Pseudorhynchus hastifer ( Schaum, 1853 )

Naskrecki, Piotr & Guta, Ricardo, 2019, Katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) of Gorongosa National Park and Central Mozambique, Zootaxa 4682 (1), pp. 1-119 : 18-19

Pseudorhynchus hastifer ( Schaum, 1853)

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Orthoptera .speciesfile.org:TaxonName:15450

( Figs. 7G, H , 46 A–C)

Diagnostic remarks. A large species, with the female total body length often exceeding 80 mm, that is unmistak-

able in the combination of the strongly elongated fastigium of vertex, which is as long as the pronotum, and narrow tegmina with pointed ends ( Fig. 7H ). It differs from its Mozambican congener P. pungens in the complete absence of dark markings on the face and fastigium, and the presence of distinctly red mandibles in both green and brown color forms of the species ( Fig. 7G ) (mandibles are light brown in P. pungens .)

Distribution and natural history. Originally described from Mozambique, this species has been subsequently found widely across sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar ( Ragge 1969). In Mozambique it has only been collected in the Sofala Province, albeit its presence in other parts of the country is likely. P. hastifer is associated with low elevation open woodland savanna habitats covered with tall grasses, although in South Africa specimens of this species have been collected at the elevation over 1300 m. In Gorongosa adults are seen primarily during the rainy season, between December and April, with occasional adults surviving until June. Like most African Copiphorini the diet of this species consist primarily of grasses.

Bioacoustics. The call of this species is a loud, uninterrupted trill with the syllable rate of 155/sec (at 22°C); mean syllable duration 0.0062 s (SD=0.00036, n=104), with the frequency peak at 13.5–25.5 kHz ( Figs. 46 A–C). The call is easily detectable by the human ear from a distance of a few meters.

Material examined (8 specimens). Mozambique: 1 female (holotype) ( ZMBH); Sofala, Gorongosa , PNG, Chitengo Camp , elev. 40 m (-18.9806, 34.351567), 1–25.i.2017, coll. R. Guta— 1 female ;; same locality, 15– 18.xii.2016, coll. P. Naskrecki— 1 female, 1 male ;; same locality, 19.iii.–2.iv.2014, coll. P. Naskrecki & R. Guta— 1 female ( EOWL); same locality, 17.iii.–5.iv.2013, coll. P. Naskrecki— 1 female ( MCZ); same locality, 6–27.iv.2014, coll. P. Naskrecki— 1 female; Dingue Dingue , (-19.2062, 34.5135), 8.v.2019, coll. P. Naskrecki— 1 male ( EOWL) .

Figures

FIGURE 7. Mozambican Conocephalinae: A. Conocephalus iris, male cerci; B. ditto, male habitus; C. Conocephalus conocephalus, male cerci; D. ditto, male habitus; E. Conocephalus maculatus, male cerci; F. ditto, male habitus; G. Pseudorhynchus hastifer, female face; H. ditto, female habitus; I. Pseudorhynchus pungens, face, green morph; J. ditto, face, pale morph; K. ditto, female habitus, green morph; L. ditto, head and pronotum lateral, pale morph.

FIGURE 46. Oscillograms and power spectra of Mozambican Conocephalinae: A–C. Pseudorhynchus hastifer; D–F P pungens; G–I. Clasma pareiochlora; J–L. Lanista annulicornis.