Odontoxiphidium apterum Morse 1901

Woo, Brandon, 2024, A new species of Meadow Katydid (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Conocephalini) from the Apalachicola River Basin of Florida, USA, Zootaxa 5523 (1), pp. 100-112 : 102-104

Odontoxiphidium apterum Morse 1901 .

Figs. 1 (D–G), 3, 5, and 6 (D–F)

Type information. The type series described by Morse (1901) consisted of 12 males, 15 females, and two nymphs from “Hastings, Florida ” [St. Johns County] collected by Brown between August 15th and September 5th (year unspecified), and one female from ‘Sandford, Florida ” [Sanford, Seminole County, Florida] collected by G.B. Frazer, with no collection date given. The deposition of these specimens is not given, but the majority of Morse’s collection is curated at the Museum of Comparative Zoology ( MCZ) of Harvard University ( Dow 1937), and the MCZ online type database shows at least one O. apterum specimen with type number 15749.

Etymology. From Latin apterus, wingless.

Distribution. Southeastern USA: Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and the southernmost counties of Tennessee and North Carolina.

Material examined. USA, Florida • 1 ♂; Clay County: Mike Roess Gold Head Branch SP: 29.843, -81.947; 15 July 2022; B. Woo and L. Chen leg.; open sandhill with scrub close by; specimen in ethanol • 1 ♂; Collier County: Rookery Bay NERR-Shell Island Rd. uplands: 26.02293, -81.711023; 27 June 2023; B. Woo leg.; scrub habitat; specimen in ethanol • 2 ♂; Columbia County: Osceola NF: 30.276447, -82.483788; 22 June 2023; B. Woo leg.; specimens in ethanol • 1 ♂; Escambia County: Big Lagoon SP: 30.311195, -87.406587; 19 June 2023; B. Woo leg.; coastal dune scrub; specimein in ethanol • 1 ♀; Highlands County: Archbold Biol. Station ; 27.177, -81.353; 02 Jul. 2023; J.B. Linde leg.; dry pinned specimen • 2 ♂; Highlands County: Sebring, Highlands Hammock State Park , Kosovo Pavilion ; 27.468317, -81.526733; 26 May 2011; Song, Raszick, Gotham, Coello, Alava, Shaibu, Maragh leg.; open pine flat; dry pinned specimens • 1♂; Highlands County: Sebring, Highlands Hammock State Park : 27.482117, -81.532333; 27 May 2011; Song, Raszick, Gotham, Coello, Alava, Shaibu, Maragh leg.; dry pinned specimens • 5 ♀, 4 ♂; Leon County, Tallahassee, Apalachicola National Forest ; 30.35315, -84.2612133333; 09 August 2021; H. Song and B. Woo leg.; dry pinned specimens • 1 ♂; Liberty County: Hosford : 30.404353, - 84.820855; 11 July 2023; B. Woo leg.; specimen in ethanol • 1 ♂; Liberty County: Apalachicola NF, County Road 379, 1 mi N Sumatra: 30.033228, -84.994613; 11 July 2023; B. Woo leg.; dry pinned specimen • 2 ♀, 3 ♂; Marion County: Fort McCoy, Hopkins Prairie , nr lake wetland; 29.269917, -81.697533; 03 August 2021; H. Song and B. Woo leg.; specimen in ethanol • 1 ♂; Marion County: Cross-Florida Greenway Triangle : 29.067, -82.181; 01 July 2022; B. Woo leg.; overgrown scrub; specimen in ethanol • 1 ♂; Orange County, UCF Arboretum ; 28.599117, - 81.188353; 17 May 2011; Song, Raszick, Alava, Shaibu, Maragh leg.; dry pinned specimen • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; Orange County: Apopka, Wekiva Springs State Park , near Sand Lake : 28.722767, -81.473017; 31 May 2011; Song, Alava, Shaibu leg.; open scrub; dry pinned specimens • 2 ♀, 1 ♂, Osceola County, Kissimmee, The Disney Wilderness Preserve ; 28.083800, -81.393950; 03 June. 2011; Song, Raszick, Gotham, Bitzel-Jaffe, Coello, Maragh, Alava, Shaibu leg.; dry pinned specimens • 1 ♂; Polk County: Allen David Broussard Catfish Creek Preserve SP: 27.983, -81.495; 21 June 2022; B. Woo leg.; yellow sand scrub; specimen in ethanol • 1 ♂; Polk County: Lake Marion Creek : 28.113966, -81.550799; 26 June 2023; B. Woo leg.; yellow sand scrub; specimen in ethanol • 1 ♀; Sarasota County: Oscar Scherer SP: 27.176, -82.460; 25 June 2022; B. Woo leg.; specimen in ethanol • 2 ♂, 1 ♀, 1 nymph ♂; Washington County: Chipley-- Whitewater Lakes : 30.483358, -85.552095; 17 June 2023; B. Woo leg.; white sand rim of karst lake; specimens in ethanol .

