Phlesirtes timboroa Hemp

Hemp, Claudia & Heller, Klaus-Gerhard, 2017, The genus Phlesirtes Bolivar, 1922 (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Conocephalinae, Conocephalini; Karniellina), a review of the genus with data on its bioacoustics and the description of new species, Zootaxa 4244 (4), pp. 451-477 : 474-475

Phlesirtes timboroa Hemp n. sp.

( Fig. 1 ; Fig. 3 ; Fig. 5 N; Fig. 13 K,L; Fig. 16 )

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Orthoptera .speciesfile.org:TaxonName:496077 Holotype male. Kenya, between Eldoret and Londiani A 104, near Timboroa about 800 m west of Equator, open grassland, 2700 m, November 2011. Depository MfN.

Paratypes. 1 female, same data as holotype. Depository MfN . 1 male, same data as holotype. Depository EDNMK . 1 male, 1 female. 1 male, Timboroa , coll. G. N. D. Beale, 5.1948. Depository EDNMK. 1 male, 1 female, same data as holotype, Depository BMNH .

Additional paratype material: 6 males, 1 female, 2 female nymphs, same data as holotype. Collection C. Hemp.

Description. Male. Mix of green and brown colours, abdomen with black lateral fasciae. Abdomen. The space between the processes of the 10th abdominal tergite is u-shaped or almost rectangular, the apices of the processes of the 10th abdominal tergite with acute tips. The median depression of the 10th abdominal tergite shallow ( Fig. 15 K). The male cerci have a comparatively short inner branch which is moderately curved at its tip ( Fig. 15 L).

Female. Ovipositor slightly shorter than body length, otherwise typical for Phlesirtes . Subgenital plate as in Fig. 5 N.

Measurements male (mm) (N=6). Length of body 9.5–11.0, length of pronotum 4.5–5.0, length of anterior femur 2.2–2.3, length of posterior femur 9.5–10.2, visible part of elytra from above 0.6–1.3.

Measurements female (mm) (N=3). Length of body 9.5–12.0, length of pronotum 3.5–4.0, length of anterior femur 2.3–2.6, length of posterior femur 11, ovipositor 8.5–9.0.

Diagnosis. P. kilimontanus n. sp. and P. merumontanus both also have a depression medially on the 10th abdominal tergite which is however, deeper than in P. timboroa n. sp. In P. kilimontanus n. sp. the space between the processes of the 10th abdominal tergite is rhombic while it is narrow u-shaped or almost rectangular in P. timboroa n. sp. and thus very similar to P. merumontanus . Both species are geographically separated. P. timboroa n. sp. occurs on the central Kenyan highlands around Eldoret while P. merumontanus is distributed throughout northern Tanzania.

Habitat and distribution. Kenya, highlands around Eldoret; montane grasslands 2700 m.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Oscillograms of 1 - s-sections of the song of continuously singing Phlesirtes species.

FIGURE 3. Details of both song types of Phlesirtes together with power spectra (Hanning window, 512 points, mean of 1 - ssections of the song).

FIGURE 5. Subgenital plates of female Phlesirtes species A – N and O. Lateral view on ovipositor of P. gladiolus n. sp. A. P. chyuluensis n. sp. B. P. elgonensis n. sp. C. P. gladiolus n. sp. D. P. hanangensis n. sp. E. P. keniensis n. sp. F. P. kinangopa n. sp. G. P. laikipiaensis n. sp. H. P. limuru n. sp. I. P. melanocercus n. sp. J. P. merumontanus, northern Kilimanjaro K. P. ngongensis n. sp. L. P. ngorongoroensis n. sp. M. P. nou n. sp. N. P. timboroa n. sp.

FIGURE 13. Detail images of last abdominal tergites and cerci of male Phlesirtes species. A, B. P. melanocercus n. sp. C, D. P. merumontanus, Monduli Range E, F. P. ngongensis n. sp. G, H. P. ngorongoroensis n. sp. I, J. P. nou n. sp. K, L. P. timboroa n. sp.

FIGURE 15. Male (A, B) and female (C) Phlesirtes ngongensis n. sp. D. Crest of the Ngong Hills near Nairobi, Kenya with remnants of heavily degraded montane forests and grazed grasslands.

FIGURE 16. Distribution of Phlesirtes species in East Africa with major mountains and mountain ranges indicated.