Paragraecia temasek Tan & Ingrisch

Tan, Ming Kai & Ingrisch, Sigfrid, 2014, New taxa and notes of some described species of Agraeciini (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Conocephalinae) from Malay Peninsula, Zootaxa 3765 (6), pp. 541-556 : 548-549

Paragraecia temasek Tan & Ingrisch , new species

Fig. 4

Paragraecia cf. gracilis Ingrisch, 1998 —Tan, 2012: 44, 45 (images)

Material examined. Holotype (male): Singapore, Dairy Farm Nature Park, along Wallace Trail, secondary forest, coll. M. K. Tan & H. Yeo, 2 February 2013 ( ZRC).

Paratypes: Singapore, Central Catchment Nature Reserve: 1 female, Upper Seletar Trail, secondary forest, coll. M. K. Tan & M. R. B. Ismail, 25 January 2011 ( ZRC).

Diagnosis. Similar to Paragraecia integra Ingrisch, 1998 from Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia in general habitus and male abdominalia but tenth abdominal tergite with apex obtuse with shallow angular excision in middle, lateral lobe bent into ventral process, laterally-compressed with subtruncated apex instead of terminating into two long, widely separated cones; styli longer and strongly (nearly 90) curved up instead of little curved down in P. integra . Female of P. integra unknown.

Description. Habitus of male as shown in Fig. 4 A. Fastigium verticis compressed laterally, in dorsal view conical, apex truncated. Frons shining with few shallowly impressed dots especially towards genae. Pronotum rugose, disc broadly rounded into paranota, apical area subflat and shouldered; transverse sulcus interrupted in middle; anterior margin broadly rounded but faintly concave in middle; posterior margin subtruncate; ventral margin produced into a distinct obtuse tubercle at anterior angle. Tegmen macropterous, surpassing abdominal apex and slightly longer than hind wing, apex truncate. Prosternum with two subacute spines of medium length. Mesosternal lobes long-conical; metasternal lobes angularly rounded; medial plate with an obtuse tubercle. Femora with the following number of spines on ventral margins: profemur 3 external, 4 internal; mesofemur 4–5 external, 0 internal; postfemur 10 external, 8 internal (n = 1, holotype). Knee lobes of pro- and mesofemur obtuse externally and spinose internally; of postfemur spinose on both sides, longer than those of pro- and mesofemur.

Male. Stridulatory file on underside of left tegmen crescent shaped; about 1.65 mm long (n = 1, holotype); with teeth fairly regularly spaced throughout, about 43 teeth per 0.5 mm (n = 1, holotype). Tenth abdominal tergite at posterior margin prolonged into a central lobe with shallow angular excision in middle; at lateral margins bent ventrally and with a long compressed process with rounded and denticulate apex ( Fig. 4 B). Cerci short-conical, pointing laterally (around 45°, n = 1, holotype), not surpassing the apex of the tenth abdominal tergite; apex obtuse; with a long, finger-shaped baso-internal process which is curved and slightly swollen apically, pointing laterally (less than 45°, n = 1, holotype) and surpassing apex of tenth abdominal tergite ( Figs. 4 B–C). Subgenital plate with rounded disc and gently sloping lateral areas, apical margin deeply and roundly excised; styli inserting mediad in this excision ( Fig. 4 D). Styli long and strongly (nearly 90°, n = 1, holotype) curved up, diverging medially before converging inwards one another; apex compressed, rounded and margin provided with numerous short spinules ( Figs. 4 B, 4D). Phallus membranous.

Female. Tenth abdominal tergite deeply furrowed in midline, apical margin on each side with tuberculate projection ( Fig. 4 E). Epiproct rounded-triangular with basal depression ( Fig. 4 E). Cerci with apex pointing. Subgenital plate small, often covering only central part of base of ovipositor; apical margin emarginated; on each side with a baso-lateral appendage ( Fig. 4 F). Ovipositor falcate but basal area substraight; margins smooth ( Fig. 4 G).

Colouration. Green to yellow green when alive. Face pale green; scapus green, antennae yellow brown; maxillary palp green with apical segment yellow brown. Pronotum mostly green with tint of yellow green and pale green. Tegmen with small dark brown cells at posterior margin, apical margin and distal part of anterior margin; along posterior margin, dark cells increasingly more numerous and distinct and larger towards basal area; male with large white spot distal of mirror, of about the same size as mirror, absent in female. Legs mostly green. Hind femur basally green, medially yellow green, distally green, knee dark red brown. Hind tibia green, spines red brown with black apices. Abdominal tergites light green with tint of yellow green; sternites more yellow green. Abdominal apex light green; cercus green, with red brown apex, most distinct in females; male cercus with basolateral appendage yellow. In male, ventro-lateral processes of tenth abdominal tergite and styli dark brown at apical margin. Ovipositor ventro-basally light pink, latero-basally pink brown and red brown to dark brown apically, ridges red brown.

Measurements (1 male holotype, 1 female paratype). BL: male 22.7, female 25.8; BWL: male 28.6, female 32.7; PL: male 5.3, female 6.2; PW: male 5.0, female 5.4; TL: male 21.0, female 24.5; HFL: male?, female 15.7; HTL: male?, female 17.9; OL: female 9.4 mm.

Etymology. This species is named after Temasek , a historic name of the type locality, Singapore; noun in apposition.

Remarks. Specimens of this species are rarely sighted and collected. The holotype was without both hind legs and the female paratype was with only one hind leg. They probably reside in the canopy and fell to the ground on rare occasions.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Paragraecia temasek sp. n.: male habitus in lateral view (A); male abdominal apex in dorsal (B), lateral (C) and ventral (D) views; female abdominal apex in dorsal (E), ventral (F) and lateral (G) views. Scale bars: 1 mm (B – E, G); 10 mm (A). Images by MKT.