Paracinipe Descamps et Mounassif, 1972

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 : 445-446

Paracinipe Descamps et Mounassif, 1972 (type-species: Pamphagus mauritanicus Bolivar )

This genus has been described by Descamps & Mounassif (1972) to distinguish species with the subgenital plate of males divided into two parts from the true Acinipe , with undivided subgenital plate. Paracinipe is widespread from Morocco to Egypt and the Middle East, while Acinipe has a more western distribution, that covers Iberian peninsula, North Africa (from Morocco to Tunisia) and Italy (Calabria and Sicily). On the whole, 17 species of Paracinipe are currently known. Four groups of species are recognized, exarata , zebrata , dolichocera and mauritanica ; after the revision of Descamps & Mounassif (1972), Massa (1996, 1998) examined the zebrata group, proposing a key to species of that group. Now I propose a new key that includes the four groups.

1. Hind border of pronotum more or less straight, not narrowing along paranota ( Fig. 81 ); hind tibiae very hairy; upper surface of scape and pedicellus red. Aedeagus valves slender, epiphallus short with few spines and small hind concavity ( Figs. 92–93 ). Central Morocco.......................................................... Paracinipe exarata (Bolivar, 1936) .

- Hind border of pronotum clearly narrowing along paranota; hind tibiae less hairy; upper surface of scapus and pedicellus never red. Epiphallus longer.................................................................................. 2

2. Metanotum and first abdominal tergite wrinkled and covered by 4–6 small longitudinal keels on the sides of central keel; pro- notum with rounded and evident tubercles; if these are not evident, wide blue spots inside of hind femurs. From South Algeria to Syria................................................................................ zebrata group...3

- Metanotum and first abdominal tergite smooth or just wrinkled, without lateral keels; pronotum without evident tubercles; inside of hind femurs without blue spots; pronotum keel more raised............................ dolichocera group...10

3. Antennae not longer than head and pronotum together; basal carinula of inside of hind femurs sinuous; inside of hind femurs with some white spots. Aedeagus valves stout, epiphallus with big spines ( Figs. 88–89 ). Egypt and Israel............................................................................ Paracinipe zebrata (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1882).

- Antennae longer than head and pronotum together; upper surface of scape and pedicellus white; basal carinula of inside of hind femurs not sinuous; inside of hind femurs white or with dark spots. Libya, Tunisia and Algeria........................ 4

4. Head, pronotum, metanotum and first abdominal tergites with many impressed points; sometimes pronotum covered by a net- work of raised carinulae................................................................................ 5

- Head smooth, often with some small white points and a network of carinulae behind the eyes. Pronotum covered by more or less wide tubercles, evidently raised. Fore and hind borders of the pronotum thick, with white and dark spots............. 8

5. Pronotum keel in lateral view arched or sinuous. Abdominal keel toothed. Inside of hind femurs white or with some dark spots. Inside of hind tibiae grey, yellowish or pink, spines with base and tip black-bluish or with only tip black. Subgenital plate of male pointed......................................................................................... 6

- Pronotum keel in lateral view not arched, more or less straight; abdomen rounded without evident keel. Inside of hind femurs white with evident dark spots. Inside of hind tibiae dark grey or blue, spines red or yellow with base and tip black-bluish, or yellow with blue at the base. Subgenital plate of male rounded.................................................. 7

6. Teguments covered by many impressed points. Pronotum arched and raised ( Fig. 85 ). Inside of hind femurs with some dark spots only along carinulae. Inside of hind tibiae grey or yellowish, spines with black tip. Cerci of the male ca. 1.7 times longer than wide. Aedeagus valves long and slender, epiphallus with raised keels bearing small spines ( Figs. 90–91 ). North-eastern Libya.................................................................. Paracinipe orientalis (Werner, 1908) .

- Teguments smooth, with some impressed points and a network of raised carinulae. Pronotum keel not evidently raised or sinu- ous ( Fig. 82 ). Inside of hind femurs with dark spots in the medial area. Inside of hind tibiae yellowish or pinkish, spines with black base and tip. Cerci of the male ca. 1.2 times longer than wide. Aedeagus valves long and stout, epiphallus with big spines ( Figs. 98–99 ). North-western Libya........................................... Paracinipe adelaidae Massa, 1996 .

7. Pronotum more wrinkled, pronotum keel straight ( Fig. 83 ). Inside of hind tibiae blue or dark grey, spines red or yellow with blue base and tip. Aedeagus valves stout, epiphallus with few big spines, and hind border deeply concave ( Figs. 100–101 ). Central-western Tunisia and eastern Algeria............................ Paracinipe saharae (Pictet et Saussure, 1891) .

