Tmethis cisti (Fabricius, 1787)

Massa, Bruno, 2013, Pamphagidae (Orthoptera: Caelifera) of North Africa: key to genera and the annotated check-list of species, Zootaxa 3700 (3), pp. 435-475 : 437-438

Tmethis cisti (Fabricius, 1787)

Material examined. Morocco: Melilla, 3♂, 8♀; El Guerruau, 3♂, 8♀; Mulay Rechid (Ulad Settut), 3♂; Toco El Arba ( Melilla), 3♂, 8♀; Hasi Berkan, 3♂, 8♀ (MNCN); Algeria: Ain M’Lila (Costantine) 18. V.01, 1 ♂, 1♀; Dumas 20. V.49, 1 ♀; Tunisia: Tamerza 26. V.1873, 6 ♂, 9♀; Ludien 23. IV.1873, 1 ♀; Hammam el Lif 2. VII.1875, 5 ♀ (MSNG); 15 km N El Jem 15. V.91, 2 ♂♂; Djerba 17. IV.92, 3 ♂, 2♀; Sousse 30.V.79, ♂; Gafsa 2. VI.79, 1 ♀; La Skhira 1. VI.79, 1 ♀; 15 km N Gabes 16. V.91, 1 ♂; Mabeth 16. V.91, 1 ♀; Biserte, 1♀; 30 km S Gabes 16. V.91, 2 ♂; Korba 3. VI.93, 11 ♂, 5♀; Kerkenna Is. 31. V.79, 8 ♂, 6♀; Soliman 8. VII.76, 3 ♂; Sidi Mansoun 28. VI.76, 1 ♀; 16 Km N Gabés 5. VII.76, 3 ♂, 2♀; Sousse 7. VII.76, 1 ♀; 30 Km S Ben Gardhane 3. VII.76, 2 ♀ (MSNT); Libya: Leptis Magna 18. IV.05, 2 ♂; Tagiura 14. IV.98, 1 ♀ (BMCP); U. Caàm, Mizda, Tinaiat ben Galan, 4♂, 5♀ (MSNM); Ain Zara, 1♂, 1♀; Homs, 2♂ (MZR).

T. cisti covers North Africa, from Morocco to Libya (Tripolitania and Cyrenaica). Uvarov (1943) established that the type locality was Northern Tunisia. It is well characterized by a high pronotum keel, with deep transverse sulcus (mainly in males) ( Figs. 32–36 ), male epiphallus with apical lobes large and broadly separated ( Figs. 54 a, 55a), spurs of hind tibiae long and slender ( Fig. 54 b). Tegmina are long and generally exceed the hind knees ( Figs. 42–43 , 55 ), hind wings are red inside with a central brown spot, which reaches the base of the red area, but this colour is very variable; for example in Tunisia yellow ( Djerba Is., Sousse), purple (Gafsa, Mareth, Gabes), blue (Skhira, Kerkenna Is.) and red tibiae (Korba, Biserte) have been found; in Libya bluish with red apex (Leptis Magna, East of Sirte), blue (East of Sirte, Agedabia) and vinaceous tibiae with red apex (Tagiura) have been detected; in Algeria red (El Kantara, Tebessa, Constantine) and yellow tibiae (Dumas) have been recorded. Concerning the length of tegmina, specimens with abbreviated wings exist in different localities (e.g., Kerkenna Is., Korba); generally, when tegmina are shorter than abdomen, hind wings are shorter than tegmina and show a simplified colour pattern (less coloured, with faint brown spots).

In the following paragraphs I will examine the different populations listed as subspecies by Eades et al. (2013).

Figures

FIGURES 32 – 39. Lateral view of pronotum of some taxa described in the genus Tmethis, here revised.

FIGURES 54 – 59. Some of the taxa described in the genus Tmethis, view from above to show the pattern of wing colour pattern and the ratio between the length of wings and the body. Figs. 58 a and 58 b show the pattern of pronotum and wings of male and female of T. harterti n. status. Figs. 54 a and 55 a show the apical lobes, large and broadly separated, of epiphallus of T. cisti, while Figs. 59 b and 59 c show the relatively small and narrowly separated lobes of epiphallus of T. pulchripennis (after Uvarov 1943). Figs 54 b and 59 a show the differences in the spurs of hind tibiae, long and slender, with the first tarsal joint long, and its second pulvillus longer than the first or third in T. cisti; shorter and stouter, with first tarsal joint short, its second pulvillus not longer than the first or the third in T. pulchripennis (after Uvarov 1943).

FIGURES 40 – 53. Lateral view of males and females of some taxa described in the genus Tmethis, here revised.