Morgenia plurimaculata Massa & Moulin, 2018

Massa, Bruno, Heller, Klaus-Gerhard, Warchalowska-Śliwa, Elzbieta & Moulin, Nicolas, 2018, The tropical African genus Morgenia (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae, Phaneropterinae) with emphasis on the spur at the mid tibia, Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 65 (2), pp. 161-175 : 163-164

Morgenia plurimaculata Massa & Moulin sp. n. Figs 3 , 15 , 21 , 29 , 41 , 42

Material examined.

Central African Republic, Dzanga-Ndoki National Park , Lakes Region (02°28 ’40.5” N, 16°13 ’02.6” E) 31.I.-29.II.2012 (light), Sangha 2012 team (1♂ holotype, 19♂ and 3♀ paratypes); Mboki (5°18 ’31” N, 25°57 ’16” E) 24.I.2012 (2♂ paratypes) (♂ holotype and 1♀ paratype in the MSNG, other paratypes in BMPC); Sangha Special Reserve, Epiphyte 2008 Expedition, Camp 2, 21.X.2008 (light), P. Annoyer (1♂ paratype); 30.I-4.II.2012 (light), Sangha 2012 team (2♂, 1♀ paratypes) (1♂ and 1♀ paratypes in the MNHN, other paratypes in BMPC). Some specimens here listed were erroneously identified by Massa (2013) as M. hamuligera .

Distribution.

At the present time, known only from the type locality, Dzanga-Ndoki National Park (Central African Republic).

Colour.

Head and pronotum yellow-green with scattered brown spots, antennae yellowish, abdomen yellow-brown, cerci yellow-blackish, tegmina with a black spot at their base, green with black stridulatory area and small brown spots between cells; in some specimens, the black area is lacking. One black spot between tympana of fore tibiae is found only in males.

Description.

Males. Head and antennae. Fastigium of vertex narrow, sulcate above, not contiguous with fastigium of frons. Eyes rounded, well projecting. Antennae longer than body. Legs. Fore coxae armed with a fine spine. Fore tibiae furrowed on upper margin, distinctly widening above tympanum, conchate on inner, open on outer side. Fore femora armed on inner ventral side with 6 small spines, fore tibiae with 4 spines + 1 spur on inner side and 3 spines + 1 spur on outer ventral side, mid femora unarmed, mid tibiae with 4-5 outer and 2-3 inner ventral spines. The inner ventral spur of mid tibiae is short and does not exceed the first tarsal article; its length is about 5.0-5.5% the length of tibia. On the outer ventral margin of mid tibiae, three closely set short spines are present (Fig. 29 ). Hind femora armed with 3-4 small spines on outer and 2-3 on inner ventral sides, hind tibiae with many spines on ventral and dorsal sides + 3 spurs on each side. Thorax. Pronotum narrowing at the level of the humeral sinus, flat above, lateral margins rounded, anterior margin incurved, posterior rounded, humeral sinus well developed, lobes of pronotum rounded. Tegmina narrow with rounded apices (Figs 3 , 15 , measurements in Table 1), wings longer than tegmina. Stridulatory area of the left tegmen composed of the stridulatory file and of a raised parallel posterior bulge (Fig. 13 ). Mirror of the right tegmen smaller than in M. hamuligera (Fig. 15 ). Pattern of costal area of tegmina with a net of small cells; stridulatory file 2.8 mm long, arched and composed of ca. 90 widely spaced teeth (Fig. 21 ). Cerci club-shaped with an apical spine, the inner part is concave, the outer rounded. Subgenital plate widely concave in ventral view with tips downwards bent in lateral view (Figs 41 , 42 ).

Females. Same characters of the males except for the following. The colour of fore legs is yellow without the black spot between tympana. Also, tegmina lack the black area but have small brown spots between cells. Interestingly, the costal area of tegmina differes from that of males by the regularly spaced crossveins. Ovipositor gently up-curved, 6.8-7.0 mm long, tips finely toothed. Cerci long and pointed, subgenital plate narrow and pointed.

Diagnosis.

M. plurimaculata sp. n. is characterised by club-shaped cerci, a short spur on the mid tibia, the stridulatory area with a small dark spot, many small dark spots scattered on tegmina in most specimens, pattern of the costal area of tegmina with a net of small cells and a stridulatory file that is 2.8 mm long, arched and composed of ca. 90 widely spaced teeth. The stridulatory area is composed of the stridulatory file and of a raised parallel posterior bulge. Differences to other species of the genus are summarised in Table 2.

Etymology.

From Latin plus pluris = many and Morgenia maculata = provided with spots.

Figures

Figures 1 - 4. Habitus of the male of Morgenia hamuligera (1), M. rubricornis (2), M. plurimaculata sp. n. (3) and M. lehmannorum sp. n. (4) (left side for the first three species, right side for the fourth species).

Figures 15 - 18. Stridulatory area of left tegmen and mirror of right tegmen of the male of Morgenia plurimaculata sp. n. (15), M. angustipinnata sp. n. (16), M. melica (17) and M. modulata (18). Arrows in M. plurimaculata sp. n. and M. angustipinnata sp. n. show the net of small cells in costal area of their tegmina, while in M. modulata the protruding stridulatory area.

Figures 19 - 22. Stridulatory file of the left tegmen in the male of Morgenia rubricornis (19), M. hamuligera (20), M. plurimaculata sp. n. (21) and M. lehmannorum sp. n. (22).

Figures 27 - 34. Mid tibia showing the inner spur in the male of Morgenia hamuligera (27), M. rubricornis (28), M. plurimaculata sp. n. (29), M. lehmannorum sp. n. (30), M. angustipinnata sp. n. (31), M. spathulifera (32), M. melica (33) and M. modulata (34).

Figures 39 - 44. Cerci and subgenital plate of male of Morgenia lehmannorum sp. n. (39 lateral, 40 ventral), M. plurimaculata sp. n. (41 lateral, 42 ventral) and M. spathulifera (43 lateral, 44 ventral).

Figures 9 - 14. Stridulatory area of left tegmen and mirror of right tegmen of the male of Morgenia hamuligera (9), M. rubricornis (10), M. spathulifera (11), M. lehmannorum sp. n. (12); habitus of M. hamuligera after Brunner von Wattenwyl (1878) (13) and of M. rubricornis after Sjoestedt (1913) (14). Arrow shows the particular net of small cells in the costal area of tegmina of M. spathulifera, present also in M. lehmannorum sp. n.