New and little known Phisidini from Madagascar, Comoros and Seychelles (Orthoptera, Ensifera, Meconematinae)
Author
Hugel, Sylvain
INCI, UPR 3212 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 21 rue René Descartes, F- 67084 Strasbourg Cedex (France) hugels @ inci-cnrs. unistra. fr
text
Zoosystema
2012
2012-09-30
34
3
525
552
http://dx.doi.org/10.5252/z2012n3a3
journal article
10.5252/z2012n3a3
1638-9387
5165635
Genus
Comorocolya
n. gen.
(
Figs 5-10
;
Tables 3-5
)
TYPE
SPECIES. —
Comorocolya ngazidja
n. sp.
, by present designation.
DISTRIBUTION. — Indian Ocean,
Comoros
:
Grande Comore
,
Anjouan
,
Mohéli
.
DIAGNOSIS. — This new genus has the unique and striking peculiarity of lacking front coxal process and having distinct mid dorsal subbasal spurs. In addition,
Comorocolya
n. gen.
is characterised by: the prosternum unarmed (within
Phisidini
, only
Paraphisis
Karny, 1912
,
Meiophisis
Jin, 1992
, and
Comorophisis
n. gen.
share this peculiarity); mid trochanter spine present; mid dorsal apical spur present; FW reduced, not reaching hind knees; male epiproct small, semicircular, not specialised; male cerci not cylindrical, specialised; male paraprocts reduced; females tergite VIII with hindward projecting folds on lateral lobes.
DESCRIPTION Body size moderate (
12-17 mm
). Pro: anterior margin weakly concave; lateral lobes shallow; ventral margin rimmed; prosulcus distinct, mesosulcus distinct on lateral lobes. Prosternum unarmed; mesosternal processes forming inconspicuous bulge; metasternum unarmed. Thoracic opening of small to medium size. FW and HW reduced. Fore leg without distinct coxal spine. Tympanal area of T1
FIG. 5. —
Comorocolya
n. gen.
:
A
,
C
,
E
,
G
,
I
, male last tergites and cerci, dorsal view (cerci are plane);
B
,
D
,
F
,
H
,
J
, male terminalia, ventral view (N.B.: the subgenital plate is plane, not the cerci);
A
,
B
,
C. ngazidja
n. gen., n. sp.
, holotype (MNHN-ENSIF2970);
C
,
D
,
C. ndzuwaniensis
n. gen.,n. sp.
, holotype (MNHN-ENSIF3003);
E
,
F
,
C. ndzuwaniensis
n. gen.,n. sp.
,paratype (MNHN-ENSIF2998);
G
,
H
,
C. mwaliensis
n. gen., n. sp.
, holotype (MNHN-ENSIF2968);
I
,
J
,
C. mwaliensis
n. gen., n. sp.
, paratype (MNHN-ENSIF2987). Scale bars: 1 mm.
inconspicuously inflated. Mid leg with a distinct trochanter spine.T2 with one dorsal subbasal spur; with dorsal apical spur. Ventral spur formulae: T1 7 (rarely 6)/7 (rarely 6) subapical spurs; F1 6/5 (in
one specimen
6/6) spurs;T2 5-6/5-6 (proximal spur often minute) subapical spurs; F2 4/1-2 spurs. F3 with 5-11 ventral spines.T3 with: 9-15/7-10 ventral spines and 17-23/16-20 dorsal spines.
Males
Wings (
Fig. 7
): left mirror area circular or D-shaped. Terminalia (
Fig. 5
): epiproct small, semicircular, not fused with last tergum. Paraprocts very small, hardly visible dorsally, apical end bent forward. Cerci: widened in basal half; curved and narrowed distally.SGP:broad; posterior margin sinuate, almost strait; with minute styli. Phallus without obvious sclerified plates on dorsal phallomeres. Epiphallus (
Fig. 6
) with single undivided rod, cephalic lobe widened or not (dorsal view); head ventrally with distinct tubercles (side view).
Females
SGP without emargination or with minute median notch.Tergite VIII with hindward projecting folds on lateral lobes (cf. remark below). O weakly gradually curved upwards with serrated margins apically.
Colour
No obvious lateral lines on Pro; males left mirror area with dark spot.
BIOACOUSTICS
Only the song of two out of three species is known (
Fig. 10
). Echeme-sequences are lasting tens of seconds. Echemes are usually disyllabic and irregularly repeated. Fundamental peaks in ultrasound range between 30-40 kHz.
REMARKS
As already pointed by
Rentz (2001)
, the hind and ventral margins of females tergite VIII appear as a valuable often neglected character at both generic and specific levels.
In this genus, species are well defined by the male cerci but male epiphallus does not seem a very stable character.