Photo records. USA, Georgia • 1 ♂; Emanuel County: Ohoopee Dunes SNA, Halls Bridge Rd. tract: 32.534195, -82.4589216667; 19 July 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph; USA, Alabama • 1 ♂; Baldwin County: vacant lot near Gulf SP: 30.2618783333, -87.6242216667; 16 June 2023; B. Woo leg.; photograph; USA, Florida • 1 ♂; Alachua County: Palm Point Park: 29.6366916667, -82.2390366667; 08 July 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♂; Bay County : St. Andrews SP: 30.1322945, -85.7400966667; 25 July 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♀; Brevard County : Merrit Island , Scrub Jay trail: 28.6939583333, -80.715775; 05 June 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♂, Brevard County : Cruickshank Sanctuary: 28.2981716667, -80.7105116667; 06 June 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♀, Clay County : Camp Blanding: 29.84098, -81.9766466667; 10 July 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♂, Escambia County : Perdido Key SP: 30.2939716667, -87.4670866667; 16 June 2023; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♂ nymph, Franklin County : Bald Point SP: 29.91455, -84.3378916667; 21 July 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♂, Franklin County : Tate’s Hell SF: 29.792045, -84.7680666667; 21 July 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♂ nymph, Glades County : Fisheating Creek : 26.9421216667, -81.320275; 20 June 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♂, Hernando County : Suncoast Trail: 28.6798164844, -82.5089471132; 26 June 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 nymph, Hernando County : Weeki Wachee Springs SP: 28.5275976052, -82.589004016; 01 July 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♂, Hernando County : Hill ‘ N Dale, Withlacoochee SF: 28.538625, -82.2730633333; 01 July 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♂, Hillsborough County : Little Manatee River SP: 27.6585366667, -82.3737416667; 19 June 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♂ nymph, Lafayette County : 13 km N Steinhatchee: 29.8244883333, -83.31517; 12 July 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♂, Lee County : Estero Bay Buffer Preserve: 26.4415966667, - 81.8407833333; 16 June 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♂, Levy County : Goethe SF: 29.3573166667, -82.6026; 06 July 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♀, Liberty County : Torreya SP: 30.561675, -84.9479; 22 July 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♀, Manatee County : Lake Manatee SP: 27.481175, -82.3425916667; 19 June 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♀ nymph, Martin County : Jonathan Dickinson SP: 27.0132722167, -80.12265; 11 June 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♂, Okaloosa County : Okaloosa county rest stop on I-10: 30.7262947043, - 86.5038842976; 02 August 2021; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♂, Okaloosa County : Henderson Beach SP: 30.38468, -86.4481416667; 25 July 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♀, Palm Beach County : Jupiter Ridge Natural Area : 26.9176013395, -80.0744614384; 11 June 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 nymph, Polk County : Lake Blue scrub: 28.0460166667, -81.7832866667; 24 June 2023; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♀ nymph, Polk County : Horseshoe scrub tract: 28.1561305, -81.5606083333; 26 June 2023; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♀, Putnam County : Etoniah Creek SF: 29.7807366667, -81.8728866667; 09 July 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♀, Seminole County : Little Big Econ SF: 28.6729866667, -81.1145638333; 14 July 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♂, Seminole County : Chuluota Wilderness area : 28.6223283333, -81.0631721667; 14 July 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♂, St. Johns County : Moses Creek West trailhead: 29.760605, -81.2959883333; 05 June 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph • 1 ♂, Walton County : Topsail Hill Preserve SP: 30.3613033333, -86.285745; 25 July 2022; B. Woo leg.; photograph

Variation. This species varies considerably in size ( Rehn & Hebard 1907), and specimens from the Florida Keys and extreme south Florida average larger than material from Georgia and northern Florida ( Rehn & Hebard 1914).A description of color variation comes from Rehn and Hebard (1907), who describe the only notable color variations as occurring in the intensity of the median dorsal dark band and in the brown suffusion of the limbs. The author has documented a somewhat wider spectrum of color variation, with the extreme being insects with a brownish suffusion over the entire body ( Fig. 1D–G ), with any dull green coloration restricted to the tibiae. Most specimens, regardless of their color in life, fade to a dull yellow or brown after death, whether pinned or in ethanol. Brown individuals, although possessing proportionately larger eyes in relation to their heads than green individuals, otherwise agree morphologically with typical O. apterum , and their songs appear identical. Brown O. apterum have so far only been found in areas of xeric scrub habitat. Specimens with intermediate color patterns can be found at the ecotones of scrub and adjacent habitats such as sandhills or flatwoods, indicating gene flow between these populations.

Song. The song of O. apterum ( Fig. 6D–F ) is quite variable (even among males from the same locality) and consists of a series of high-pitched buzzes of varying length. The number of pulses in each song varies immensely. Typical songs last between 4–16 seconds, with 3–4 seconds between songs. For two recorded males, carrier frequencies were 19488 and 22638 Hz, with additional harmonics at 54440, 62445, 68675, 74484 Hz in the second male. Males seem to sing both day and night.

Habitat. Rehn and Hebard (1907) note that the species is versatile in habitat preference in northern Florida, ranging from ‘dry palmetto scrub and undergrowth in pine woods to grassland, to tall fresh marsh grass and salt marsh”. Rehn and Hebard (1916) report the species as ‘one of the most ubiquitous species of the pine woods undergrowth and palmetto flats in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida’. They note that it is often abundant around ‘oak shoots’ in these habitats. During the present fieldwork, this species was collected in many different habitats, including scrub, sandhill, flatwoods, old fields, and roadsides. It never seemed to be associated with any particular plant taxa.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitus images of live adult individuals of Odontoxiphidium spp.A-C, O. apalachicolae. A) and B), color variations of male; C) female. D-G, O. apterum. D and E, color variations of male; F and G, color variations of female.

FIGURE 6. Calling songs of Odontoxiphidium. A-C, O. apalachicolae. A) Spectrogram of an echeme sequence. B) Waveform of same. C) Power spectrum. D-F, O. apterum. D) Spectrogram of an echeme sequence. E) Waveform of same. F) Power spectrum.