Eurycorypha curviflava, Hemp, 2017

Hemp, Claudia, 2017, New Eurycorypha species (Orthoptera: Tettigonoidea: Phaneropteridae; Phaneropterinae from East Africa, Zootaxa 4358 (3), pp. 471-493 : 475-477

Eurycorypha curviflava n. sp.

( Figs. 6 , 7 )

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Orthoptera .speciesfile.org:TaxonName:500277

Holotype male. Tanzania, Mt Kilimanjaro, Chala area, savanna woodlands July 2013. Depository MfN.

Paratypes. 1 female, same data as holotype but July 2016. Depository MfN . 1 male, 1 female, same data as holotype but May 2014. Depository BMNH . 19 males, 9 females, same data as holotype and January 1992, July 2013, January 2014, May 2014, July 2014, January 2015, July 2016. Collection C. Hemp.

Description. Male. General habitus & colour. Comparatively small Eurycorypha species with truncate posterior margins of the tegmina and vivid yellow dorsal abdomen. Tegmina with few scattered faint whitish dots ( Fig. 6 A ). Yellow colour on abdomen and whitish dots on tegmina fading in preserved insect. Head and antennae: Scapus green and antennomeres green to dark, thin and not surpassing folded tegmina. Fastigium of vertex comparatively narrow, about 3 times wider as scapus. Fastigium of vertex meeting equally broad fastigium of frons along shallowly developed sulcus. Surface of face densely wrinkled and dotted, comparatively stout and broad. Eyes typical for Eurycorypha , elongate and oval, green with white to yellow fascia in upper part. Thorax: Disc of pronotum almost plane, strongly spotted; anterior margin of pronotum shallowly and broadly incurved, while posterior margin broadly rounded. Wings: Both pairs of wings fully developed; tegmina elongate, truncate at tips, about 3.3 times longer than broad. Alae shiny with green area near tips which surpass tegmina when folded. Stridulatory file almost straight at posterior part, then slightly curved at both ends. Legs: Fore coxa with short and stout spine. Fore femora on outer side with 3 spines, mid femora with 2–3 outer spines, hind femora near joints to tibiae with up to three small spines. Fore tibiae without dorsal spine. Hind tibiae with four rows of short to more slender spines getting denser distally, with three outer and three inner spurs. Abdomen: Posterior margin of last abdominal tergite almost straight ( Fig. 7 A ). Cerci stout, little incurved with acute apices ( Fig. 7 A, B ). Subgenital plate deeply excised forming two lateral processes ( Fig. 7 B ).

Female. Similar to male, tegmina more roundish. Well developed ovipositor, strongly up-curved as typical for most Eurycorpyha species ( Fig. 7 C ). Subgenital plate tri-angular with indentated posterior tip ( Fig. 7 D ).

Measurements (mm). Male (N = 6). Body length 17.2–19.4. Median length of pronotum 4.5–5.5. Posterior femur length 12.0–12.5. Length of tegmina 24.5–26.2. Width of tegmina 7.7–8.5.

Measurements (mm). Female (N = 6). Body length 15.8–17.9. Median length of pronotum 3.9–4.3. Posterior femur length 12.0–12.8. Length of tegmina 22.5–25.2. Width of tegmina 9.2–9.4. Ovipositor 5.0–5.3.

Diagnosis. Similar in its outer male genitalic morphology are E. kevani Chopard , E. simillima Chopard and E. kenyensis Massa. E. curviflava n. sp. has a not as deeply incised subgenital plate and thus shorter lateral processes and E. kenyensis even a less incised posterior margin of the subgenital plate and shorter lateral processes than E. kevani . E. simillima is very similar to E. curviflava n. sp. also having pyriform processes of the subgenital plate. These, however, have a different shape and are more closely set to each other in E. simillima . Female E. curviflava n. sp. has a comparatively short and stout subgenital plate, with an incision at its posterior margin and a median groove. Median grooves on the female subgenital plate are also present in E. pseudomeruensis n. sp., E. pseudovaria n. sp., E. resonans and E. ligata . However, none of these species have truncate tegmina and their body shape is more elongate and not as roundish as in E. curviflava n. sp. Only E. pseudovaria n. sp. females are also roundish in body shape but with evenly rounded posterior margins of the tegmina and the vivid yellow abdomen is lacking (to be seen, however, only in living specimens).

Etymology. From Latin: - curvus = round, because of the roundish shape of the tegmina and – flava = yellow, because of the vivid yellow abdomen.

Distribution. Tanzania, Mt Kilimanjaro. Very likely also present in southern Kenya in suitable habitats.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Male (A) and female (B) E. curviflava n. sp. known at present only from the eastern slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.Typical are the faint whitish dots on the tegmina and the vivid yellow dorsal side of the abdomen in both sexes.

FIGURE7. Morphological details ofE.curviflavan.sp.A. Semilateralview on male abdominal apexB. Male subgenital plate C. Lateral view on females ovipositor D. Female subgenital plate.