. 55, 203–205) reduced, contiguous at dorsum, reaching to 1/3 of first abdominal tergite, slightly protruded under pronotum. Legs ( Figs. 203–213) as in male. Prosternum with 2 small, triangular projections. Last abdominal tergite very short, with a deep triangular incision. Subgenital plate fused with 7th sternite ( Figs. 26, 206, 317); longer than wide with 7th sternite, lateral margins strongly bent upwards, with a deep and wide triangular posterior incision; 7th sternite triangular with smooth surface. Ovipositor ( Figs. 39, 203, 313) slender, thin and long, as long as hind femur, downcurved along its length.

Color. Body greyish-brown with black, brown and milky brown markings. Ventral 3/4 of head unicolor milky brown; frons with a weak black band between eyes; dorsal surface of head greyish brown. Antenna light brown. Pronotum bicolored, ventral half of paranota milky brown, above it bordered by a thin blackish band, remaining part and dorsal surface of pronotum greyish brown. Tegmina brown, with darkened main veins and some creamish veinlets. Fore and mid legs with black, greyish brown and creamish irregular spots in 2 rows dorso-anteriorly; outer surface with a black stripe in male. Abdomen greish brown with small irregular black spots. In one female body uniformly light greyish brown. Ovipositor with homogeneously dense blackish spots. Ventral surface of body milky brown.

Diagnosis. This new species is most closely related to M. bocquilloni ( Uvarov, 1917) by the similar male cerci and titillators. But it is separated in the male by the last tergite with very short and rounded lobes, with shallow and rounded posterior incision (lobes long and pointed with deep and triangular posterior incision in M. bocquilloni , Fig. 209), the female subgenital plate with almost smooth surface (with a distinct U-shaped carica in the end of posterior incision in M. bocquilloni , Fig. 212), female 7th sternite with smooth surface (with a longitudinal low carina in M. bocquilloni , Fig. 212), pronotum with more truncate, broadly rounded posterior margin (strongly and narrowly rounded in M. bocquilloni , Figs. 207–208 and 210–211), shorter tegmina (in M. bocquilloni , reaching to half-end of 2nd tergite in male, Figs. 207–208, and to half of first tergite in female, Figs. 210–211; see also Ünal 2012: Figs. 9–12 and 88–91). It is different from M. siazovi by the shape of cerci with much shorter inner tooth, male last tergite, shorter tegmina in both sexes (in M. siazovi , male tegmina reaching to half-end of 3rd tergite, female tegmina reaching to almost half of 2nd tergite), the fused female 7th sternite with smooth surface (7th sternite separated from subgenital plate in M. siazovi with a high conical acute projection, see Ünal 2012: Figs. 13–16 and 91–95).

Measurements (mm). Holotype: body 28.1; pronotum 9.2; tegmina 5.3; hind femur 28.8. Paratypes: body: male 27.6–31.4, female 24.8–30.6; pronotum: male 8.7–9.8, female 8.4–9.5; tegmina: male 5.2–5.6, female 2.8–3.7; hind femur: male 26.8–30.4, female 27.1–30.6; ovipositor: 25.3–28.2.

Material examined. TURKEY: Şırnak, Beytüşşebab, Günyüzü Köyü, 1374 m, 37.27.382 N, 43.12.123 E, 6.9.2013, 2 males (including holotype), 2 females, plus 1 male, 3 females in alcohol (leg. M. Ünal & A. Erden) (AİBÜEM).

Etymology. “retusus” means blunt in Latin, relating to the male’s last tergite with blunt, rounded posterior lobes.