Pseudonicsara (P.) pallidifrons (Brunner, 1898)

Ingrisch, Sigfrid, 2009, Revision of the genus Pseudonicsara Karny, 1912 (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Conocephalinae: Agraeciini) 2185, Zootaxa 2185, pp. 1-122 : 37-39

Pseudonicsara (P.) pallidifrons (Brunner v.W. 1898)

Figs. 1, 14, 19, 33, 44, 48, 53–54, 92, 127, 166, 228, 259, 302–303, 336, 345–346, 392, 430–431, 475, 541, map 1.

Salomona aeruginifrons Karny, 1911 syn. n.

Salomona pallidifrons Brunner v.W. 1898, Abh. Senckenb. Natf. Ges. 24: 271; Karny 1912b, Gen. Ins. 141: 33; Otte 1997, Orthoptera Species File 7:35.

Pseudonicsara pallidifrons Karny 1912a , Abh. Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden 14: 15; Karny 1926, Treubia 9: 227; OSF online 2009.

Salomona aeruginifrons Karny 1911 , Verh. der Zoologisch-botanischen Gesellsch. Wien 61: 342 (2 syntypes females, New Guinea [without precise locality] (RMNH, NHME); Karny 1912b, Gen. Ins. 141: 33; Otte 1997, Orthoptera Species File 7:33.

Pseudonicsara aeruginifrons Karny 1912a , Abh. Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden 14: 22; Karny 1926, Treubia 9: 226; OSF online 2009.

Lectotype (male, here designated): Papua New Guinea: Neu Guinea, Fruhstorfer, coll. Br. v. W., 2739.28, also labelled: "Type" and " Pseudonicsara pallidifrons Br v. W. Det. C. Willemse VIII. 1956 " [italics hand written] but no lectotype selection has been published so far, depository: Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Austria ( NMW).

Material studied: Papua New Guinea: 1 male, 2 females (paralectotypoids), New Guinea, Fruhstorfer , coll. Brunner v.W. ( NMW) ; 2 males, 2 females, New Guinea, Fruhstorfer ( MNHN) ; 2 females, New Guinea, Staudinger (types of Salomona aeruginifrons Karny, 1911 ) ( RMNH, NHME) ; 1 male, 1 female, New Guinea, Linnea V. ( ZMB) ; 1 female, Hinterland der Astrolabe-Bay [5° 22' S, 145° 52' E], S. Lauterbach 1896 ( ZMB) ; 1 male, 1 female, Madang Prov. , Adelberg Mts. [= Adelbert Range], Wanuma [4° 35' S, 145° 10' E], 800– 1000 m, 23.X.1958, J.L. Gressitt ( BPBM) ; 1 male, 2 females, same locality, 25.X.1958 ( BPBM) ; 1 male, 1 female, same locality, 26.X.1958 ( BPBM) ; 2 males, 1 female, same locality, 27.X.1958 ( BPBM) ; 1 male, Madang [5° 15' S, 145° 50' E], 5 m, 28.X.1958, J.L. Gressitt ( BPBM) ; 2 males, 2 females, probably wrongly labelled "Borneo" ex coll. Schulthess-Rechberg ( ETHZ) ; 1 male, 1 female, maybe wrongly labelled " Philippines: Mindanao , Agusan, San Francisco, 10 km SE, 13.XI.1959, coll. L.W. Quate & C.M. Yoshimoto " ( BPBM) .

Diagnosis. P. pallidifrons is well characterised by the shape of the male cerci ( Fig. 166) and the long acute lobes of the female subgenital plate ( Figs. 430–431). Both do not look similar to the corresponding organs in other species of the genus. The male titillators are very similar to those of P. undulata sp. n., the widened apical parts are however little longer and more pronounced at base (compare Figs. 345–346 with Figs. 421– 422).

Description. Fastigium verticis in front of eyes 1.1–1.4 mm, from base 1.5–1.9 mm; dorsal eye length 1.6–1.8 mm; greatest diameter of eye 1.7–1.9 mm; index fastigium verticis from base: eye length 1.0–1.1 ( Fig. 33). Face rugose but shining ( Fig. 19). Tegmen surpassing hind knees, fore margin sinuate, costal field wide in basal two thirds, narrow in apical third ( Fig. 1). Femora with the following number of spines on ventral margins: fore femur 6-9 external, 3–6 internal; mid femur 6-7 external, 2-4 internal near base; hind femur 10-16 external, 3-8 small internal in basal area and 0-2 small in apical area.

