Parapyrrhicia abdita, Hemp & Heller & Warchałowska-Śliwa & Grzywacz & Hemp, 2017

Hemp, Claudia, Heller, Klaus-Gerhard, Warchałowska-Śliwa, Elżbieta, Grzywacz, Beata & Hemp, Andreas, 2017, Review of the East African species of the phaneropterine genus Parapyrrhicia Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1891 (Insecta: Orthoptera): secret communication of a forest-bound taxon, Organisms Diversity & Evolution (New York, N. Y.) 17 (1), pp. 231-250 : 234-236

Parapyrrhicia abdita n. sp. C. Hemp

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Orthoptera .speciesfile. org:TaxonName:492598

Holotype male: Tanzania, Udzungwa Mountains , Kilombero , Mang’ ula Nationalpark Headquarters, 7° 50′ 44.5″ S 36° 53′ 00.2″ E, lowland wet forest, 300 m, March 2015; leg. C Hemp. Depository: MfN.

Paratype. 1 female, same data as holotype, leg. C Hemp; depository MfN .

Further paratype material: 9 males, 19 females, same data as holotype; July 2015 and September 2015, January and March 2016. Three males, 3 females; Tanzania, Kihansi forest reserve, January 2016; all leg. C Hemp (collection C. Hemp) .

Description Male ( Fig. 4e ). Color dark green, dark brown to black patch on stridulatory area of left tegmen, in central part around stridulatory file shiny white ( Figs. 4e and 8 ). On pronotum, abdomen and legs numerous dark dots. Head and antennae: Antennae green, thin, about total length of insect. Fastigium as for genus. Eyes circular, prominent, with stripes, white or reddish. Thorax: Pronotum without lateral carinae, surface smooth. Tegmina and wings: Both pairs of wings fully developed, alae surpassing tegmina. Left tegmen with stridulatory area as in Fig. 9c , right tegmen with mirror as in Fig. 9d . Stridulatory file curved ( Fig. 9e ) with 81 teeth (n = 1, Udzungwa, Mangula). Fore femora with one anterior ventral row of six to seven brown-tipped spinules, sometimes one to three very small spinules also on posterior side. Mid femora with one anterior ventral row of six to seven spinules. Hind femora with eight to ten tiny spinules ventrally on posterior side, apically with two small spinules also posteriorly. Fore and mid tibiae without dorsal spurs, only with pair of ventral spurs. Hind tibiae with three apical spurs on each side and four rows of numerous small spinules getting denser distally. Abdomen: Laterally on each side ivory white patch, often stigmata also marked white. Cerci divided into an acute and slender, slightly up-curved outer branch and an inner flattened horizontally oriented branch with bidentate tip ( Fig. 9a ). The subgenital plate is elongated and divided into two lobes that are very slender at their base, forming an oval gap between them and then running again together at their apical third and there being expanded ( Fig. 6c and 9a, b ). Thorn-like elongated titillator with sclerotized tip.

Female. As male but without dark and white patch on left tegmen. Spination as male but one female with six spinules internally. On inner margin of right tegmen one to three transverse veins with sclerotized teeth for accoustical communication with male ( Fig. 10a–c ). Posterior margin of the tenth abdominal tergite almost straight, laterally with sharp edges. Ovipositor as in Fig. 7g , subgenital as in Fig. 7h .

Measurements Males (n = 6): Total length of body, 22– 27.5 mm (including subgenital plate); median length of pronotum, 4.0– 4.5 mm; length of hind femur, 20.5–21 mm; length of tegmina, 24–30.5 mm.

Measurements Females (n = 6). Total length of body, 21– 22.5 mm; median length of pronotum, 4.7–4.9 mm; length of hind femur, 20.5–22 mm; length of tegmina, 30.5– 33 mm; ovipositor, 8.5–9 mm

Etymology. From Latin— abditus, hidden, concealed since the specimens are perfectly camouflaged in their habitat and difficult to see.

Habitat. Lowland wet forest.

Biology. Night active species of the tree layer within closed forest.

Distribution. Central Tanzania, Udzungwa Mountains National Park and Kihansi forest reserve.

Figures

Fig. 4 Habitus photos of Parapyrrhicia species. a Male and b female of P. acutilobata. c Male and d female of P. diamantina n. sp. e Male and f female of P. abdita n. sp.

Fig. 8 Stridulatory area of the left tegmen of P. abdita n. sp.

Fig. 9 Morphological details of male Parapyrrhicia abdita n. sp. Ventral (a) and semilateral (b) view of abdominal apex with slender lobes of subgenital plate. c Left tegmen with stridulatory area. d Right tegmen with mirror. e Stridulatory file

Fig. 6 Apices of alive male Parapyrrhicia species. a P. acutilobata. b P. diamantina n. sp. c P. abdita n. sp.

Fig. 10 a Female Parapyrrhicia abdita, Udzungwa Mountains, Mangula (with three stridulatory veins on right tegmen). b Female specimen with two stridulatory veins (Udzungwa, Kihansi). c Female specimen with one stridulatory vein (Udzungwa, Kihansi)

Fig. 7 Morphological details of Parapyrrhicia females. a, b P. zanzibarica, ovipositor lateral and subgenital plate. c, d P. acutilobata, ovipositor lateral and subgenital plate. e, f P. diamantina n. sp., ovipositor and subgenital plate. g, h P. abdita n. sp., ovipositor lateral and subgenital plate