Paraeumigus lopezi, Massa, Bruno, 2013

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 : 455

Paraeumigus lopezi n. sp.

Material examined. Morocco, near Tamanar (South of Smimou), 30°58'40.09", 9°42'6.40" 24.I.2005, ♂ holotype, ♀ allotype, ♂ paratype, leg. Heriberto Lopéz (BMCP).

Among some specimens of Pamphagidae collected by the Spanish colleague Heriberto Lopéz in Morocco I found three small specimens whose characteristics are not matching with those of any described species; the locality where they were collected, next to the Atlantic coast, is far from any other housing Paraeumigus species, that till now were considered as typical mountainous elements.

Diagnosis. It is a small sized species (see Table 3), with moderately raised pronotum keel; body is laterally compressed.

Description. Antennae 15–16 (males) and 16- (female) segmented, shorter than head and pronotum together. Teguments are rather wrinkled, fore and hind borders of pronotum clearly protruding, pronotum posteriorly enlarged, with a central stout keel (not furrowed in the males, just furrowed in the female) and two lateral keels, more or less parallel ( Figs. 141, 143, 145 ). Pronotum keel in lateral view is just raised in the males, clearly raised in the female, gently interrupted by typical sulcus ( Figs. 141, 145 ). Central keel is visible also on the first segments of the abdomen. Tegmina are 2.4–2.5 longer than high and are more or less unicolor, with the upper part just clearer than lower one. Mesosternal space is 2.0 times wider than long, and metasternal space 2.5 times wider than long ( Fig. 155 ). Krauss organ smooth. Prosternal process has an evident fore collar and two pointed hind tubercles ( Fig. 142 ). Aedeagus valves, from back view, have long and narrow lobes, enlarged at the apex; central columnar keels arrive to the apex, while the other two remain only in the basal part, which is as wide as long ( Fig. 144 ). In lateral view, aedeagus valves are apically flattened and pointed, the epiphallus shows ca. 35 small spines on the central sides ( Fig. 144 ).

Habitat. Specimens were collected in a plain with dispersed Argania trees and a high density of annual grasses.

Biological notes. The collector, H. Lopéz, found the specimens as nymphs; they were kept in a plastic container and were feeding with Plantago sp., mulberry, Rumex lunaria and lettuce. Every day, the container was revised to detect possible moulting, mating and/or song emissions. Males were adult on 16th March and 21st April, the female on 29th March. One male remained at the second nymph instar for 55 days and at the third instar for 11 days, the other male remained at the third instar for 50 days; the female remained at the third instar for 38 days and at the fourth instar for other 25 days. Mating occurred in the first days of May ( Fig. 161 ).

Derivatio nominis. I gratefully name this species after Heriberto Lopéz, specialist of Orthoptera from Tenerife, who in the last years has published some valuable papers on endemic species of Pamphagidae of Canary Islands and collected and sent me a series of Moroccan interesting specimens.

Figures

FIGURES 161. Mating of Paraeumigus lopezi n. sp. (male holotype and female allotype) (photo by H. Lopéz).

FIGURES 123 – 148. 123 – 145. Characters of species of the Moroccan genus Paraeumigus, included P. lopezi n. sp. (141 – 145, holotype and allotype, BMCP). 146 – 148. Lateral view of Amigus nigroadspersus and its phallic complex. Figs. 124, 135 – 137, 139 – 140 after La Greca (1993).

FIGURES 149 – 160. Females of some species of the Morocco genus Paraeumigus: P. fortius syntype (149 – 150), P. sobrinus syntypes (151 – 153), P. escalerai syntype (154), P. l o pe zi n. sp. allotype (155), P. bolivari paratype (156), P. montanus (157, after Chopard 1943), P. tricoloripes (158), P. parvulus (159 – 160).