Heteracris coerulescens (Stål, 1876)

Felix, Rob, Bouwman, Jaap, Odé, Baudewijn, Ketelaar, Robert, Pham, Duc Minh & Bailey, James, 2025, The grasshoppers and crickets (Orthoptera) of the Socotra Archipelago (Yemen): a comprehensive overview and a description of a new Oecanthus Tree Cricket (Oecanthidae), Contributions to Entomology 75 (1), pp. 21-166 : 21-166

Heteracris coerulescens (Stål, 1876)

Figs 40 , 41 , 42

References for Socotra.

Burr 1903: 420 [partim; as Cataloipus oberthüri ]; Uvarov 1921: 131 [as Bibulus brunni ]; Popov 1950: 135 [as Thisoicetrus caerulescens ]; Popov (in Uvarov and Popov (1957)): 375 [as T. caerulescens ]; Kevan 1967: 86; Grunshaw 1991: 42; Wranik 2003: 322, plate 155; Rowell and Hemp 2017: 184.

Diagnostic notes.

Males of this Heteracris species can be identified by their uniform colours and the absence of clear external markings (Fig. 41 ). They are brown with yellow or yellow-green stripes on the sides of the pronotum and folded tegmina. The external median area of the hind femora is brown, without extensive dark spots or bands, while the inner side is marked with a basal, median and distal black band. Females are less uniformly coloured (Fig. 40 ).

Distribution and occurrence.

Heteracris coerulescens occurs in north-eastern Africa, south into Tanzania and locally in Yemen. On Socotra, it has only been found on three sites on three occasions (Fig. 42 ). The first record is from Homhil, collected by Ogilvie-Grant in 1899 and labelled by Burr as Cataloipus oberthuri ( Burr 1903; Uvarov 1921). The second record is from Hadiboh Plain in 1967, by Guichard. The third is from Wadi Di Farhoh in 2024. Records are from February, April and May.

Habitat and biology.

The habitat of H. coerulescens on Socotra is unknown because the precise collecting sites are unknown. The specimen collected on 2 May 1967 by Guichard has been collected on or near the same site as where he found Ochrilidia gracilis , according to his diary, “ a tufted grass habitat ” at the foot of Ras Hazira M …. [= Moukaradia Pass], south of Rooget Hill, near Hadiboh ” ( Guichard 1967).

In April, Guichard collected other specimens elsewhere on Hadiboh Plain when he went “ into the foothills ”, crossing the plain from his base camp at Sheq ( Guichard 1967). On Socotra, it has probably been found between 50–400 m a. s. l. In other parts of its distribution area, like Kenya and Tanzania, it is common in all kinds of bush- and savannah woodlands ( Rowell and Hemp 2017; Hemp in litt. 2024).

Figures

Figure 40. Heteracris coerulescens (Stål, 1876), female. Wadi Di Farhoh, Socotra, 4 Feb 2024 (photograph James Bailey).

Figure 41. Heteracris coerulescens (Stål, 1876), male. Collected by Kenneth Guichard on 11 Apr 1967 on Hadiboh Plain, Socotra. Labels not photographed (photograph Rob Felix).

Figure 42. Distribution of Heteracris coerulescens (Stål, 1876) in the Socotra Archipelago.