Afroagraecia muagurai, Naskrecki & Guta, 2019

Naskrecki, Piotr & Guta, Ricardo, 2019, Katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) of Gorongosa National Park and Central Mozambique, Zootaxa 4682 (1), pp. 1-119 : 14-16

Afroagraecia muagurai sp. n.

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/ urn:lsid: Orthoptera .speciesfile.org:TaxonName:506810

( Figs. 6 A–E)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:FE36F66B-7B90-49F0-AD83-CA8AB3221B0B

Type locality. Mozambique: Sofala, Cheringoma, nr. Codzo (Khodzue), cave and nearby (-18.564, 34.872), 216 m, 8–9.vi.2012, coll. P. Naskrecki—female holotype ( MCZ)

Differential diagnosis. A. muagurai sp. n., currently known only from female specimens, displays a strong reduction of wings, a character associated with members of the genus Afroagraecia found in inland habitats, as opposed to coastal species of this genus that are macro- or mesopterous (Hemp 2017). From the brachypterous A. bloyeti (Brongniart) and A. brachyptera Hemp & Ingrisch the new species differs in an even stronger reduction of the tegmen as well as the shape of the ovipositor, which is comparatively longer and narrower than in those two species. Additionally, its dorsal and ventral valvulae are parallel and its apical fourth is nearly as wide as the ovipositor’s base, while in the other two species the ovipositor narrows strongly in the apical fourth. From the brachypterous A. panteli (Karny) , known only from two male specimens, it differs in the coloration of the pronotum, which lacks the dark stripe present in the new species, and the presence of conspicuous, black facial markings, which are absent in A. panteli .

General. Body micropterous, cylindrical ( Fig. 6D, E ).

Head. Antennae 1.5 times as long as body; fastigium of vertex triangular, blunt apically, shorter than half of scapus, as wide as 1/2 of antennal scapus; eyes globular, moderately protruding; median ocellus present, circular; frons flat, oblique; smooth ( Fig. 6B ).

Thorax. Anterior margin of pronotum flat, weakly concave; metazona flat, posterior edge of metazona broadly rounded ( Fig. 6C ); lateral carinae of pronotum absent; humeral sinus of pronotum absent, lateral lobe twice as long as high; marginal fold of pronotum smooth. Thoracic auditory spiracle hidden under pronotum.

Legs. Tympanum bilaterally closed, with narrow, forward facing slits; genicular lobes of mid femur armed with single spine on both sides.

Wings. Female tegmina reduced, not reaching posterior margin of 1st abdominal tergite, rounded apically, overlapping ( Fig. 6C ).

Abdomen. Female subgenital plate widely triangular, with small, narrowly rounded posterior lobe ( Fig. 6A ).

Ovipositor. Ovipositor slender; slightly curved, about as long as hind femur, dorsal edge of upper valvula smooth, parallel to lower valvula; apex pointed, with both valvulae smooth ( Fig. 6E ).

Coloration. Coloration light brown;face with wide, black vertical stripe extending from between antennal sockets to upperportionoflabrum;occiputwithdarkbrownmedianstripe,continuouswiththatonpronotum;eyesuniformlycolored, antennae with indistinct dark annulation. Pronotum light brown, with dark central stripe; tegmen veins light, membrane between veins brown.Legs light brown, mottled with darker patches,dorsal surface of tibia sometimes green;abdominal tergalightbrown,withdarkcentralstripealongthelengthofabdomen;abdominalsternawithoutmarkings;ovipositorbrown.

Natural history. This species has only been found in low, shrubby vegetation on limestone rocks of the Cheringoma Plateau, with adults present between March and July. In captivity individuals of A. muagurai fed on both insects and plant material. The acoustic behavior of this species is unknown.

Etymology. This species in named in honor of Mr. Pedro Estêvão Muagura, the warden of Gorongosa National Park, in recognition for his significant contributions to nature conservation in Mozambique.

Measurements (4 females). body w/o wings: 30–41 (335.4); pronotum: 5.9–8 (6.7.9); tegmen: 2.1–3 (2.7.4); hind femur: 12.3–13 (12.7.5); ovipositor: 11.9–14 (12.8.9) mm.

Material examined (4 specimens). Mozambique: Sofala, Cheringoma, nr. Codzo (Khodzue), cave and nearby, elev. 216 m (-18.564, 34.872), 8–9.vi.2012, coll. P. Naskrecki— 1 female (holotype) ( MCZ); same locality, 3.iii.2017, coll. P. Naskrecki— 1 female (paratype); same locality, 14–25.iv.2017, coll. P. Naskrecki— 2 females (paratypes) ( EOWL) .

Figures

FIGURE 6. Afroagraecia muagurai sp.n. (holotype female): A. subgenital plate; B. face; C. head and pronotum, dorsal view; D. habitus, dorsal view; E. habitus, lateral view.