Cymatomera viridimaculata Hemp

Hemp, Claudia, 2013, Annotated list of Tettigoniidae (Orthoptera) from the East Usambara Mountains Tanzania and new Tettigoniidae species from East Africa, Zootaxa 3737 (4), pp. 301-350 : 343-346

Cymatomera viridimaculata Hemp n. sp. ( Fig. 30 , Fig. 31 A–D)

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Orthoptera .speciesfile.org:TaxonName:180015

Holotype.—male, Tanzania, Mt Kilimanjaro, Lake Chala, 1000 m, Mai 2012. Depository: ZMHB.

Paratypes.— 2 males, Kenya, Tsavo West, Kilaguni, November/ December 1980, leg. P. H. Ward, depository: BMNH; 1 male, Kenya, Masongaleni, November 1919, leg. T. J. Anderson, depository: BMNH; 1 male, without label, depository: BMNH. 1 female, Kenya, Kibwezi, Mai 1926, leg. W. Feather, depository: BMNH; 1 female, Kenya, Kibwezi, July 1921, 3000 ft., leg. Dummer, depository: BMNH; 1 female, Tanzania, W shore of Lake Manyara. February–May 1935, leg. B Cooper, depository: BMNH. 2 males, 1 nymph, same data as holotype, depository: collection C. Hemp.

Description.—Male. General colour pattern of tegmina brown patches on greenish ground, body and legs light brown with some darker brown patches on the legs ( Fig. 30 ). Head and antennae.—Antenna more than 2 times longer than body length. Light brown with lighter brown rings along whole length. Fastigium verticis elongated, broad at base, narrowing towards its tip, slightly sulcate; tip also sulcate; longer than scapi when viewed from above. Eyes small, round. Thorax.— Anterior margin of pronotum medially with vertical oriented ridge; parallel to flange pair of processes on both sides of ridge. Laterally on disk of prozona another pair of tubercles. Mesozona constricted and narrower than pro- and metazona. Posterior margin of pronotum raised with three processes at both edges of which the anterior two processes are longer but stout and the inner one a short knob; medially on posterior margin another vertically ridge or flange ( Fig. 31 A). Legs.— Femora flattened, carinated above and irregularly crenate-dentate below, so that lower parts of femora with lobes; lobes of femora hairy ( Fig. 30 ). Upper part of mid femur also expanded with irregular lobes. Fore and mid tibiae slightly flattened with double row of short, stout spines ventrally. Hind tibiae only with few very short ventral spinules. Abdomen.— Abdominal tergites brown. Posterior margin of last abdominal tergite broadly incurved. Cerci slender, tips sclerotized and inwardly curved. Subgenital plate elongated but medially not divided into lobes but with two well developed styli ( Fig. 31 B, D).

Female.—General colouration of tegmina not as green as in male but more light and dark brown colours. Subgenital plate broad, broadly v-shaped incised at posterior margin ( Fig. 31 C). Ovipositor stout and slightly inflated at base, short and slightly up-curved.

Measurements, males (mm) (N = 5). Body length 19–23. Length of pronotum 4.5–5.2. Length of elytra 35–37. Length of hind femur 9.5–11.

Measurements, females (mm) (N = 3). Body length 24–26. Length of pronotum 6.0–7.0. Length of elytra 36– 45. Length of hind femur 12–13. Ovipositor 11.5–12.5.

Diagnosis.—An easy character differentiating C. viridimaculata n. sp. males is the overall colour pattern. All other known Cymatomera species show either a grey-white pattern resembling lichens ( C. pallidipes Brunner ), or a pattern of brown and lighter brown patches camouflaging them perfectly on tree bark. Male C. viridimaculata n. sp. specimens have greenish tegmina with patches of darker and lighter brown colours. As typical for the East African species of Cymatomera the hind edges of the posterior margin of the pronotum have spines, differentiating these species from species occurring in West Africa ( C. pallidipes , C. chopardi Naskrecki and C. argillata Karsch ). C. denticollis Schaum has no vertically flanges or ridges medially on pro- and metazona, characterizing and differentiating this species from all other East African Cymatomera species. C. spinosa Brunner has only a low ridge vertically on pro- and metazona and the upper part of this ridge is carina-like, not differentiated into single dents while in C. viridimaculata n. sp. and C. paradoxa Gerstäcker these ridges are higher and differentiated into several dents. Especially the flange on the posterior margin of the pronotum is large and often anteriorly enlarged wearing a number of dents along its upper margin. The females of C. paradoxa and C. viridimaculata n. sp. are morphologically very similar, both species having short ovipositors and a similar colour pattern. The posterior flange on the pronotum sometimes is not as elongated and large and thus similar to the rather weak developed flange in C. viridifasciata n. sp. However, the subgenital plate is more evenly roundly incised posteriorly in C. paradoxa while it is v-shaped incised in C. viridimaculata n. sp. C. denticollis females may be distinguished by their abdominal pattern of black and orange stripes (similar also in C. paradoxa ) while C. viridimaculata n. sp. females are more uniformly coloured, the abdominal tergites being dark brown with beige posterior margins and thus not as contrasting as in the other two species occurring in East Africa.

Habitat: Tree savanna in the colline zone of east Kilimanjaro and Tsavo West.

Remarks: Erronously listed as Cymatomerella sp. in Hemp (2013a). In Tsavo West and the savanna around eastern Kilimanjaro various Commiphora species occur with a green bark (e.g. C. baluensis , C. africana , C. edulis , family Burseraceae ). The specimen from Kilimanjaro was collected from Boswellia neglecta (Burseraceae) , a savanna tree also with a green bark, being perfectly camouflaged on this tree species. Maybe the colour pattern of C. viridimaculata n. sp. is an adaption of life on a green bark, typical for the area in which this species was recorded up to now.

Figures

FIGURE 30. Cymatomera viridimaculata n. sp., holotype, male, Lake Chala, eastern slopes Mt Kilimanjaro, tree savanna.

FIGURE 31. Cymatomera viridimaculata n. sp. A. Dorsal view on male pronotum, holotype. B. Ventral view on male abdominal apex, holotype C. Female subgenital plate, paratype, Lake Manyara west shore. D. Semilateral view on male abdominal apex, holotype.