Dioncomena versicolor Hemp, 2023

Hemp, Claudia, Montealegre-Z, Fernando, Woodrow, Charlie & Heller, Klaus-Gerhard, 2023, Bush-crickets with very special ears and songs - review of the East African Phaneropterinae genus Dioncomena Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878, with notes on its biogeography and the description of new species, Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 70 (2), pp. 221-259 : 221

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/dez.70.100804
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2824CBF6-C72A-4397-B944-262D324AF5D6
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/9A696474-1FB6-4318-8412-94A41C74F076
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:9A696474-1FB6-4318-8412-94A41C74F076
treatment provided by	Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift by Pensoft
scientific name	Dioncomena versicolor Hemp
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Dioncomena versicolor Hemp sp. nov.

Figs 2I View Figure 2 , 13A-C View Figure 13 , 15A, B, D, E View Figure 15 , 19 View Figure 19 , 21 View Figure 21 , 22O View Figure 22 , 26I, J View Figure 26 , 30 View Figure 30 , 36 View Figure 36

Type material.

Holotype male. Tanzania, Uluguru Mountains, montane forest above Morningside, 6°53'46"S, 37°40'14"E, 1600 m, February 2016. Paratypes. 2♂♂, 2♀♀, same locality as holotype and February 2017 and March 2020. Depository: CCH.

Description.

Male. General habitus and color pattern. Small for Dioncomena but with a typical habitus for the genus and a striking color pattern. Head and pronotum blue with black lines or stipes. The pronotum has a green median part bordered by red-brown fasciae, with a longitudinal black stripe in the midline of the pronotal lobes, and the remaining part of the lateral lobes is blue. The abdomen has a yellow broad fascia on the lateral sides, bordered by black fascia, and a median black fascia on the tergites, with a blue venter. The legs are predominantly black, with the hind femora’s basal parts in red-brown (Fig. 15A View Figure 15 ). Head & antennae. The fastigium of the vertex is compressed, narrower than the scapus, and sulcate above, typical for the genus. Thorax & legs. The posterior part of the lateral lobes is not markedly inflated. The fore coxa lacks a spine, only a blunt knob is present. The fore, mid, and hind femora have only a few very tiny spinules ventrally in the apical area. The fore tibia has a ventral double row of irregularly set small spinules and a pair of short ventral spurs. The mid tibiae have a ventral double row of black spinules, with the apical part’s spinules only slightly hooked. Tegmina & wings. The tegmina and wings are black with an elongated blue field at the base (Fig. 15A View Figure 15 ). The stridulatory file on the underside of the left tegmen is about 1 mm or less long, with around 54-55 teeth. The teeth are densely set along the length, with the apically teeth getting smaller and more widely set. The file is slightly downcurved in its apical part (Fig. 2I View Figure 2 ). Abdomen. The tenth abdominal tergite is black and incurved at the posterior margin (Fig. 13A, B View Figure 13 ). The cerci are laterally flattened, especially at the apex, green with a black tip (Fig. 13A-C View Figure 13 ). The subgenital plate is longer than wide, u-shaped incurved medially (Fig. 13C View Figure 13 ).

Female. The female has a similar habitus to the male but lacks the male’s colorful pattern, with mostly brown-red and green colors. The head, pronotum, tegmina, and body lack the blue parts present in males, and the tegmina are brown rather than black (Fig. 15B View Figure 15 ). The ovipositor is small and upcurved (Fig. 15F View Figure 15 ), and the subgenital plate is small, triangular, with an evenly curved posterior margin (Fig. 15E View Figure 15 ).

Measurements, (mm) males (n = 3). Body length 10.4-11.5. Length of pronotum 3.1-3.3. Length of tegmina 18.5-19. Length of hind femur 15.5-16.0.

Measurements, (mm) females (n = 2). Body length 11.5-13.5. Length of pronotum 2.8-3.0. Length of tegmina 17.7-18.0. Length of hind femur 16.1-16.2. Ovipositor 4.5-4.6.

Phenology.

Similar to D. ngurumontana sp. nov. and D. tanneri , this species likely has only one generation per year, which is an adaptation to the cooler temperatures found in montane elevations. Adult specimens were only collected twice, in February 2016 and March 2020. During all other months when the forest was visited (March, April, June, August, November 2016, February, November 2017, April 2019, October 2020), no adult specimens were observed.

Habitat and distribution.

This species can be found in montane forests (1800-2100 m) along open paths and clearings in the Uluguru Mountains of Tanzania.

Song.

See Bioacoustics.

Etymology.

Named for its distinct and colorful pattern, as reflected in its Latin name, Dioncomena versicolor , which means variegated or colorful.

Diagnosis.

D. versicolor sp. nov. and D. ngurumontana sp. nov. are similar in morphology, but can be differentiated by the number of teeth on the male stridulatory files (over 50 in D. versicolor sp. nov. and 32 in D. ngurumontana sp. nov.) and overall color pattern, which is a stable character in Dioncomena . Both species are the sister group to D. tanneri , endemic to the Usambara Mountains (Fig. 15C, D View Figure 15 ). D. tanneri has a compact stridulatory file with about 35 teeth, similar to D. ngurumontana sp. nov. All three lack a median dark stripe on the pronotum, but have a blue (males of D. versicolor sp. nov. and both sexes of D. ngurumontana sp. nov.) or green (females of D. versicolor sp. nov. and both sexes of D. tanneri ) colored medial area bordered by brownish fasciae mottled or bordered with white or black areas, while the rest of the pronotum is green, blue, yellow, or hazel (see Figs 12 View Figure 12 , 15 View Figure 15 ). The tenth abdominal tergite and male cerci are similar in all three species (Fig. 13 View Figure 13 ). See key for differentiation from other species. For song descriptions see Bioacoustics section.