Morocera nigrifrons, Ingrisch, 2023

Ingrisch, Sigfrid, 2023, New and little-known genera and species of Agraeciini (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Conocephalinae) from New Guinea, Zootaxa 5249 (2), pp. 190-212 : 193-195

Morocera nigrifrons sp. nov.

Figs. 2 , 3H

Holotype (male): Papua New Guinea, Morobe: Bulolo Gorge (-7.3, 146.8), wall outside station house, 28.viii.1981, coll. G.K. Morris (Naturalis Leiden, NBC).

Other specimens studied: Papua New Guinea: Morobe, Bulolo Gorge, Mt. Nissim , 18.viii.1981, coll. G.K. Morris — 1 female paratype (Leiden, NBC) ; Morobe dist., Wau, Kunai Creek , elev. 1350 m, 28.v.1963, coll. P. Shanahan — 1 female (Honolulu, BPBM) ; Morobe district, elev. 1450 m, 6.ii.1963, coll. J. Sedlacek — 1 male (Honolulu, BPBM) ; Mt. Missim , elev. 1600 m, 27.v.1956, coll. J.L. Gressitt — 1 female (Honolulu, BPBM) ; NE Wau, elev. 1200 m, 3.ix.1961, coll. J. Sedlacek — 1 male (Honolulu, BPBM) ; Wau , elev. 1200 m (-7.33333, 146.75), 8–10.i.1963, coll. J. Sedlacek — 1 male (Honolulu, BPBM) ; Wau, Mt. Missim , elev. 1120 m (-7.16667, 146.9), 13.ii.1963, coll. J. Sedlacek — 1 female (Honolulu, BPBM) ; New Guinea (NE), Morobe province, Mt. Missim , elev. 1600 m (-7.3, 146.8), 21.v.1906, coll. J.L. Gressitt — 1 female (Honolulu, BPBM) .

Diagnosis. The new species is slightly larger than M. loriae . It differs conspicuously by the black instead of reddish-brown face, although not in all specimens of M. loriae the face is deep black but may also be reddish or brownish with blackish shine. The male cerci of M. nigrifrons are longer and conical instead of tubular; they terminate into a long, laterally compressed and curved apical projection with widened tip instead of a short conical end bent ventrad; moreover, the basal-internal projection is narrow and dorso-ventrally compressed instead of short conical and curved. The male titillators are basically similar in both species, consisting of a pair of basal sclerites followed by tufts of hairs that are laterally covered by sub-membranous sheaths. However, the apical hairs are much longer in M. nigrifrons than in M. loriae and the lateral sheaths more strongly stiffened ( Figs 3G–H ). The females of both species differ markedly by the shape of the subgenital plate that is robust and rather large in the new species, provided on both sides with an auricular projection, and terminates into a pair of stout apical projections, while in M. loriae the subgenital plate is strongly vaulted on both sides with a deep medial furrow and in apical half with a deep medial incision from hind margin.

Description. Small and narrow species with wings covering about abdomen ( Fig. 2B ). Face narrow elongate, black, rarely reddish, or pale with black shine ( Fig. 2E ). Without prosternal spines; mesosternal lobes rounded or angularly rounded; metasternal lobes rounded. Femora with the following number of spines on ventral margins: fore femur 4–12 anterior, 3–8 posterior; mid femur 5–13 anterior, 0–4 posterior near base; hind femur 8–11 anterior, 0 posterior (in a single male with 3 minute spinules); posterior spines on fore and mid femora minute. Hind knee lobes with one spine on both sides.

Male. Stridulatory file on underside of left tegmen 1.70 mm long, with 78 teeth or 45.9 teeth per mm, about last 20 teeth very small ( Fig. 2A ). Cerci stout and conical in basal half, narrow and incurved in apical half, in sub-basal area with a straight narrow projection with obtuse end that terminates on proximal side into a small spinule, while the narrow apical area ends into a short digitiform projection that in sub-apical area is widened into a compressed semi-circular projection with a short acute spinule at distal rim ( Fig. 2C ). The titillators have about the basal half compressed and curved outward, while the apical half consists of bunches of very long hairs or bristles that are completely covered in situ by long, narrow and vaulted apical sheaths. The sheath-like cover of the titillators opens when extracted thus giving the hair bunches free ( Figs. 2D , 3H ).

Female. Subgenital plate with proximal margin concave; lateral margins sub-parallel but little wavy and ascending dorsally, forming at dorsal margin convex lateral projections with stiffened rim and impressed surface; surface of plate with a transverse subbasal furrow; apical margin truncate, with a pair of stout, conical, apical projections ( Fig. 2G ). Ovipositor curved with dorsal valves in subbasal area markedly widened ( Fig. 2F ).

Measurements (4 males, 5 females). Body w/o wings: male 21–22, female 20.5–22.5; pronotum: male 5.2– 6.0, female 5.0–5.75; tegmen: male 11.5–12.0, female 11.5–13.0; hind femur: male 9.5–10.25, female 10.5–11.5; ovipositor: female 8.0– 8.5 mm.

Etymology. The new species is named after the black face.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Morocera nigrifrons sp. nov.: A–D, male holotype: A, stridulatory file; B, habitus dorsal view; C abdominal apex with cerci; D, titillators.—E–H, female: E, face; F, abdominal apex with ovipositor; G–H, subgenital plate in ventral (G) and in lateral view (H).—Scales 10 mm (B), 5 mm (F), 1 mm (A, C–E, G–H).

FIGURE 3. A–F: Morocera peniculosa sp. nov. male holotype:A, stridulatory file; B–C, tenth tergite, cerci and subgenital plate in about dorsal (B) and in lateral view (C); D, titillators in ventral-apical view; E, face; F, habitus with left tegmen spread.—G– H, male titillators of M. loriae (Griffini, 1908) (G) and M. nigrifrons sp. n. (H)—Scales: 1 mm (A–E, G–H), 10 mm (F).