Dericorys albidula Serville, 1838

Tlili, Haithem, Abdellaoui, Khemais, Chouikha, Manel Ben, Mhafdhi, Mouna, Jemmazi, Adel, Ammar, Mohamed & Desutter-Grandcolas, Laure, 2019, First Record of Dericorys albidula Serville, 1838 (Orthoptera: Dericorythidae) in Tunisia and Libya, Zootaxa 4551 (3), pp. 385-393 : 387-391

Dericorys albidula Serville, 1838

Dericorys albidula Serville, 1838: 639 .

Dericoris acutispina Stål, 1875: 27 .

Derocorystes curvipes ( Redtenbacher, 1889) : 29.

Cyphophorus tibialis (Fieber, 1853) : 121.

Type locality: Serville (1838) indicated that D. albidula originates from “ Egypt. Mont-Liban”, separating the two origins. One of the labels of the female type ( Fig. 2 A-C) indicates “désert du Sinaï ” [desert of Sinaï], which is located in Egypt; the other label of the female type “1806 / 33” (“entry 1806 in the year 1833” in the catalogue of MNHN collections) confirms this origin (year 1833, specimen 1806, origin Egypt, Sinaï, collector D. Bové) .

The male type may then have originated from Mount Lebanon, located at that time in the Ottoman Empire and now located in Lebanon and Syria. As the male type may be lost (cf infra), the type locality of D. albidula must be restricted to Egypt, Desert of the Sinaï.

Type material. LECTOTYPE (here designated): 1 female labelled as follows: 1806 33 (small, rounded green label, handwritten) /MUSÉUM PARIS, désert du Sinaï, Bové 1833 (white, rectangular label, handwritten) / D. albidula Serv., M. Bové (white, rectangular label bordered with black, handwritten)/ Dericorys albidula Serville (handwritten by Serville) / TYPE (white label, printed in red) / LECTOTYPE (red label, printed in black) / Lectotype désigné par L. Desutter-G randcolas. et Tlili H. viii 2018 (white label, handwritten) / MNHN-EO- CAELIF163 (white label, printed in black). Examined.

Remark. Serville (1838) listed one female and one male types, but the male seems to have been lost very early, as only the female is mentioned in early papers on the species ( Pictet & Saussure 1887; Bolívar 1913; Chopard 1943). The female type is thus here designated as lectotype, to fix the taxonomy of the species. Photos of the female type can be seen on the MNHN collection database at the following address https://science.mnhn.fr/taxon/ species/dericorys/albidula;

Habitus and labels are also shown in figure ( Fig. 2 ).

Other materials examined. TUNISIA: Tozeur, Degueche , 33°57'51.4''N, 8°11'12.6''E, 46 m, 26. vi.2017, 3 ♂ 4 ♀, H. Tlili ( INAT) ; Tozeur, Gouifla , 34°08'46.7''N, 8°17'38.9''E, 53 m, 02.vi.2016, H. Tlili, 1 ♂ (MNHN-EO- CAELIF 4715), 1 ♀ (MNHN-EO-CAELIF 4716), 1 ♂ ( INAT) .

ALGERIA: Touggourt , vi.1928, 1 ♀ (MNHN-EO-CAELIF 2511) .

IRAN: Kerman, 12. vii.1964, 3 ♀ (MNHN-EO-CAELIF 5002, MNHN-EO-CAELIF 5004, MNHN-EO- CAELIF 5005) .

CHAD: Eguei, Tourka 27. vii.1935, 3 ♂ (MNHN-EO-CAELIF 164, MNHN-EO-CAELIF 5003, MNHN-EO- CAELIF 5006) 1 ♀ (MNHN-EO-CAELIF 165, MNHN-EO-CAELIF 5000 MNHN-EO-CAELIF 5001); Borkou, Faya 20. viii.1935, 1 ♀ (MNHN-EO-CAELIF 5007) .

LIBYA: Tiji, 11°21'16.0"N 32°00'52.9"E, 7. vi.1957, 1 ♀, K.M. Guichard, identified D. albidula by E. Morales in 1959, NHM (box address: Orthoptera 9 Caelifera 2 Acrididea N° 58).

