Sphodromerus carapezzanus, Massa, Bruno, 2017

Massa, Bruno, 2017, New and interesting Orthoptera from the Arabian Peninsula and Socotra, ZooKeys 679, pp. 37-46 : 40-44

Sphodromerus carapezzanus sp. n. Figs 7-12, 13-17

Material examined.

Oman, Dhofar, Wadi Ayun (680 m) 17°14'53.37"N, 53°53'16.29"E, 18.XI.2016, A. Carapezza (1♂ holotype, 1♀ paratype) (BMPC); (1♀ paratype) (MSNG).

Diagnosis.

Sphodromerus carapezzanus is very peculiar for its color, brown with tegmina venation being dark and cream spotted. Hind femora with a white base and red outer carinulae, lower genicular lobe white, with the upper part brown, inner face of femora black-reddish, inner tibiae red, outer face of tibiae whitish, spines are black tipped. Carinae of pronotum are distinct in prozona, well visible in metazona.

Description.

Male (Figs 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17). Integument finely rugose. Head hypognathous, frontal ridge flat, punctate with margins diverging gradually. Fastigium of vertex depressed longitudinally, narrow, concave, without median carina, margins evident. Frons vertical, slightly convex. Frontal ridge narrow, flat, with a small depression under ocellus. Eyes oval, longer than subocular groove. Antennae filiform, 24 segmented, barely longer than the head and pronotum together (Fig. 7). Pronotum robust, slightly tectiform, lateral carinae distinct, less in metazona, median carina distinct along its entire length, slightly raised, intersected by anterior and posterior sulci (Figs 7, 9, 11). The posterior margin of pronotum obtuse, anterior rounded (Fig. 11), lateral lobes of pronotum with large dots. Prosternal process subconical, with obtuse apex. Hind femora 2.8 times longer than wide, its maximum width behind the middle (Figs 7, 13). Tegmina abbreviated, as long as 2/3 of the abdomen, but shorter than the hind knee (Figs 7, 13). Mesosternal space is 2 times longer than high. Epiproct elongate, with converging lateral margins, margins basally enlarged (Fig. 16), dorsal surface with three longitudinal furrows. Cerci incurved and stout, which is typical of the genus, they are flat with parallel margins, slightly curved and apically divided into two lobes (Figs 13, 14). Subgenital plate conical. Epiphallus broad, ventro-lateral angles projecting, anchorae short, but evident, lophi absent (Fig. 17), ectophallus with a large sclerite, aedeagus with a slender tip (Fig. 17). Hairs sparse in the body, mainly on the legs.

Female (Figs 8, 10, 12, 15). Characters are similar to those of the male, but it is of larger size (see Measurements below), cerci conical, valves of ovipositor short, robust, black-tipped with curved apices (Figs 8, 15).

Affinities.

The species is assigned to the Calliptaminae genus Sphodromerus Stål, 1873, based on modified male cerci with a single apical tooth and robust femora. The majority of species are described on the basis of their coloration, which seems to be unreliable in similar genera (e.g. Calliptamus Serville, 1831) ( Uvarov 1922). Three Sphodromerus species from the Arabian Peninsula are known to date: (1) S. pantherinus Krauss, 1902 from Saudi Arabia, (2) S. serapis (Serville, 1838) = S. scriptipennis (Walker, 1870) from Arabian Peninsula, and (3) S. rathjensi Uvarov, 1936 from Yemen, represented by two subspecies, the nominotypical and S. r. montanus Uvarov, 1943. S. pantherinus is similar to S. serapis from Sinai (Egypt), with tegmina reaching abdominal apex, head and pronotum with blackish spots, inner face of hind femora red, inner hind tibiae red, with inner spines red, outer whitish. S. scriptipennis (= S. serapis ) has tegmina as long as abdomen, hind tibiae yellowish, inner face reddish, with red spines black tipped. S. r. rathjensi has hind tibiae and inner face of hind femora blackish-purple, while S. r. montanus has these parts pale yellow (see also Ingrisch 1999).

Measurements

(in mm). Male. Body length: 23.6; length of pronotum: 4.8; height of pronotum: 5.3; length of tegmina: 11.4; length of hind femur: 12.8; height of hind femur: 4.5. Female. Body length: 28.7-31.9; length of pronotum: 8.3-8.6; height of pronotum: 7.7-8.3; length of tegmina: 16.8-17.9; length of hind femur: 18.6-18.8; height of hind femur: 6.4-6.7.

Etymology.

Named for Attilio Carapezza, distinguished Italian heteropterologist, who collected most of the Orthoptera here reported in Oman.

Habitat.

Wadi Ayun (Arab = Valley of sources) is a very isolated narrow strip of green in an otherwise parched region; at the bottom there are deep pools of flowing blue-green water around sedges and grasses. A rocky desert surrounds it for dozens of kilometers (Fig. 18). Specimens of Sphodromerus carapezzanus sp. n. were collected on the ground ca. 200-300 m away from the water.