Mecopoda javana ( Johansson, 1763 ) Heller & Baker & Ingrisch & Korsunovskaya & Liu & Riede & Warchałowska-Šliwa, 2021

Heller, Klaus-Gerhard, Baker, Ed, Ingrisch, Sigfrid, Korsunovskaya, Olga, Liu, Chun-Xiang, Riede, Klaus & Warchałowska-Šliwa, Elżbieta, 2021, Bioacoustics and systematics of Mecopoda (and related forms) from South East Asia and adjacent areas (Orthoptera, Tettigonioidea, Mecopodinae) including some chromosome data, Zootaxa 5005 (2), pp. 101-144 : 126-127

Mecopoda javana ( Johansson, 1763) stat. nov.

Gryllus javanus Johansson, 1763

Mecopoda maculata Serville, 1831 syn. nov

Neotype, here designated: male, INDONESIA, West Java, Palabuan Ratu, Samudra beach, (6°58’S, 106°30’E), 3–6 iii 1995, coll. S. Ingrisch (CI 3261437 in ZFMK). Song and stridulatory organs studied.

The need to clarify the status of M. javana comes from observations showing that in South East Asia many morphologically similar species exist (see above) formerly united under the name M elongata . To secure nomenclature stability the status of the old names has to be clarified. M. javana has priority over M. maculata Serville, 1831 , a species with type locality also on the island of Java and assumed to belong to the same species.

Qualifying conditions for neotype designation according to Art. 75.3.1–7 of the ICZN (1999):

1. The neotype is designated to clarify the taxonomic status of the species M. javana .

2. See diagnosis, description and bioacoustical data below.

3. See data of neotype

4. After the description, the holotype of the species was obviously never seen nor studied by any scientist. The author Johansson was a student of Linnaeus. The specimen, however, is not in the collection of the Linnean Society ( Marshall 1983) nor in Uppsala (Catalogue UUZM). 80 years after the description, the species was mentioned again by de Haan (1843) who considered all specimens of the Mecopoda elongata group from South East Asia and China as belonging to this species except his new macassariensis and niponensis . Redtenbacher (1892) and Karny (1920, 1924) considered all three as belonging to M. elongata . There is no indication that any of these orthopterologists had seen the type.

5. From Java at least two biological species (song types) are known, the mostly green species M. himalaya with a trilling song (see above) and a mostly brown species producing chirps (echemes). Since M. javana is described as greyish-brownish (cinereus, fuscescens) we considered the chirping species as javana and select a specimen with this song type as neotype.

6. The neotype comes from Java, the type locality (no further details given).

7. The neotype is deposited in Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig , Bonn, Germany ( ZFKM) .

Other material. 3 males, INDONESIA, West Java, Palabuan Ratu, Samudra beach, (6°58’S, 106°30’E), 3– 6.iii.1995, 3261432, 3261435, 3261436 (stridulatory organs studied), coll. S. Ingrisch (CI). Male , labels: (1) INDONESIA, Bali, Nusa Dua, [8° 48′ S, 115° 13′ E], 27.XII.1987, E. Sismondo, B.M. 1989-38, (2) MECOBA 2, (3) The stridulation of this specimen has been recorded. Tape No. 711 Recording No 3, (4) NHMUK010210932 ; (song and stridulatory organs) .

Additional song recordings of two other males in bio.acousti.ca from Bali, Nusa Dua, made by Sismondo (species mentioned by Sismondo 1990 as species N) and from two males (specimens not collected) Ingrisch 3254649– 50 (from type locality) .

Other material from outside Indonesia. Male , labels: (1) SRI LANKA, Sinharadja Forest , III 1980, leg. K. Sänger & B. Helfert, B.M.1981-464, (2) kept in captivity killed 27 viii 1981, (3) The stridulation of this specimen has been recorded. Tape No. 400 Recording No , (4) NHMUK010210934 (Song and stridulatory organs). Male CH7725, SRI LANKA: Weddagala (near Rock View Hotel) (6°33’N, 81°20’E), 10 iii 2014, leg. K.-G. Heller, (song, stridulatory organs, chromosomes) .

