Comacris semicarinatus (Gerstaecker, 1869)

Popov †, George B., Fishpool, Lincoln D. C. & Rowell, C. Hugh F., 2019, A review of the Acridinae s. str. (Orthoptera: Acridoidea: Acrididae) of eastern Africa with taxonomic changes and description of new taxa, Journal of Orthoptera Research 28 (2), pp. 37-105 : 62-63

Comacris semicarinatus (Gerstaecker, 1869) Figs 125, 126

Chrysochraon semicarinatus Gerstaecker, 1869: 218.

Comacris sansibaricus I. Bolívar, 1890: 313 (syn. Karsch 1900: 275).

Material.

-Holotype male ( semicarinatus ): KENYA: Wanga (material not available); Types male and female sansibaricus : Zanzibar. Other series: TANZANIA: Zanzibar: Korogwe, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanga, Miombo, Mlingano, Ngomeri; SOUTH AFRICA: Durban.

Description.

-Size (in mm): Small; total length: male 16-17, female 22-24. Integument finely rugose, matt. Antennae rather thick, basally slightly compressed, in males somewhat longer than combined length of head and pronotum. Frontal ridge weakly sulcate, margins low weakly divergent. Pronotum weakly tectiform, almost flat; lateral carinae strong, straight and slightly divergent in prozona, obliterate in metazona. Metazona equal in length to prozona, its hind margin obtuse-angular. Tegmina extending beyond hind knees, rather broad; intercalary vein in medial area weak. Hind-wing venation specialized, costal and subcostal areas inflated at apex, medial and cubital areas strongly expanded, lustrous with regular, sparse, transverse veinlets (Fig. 125). Epiphallus with relatively short incurving lophi (Fig. 126). General coloration uniformly brownish to greenish-brown, probably a somewhat brighter green in life. Some specimens with a darker dorsal medial stripe. Hind knee dark. Frons, gena and ventral part of pronotal lobe white or cream colored.

Discussion.

- C. semicarinatus is predominantly East African where it is best known from coastal grasslands. However, the type locality (Wanga) is in Western Kenya. The only other species, C. lamottei , is known only from Guinea, Mt. Nimba. It differs from the type species in its smaller size and shorter wings. Biology little known, but habitat apparently predominantly short moist grasslands. Adults in IV and VIII–XII.

Distribution.

-Predominantly East African, but also reaches Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa. KENYA; TANZANIA; SOUTH AFRICA. Given this distribution, presence in MOZAMBIQUE seems probable.