Gonatoxia immaculata Karsch, 1889

Hemp, Claudia, Heller, Klaus-Gerhard, Warchalowska-Śliwa, Elzbieta & Hemp, Andreas, 2016, Spotted males, uniform females and the lowest chromosome number in Tettigoniids recorded: Review of the genus Gonatoxia Karsch (Orthoptera, Phaneropterinae), Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 63 (2), pp. 271-286 : 274-275

Gonatoxia immaculata Karsch, 1889

Gonatoxia immaculata Karsch. 1889 [ 1888]. Berlin Ent. Z. 32:442

Material studied.

Female Holotype, Usambara, MfN.

Further material studied.

Tanzania: 1 male, 4 females, Pwani Region, Kisarawe District, Kazimzumbwi Forest Reserve, 150 m, February and July 2015. 2 males, East Usambara Mountains, Nilo forest reserve, December 2015 and May 2016; 1 male, East Usambara Mountains, Sigi Trail, 450 m, lowland wet forest, November 2015 (Collection C. Hemp). 1 female, Kenya, Rabai, coll. A.F.J. Geydte Jan-Feb 1929 (NHML).

Description.

Male. Color dark and shiny green, with few ivory to orange patches on tegmina; tergites of abdomen vivid yellow, venter whitish to light green; fore femora dorsally light brown, same colour as tarsi (Fig. 14). Head and antennae. Antennae thin, green, surpassing tegmina by about 1/3. Eyes round, brown-red. Thorax. Pronotal disc flat with sharp lateral edges, anterior margin v-shaped incurved, posterior margin of disc broadly rounded as described for genus ( Karsch 1889). Lower margin of pronotal lobes broadly rounded, deeper than long, with sharp edge where wings are inserted. Tegmina broad, posterior end broadly truncate. Stridulation area tri-angle shaped flat on same level as pronotal disc as typical for genus. Stridulatory file as in Fig. 4B. Alae surpassing tegmina, in this area of same dark green shiny colour; with acute tips. Femora ventrally with spines. Fore tibiae slightly inflated in area of tympana. Abdomen. Last abdominal tergite with straight posterior margin (Fig. 3D). Cerci stout and setose; at tips where serrated ridge starts slightly incurved (Fig. 3E), almost touching each other in alive insect. Subgenital plate with two short lobes, styli slightly inflated (Fig. 3F).

Female. Similar as male in habitus and colour. Stridulatory veins as in Fig. 6B. Ovipositor as in Fig. 7B. Bowl-like structure laterally on ovipositor more shallow as in Gonatoxia maculata (Fig. 8C). Subgenital plate as in Fig. 9B.

Nymphs. Nymphs similar to adults (Fig. 10B). Generally with a more shiny integument than in Gonatoxia maculata (Fig. 10A) and with dorsal abdomen brown.

Measurements (mm).

Females (n = 3): Total length of body: 23.8-25 (holotype: 27); median length of pronotum: 5.4-6.1 (holotype: 6); length of hind femur: 20-21.5 (holotype: 24); length of tegmina: 35.7-37.4 (holotype: 42). Width of tegmina: 12.1-12.6 (holotype: 14); ovipositor: 5-5.2 (holotype: 5).

Males (n = 2): Total length of body: 24-29; median length of pronotum: 6.2-6.7; length of hind femur: 21; length of tegmina: 36.2-42.3; width of tegmina: 11-13.5.

Remarks.

When first males of Gonatoxia immaculata were collected it became clear that specimens coming from Kazimzumbwi Forest Reserve belonged to Gonatoxia immaculata . Thus the specimens from the spirit collection of the Zoological Museum Copenhagen listed as Gonatoxia maculata from Kazimzumbwi Forest Reserve in Hemp (2013b) belong to Gonatoxia immaculata .

Habitat.

Lowland wet forest to submontane wet forest.

Distribution.

Coastal Tanzania, East and West Usambara Mountains.