- Pronotum less wrinkled, pronotum keel just arched. Inside of hind tibiae yellow, spines with blue base. Hauts Plateaux and Aurés Mts. ( Algeria).................................................... Paracinipe sulphuripes (Uvarov, 1942)

8. Pronotum and metanotum saddle shaped, pronotum keel after sulcus going down and metanotum going up, often sinuous; pro- notum in dorsal view with some broad tubercles along its borders. Hind border of pronotum straight. Abdomen more or less rounded, dorso-ventrally compressed; second tergite larger than pronotum. Subgenital plate of male rounded............. 9

- Pronotum and metanotum not saddle shaped, pronotum in dorsal view without tubercles on its borders ( Fig. 86 ). Hind border of pronotum with acute angle. Abdominal keel more evident, abdomen just laterally compressed; pronotum larger than second tergite. Inside of hind tibiae yellowish, spines with black-bluish base and tip. Subgenital plate of male pointed upwards. Aede- agus valves stout, epiphallus with big spines ( Figs. 96–97 ). North Libya............... Paracinipe baccettii Massa, 1996 .

9. Pronotum tubercles less pointed ( Fig. 84 ). Male cerci ca. 1.2 times longer than wide. Inside of hind femurs white or with some brown spots. Inside of hind tibiae bluish, yellow spines with bluish base and tip. Body less stout and large. Aedeagus valves slender, epiphallus with small spines and concave hind border ( Figs. 94–95 ). Central Tunisia............................................................................................. Paracinipe foreli (Pictet et Saussure, 1891) .

- Pronotum tubercles broader and more pointed (particularly in males). Pronotum more or less undulate ( Fig. 87 ). Body stouter and larger. Male cerci ca. 1.6–1.8 times longer than wide. Inside of hind tibiae yellowish, bluish, pinkish or reddish, spines with black tip and in some specimens with bluish base. Aedeagus valves slender, epiphallus with small spines and a small hind concavity ( Figs. 102–103 ). North Libya...................................... Paracinipe marmarica (Salfi, 1924) .

10. Krauss's organ wrinkled; inside of hind tibiae unicoloured, red, yellow, grey, spines with black base................... 11

- Krauss’s organ smooth; inside of hind tibiae bicoloured, blue with yellow or red apex or yellow with spines without dark base................................................................................... mauritanica group...12

11. Larger size ( Fig. 76 , Table 2), inside of hind femurs without white spots, inside of hind tibiae of male generally yellow. Central Morocco ( Fig. 107 )..................................................... Paracinipe dolichocera (Bolivar, 1907)

- Smaller size ( Fig. 77 , Table 2), inside of hind femurs with white spots, inside of hind tibiae of male generally red. South west- ern Morocco ( Fig. 107 )................................................ Paracinipe theryi (Werner, 1931) n. status

12. Yellow colour of hind tibiae not exceeding the fourth spine from the apex; interval between the fourth and the fifth spines always blue......................................................................................... 13

- Yellow or red colour of hind tibiae reaching at least the fifth spine from the apex................................... 14

13. Male cerci ca. 2 times longer than wide; hind tibiae often red; epiphallus without bilobate hind border ( Fig. 106 ). West Morocco......................................................... Paracinipe alticola (Werner, 1932) ( Fig. 79 )

- Male cerci ca. 1.2 times longer than wide; hind tibiae often yellow; epiphallus with bilobate hind border. Morocco (from High Atlas to Toubkal National Park)............................. Paracinipe luteomaculata Descamps et Mounassif, 1972

14. Inside of hind tibiae yellow or red, sometimes blue at their base................................................ 15

- Inside of hind tibiae yellowish.......................................................................... 16

15. Inside of hind tibiae yellow; hind part of epiphallus much wide in lateral view. Morocco (High Atlas)................................................................................. Paracinipe luteipes Descamps et Mounassif, 1972

- Inside of hind tibiae red; hind part of epiphallus narrow in lateral view. Morocco (High Atlas)...................................................................................... Paracinipe rubripes Descamps et Mounassif, 1972

16. Pronotum less raised ( Fig. 78 ), prosternum process cubic, not longer than wide; mesosternal space just longer than wide. Aede- agus valves short and stout, hind part of epiphallus narrow and with long apexes ( Figs. 104–105 ). Western Morocco............................................................................. Paracinipe mauritanica (Bolivar, 1878)

- Pronotum more raised ( Fig. 80 ), prosternum process parallelepiped, clearly longer than wide, mesosternal space ca. two times longer than wide; hind part of epiphallus bulging in lateral view. Western Morocco... Paracinipe crassicornis (Bolivar, 1907)

Figures

FIGURES 76 – 87. Lateral view of twelve species of North African Paracinipe.

FIGURES 88 – 106. Phallic complex of ten species of North African Paracinipe: P. zebrata (88 – 89), P. orientalis (90 – 91), P. exarata (92 – 93), P. foreli (94 – 95), P. baccettii (96 – 97), P. adelaidae (98 – 99), P. saharae (100 – 101), P. marmarica (102 – 103), P. mauritanica (104 – 105), P. alticola (106). Figs. 96, 97, 102, 103 after Massa (1996, 1998).

FIGURES 107 – 109. 107. Distribution of Paracinipe dolichocera and P. theryi. 108 – 109. Ratio length / height of pronotum versus length / height of hind femurs of males (108) and females (109) of P. dolichocera and P. theryi.