Afroanthracites pommeri, Hemp & Heller, 2019

Hemp, Claudia & Heller, Klaus-Gerhard, 2019, New Agraeciini species from the Eastern Arc Mountains, East Africa (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae; Conocephalinae; Agraeciini), Zootaxa 4664 (3), pp. 301-338 : 315-318

Afroanthracites pommeri n. sp. Hemp C.

( Figs. 21–23 , 39 , 42 , Table 1 )

Holotype male. Kenya, Taita Hills, Ngangao Forest Reserve , 1600 m, February 2018 . Paratype female, same data as holotype. Depository collection C. Hemp .

Further paratype material: 1 male, 2 females, 1 male nymph, same data as holotype .

Description. Male. General colour predominantly green on abdomen and legs, mottled white and brown on head and pronotum ( Fig. 21 A ). On dorsum of pronotum in area of metazona large brown patch bordered by creamwhite fasciae ( Fig. 21 B ). Head predominantly brown. Abdomen green with median row of light brown to creamy patches bordered by thin dark brown lines ( Fig. 21 D ). Venter of abdomen vivid orange to orange-red. Laterally beside these creamy patches segments green. Legs green with herringbone pattern on outer side. Near joints with tibiae black rings, joints white ( Fig. 21 A ). Head and antennae. Fastigium verticis conical, as long as scapus. Face with median tri-angle shaped deep black fascia. Area beside black tri-angle shaped fascia diffuse white, remaining face and genae brownish ( Fig. 22 B ). Labrum whitish and mandibles orange. Antennae thick, long, more than twice the length of body (6 cm, n = 1), scapus green with black patches, second antennomere also green with black mottles, remaining antennomeres of reddish colour. Thorax. Pronotum rugose, rounded, posterior area (in metazona) slightly inflated. Tegmina hidden for most of their length under pronotum only straight hind margins of tegmina visible. Fore coxa with short, rather stout spine. Fore and mid femora with 3 outer stout ventral spines, unarmed on inner sides. Hind femur with 3 stout ventral spines distally on outer side, inner side unarmed. Fore and mid tibiae with ventral double row of 4–5 spines and a pair of ventral spurs similar to other spines on tibiae. Hind tibiae with four rows of spines, distally more densely set; dorsally 1 pair of spurs, ventrally 2 pairs. Abdomen. Tenth abdominal tergite forming at posterior margin two square lobes, these lobes of whitish colour and densely hairy. Posterior part of 10 th abdominal tergite black ( Fig. 21 D , 22 A ). Subgenital plate elongated, processes posteriorly up-curved and v-shaped incised medially, with finger-like styli ( Fig. 22 C ). Cerci laterally compressed with three branches, similar to A. discolor but branches more stout ( Fig. 22 A ).

Female. Similar to male but larger ( Fig. 21 C ). Face as male. Brown patch on metanotum of pronotum not as large and conspicuous as in male. Venter of abdomen bright orange in living animal. Ovipositor stout, of reddish colour, slightly up-curved ( Fig. 21 C ). Posterior margin of 10 th abdominal tergite undivided, only with median line, edges slightly up-lifted ( Fig. 23 A ). Subgenital plate broad, medially shallowly u-shaped incised ( Fig. 22 D , 23 B ).

Measurements, male (mm) (N = 2). Body length 23.0–24.7. Length of pronotum 7.6–8.0. Length of hind femur 10.2–10.8.

Measurements, female (mm) (N = 3). Body length 21.5–23.7. Length of pronotum 6.0–6.6. Length of hind femur 11.6–11.7. Ovipositor 11.0–11.4.

Song. The recorded male produced echemes with about four syllables at intervals of less than one second. See Fig. 39 , 42 and Table 1 for details.

Diagnosis. A. pommeri n. sp. morphologically belongs to the lineage found in the Pare and West Usambara Mountains ( A. guttatus n. sp., A. maculatus n. sp., A. discolor , A. pseudodiscolor , A. magamba n. sp.). These species share a conspicuous colour pattern, especially in males, with patches of white, black, brown and green dorsal on the abdomen. The 10 th abdominal tergites are broad and divided into two lobes, often black at the anterior part and white to creamy at its posterior part. The male cerci are laterally compressed and consist of three branches. A. pommeri n. sp. is restricted to the Taita Hills of Kenya. It has the laterally most compressed and spread male cerci and a very contrasting colour pattern. From its colour pattern very similar to A. magamba n. sp. from Magamba Forest Reserve in the West Usambara Mountains. Both species are very colourful with a bright orange venter of the abdomen and the black fascia in the face is contrastingly bordered by white fasciae laterally (compare Figs. 18 D and 22 B ). Females of A. pommeri n. sp. and A. magamba n. sp. may be distinguished when comparing the 10 th abdominal tergites and the subgenital plates. In A. magamba n. sp. the 10 th abdominal tergite is forming two acute lobes ( Fig. 20 A ) while it is undivided in A. pommeri n. sp. ( Fig. 23 A ). The subgenital plate is broadly u-shaped incised in A. magamba n. sp. ( Fig. 20 B ) while is is not as large incised in A. pommeri n. sp. ( Fig. 23 B ).

Habitat. In understorey vegetation of closed montane forest. Recorded at 1600 m in the Ngangao Forest Reserve.

Distribution. Only known from Ngangao Forest Reserve in the Taita Hills of Kenya.

Etymology. Our colleague Ulf Pommer caught the first two males of this new species therefore named after him.

Figures

FIGURE 18. Afroanthracites magamba n. sp. A, C, D. Male in lateral and dorsal view and face with tri-angle shaped black fascia. B. Female.

FIGURE 20. Female Afroanthracites magamba n. sp. A. Apex dorsal view with 10th tergite forming two acute lobes B. Subgenital plate of living specimen, medially broadly u-shaped incised.

FIGURE 21. Afroanthracites pommeri n. sp. Male, lateral habitus (A), dorsal view on head and pronotum (B) and dorsal view on apex of living specimen (D) C. Female.

FIGURE 22. Afroanthracites pommeri n. sp. Rear view on living male specimen (A), face (B), subgenital plate of male (C), subgenital plate female (D).

FIGURE 23. Female Afroanthracites pommeri n. sp. A. Undivided 10th tergite B. Subgenital plate of freshly killed specimen.

FIGURE 39. Oscillograms of the calling song of Afroanthracites species.

FIGURE 42. Power spectra of the calling song of Afroanthracites, Afroagraecia and Dendrobia species. In A. guttatus the restricted frequency range is marked by a black line at its end.