Scaria fasciata Hancock, 1907

Cadena-Castañeda, Oscar J., Mendes, Diego Matheus De Mello, Silva, Daniela Santos Martins, Granda, Juan Manuel Cardona, García, Alexander García & Tumbrinck, Josef, 2019, Systematics and biogeography of the genus Scaria Bolívar, 1887 (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae: Batrachideinae), Zootaxa 4675 (1), pp. 1-65 : 27-29

Scaria fasciata Hancock, 1907

Figs. 13 , 14 , 33

Type speciments. Lectotype (designated by Hebard, 1923): ♀, ECUADOR, Cachabi ; circ. 500 ft, xi. 96. Rosenberg ( ANSP) . Paralectotype: ♂, same data as holotype (here designated) .

Other specimens examined. PANAMA, Chiriqui, Progreso, IV-15, 16 -1923. (4♂) ( ANSP) COSTA RICA, La Emilia, near Gualipes, 1000 ft., VII-16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 25—1923. (6♂ 5♀). Forest near la Emilia 1000 ft., IX- 14-1927, (3♀). Pozo Azul de Pierre on foliage on forest undergrowth 325–550 ft. VIII-19, 20, 21, 22, 23—1927, (5♂ 5♀). Chitaria, (1♂). Turrialba, (2♂). Parismina, VII-26-1928, (5♂ 1♀). Guacimo, VI-6-1909, (1♀) ( ANSP) (traceable records cited by Grant, 1962). NICARAGUA, Zelaya, Sulum; 14, 15 N / 84 36 W; I-1996 Maes/ J. Hernandez, (1♀). Zelaya, Río Las Latas. 14 04N / 84 33 W. 2-VI- 97. 220m. J.M. Maes & B. Hernandez, (1♂) ( MEL) COLOMBIA. Choco, Andagoya, IV, 22, 1918 (M.A. Carriker, Jr.) (1♂ 1♀). Intendencia del Choco, Boca Murindó, II, 9, 1918 (M.A. Carriker, Jr.) (1♂) ( ANSP) (traceable records by Hebard, 1923). ECUADOR, Esmeraldas, Montalvo, La Mayorga, 95m. 0°53’27.2’’N, 78°13’2.5??W 14/ 17.XI.2004. F.M.B. &G. Carotti, (1♂) (misidentification by Buzzetti & Devriese, 2007 as B. mucronata ). Esmeraldas, San Lorenzo, S. Francisco de Bogotá, 9/10.XIII.2004 G. Carotti, (1♀) (misidentification by Buzzetti & Devriese, 2007 as B. mucronata ) ( FMB).

Photographic records. COLOMBIA, Choco , Bahia Solano, 6°12’29.45”N, 77°23’39.96”O ( Cardona, 2012; 1 female misidentification as Tettigidea sp.) .

Redescription. Female. Head, legs, pronotal disc, lower margin of pronotum and abdomen white; post-ocular strip, upper margin of the lateral lobes of pronotum and lateral margins of the pronotal spine, tegmina, wings, dorsal margin of tergites and genicular lobes of the hind femora black, legs light brown; tegmina with a subapical ovoid, yellowish-white spot ( Figs. 13A,B ). Head. Moderately elongated, fastigium of vertex rounded and not prolongated, vertex markedly lower than the dorsal surface of the eyes; frontal costa pronounced before the eyes for all its length of the lateral carinae; dorsal carina short and with a narrow scutellum, projecting anteriorly from the fastigium ( Fig. 13C ). Pronotum a bit elevated on the anterior region; elongated, anterior spine moderately elevated, dorso-lateral outline weakly undulate; lateral lobes of the pronotum wider than high, lateral shoulder carina rounded and moderately prolonged, posterior margin of the lateral lobes pointed. Tegmina elongate, always with a large and ovoid subapical spot ( Fig. 13D ). Legs slender and little compressed; fore femora without distal spine, mid femora with an internal, dorso apical spine; hind femora with a developed pregenicular spine. Abdomen. Subgenital plate with a very narrow “v” shaped, mid-apical emargination ( Fig. 13F ); ovipositor 2.5 times as long as subgenital plate, valves narrow, usually serrated ( Fig. 13E ).

Male. Similar to the female in color and build ( Fig. 14 A–D); subgenital plate short, evenly arcuate apically ( Fig. 14E ); penultimate sternite weakly notched on mid-apical edge ( Fig. 14F ); epiproct lanceolate, tip with a small, narrow prolongation; cylindrical cerci, tapering slightly towards the tip ( Fig. 14E ).

Variation. Coloration of the pronotal disc is one of the most variable features in this species, where it can be whitish or greenish with some dark spots concentrated in the dorsal midline ( Fig. 14 ). The pronotal disc is brown, surrounded by a couple of whitish lines joining beyond the distal half ( Fig. 13 , 33 ). This color pattern is more common in females from the Pacific coast of Colombia and Ecuador ( Fig. 33 ). On occasion, a very diffuse spot on the base of the tegmina of some specimens can occur. The fastigio-facial angle varies from approximately rectangular to obtuse-angulate. Mid femora with an internal, dorso-apical spine which varies from a blunt to a moderately well-developed spine. Sometimes the margin of the subgenital plate has a small prolongation on either side of the emargination, but this is usually lacking.

Measurements: CFP: 11,23-7,41; VE: 0,8-0,5; HE: 0,9-0,7; VW: 0,8-0.5; PL: 15,40-10,29; PLB: 3-2.1; FF: 3,2-2,8; FL: 3,5-2,4; MFL: 2,76-2,0; MTL: 3,1-2,6; HL: 7,23-5,3; HW: 1,8-1,4.

Distribution. This species has Ecuador (Cachabi) as type locality; it is widely distributed through the Tumbes- Chocó-Magdalena region of Colombia ( Hebard, 1923), Panama to Nicaragua ( Hebard, 1924), being the only species of this South American genus found to occur in Mesoamerica.

It may have been identified or reported erroneously as S. hamata by Bruner (1895), Morse (1901) and Maes (1989). Therefore, it is suggested not to consider these two dubious records of S. hamata , which most certainly must correspond to S. fasciata ( Hebard, 1923) .

Comments. In the original description, it is mentioned that the type specimens (a male and a female) were deposited in Oxford (UMO), bit it would seem as the ANSP type designation was arbitrary by Hebard (1923) and a holotype and a allotype should not have been designated, but lectotype and paralectotypes, as the original descrip- tion was performed with syntypes. In any case, the designation of lectotype for the female by Hebard is hereby considered as valid, as those were specimens mentioned in the original description, deposited in the private collection of Joseph Lane Hancock, which became part of the collection of the Hebard collection, after Hancock passed away in 1922 ( Hebard, 1922).

Figures

FIGURE 13. Scaria fasciata Hancock, 1907 (female). A. Habitus in lateral view. B. Habitus in dorsal view. C. Frons. D. Head and pronotum in lateral view. E. Terminalia in lateral view. F. Terminalia in ventral view. (Photos: Hope Entomological Collections, Amoret Spooner).

FIGURE 14. Scaria fasciata Hancock, 1907 (male). A. Habitus in lateral view and. B. Frons. C. Head and pronotum in lateral view. D. Habitus in dorsal view. E. Terminalia in lateral view. F. Terminalia in ventral view.

FIGURE 33. Living female of Scaria fasciata example from Bahia Solano, Chocó, Colombia.