Male ( Fig. 1). Stridulatory file sinuate, 2.1–2.4 mm long; teeth at apex very dense and indistinct; with 83– 110 teeth or 38.9–45.1 teeth per mm, in middle of file with 27.4–37.8 teeth per mm narrowing towards apex ( Figs. 53–54). Mirror with fore and hind margins straight; 1.5–1.8 mm long, 1.5–1.7 mm wide; index length:width 1.0–1.1. Tenth tergite slightly prolonged behind, basal area slightly globular; apical margin broadly concave ( Fig. 92). Epiproct triangular, with a deep furrow or pit in middle ( Fig. 127). Paranota with a short, obtuse projection. Cerci long-cylindrical but with internal surface subflat; rather narrow, slightly curved and with two large internal projections ( Figs. 127, 166, 228): in middle and at apex. Projection in circa middle of cercus length compressed, dorsal margin substraight, ventral and apical margins rounded. Apico-internal projection cylindrical in basal area, afterwards compressed, apex divided into a short, rounded, dorsal lobe and a long, acute, ventral spine. Subgenital plate longer than wide; apical excision wide, rounded ( Fig. 259).

Titillators with basal parts simple, subhyaline, apical parts expanded to large, circa ovoid plates. Surface of apical parts densely covered with clinging hairs; apico-lateral margin marked off and carrying numerous broad-based spinules; before apical winding with a transverse, saw-blade-shaped elevation; ovoid apical part of titillators laterally connected with membrane forming together hyaline sacs ( Figs. 302–303, 336, 345–346). Apico-lateral sclerites large, ovoid with irregular margin, flattened but curved ( Fig. 392).

Female ( Fig. 14). Tenth abdominal tergite furrowed in midline. Subgenital plate broad at base with converging lateral margins; apex deeply divided almost to base into two long acute-triangular lobes ( Figs. 430–431, 475).

Coloration. Green when alive? Specimens yellowish brown with remnants of green. Face with a dark brown transverse band between compound eyes including antennal scrobae and fastigium frontis, median ocellus pale; with another dark brown transverse band at clypeo-frontal suture, sometime interrupted; very apex of mandibles darkened; ventral surface of scapus darkened, flagellum concolorous ( Fig. 19). Tegmen brown with pale veins; radius medium brown; fore margin often pale; veinlets partly brown, partly pale, giving the impression of large brown spots separated by a whitish network. Hind femur green with hind knees faintly infumated to medium brown. Hind tibia with indistinct brown spots at bases of spines. Fore tibia with dorsal areas brown but with light spots at tympana apex and with a dark spot below tympana. Ovipositor green at base, otherwise medium brown. – In alive insects coloration of pronotum probably with disc and dorsal area of paranota medium brown with olivaceus green dots and flecks, a large spot before first transverse sulcus and ventral area of paranota pale olivaceus green.

Measurements (3 males, 6 females): body male 32–38, female 28–36; pronotum male 8.3–9.3, female 8.5–9.5; tegmen male 29–32, female 30.0–33.5; hind femur male 19.5–22.0, female 19.0–22.5; antenna male 83, female 95; ovipositor 19.0– 22.5 mm.

Discussion. The exact type localities of the types of P. pallidifrons and P. aeruginifrons are unknown. The localities of more recently collected specimens make it probable that also the type specimens come from the environs of Madang. The specimens in ETHZ labelled "Borneo" are certainly wrongly labelled. As Brunner von Wattenwyl and Schulthess-Rechberg were exchanging specimens, it is reasonable to expect that the specimens in ETHZ come from the same source as Brunner's types. More arguable is the record from the Philippines in BPBM that would be remote from the area of the species and that of the whole subgenus, if it could be verified. If so, it might have been introduced with plant tissues. Eggs deposited in plant material are easily overlooked. But unfortunately, we do not know the oviposition behaviour of Pseudonicsara nor any other aspects of its life history.

From the original description by Karny (1911) it is not clear how many specimens the author saw when describing Salomona aeruginifrons . I traced two specimens in collections. A specimen in RMNH is labelled " Pseudonicsara aeruginifrons Karny det. Karny" [hand written Karny-label] and carries a " paratype " label, but the latter could have been added later. A specimen in NHME is labelled "Type Pseudonicsara aeruginifrons Karny det. C. Willemse". Anyhow, both specimens agree completely with type specimens of P. pallidifrons in NMW. The synonymy of both taxa was already known to C. Willemse as the specimen in NHME carries as a second identification label " Pseudonicsara pallidifrons det. C. Willemse".

Karny (1911, 1912a) had not seen any of the syntypes of P. pallidifrons when he described P. aeruginifrons in 1911 or P. spinicercus and P. crassicercus in 1912. Descriptions and figures he gives for P. pallidifrons from the Toricelli Mountains in Karny (1912a p. 15) refer to either P. spinicercus or P. crassicercus . His figure 9 ( Karny 1912a p. 6) shows the female subgenital plate of P. crassicercus (not of P. pallidifrons ). Later ( Karny 1926), he rises some doubt, if the Pseudonicsara specimens from the Toricelli Mountains really belong to P. pallidifrons . Thus he raises P. spinicercus and P. crassicercus from a forma to full species level. He also mentions the possibility that he misinterpreted Brunner’s (1998) description of P. pallidifrons and that his P. aeruginifrons is the real P. pallidifrons . But he did not draw any taxonomic consequences out of his supposition as he had not seen the type of the latter.