Melidia claudiae, Massa, Bruno, 2015

Massa, Bruno, 2015, New genera, species and records of Phaneropterinae (Orthoptera, Phaneropteridae) from sub-Saharan Africa, ZooKeys 472, pp. 77-102 : 83

Taxon classification Animalia Orthoptera Phaneropteridae

Melidia claudiae sp. n. Figs 20-26

Material examined and depository.

Melidia claudiae sp. n.: Democratic Republic of Congo, Lubumbashi (11°42'1.06"S, 27°31'57.07"E) 1.II.1968 (♂ holotype), 5.II.1968 (♂ paratype), T. De Stefani (MRT). Melidia laminata Chopard, 1954: Tanzania, Kilimanjaro (♂) (MCNM). Melidia brunneri Stål, 1876: Namibia (♂) (MCNM); Namibia, Okahandja (4♂, 2♀); Namibia, Okahandja, near Waterberg 1936, W.Hoesch (1♂, 2♀); Namibia, Gobabis I.1897 (1♂); Namibia, Keetmanshoop (1♂); Namibia (1♂); SW Africa 11.XI.1903 (1♂); South Africa, Rietfontein II.1897, Borchmann (1♂) (MfN). Melidia kenyensis Chopard, 1954: Kenya (♀ holotype in OSF).

General habitus and colour.

Yellow with green tegmina, antennae brownish. The stridulatory region of left tegmen is brown. Abdomen yellowish with brown vertical stripes on posterior margins of tergites.

Description.

Male. Medium sized (Fig. 26). Head and antennae: fastigium of vertex very narrow, scarcely furrowed above, separated from the fastigium of frons, which is tuberculated. Eyes rounded, well projecting (Fig. 20). Legs comparatively long, green. Fore coxae armed with a well-developed spine. Fore tibiae furrowed on upper margin, distinctly widening above tympanum, which is open on inner and outer sides. Fore femora armed on inner ventral margin with 3-4 spines, fore tibiae with 1 spine plus 1 spur on inner and outer ventral margins, 1 spur on outer dorsal margin, mid femora armed with 2 spines on outer ventral margin, mid tibiae with 8 on outer and 5 spines on inner ventral margins, plus 1 spur on each side, hind femora armed with 3-4 small spines on outer and 2 on inner ventral margins, hind tibiae with many spines on ventral and dorsal margins and 3 spurs on each side. Thorax: pronotum little narrowing anteriorly, flat above, anterior margin straight, posterior margin rounded, humeral sinus evident, lobes of pronotum rounded (Fig. 20). Tegmina comparatively narrow with convex fore margins and rounded apices. Wings longer than tegmina (Fig. 26). The stridulatory region of left tegmen is long (Fig. 20). Abdomen: tenth tergite with a straight hind margin; sub-genital plate long and deeply divided into two robust in-curved lobes; styli absent (Figs 24-25). Cerci long, fine and decussate, longer than the sub-genital plate (Figs 21-23).

Female. Unknown.

Etymology.

Melidia claudiae is dedicated to the German orthopterist Claudia Hemp, who is working with competence and great interest on the Orthoptera of tropical Africa, Phaneropteridae in particular.

Distribution.

Democratic Republic of Congo. Considering that other species are currently known from Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Botswana, South Africa and Namibia ( Chopard 1954, Ragge 1980, Hemp 2013), it is likely that the genus covers a wider distribution and further species will be found.

Measurements.

Body length: 15.1-15.2; pronotum length: 3.6-3.9; pronotum height: 3.0-3.2; hind femur: 17.0-17.5; tegmina: 25.9-26.5.

Diagnosis.

Melidia kenyensis Chopard, 1954 was described from Kenya ( Chopard 1954). Although only the female is known, it has a different shape of tegmina than Melidia claudiae sp. n. (Fig. 31). Melidia laminata Chopard, 1954 (Fig. 30), described from Kenya (Wajir, El Katulo) and recorded from Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) by Hemp (2013) is more similar in tegmina shape to the new species, but the male sub-genital plate is longer, surpassing the cerci (Fig. 29). Melidia brunneri Stål, 1876 (Fig. 27) from southern and central Africa ( Ragge 1980) is more similar to Melidia claudiae sp. n., but differs from it in the shape of the male sub-genital plate, which is longer than cerci (Fig. 28). Further, the cerci of Melidia brunneri are more robust and shorter than those of Melidia claudiae sp. n. (compare Figs 23 and 28), and the tegmina are broader than those of Melidia claudiae sp. n. (compare Figs 26 and 27).