Eurycorypha parkeri, Naskrecki & Guta, 2019

Naskrecki, Piotr & Guta, Ricardo, 2019, Katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) of Gorongosa National Park and Central Mozambique, Zootaxa 4682 (1), pp. 1-119 : 98-100

Eurycorypha parkeri sp. n.

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Orthoptera .speciesfile.org:TaxonName:506815

( Figs. 43 A–G, 56D–F)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:303930BC-4C54-457C-B09A-2B83358132EA

Type locality. MOZAMBIQUE: Sofala Province, GRP, E.O. Wilson Lab Chitengo (-18.9783, 34.3514) 9.ii.– 4.iii.2015, coll. P. Naskrecki & R. Guta—male holotype ( EOWL)

Differential diagnosis. This new species is similar to E. varia Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1891 , sharing a similar, unmodified structure of the male 10 th tergite and a simple, apically blunt cercus, albeit in E. parkeri the apex of the cercus is more strongly bent inwards ( Fig. 43E ). However, the calls of these two species are dramatically different, and the ovipositor of E. varia is distinctly shorter and blunter than in E. parkeri . From E. pseudovaria Hemp, 2017 the new species differs in the shorter, blunter cercus, and the morphology of the ovipositor.

Head. Antennae shorter than body; antennal scapus unarmed; eyes oval, moderately protruding. Fastigium of vertex very wide, about 3.5 times as wide as scapus, flat dorsally. Fastigium of frons touching equally wide fastigium of vertex; frons flat, vertical; smooth; frontolateral carinae well developed.

Thorax. Pronotum surface smooth, anterior margin of pronotum flat, straight; metazona flat, posterior edge of metazona broadly rounded; lateral carinae of pronotum well developed, forming smooth, sharp edges; nearly straight when seen from above, weakly converging towards anterior margin; humeral sinus of pronotum present. Thoracic auditory spiracle narrowly oval, completely hidden under pronotum; auditory swelling absent.

Legs. Front coxa armed with distinct, downward pointing spine; front femur distinctly shorter and more robust than middle femur, armed on anterior margin with 5 small spines; front tibia unarmed dorsally, with 7 spines on anterior and 5 on posterior ventral margin; apex of front tibia 1 pair of ventral spurs and single dorsal spur on posterior margin; tympanum bilaterally open, oval, about twice as long as wide. Mid coxa unarmed; mid femur armed with 3 spines on anterior ventral margin; mid tibia unarmed dorsally, with 6 spines on posterior and 9 on anterior ventral margin; apex of mid tibia with 1 pair of dorsal and 1 pair of ventral spurs. Hind femur armed on both ventral margins in distal half with 3–4 small spines; genicular lobes of hind femur unarmed; hind tibia armed on both dorsal and ventral margins; dorsal spines of hind tibia consecutive spines of similar size; apex of hind tibia 1 pair of ventral spurs and single dorsal spur on posterior margin.

Wings. Right stridulatory area with large, fully developed mirror; mirror narrowly triangular ( Fig. 43B ); left stridulatory area coriaceous, without mirror ( Fig. 43A ); stridulatory file weakly sinuous, flat, 2.85 mm long, 0.15 mm wide, with 122 teeth ( Fig. 43C ); veins Sc and R very close together, parallel along their entire length, slightly separated near apex of tegmen but still parallel; hind wing slightly longer than tegmen, with transversely folded apical field ( Fig. 43G ).

Abdomen. Tenth tergite with posterior edge straight, unmodified ( Fig. 43E ). Epiproct unmodified; paraprocts unmodified. Cercus long and slender, narrowed towards apex, bent inwards; straight when seen from side; apex truncated, with minute spines ( Fig. 43E, F ). Phallus entirely membranous, without sclerotized elements. Subgenital plate broadly trapezoidal, with narrow incision apically; styli absent ( Fig. 43F ).

Ovipositor. Ovipositor slightly curved, as long as 1/2 of hind femur; apex pointed, dorsal edge of upper valvula straight, distinctly serrated along its entire length; ventral edge of lower valvula serrated only in apical fifth ( Fig. 43D ).

Coloration. Coloration uniformly green; face pale green; eyes with vertical yellow band continuous with that on face and pronotum, antennae unicolored. Legs mottled green; abdominal terga without markings. Tegmen without markings; major veins somewhat lighter than rest of wing ( Fig. 43G ).

Bioacoustics. The call of E. parkeri is divided into two distinct acoustic elements. The first part of the call is a single, prolonged syllable that is produced by dragging the nearly entire length of the stridulatory file across the scraper; the mean duration of the long syllable is 0.106 s (SD=0.0094, n=21) and the syllable contains 70–79 individual tooth strikes. The second part of the call consists of a much shorter syllable lasting on average only 0.026 s (SD=0.00236, n=88) and containing 32–44 individual tooth strikes, followed immediately by a single impulse, most likely produced by dragging only 1–3 teeth over the scraper. The peak frequency of the call is 8.7–14.0 kHz ( Figs. 56 D–F) and the call is easily heard from a distance of a few meters.