Diagnosis. The calling song of the species has a distinctly lower number of syllables per echeme than the other species of the group except mahindai (see below) and a higher echeme repetition rate than most other species of the group ( Tab. 2 ). M. javana (specimen from Sri Lanka) has also a chromosome number (2n = 23) lower than known from any other species of the genus.

Description. General habitus of the genus.

Specimens collected in Java of brown color. Male cerci not very stout at base, narrow apical area moderately curved with internal apical tooth larger and stouter than pre-apical tooth. Subgenital plate with moderately long styli (longer than in “P. Ratu green“ = M. himalaya ).

Morphologically the new species differs from M. himalaya -group that occurs in Palabuan Ratu (South coast of Java) in the same locality by structure of the mirror and song, by the apical teeth of the male cerci arising from the end of the internal margin of the cercus. These teeth are moderately spaced and the apical tooth is stouter and larger than the pre-apical tooth, while in M. himalaya -group from Java arises nearly fully from the apical margin, the apical tooth is slightly less stout (than in M. himalaya ), both teeth are closer together, and by the styli of the male subgenital plate that are although short longer than in M. himalaya -group ( Fig. 2 ) and by the brown instead of mostly green color.

Song. The calling song consisted of long (from a few seconds to more than one and a half minute documented) sequences of echemes ( Fig. 8 , 9 ; parameters Tab. 4 )

Measurements. 4 males, Java: Body w/wings: male 66–70 (67.3±1.9); body w/o wings: male 36–38 (37.3±1); pronotum: male 8.9–9.0 (9.0±0.1); tegmen: male 55–58 (56.6±1.6); hind femur: male 42–46 (43.4±1.9); anterior femur: male 10; tegmen width: male 13.0–15.2 (13.9±.9) mm. Male CH 7725, Sri Lanka: pronotum 8.5; tegmen length ca. 50 (slightly damaged); tegmen width 12; hind femur 39 mm.

Literature data on song: Korsunoskaya 2008 ( CAMBODIA)

Specimens with this song type have been found in two widely separated areas, in South East Asia (in several Indonesian islands and in Cambodia and Thailand; see below) as well as in Sri Lanka without obvious differences in morphology.

Chromosomes ( CH 7725): 2n = 23, FN = 46; pairs 1 and 4–11 metacentric, 2 and 3 subacrocentric, X chromosome metacentric ( Fig. 15 )

Based on chromosome number (see Discussion), a female from Thailand ( Luanpirom et al. 1999) may also belong to this species. Uvarov (1927) mentions Mecopoda elongata from Sri Lanka (Museum Colombo); these specimens may either belong to M. javana or to M. mahindai sp. nov. (see below).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Male subgenital plates in Mecopoda and Eumecopoda. A M. niponensis continentalis (CH7674), B M. niponensis vietnamica subsp. nov. (holotype), C M. himalaya (CH3737), D M. sismondoi sp. nov. (CH3738), E M. javana, neotype, F M. javana, Sri Lanka, G M. mahindai sp. nov., H E. cyrtoscelis zhantievi subsp. nov. Scale 2 mm.

FIGURE 8. Oscillograms of the calling songs of species of the Mecopoda confracta subgroup. Overview (12 s sections).

FIGURE 9. Oscillograms of the calling songs of species of the Mecopoda confracta subgroup. Details (1 s sections). In M. sismondoi sp. nov. synchronous registration of movement of left tegmen and sound (upper line: upward deflection indicating opening, downward closing; lower line: sound).

FIGURE 15. C-banded karyotypes (left side) and mitotic metaphase (right side) of five Mecopoda species with different chromosome number (2n). Karyotypes are reconstructed by arranging homologous chromosomes in order of decreasing size. X, sex chromosome.