Cooloolagraecia Rentz, Su and Ueshima, 2021

Rentz, Dcf, Su, You Ning & Ueshima, Norihiro, 2021, Studies in Australian Tettigoniidae: New short-winged Agraeciini from Australia (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae; Conocephalinae; Agraeciini), Zootaxa 5059 (2), pp. 1-72 : 26-27

Cooloolagraecia Rentz, Su and Ueshima Gen. et sp. nov.

ANIC number: Gen. Nov.30

Type species: Cooloolagraecia wallum Rentz, Su & Ueshima , gen. nov., here designated.

19 Named with reference to the type locality, a special place for Orthoptera .

Common name. Short-winged Wallum Katydids

Cooloolagraecia Rentz & Su , gen. nov. is proposed to include two mesopterous species from coastal Queensland. They are associated with “wallum” habitats. Wallums are lowland, mostly coastal, ecosystems in south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales characterised by floral-rich shrubs, grasses and herbs on sandy, acidic soils that are frequently subject to natural wildfires. In wet years, they are very wet and swampy. The species described below from this habitat followed a very wet period the previous season.

Generic characters. Size moderate to large for tribe, form very robust. Both sexes macropterous ( Figs 15A , 16A, B ). Head strongly slanting, jaws substantial; frons smooth, shining, mostly smooth, pitted dorsally; median ocellus small but well indicated, positioned just below antennal sockets, lateral ocelli absent. Eye small, round, positioned high on head; frontal fastigium absent; fastigium of vertex short, sharp, extending just above antennal scape, surface smooth, not sulcate; antenna with scape about 2x as long as pedicel, quadrate in shape, weakly produced on dorsal internal margin; flagellum slightly longer than length of body, very thin, concolorous, not annulate. Pronotum well half again as long as broad, lateral lobes shallow; surface of disk shining, irregularly minutely pitted; lateral lobe with humeral angles poorly developed, surface not rugulose and irregularly punctate, posterior margin with prominent swelling over auditory foramen; anterior margin of disk very feeble concave in the middle, posterior margin obtuse to truncate, ventral margin weakly concave. Tegmina short, tightly adpressed to abdomen, female tegmina slightly overlapping. Stridulatory file very elongate with many teeth, not on a raised swelling; tegmen with prominent subcosta and media, other veins reticulate. Prothorax with prominent widely spaced spines; meso- and metathorax unarmed except for a tubercle on each side of anterior margin of mesothorax. All legs stout. Fore femur laterally compressed, surface smooth but not shining, sparsely hirsute, armed only on anterior ventral margin with a few short tooth-like spines; tibia cylindrical, unarmed on dorsal surface, ventral surface armed on both margins, slightly swollen in region of auditory foramen. Middle femur similar to fore femur but spines on both margins of ventral surface; tibia feebly laterally compress, more swollen basally, dorsal surface unarmed, ventral surface with spines on both margins. Hind femur stout, short, not abnormally swollen basally, spines only on ventral surface of external margin; tibia armed dorsally with relatively elongate, widely spaced spines, apex with a single elongate spur on each side, subapical in position; ventral surface with many spines, mostly positioned apically, apex with 4 apical spurs appearing as 6 owing to adjacent subapical spines. Genicular lobes of all femora armed on both sides. Abdomen elongate, without any prominent ridges or modifications. Male tenth tergite apically indented or with a median sulcus; titillators massive basally, apex minute bifurcated. Cercus short, stout, species distinctive, with internal tooth mostly concealed from above; subgenital plate with a pair of relatively small, feebly curved styles, median incision shallow. Female with tegmina touching, or slightly overlapping; tenth tergite with soft, depressed medial portion, shallowly U-shaped; cercus rather short, stout, feebly curved inwards; subgenital plate much broader than long, with shallow median incision. Ovipositor falcate, unarmed.

Overall colour brown, frons reddish brown, often with a darker central area. Head with eye brown; scape and pedicel of antenna black on frontal surface flagellum light brown, not annulate; vertex light brown; abdomen brown or with faint to intense median longitudinal stripe; thorax reddish brown, abdominal segments dark brown to black laterally. Ovipositor brown slightly darker apically.

Figures

FIG. 15. Cooloolagraecia wallum. A. Adult female abroad at night. B. Left male cercus, dorsal view. C. Left male cercus, internal view. D. Left male cercus, ventral view. E. Female abdomen, dorsal view. Note indentation of tenth tergite. F. Female abdomen, lateral view. Note subgenital plate. G. Female abdomen, ventral view. Note subgenital plate. H. Female pronotum. Note minute stripes on surface of pronotal disk. I. Adult male frons and thorax. J. Male left tegmen. K. Male left foretibia. L. Male abdomen, tip. Note cercus, tenth tergite, paraprocts and styles of subgenital plate. M. M. Phallic complex, dorsal view. N. Phallic complex, posterior view. Note minute spiniform projections at apex.

FIG. 16. Cooloolagraecia gubbi. A. Adult male at night feeding on Xanthorrhoea flowers. B. Adult female abroad at night. C. Left male cercus, dorsal view. D. Left male cercus, internal view. E. Left male cercus, ventral view. F. Phallic complex. G. Left male tegmen. H. Male subgenital plate, ventral view. I. Phallic complex, lateral view.