Ozphyllum kuranda * 1 Rentz, Su & Ueshima, sp. nov.

Figs. 1, 3, 4, 5A–D, 6A–D, 7A–C; Tables 1–2

ANIC number, Gen nov. M-2, sp. 2

Holotype Male.— Labels 1. “16°48”S. 145°38”E. (GPS) Qld. Kuranda, (335m elev.) ( Top of the Range) 19 Butler Dr 15–31 January, 2004 D. C. F. Rentz ” 2. DCF Rentz, Cytol. Prep. 2004-19.” 3. Song recorded S- 1085”. Holotype deposited in the Australian National Insect Collection, Canberra .

Male.—Large for genus (Table 1). Head with fastigium of vertex minute, sulcate, sides undulating; frons with clypeus feebly excavate. Pronotum with caudal margin of disk feebly convex, lateral lobes with anterior and posterior margins parallel, ventral margin not ascending forward. Tegmen with principal veins in the costal region not parallel (Fig. 5C, D); subcosta and radius parallel and continuous, the former slightly thicker than the latter; subcosta with Rs diverging posteriorly, divided in about the middle; MA weak, feebly divided apically; radial area with principal veins bowed, relatively widely separated; stridulatory region well sclerotised, distal portion of stridulatory vein with a recurved hook (Fig. 5C), file (Fig. 7A–C). Abdomen with tenth tergite with apex of supra-anal plate obtuse (Fig. 5A), cercus arching gracefully, apex spatulate (Figs. 5A, 6A–C), in situ cerci clasping apex of subgenital plate.

Female.—Pronotum with caudal margin emarginated. Abdomen with subgenital plate with a deep Vshaped median incision, cercus short, stout, straight. Ovipositor protruding slightly from tip of abdomen.

Colour.—Head yellow dorsally and laterally with following exceptions: frons reddish brown, genae tinged with green just below the eyes, occiput yellow, with greenish tinge; area delimited by ocelli green; antennal scape greenish on internal margin, remainder mottled brown, flagellum reddish brown, with faint light brown widely spaced annulations. Tegmen uniformly green, stridulatory region dark reddish brown, a small area between subcosta and median black at base; portion of tegmen protruding just beyond pronotum brown, including the entire stridulatory region, this area equal to the length and width of the pronotum, lateral portion at humeral angles black. Forelegs light reddish brown, ventral margin of femur dark brown at apex; middle legs with femur greenish yellow, apex dark brown, tibia uniformly reddish brown; hind legs with femur green, apex dark reddish brown, tibia uniformly dark reddish brown. Abdomen dorsally yellow, lateral portions green with purple longitudinal streaks on each tergite, ventral surface uniformly reddish brown.

Eggs. Eggs disk-like and dark brown or black. They have not been seen in nature but are probably laid in cracks in bark. They measure 4.3 long by 2.3 mm wide.

Specimens Examined (Paratypes).— Queensland: 16°48’S. 145°38’E. (GPS) Kuranda, (Top of the Range) 19 Butler Dr (335 m elev.), 1–15.iv.2003 (DCF Rentz, 2 males); 1–15.v.2003 (DCF Rentz, 1 female); additional material from the same locality and collector: 15–31.xii.2003, (1 female): 15–31.i.2004 (1 male, Cytol prep. 2004-40,-41; 1 female; 15–29.ii.2004, 1 male); 1–15.iii.2004 (DCF Rentz, 1 female (spermatophore attached); 1–15.iii.2004 (1 female); 15–31.iii.2004, 1 female); 15–30.ix.2004 (4 males); 15–30.x.2004 (1 male); 15–30.xi.2004 (DCF Rentz, 4 males, Cyol. Preps. 2005-4-6; 1 female); 15-31.i.2005 (2 males); 15– 31.x.2005 (1 female); 1–15.xi.2005 (2 males; 1 female); 1–15.i.2006 (1 male); 1–15.iii.2006 (1 male); 15– 31.iii.2006 (1 male); 1–15.iv.2006 (1 male). Kuranda, - ii.2006 (Rogers, 1 male).). 1 km SE of Paluma, ca. 915 m, 17.i.1970 (Britton, Misko, 1 male, ANIC). 21°11’S. 148°33’E. Crediton, Eungella, 750m, 17.XI.1992 (Monteith, Thompson, Cook, Janetzki, 1 female, QMUS). Baldwin Swamp, Bundaberg, 28.iii.1978 (H. Frauca, 4 males Cytol. Preps. 78-103, 106; 2 females).

Song.—The song of this species is produced late afternoon to mid evening and consists of two loud bursts in rapid succession followed by a pause of 30 seconds or more.

1. * Named with reference to the type locality.

Cytology.—Materials examined, as indicated above. The spermatogonial metaphase shows 31 chromosomes with the XO system (Fig. 4A). This comprises 15 pairs of chromosomes gradually decreasing in size from medium to small telocentrics and an unusually large telocentric X. At first metaphase there are 15 autosome bivalents and the large telocentric X (Fig. 4B). Several Asian and South American species have been studied but few of the Australian fauna have been published. 2n=21 and 25 seem to be the common chromosome numbers in the Australian fauna. Interestingly, the highest known number in the Australian phaneropterine fauna (2n=29) is in Ducetia, a predominantly Asian genus with a single known Australian species previously called D. japonica but now known not to be that species (S. Ingrisch, pers. com.)

The chromosomes of the Phaneropterinae, as far as known, range from 2n= 12 to 33 in the male, Hewitt (1979) and Ueshima, (unpublished). 2n=31 is the common predominant complement in this subfamily as well as in the Tettigoniidae (see Hewitt, 1979:121).

Discussion.—This species is common in the understorey of rainforests where it occurs. It seems to be active early in the evening and stops stridulating well before midnight. It has been found feeding on a variety of plants. It usually eats the tender young leaves before they harden. However, the species is not host specific and eats a number of garden perennials and shrubs. During the day, individuals rest motionless on the top surface of leaves.

The stridulatory file characteristics (Table 2) are distinctive for each of the two species herein described. But there is some suggestion of geographical variation (see Table 2). The samples of O. kuranda from the type locality and Paluma are rather uniform in number of teeth and length of file. The specimen from the Baldwin Swamp, however, has a shorter file and one with a much smaller number of teeth. When the teethper-millimeter parameter is used, it is seen to be quite similar to the others. In tegminal, genitalic and colour characters, the Baldwin Swamp specimens are clearly referable to this species.