Moncheca, Walker, 1869

Piotr Naskrecki, 2000, Katydids of Costa Rica / Vol. 1, Systematics and bioacoustics of the cone-head katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Conocephalinae sensu lato)., Philadelphia, PA: The Orthopterists Society at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, : 98-99

MONCHECA Walker, 1869

1869 Walker, Cat. Derm. Salt. Brit. Mus. 2: 289; type

species: Moncheca pretiosa Walker, 1869

1999 Naskrecki and Otte, Illustr. Cat. Orthop. I (CD

ROM) >>full references

Diagnosis

Body relatively robust; both sexes macropterous ( Fig. 27 A) tegumen smooth and shiny. Fastigium of vertex small, only slightly projecting in front of eyes, gap between fastigia of vertex and frons shallow; frons flat; eyes small. Male cercus cylindrical or strongly flattened laterally, with apical part expanded ventrally; ovipositor straight. Coloration striking, tegmina turquoise with crimson red costal field in life, dark olive to black in preserved specimens.

Description (male except where specified)

Head.— Fastigium of vertex small, only slightly projecting in front of eyes; lateral ocelli prominent when seen from above ( Fig. 26 E); base of fastigium of vertex between eyes sometimes with several tubercles dorsally; fastigium of vertex separated from fastigium of frons by small gap. Eyes small relative to size of head, not particularly protruding. Frons flat, smooth; tegumen of head smooth, shiny, without traces of genal carinae; face with sides slightly convex, narrower below eyes than at mandibular joints but not triangular ( Fig. 27 B).

Thorax and wings.— Dorsal surface of pronotum smooth, shiny, cut by two deep, transverse sulci; metazona slightly raised; anterior dorsal margin straight, posterior one straight to weakly convex ( Figs. 26 E, 27C); lateral lobes with posterior angle rounded and with well developed humeral incision. Thoracic auditory spiracle large, elliptical, completely hidden under lateral lobe of pronotum; posterior edge of spiracle with small, rounded flap. Prosternum unarmed; mesosternum with basisterna approximately triangular, almost vertical, with short apical spines; metasternum unarmed.

Wings in both sexes fully developed, surpassing apices of hind femora ( Fig. 27 A). Stridulatory apparatus of male small but well developed; stridulatory file straight to weakly curved ( Figs. 47 D-E), evenly tapering on both ends, with relatively thick and narrow teeth; stridulatory area of both wings with no secondary venation; mirror of right wing slightly longer than high, vein AA 1 sometimes strongly oblique. Posterior margin of front wing weakly concave; apex of front wing broadly rounded.

Legs.— Fore coxa with an elongate, forward projecting spine dorsally; mid and hind coxa unarmed. All femora unarmed dorsally; anterior femora armed ventrally on both margins, sometimes posterior margin unarmed; mid femora armed on anterior ventral margin only; hind femora armed on both ventral margins; genicular lobes of all femora unarmed or armed only on hind femora ; hind femora very short relative to body length. Tympanum on fore tibia bilaterally closed, tympanal slits facing forward, sometimes posterior (outer) slit weakly sinuous and part of tympanal membrane visible; tympanal area weakly swollen, with pair of small pits below tympanal slits; middle tibia unarmed dorsally, ventrally armed on both margins; hind tibia armed on all four dorsal and ventral margins; apex of tibia with two pairs of ventral and one pair of dorsal movable spurs.

Abdomen.— Dorsal surface of abdominal terga smooth, unmodified. Male 10th tergite strongly sclerotized, smooth but sometimes with dense hair along posterior margin; posterior margin sometimes expanded caudat, with subapical concavity; supraanal plate simple, triangular; female 10th tergite simple, unmodified. Male cercus with small apical tooth, sometimes apex of cercus expanded dorso-ventrally ( Figs. 26 F-G, 27D-E); female cercus, simple, narrowly conical. Subgenital plate of male wider than long, with a pair of short styli and small, triangular incision on hind margin; female subgenital plate much wider than long, with shallow, triangular incision and two, small, spine-like lobes apically.

Concealed genitalia of male membranous, without sclerotized titillators. Ovipositor longer than hind femur, perfectly straight; both dorsal and ventral margins of ovipositor smooth, parallel, weakly narrowing towards apex; apex of ovipositor sharp ( Fig. 27 A).

Coloration.— Coloration striking, especially in live individuals (coloration deteriorates strongly in preserved specimens). Face shiny black, mouthparts crimson red or orange; antennae black, with sparsely distributed narrow light bands; pronotum black or brown, with one or two transverse white or yellow bands. Costal area of tegmina yellow, bordered by a diffused crimson band, often with distinct, green venation; costal area of tegmina crimson red underneath; remaining portions of tegmina green to brown, often turning nearly black in preserved specimens; hind wings with strikingly green venation, sometimes slightly infumated. Coloration of legs variable, sometimes hind tarsi crimson red. Abdomen turquoise, dorsal portions of abdominal terga sometimes blue (abdomen often turns yellow in preserved specimens). Male 10th tergite partially or entirely black; ovipositor dark brown, sometimes lower valvula yellow.

Figures

FIG. 25. Costa Rican species of Sphyrometopa. A-E. S. femorata: A. female - habitus, B. female face, C. female head and pronotum, dorsal view, D. male cerci, dorsal view, E. male left cercus, lateral view, F. S. atlantica - male left cercus, lateral view.

FIG. 26. Costa Rican species of Sphyrometopa and Moncheca. A. S. femorata - male left tegmen, B. S. atlantica- male left tegmen, C. S. femorata - titillators, everted, D-F. M. pretiosa: D. female head and pronotum, lateral view, E. female head and pronotum, dorsal view, F. male cerci, dorsal view, G. male cerci, lateral view.

FIG. 27. Moncheca elegans. A. female - habitus, B. female face, C. female head and pronotum, dorsal view, D. male cerci, dorsal view, E. male cerci, lateral view.

FIG. 47. Stridulatory files of Costa Rican species of Conocephalinae s. l. A. Vestria punctata, B. ditto, enlarged fragment, C. Moncheca elegans, enlarged fragment, D. ditto, entire file, E. Moncheca pretiosa.