Revision of the genus Amytta (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae, Meconematinae) and new species from East Africa
Author
Hemp, Claudia
Author
Heller, Klaus-Gerhard
text
Zootaxa
2017
4263
2
295
317
journal article
33086
10.11646/zootaxa.4263.2.5
0a5eaf77-8aa5-4527-9341-0afe6d0f62a3
1175-5326
573109
6B77DA06-E855-4909-9D52-5FFF6FCF0FEB
Amytta merumontana
n. sp.
Hemp
(
Figs. 2
C, D, 3 C, D, 7 D, 8 G)
http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid:
Orthoptera
.speciesfile.org:TaxonName:496656
Holotype
male,
Tanzania
, Mt
Meru
, shaken from understory trees of montane forest,
2085 m
,
November 2013
. Depository
MfN
.
Paratype. 1 female; shaken from understory trees of montane forest,
1700 m
,
November 2013
. Depository MfN.
Further
paratype
material: All
Tanzania
, Mt
Meru
:
12 males
,
17 females
,
1 female
nymph, shaken from understory trees of montane forest,
1700 m
,
November 2013
,
December 2015
and
July 2016
. 2 females, canopy montane forest
2085 m
,
November 2013
. Collection C. Hemp.
Description.
Male.
General body shape and colour
: Flightless, small, uniformly light yellowish green. In life specimens laterally pair of vivid yellow lines starting on head behind eyes, continuing along pronotum, fading in preserved specimens. Eyes brown-reddish. Tegmina meeting median, along the vanal area with brownish lines.
Head and antennae:
Fastigium of vertex smooth conical, conus between eyes about half the size of first antennal segment. Antennae green in alive specimens, fading to tawny-whitish in preserved ones; longer than body length. Eyes circular, prominent, of brown-red colour. Cuticle of pronotum shiny, short scattered hairs along pronotal margins. Elytra shortend, tectiform with reduced venation. Stridulatory area hidden under pronotum. Alae reduced to slender lobes covered by elytra.
Thorax and legs
: Fore and mid tibiae with open tympanum, with 4–5 outer and mostly 4 inner spines, apical with a minute pair of spurs.
Abdomen:
Last tergite broad with deeply inwardly rounded posterior margin (
Fig. 2
C, D). Cerci differentiated into two lobes, outer one shovel-like expanded, inner one twisted into three-dimensional structured apex (
Fig. 2
C, D). Subgenital plate almost as long as broad with two flattened, lobe-like styli.
Female. General body shape, size and colour as male. Ovipositor slender and smooth, only slightly up-curved. Subgenital plate at base very broad (
Fig. 8
G).
Measurements
males (n = 4)
Body length 13–14.7 Median length of pronotum 4.2–4.5
Length of hind femur 7.6–8.3
Visible median length of elytra 2.6–3.6
females (n = 4)
Body length 11.0–12.6 Median length of pronotum 3.5–4.0
Length of hind femur 8.7–9.2
Visible median length of elytra 3.2–3.5
Length of ovipositor 8.2–9.1
Habitat
. Tree and bush layer in montane forest collected between
1700–2100 m
.
Distribution
.
Tanzania
, Mt
Meru
.
Diagnosis.
Distinguished from most other
Amytta
species by the male cerci that are differentiated into two branches of which the outer one is expanded and laterally flattened and the inner one elongated and twisted with a three-dimensionally shaped apex.
A. ukamica
also has male cerci that are parted into two branches but this species is fully alate.
A. kilimandjarica
(
Fig. 2
A, B) is very similar to
A. merumontana
n. sp.
(
Fig. 2
C, D). However, the triangular projection of the outer cercal branch in
A. merumontana
n. sp.
is more slender than in
A. kilimandjarica
and the inner twisted branch differently shaped. While in
A. merumontana
n. sp.
the tips of the inner branch are elongated and a projection to the opposite direction is expressed as a blunt knob this part is longer and conus-like in
A. kilimandjarica
(see
Fig. 2
B). Females of
A. kilimandjarica
and
A. merumontana
n. sp.
can distinguished by comparing the subgenital plate which is broad with a straight posterior margin in
A. merumontana
n. sp.
while in
A. kilimandjarica
two lateral processes are present and the posterior margin is evenly rounded (
Fig. 8
F).
Etymology.
From Mt
Meru
and the montane zone since this new species is endemic to the montane zone of Mt
Meru
in
Tanzania
.