Phaneroptera Serville, 1831

Massa, Bruno, 2021, Some new species of Phaneroptera, Eulioptera and Scolocerca (Orthoptera Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae) from West Tropical Africa, Zootaxa 4948 (1), pp. 123-135 : 124

Genus Phaneroptera Serville, 1831

In accordance with Ragge (1960, 1980) Phaneroptera is a rather nondescript genus, chiefly recognizable from its lack of any striking features, and it may be separated from Eulioptera Ragge, 1956 by the opaque fore wings, at least posterior to vein R. In addition, following Heller (1988 and pers. comm.), Phaneroptera species are well characterized by a peculiar stridulatory file: it has a double bending in the middle or the distal part, and the stridulatory teeth have their steep side pointing basally, indicating sound production during wing opening. In the strictly related genus Eulioptera the stridulatory file is normally arched. Ragge (1980) synonymized the genus Dannfeltia Sj ̂stedt, 1902 with Phaneroptera , but more recently Massa (in press) resurrected Dannfeltia nana Sj ̂stedt, 1902, which has rounded dorsal margin of fore tibiae (not sulcate, as in Phaneroptera ) and a normally arched stridulatory file.

In tropical Africa a dozen of species of Phaneroptera live. Here the distribution of P. sparsa Stål, 1857 is discussed, and a new species characterized by only 2 apical spurs on the hind tibiae is described.