Mimoscudderia longicaudata, Heller & Hemp & Massa & Rakotondranary & Krištín, 2019

Heller, Klaus-Gerhard, Hemp, Claudia, Massa, Bruno, Rakotondranary, Jacques & Krištín, Anton, 2019, Notes on a small collection of phaneropterine bush-crickets (Insecta: Orthoptera: Tettigonioidea) from Central and Southern Madagascar with the description of two new species, Zootaxa 4563 (2), pp. 297-310 : 305-306

Mimoscudderia longicaudata n. sp. Heller & Krištín

( Fig. 9–10 )

Holotype ♀, MADAGASCAR, Zombitse , 810 m a.s.l., - 22.886195° S, 44.691791°, 11 iii 2015, leg. A. Krištín, CH8602 ( MfN).

Specimen in bad condition, without any legs except for one mid leg.

Description. Female. Colour. Green, scapus, pedicellus and flagellum of antennae black, eyes with black horizontal stripe, posterior margin of pronotum laterally with black markings, tegmina with many black spots, their base brown ( Figs 9 A, B ). Fastigium of vertex narrow, furrowed above, clearly separated by fastigium of frons ( Fig. 10A ). Eyes round, well projecting, with weak fronto-genal carinae below them. Legs comparatively long. Fore tibiae slightly widening above tympana, which are open at least on inner side. Pronotum narrowing anteriorly, flat above, anterior margin very slightly convex, posterior margin widely rounded, humeral sinus evident, lobes of pronotum wider than high, anterior margin straight, posterior rounded ( Fig. 10B, C ). Tegmina comparatively narrow with rounded apices. Hind wings a little bit longer than tegmina. Ovipositor in comparison to other species of this genus unusually long, surpassing hind femora and wings, slightly curved, in the distal half edges very finely serrated ( Fig 9 , 10D ).

Diagnosis. This taxon is tentatively placed within the genus Mimoscudderia . Differences from it are seen mostly in the shape of the pronotum and in the shape the eye which is rounded (as it is in the also tentatively placed M. paulyi ). Differences to all known Mimoscudderia species are found in the length of the ovipositor (20 mm vs 6– 9 mm in the others) and the green head with black antennae unknown in any other species. The species has also shorter tegmina than the other Mimoscudderia species (30 mm vs 34–45).

Measurements (in mm). Female. Body length: 22; length of pronotum: 5.8; height of pronotum: 4.0; length of tegmina: 30; width of tegmina: 6.3; length of hind wings 32.5; length of hind femora 28 (calculated from photos with length of tegmina as reference); length of ovipositor 20.5.

Etymology. The name longicaudata refers to the length of ovipositor.

Using the key in Heller et al. (2018) for this specimen, one ends up with an alternative because the holotype is without fore legs: Parapyrrhicia (dorsal side of fore tibia rounded) or Mimoscudderia (dorsal side of fore tibia flat or furrowed). We decided to place it tentatively in Mimoscudderia , because its legs are longer than in all Parapyrrhicia (and M. spinicercata ; Table 3) and coloration and shape of ovipositor are similar to some Mimoscudderia . In the shape of the pronotum, however, it is more similar to Parapyrrhicia (at most to P. longipodex ) and quite different from most Mimoscudderia .

Habitat. Ecoton of dry forest with bush and a sparse herbal layer at the periphery of Zombitse—Vohibasia National Park. Among endemic plants there are represented the families Euphorbiaceae , Acanthaceae ( Crossandra stenandrium ), Apocynaceae , Didieraceae, orchids (just flowering e.g. Aeranthes sp., Habenaria tianae , Polystachya cf. aurantiaca ), in the tree layer are characteristic the baobabs Adansonia za, A. grandidieri , A rubrostipa . Naturalized plant species are e.g. the genera Acacia , Aloe, Ficus and Pandanus .

and Massa 2017b, c, Ragge 1980).

Figures

FIGURE 9. Mimoscudderia longicaudata n. sp., female, habitus; Zombitse, 11 March 2015.

FIGURE 10. Mimoscudderia longicaudata n. sp. A head, B pronotum lateral, C pronotum dorsal, D ovipositor (scale 5 mm).