Afrophisis mazumbaiensis Hemp

Hemp, Claudia, 2013, Annotated list of Tettigoniidae (Orthoptera) from the East Usambara Mountains Tanzania and new Tettigoniidae species from East Africa, Zootaxa 3737 (4), pp. 301-350 : 326

Afrophisis mazumbaiensis Hemp n. sp. ( Fig. 15 D–F)

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Orthoptera .speciesfile.org:TaxonName:180010

Holotype male, Tanzania, West Usambara Mountains, Mazumbai forest reserve, 4° 49´S 38° 31´E, 1370 – 1435 m, November 1995, leg. McKamey et al. Depository: ZMUC.

Description.—Male. General habitus and colour as other Afrophisis species, probably green in life with faint reddish fasciae on pronotum and stridulatory file. Body medium sized, comparatively robust. Head and antennae.— Fastigium verticis short, faintly sulcate, conical, much shorter than scapus. Antennae very long and thin. Thorax.— Pronotum with pair of reddish-brown fasciae; median transverse sulci well developed, especially first sulcus deep; anterior and posterior margins of pronotum almost straight. Prosternum not visible, mesosternum with blunt pair of processes, metasternum unarmed. Tegmina and wings well developed, surpassing apex of abdomen about half of their length. Stridulatory area of male as in Fig. 15 D; Legs.— Fore coxa with spine. Fore legs with 4 inner and 3 outer long predatory spines on femur and 7 inner and 7 outer on tibia, mid femora with three short outer spines and one short spine on inner side. Hind femora unarmed at base where femur is inflated, few spines at posterior part ventrally. Hind tibiae with 4 rows of numerous small spines along whole length. Abdomen.— Supra-anal plate elongate and raised backwards as in A. tanzanica but shorter and stouter. Elongated sclerotized genitalic structures with knobs dorsally at base, below a median elongation is present with a median keel which produces two acute parallel processes at its end ( Fig. 15 E). Cerci thick, finger-like, at midlength strongly bend, curving ventrad and thus pointing anteriorly. Subgenital plate broad at base, deeply incised forming two acute processes with minute styli at tips ( Fig. 15 I).

Female.—Unknown

Measurements, male- (mm) (N = 1). Body length 11.5. Length of pronotum 3.5. Length of elytra 13. Length of hind femur 10.

Diagnosis.— A. mazumbaiensis n. sp. resembles A. tanzanica in the shape of the elongated supra-anal plate. However, the supra-anal plate is stouter and the sclerotized genitalic structures differently shaped than in A. tanzanica . Both species are morphological sister pairs occurring on adjacent mountain ranges.

Distribution: Mazumbai forest reserve in the West Usambara Mountains.

Habitat: Submontane to montane forest.

Figures

FIGURE 15. Morphological details of Afrophisis males. A – C. A. tanzanica, left tegmina with stridulatory area (A), lateral view on male abdominal apex with enlarged surpa-anal plate (B), subgenital plate (C). D – F. A. mazumbaiensis n. sp., left tegmina with stridulatory area (D), lateral view on male abdominal apex with enlarged surpa-anal plate (E), subgenital plate (F). G – I. A. flagellata n. sp., left tegmina with stridulatory area (G), lateral view on male abdominal apex with flagellate end part of genitalic structures (H), subgenital plate (I). J – L. A. kisarawe n. sp., left tegmina with stridulatory area (J), dorsal view on abdominal apex (K), subgenital plate (L).