Lunidia viridis Hemp, 2010

Hemp, Claudia, 2013, Annotated list of Ensifera (Orthoptera) and further records on Caelifera (Orthoptera) of Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Zootaxa 3613 (4), pp. 301-342 : 328-329

Lunidia viridis Hemp, 2010

( Fig. 12 C–E)

Distribution. Tanzania; Mt Kilimanjaro.

Habitat. Hemp & Hemp 2003. Hemp C. 2005. Hemp et al. 2010d. Submontane and montane forest, coffeebanana plantations in the submontane and montane zone on Mt Kilimanjaro.

Song. Lunidia viridis has an unusually complex and variable song, with two different elements observed most often. The simpler structured element is a long single hemisyllable, which from visual observation we regard as a closing hemisyllable. It is preceded by a much shorter hemisyllable assumed to be the corresponding opening hemisyllable. The second element of the song is called an echeme. It consists of many hemisyllable-like parts. At the beginning of an echeme (and often after one loud hemisyllable), typically two different types of hemisyllables alternate, which suggest that these are opening and closing hemisyllables (Hemp et al., 2010d).

Chromosomes: Hemp et al., 2010d.

Altitudinal range at Mt Kilimanjaro: 1300–1400– 2000–2300 m.

Records: 33

Remarks. In Hemp & Hemp 2003, Hemp C. 2005, and Hemp C. 2006 this species was listed as Melidia kenyensis Chopard since first only males were found. The holotype of M. kenyensis is a female. When females were found on Mt Kilimanjaro and compared to the holotpye of M. kenyensis further studies showed that specimens collected on Kilimanjaro belonged to a new species of a new genus, described by Hemp et al. 2010d.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Phaneropterinae species of Kilimanjaro. A. Female Ducetia punctipennis (Gerstäcker), Chala area, savanna grasslands on herbs, 1000 m B. Female Corycomima sp., lower montane forest, southern slopes, 1710 m C – E. Lunidia viridis Hemp, lower montane forest, southern slopes, 1710 m, male (C), female (D), male nymph (E) F – I. Monticolaria kilimandjarica Sjöstedt, lower montane forest, southern slopes, 1710 m, male (F), male moulting at night (G), female (H), and male nymph (I).