Amytta meruensis, Hemp, Claudia & Heller, Klaus-Gerhard, 2017

Hemp, Claudia & Heller, Klaus-Gerhard, 2017, Revision of the genus Amytta (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae, Meconematinae) and new species from East Africa, Zootaxa 4263 (2), pp. 295-317 : 305-306

Amytta meruensis n. sp. Hemp

( Figs. 1 C, 7 B, 8 D)

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Orthoptera .speciesfile.org:TaxonName:496655

Holotype male, Tanzania, Mt Meru , Arusha National Park, in herb layer of disturbed submontane forest, 1400 m, October 2006; Depository MfN.

Paratypes. 1 female, same data as holotype; Depository MfN.

Further paratype material: 2 males, 4 females, same data as holotype. Collection C. Hemp.

Description. Male. General body shape and colour: Flightless, small, uniformly light yellowish-green. Behind eyes two lateral yellow lines, which continue along the pronotum, fading at posterior half. Eyes brown-reddish. Tegmina abbreviated, uniformly green. Head and antennae: Fastigium of vertex smooth conical, conus between eyes about half the size of first antennal segment. Antennae thin, longer than body length and whitish. Eyes circular, prominent. Cuticle of pronotum shiny with short scattered hairs. Elytra shortened, tectiform with reduced venation. Stridulatory area hidden under pronotum. Alae reduced to slender lobes covered by elytra. Thorax and legs: Fore and mid tibiae with open tympanum, with 4 outer and 4 inner spines, apical with a minute pair of spurs. Abdomen: Last abdominal tergite broad, medially broadly incurved with central gap or incision ( Fig. 1 C). Cercus with symmetrical basal blade-like projections forming hollow space. Apex of cerci curved inwardly and running out into longish slim apex ( Fig. 1 C). Subgenital plate elongate with long laterally compressed styli.

Female. As male. Ovipositor of female slender and smooth. Subgenital plate broader than long with posterior margin ending in rounded tip ( Fig. 8 D).

Measurements

males (n =3)

Body length 11.2–12.0 Median length of pronotum 4.3–4.5

Length of hind femur 7.5–7.6

Visible median length of tegmina 2.0

females (n = 5)

Body length 8.5–12.0 Median length of pronotum 3.5–3.7

Length of hind femur 7.5–8.5

Visible median length of tegmina 1.8–3.2

Length of ovipositor 8.2–9.5 Habitat. Herb layer in submontane forest.

Distribution. Tanzania, Mt Meru.

Diagnosis. A. meruensis n. sp. has abbreviated tegmina and is thus easily distinguished from all fully alate Amytta species. Differentiated from male A. olindo by the different posterior margin of the last abdominal tergite. In male A. olindo no incision is present but the posterior margin is broadly incurved ( Fig. 1 B) while A. meruensis n. sp. ( Fig. 1 C), A. hanangensis n. sp. ( Fig. 1 D) and A. abbreviata ( Fig. 1 E) all have a gap or incision medially at the posterior margin of the last abdominal tergite. This incision is also not present in A. kilimandjarica and A. merumontana n. sp. which also have completely different shaped male cerci. A. hanangensis n. sp., A. abbreviata and A. taitensis n. sp. differ in the shape of the expanded male cerci from A. meruensis and the median incision in the posterior margin of the last abdominal tergite is differently shaped as well (compare Fig. 1 C, D and E).

Etymology. Named after Mt Meru where this species is endemic in submontane elevations.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Detail images of abdominal apices of male Amytta species, dorsal view. A. A. digitata n. sp. B. A. olindo Hemp C. Amytta meruensis n. sp. D. A. hanangensis n. sp. E. A. abbreviata Beier F. A. pellucida Karsch (source OSFO).

FIGURE 8. Subgenital plates of female Amytta species. A. A. digitata n. sp. B. A. pellucida C. A. olindo D. A. meruensis n. sp. E. A. hanangensis n. sp. F. A. kilimandjarica G. A. merumontana n. sp. H. A. kilomeni n. sp. I. A. judithae n. sp.