Diagnosis: After Dirsh (1965). Large and robust, integument finely rugose. Antenna thick, filiform; yellowwhitish, with 20 segments, slightly shorter than head and pronotum together. Pronotum with a strong crest. Wings yellowish-green with a smoky spot at the tip. Hind tibia curved; reddish at the apex on inner face; arolia more than half the length of the claws ( Fig. 2 ). Male phallic complex as in Fig. 3 .

Distribution: D. albidula is well-known in Central Asia, more specifically in the province of Qom in Iran (Jabbari et al. 2015) and in Uzbekistan (Gapparov et al. 2016), where it causes huge devastation in the Saxaul tree (Haloxylona phyllum and H. persicum) ( Tokgayev 1973; Gapparov et al. 2016). D. albidula was also recorded in central Arabia where mass multiplication occurred some years ago ( Popov 1980). The presence of D. albidula in northern Africa was attested by Chopard (1943), who listed specimens from Chad and from Algeria, while the species is attested in Egypt by the type locality and in the Wadi Gennesh and the Wadi Amara ( Walker 1870). D. albidula is here newly recorded from Libya and Tunisia (Fig. 6).

Measurements (mm): Males (n = 10) Body length 52–59 (mean = 55,8); pronotum length 8–10,3 (mean = 9,2); pronotum height 8–10,6 (mean = 9,53); tegmen length 41,7–46 (mean = 44,2); hind femur length 22–24,5 (mean = 23,2); hind femur height 5,5–5,9 (mean = 5,7).

Females (n = 14) Body length 65–72 (mean = 67,9); pronotum length 11,7–13 (mean = 11,9); pronotum height 11–13,4 (mean = 12,2); tegmen length 51–56,3 (mean = 53,4); hind femur length 25,7–31 (mean = 28); hind femur height 5,7–6.6 (mean = 6,2).

Habitat and biology: According to our observations, D. albidula has a preference for sandy areas where Anabasis articulata grows, as shown in figure 4. This grasshopper has an univoltine life cycle, overwintering exclusively in the egg stage. Hatchings typically pass through five nymphal instars before the final moult into the adult stage. Adult females deposit their eggs in the soil in egg-pods in July. Nymphal development begins in late March and ends in late May when host plants are usually green and fresh. It takes approximately one month and a half for nymphs to become adults, and two additional weeks to attain sexual maturity. Adults survive into late September or early October according to weather conditions. All stages of development, nymph, imaginal moult and adult mating occur on the halophytic A. articulata ( Fig. 5 ).

We surveyed grasshopper species assemblages in several Tunisian localities harbouring the habitat described as specific for D. albidula . We found D. albidula in only two localities among the 12 sampled ( Table 1). Neither the presence of A. articulata , nor the presence of sandy soil are sufficient to explain the presence vs the absence of the species.

In the two populations sampled, 5 to 7 juveniles of D. albidula were typically found on each A. articulata plant, while later in the season most A. articulata plants were occupied by only one adult, except when one male and one female were engaged in mating.

All data will be published in forthcoming papers describing the grasshopper assemblages in Tunisia, and the biology of the species (Tlili, pers. obs.).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Habitus of Dericorys albidula Serville, 1838: A–C, Lectotype female, dorsal view (A), lateral view (B), labels (C); D–E, Female from Tozeur, Tunisia, lateral view (D), dorsal view (E); F–G. Male from Tozeur, Tunisia, lateral view (F), dorsal view (G). Scale bar 1 cm.

FIGURE 3. Dericorys albidula Serville, 1838, male genitalia. A, dorsal view (membrane and epiphallus removed); B, lateral view; C, endophallus, lateral view; D, epiphallus; E, entire male phallic complex. Line drawings modified after Dirsh, 1975. Abbreviations: Ac, arch of cingulum; Ap, apical valves of penis; Apd, Apodemes; Bp, Basal valves of penis; Cv, valves of cingulum; Edj, ejacualtory duct.; Ejs, ejacualtory sac; Gpr, gonopore processes; Rm, rami of cingulum; Sps, spermatophore sac.

FIGURE 5. Habitus and coloration of Dericorys albidula as nymphs and adults. A, 3 rd nymphal instar; B, final moult into the adult stage; C, adult male; D, adult female. Photos C and D show the differences in tegument coloration between young adult (C) and old adult (D). (Photos H. Tlili).