Theudoria melanocnemis (Stål, 1861)

Fianco, Marcos, Szinwelski, Neucir & Faria, Luiz R. R., 2022, Katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) from the Iguaçu National Park, Brazil, Zootaxa 5136 (1), pp. 1-72 : 50

Theudoria melanocnemis (Stål, 1861)

Fig. 23H ; 28B

Distribution: Argentina: Buenos Aires; Brazil: Paraná, São Paulo; Uruguay: Montevideo.

New record for the Paraná State.

Comments: Even if the species was previously recorded in Southeastern Brazil, this is the first record for Southern Brazil. Only males were collected at the ParNa Iguaçu, during aural observations carried out during the day, while they were stridulating on bushes and trees, both in the border and inside the forest.

Bioacoustics ( Fig 24C–G ): Males stridulate in the afternoon, presenting complex sequences of isolated pulses, syllables and echemes, with ca. four to six minutes of duration. Each sequence starts with sequences of pulses of slow intensity, followed by pulses in a crescendo of intensity, and longer than the previous sequences. After the sequences of pulses, the males emit a sequence of echemes. All the pulses and syllables are emitted with an increasing of intensity, but with an abrupt diminution of intensity at the end of those syllables and pulses.

Dominant frequency: 13.3 ± 1.4 kHz.

Bandwidth: 6.5 ± 1.3 kHz.

Duration: Pulses: 20 ± 6 ms; Syllable: 0.4 ± 0.08 s; Echeme: 1.3 ± 1 s.

Mute interval: Syllable: 15 ± 2 ms; Echeme: 0.7 ± 0.2 s.

Figures

FIGURE 23. Species of Scudderiini (Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae) from the ParNa Iguaçu. A and B: Ceraia cornutoides, male and female, respectively; C and D: C. liebermani, male and female, respectively; E: C. piracicabensis, male; F: Ceraia sp. 1, female; G: Homotoicha olivacea, female; Theudoria melanocnemis, male; Vellea cruenta, male and female, respectively.

FIGURE 24. Calling song of the species of Scudderiini (Phaneropterinae) from the ParNa Iguaçu. A–B: Ceraia liebermanni; C–G: Theudoria melanocnemis; H–I: Vellea cruenta. A and B: sonogram and spectrogram of one syllable; C: sequence of echemes; D, E and F: the different echemes highlighted in C; G: spectrogram of the echeme highlighted in F; H: sonogram of one sequence of echemes; I: sonogram of one echeme; J: spectrogram of the respective echeme.

FIGURE 28. Live specimens of Scudderiini, Steirodontini and Entephippion olivaceum (Phaneropterinae) from the ParNa Iguaçu. A: Ceraia cornutoides; B: Theudoria melanocnemis; C: Vellea cruenta; D: Steirodon dentiferum; E: Stilpnochlora marginoides; F: E. olivaceum; A: photo by Leanna C. Macarini; B–F: photos by Marcos Fianco.