Distribution and natural history. E. parkeri has so far been recorded only from Gorongosa and adjacent areas. Within the national park it is a common, frequently encountered species that can be heard from the crowns of deciduous trees in the woodland savanna. Adults are seen mostly between February and June.

Etymology. This species is named in honor of Mr. Christopher M. Parker, a dedicated supporter of conservation and development efforts in Gorongosa National Park.

Measurements (3 males, 2 females). body w/wings: male 38–40 (391), female 36–38 (371.4); body w/o wings: male 21–24 (22.71.5), female 17–22 (19.53.5); pronotum: male 5–6 (5.7.6), female 6; tegmen: male 31–34 (321.7), female 29–32 (30.52.1); hind femur: male 18–19 (18.3.6), female 16–20 (182.8); ovipositor: 7–11 (92.8) mm.

Material examined (51 specimens). Mozambique: Sofala, Gorongosa , GNP, Chitengo , elev. 40 m (-18.9806, 34.351567), 1–25.i.2017, coll. R. Guta— 4 males (incl. 4 paratypes) ; Massiabosa, Swanepoel Concession , elev. 240 m (-18.55157, 35.03004), 10–14.iv.2017, coll. P. Naskrecki— 1 male (paratype) ( EOWL) ; GNP, Bunga Inselberg, Camp 1, nr. Bunga ranger outpost, elev. 75 m (-18.59989, 34.33686), 21.iv.–5.v.2015, coll. P. Naskrecki— 1 female, 1 male (paratypes) ( MCZ) ; GNP, Chitengo , elev. 96 m (-18.97708, 34.34898), 23.x.–6.xi.2017, coll. D. Amade & M. Castene— 1 female (paratype) ( EOWL) ; GNP, Chitengo , E.O. Wilson Laboratory, elev. 48 m (-18.977722, 34.351333), 9.ii.–4.iii.2015, coll. P. Naskrecki and R. Guta— 4 males (incl. 4 paratypes) ( MCZ) ; Gorongosa Dist., Center for Environmental Conservation , elev. 119 m (-18.95472, 34.1775), 19.ii.2014, coll. R. Guta & T. Castigo (212)— 1 male (paratype) ; GNP, Chitengo , elev. 38 m (-18.978808, 34.352606), 20–30.v.2014, coll. R. Guta— 1 female, 1 male (paratypes) ; same locality, 20–30.v.2014, coll. R.Guta— 1 male (paratype) ; Wilson Laboratory, GNP, Chitengo , (-18.97775, 34.351333), 19–28.ii.2017, coll. P. Naskrecki— 2 males (incl. 2 paratypes) ( EOWL) ; GNP, Chitengo , elev. 29 m (-18.98194, 34.35122), 9.v.–29.vi.2012, coll. P. Naskrecki— 1 female (paratype) ( MCZ) ; same locality, 17–31.iii.2013, coll. P. Naskrecki— 2 males (incl. 2 paratypes) ; same locality, 17.iii.–5.iv.2013, coll. P. Naskrecki— 3 females, 9 males (incl. 12 paratypes) ( EOWL, MCZ) ; same locality, 6–31.v.2013, coll. P. Naskrecki— 1 female (paratype) ; same locality, 30.i.–13.ii.2014, coll. P. Naskrecki— 5 males (incl. 5 paratypes) ( MCZ) ; same locality, 4.ii.2014, coll. P. Naskrecki, R. Guta & F. Artur— 3 males (incl. 3 paratypes) ; Gorongosa Distr., Chitengo , (-18.981944, 34.351222), 2–28.ii.2015, coll. R. Guta— 2 males (incl. 2 paratypes) ; GRP, E.O. Wilson Lab Chitengo , (-18.9783, 34.3514), 9.ii.–4.iii.2015, coll. P. Naskrecki & R. Guta— 5 males (incl. holotype, 4 paratypes) ; same locality, 29.ii.2016, coll. P. Naskrecki— 1 male (paratype) ; same locality, 26–31.iii.2016, coll. P. Naskrecki— 1 male (paratype) ( EOWL) .

Figures

FIGURE 43. Eurycorypha parkeri: A. base of male left tegmen; B. base of male right tegmen; C. stridulatory file; D. ovipositor; E. male abdominal apex, dorsal view; F. male subgenital plate; G. male, lateral view.

FIGURE 56. Oscillograms and power spectra of Mozambican Phaneropterinae: A–C. Eurycorypha lesnei; D–F. E. parkeri; G–I. E. cereris; J–L. E. stalmansi.