Squamiana Zeuner, 1941

Massa, Bruno & Fontana, Paolo, 2011, Supraspecific taxonomy of Palaearctic Platycleidini with unarmed prosternum: a morphological approach (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae, Tettigoniinae), Zootaxa 2837, pp. 1-47 : 13

11) Squamiana Zeuner, 1941 ( Figs. 18, 19 , 61, 63 , 99, 100 , 121–123, 133–138)

Characters. Head as large as long, ratio maximum width/length of head (from vertex to clipeus): 1.0. Squamipterous, pronotum rounded, slightly raised in the prozona, humeral excision just evident, median keel evident in the metazona; Ƥ subgenital plate with or without median furrow and right or incised at hind margin, lateral lobes rounded; ovipositor ca. ½ hind femur, thin, stout and strongly upcurved, similar to that of Platycleis ; Ƥ VI–VII th sternites widely raised; hind femora/pronotum length 3: 2.6–4.3, Ƥ: 2.8–3.7; 3 X th tergite with two more or less pointed short processes, cerci are just flattened. Basal arms of titillators with strong spines (only in S. ankarensis and S. kurmana there are small spines). Colour of lateral lobes of the pronotum is greyish or blackish; the white stripe is more or less distinct.

Remarks. Squamiana species are associated with steppic zones of medium-high mountains (Tarbinsky 1939, Pravdin 1969, Çiplak et al. 2002). The female of the type species ( S. squamiptera ) is characterized by the last tergite widely incised ( Uvarov 1912). The genus appears heterogeneous and some species considered belonging to this taxon possibly should be better assigned to another one. Çiplak et al. (2002) pointed out that Montana ankarensis differs from other species of the same taxon by ovipositor type (basely light and dark in the rest, thick and more strongly upcurved) and wings shorter than pronotum. Somewhat similar to the Squamiana by ovipositor type, it differs, however, by unmodified VI and VII th sternites of female and apically wide tegmina. However, even though they were aware that this species does not belong to any described taxon, decided to maintain it within Montana . Afterwards, Ünal (2006) transferred it from Montana to Squamiana , mainly on the base of the shape of very shortened tegmina, the dark colour of ovipositor, except its base, and its shape (high, compressed and more upcurved).

Distribution. Central Asia to Turkey.

Number of species known (after Eades et al. 2010, modified): 9, including a new species from Uzbekistan below described: 1) ankarensis (Karabag, 1950) ; 2) bressani Fontana et Massa , present paper; 3) irritans Ramme, 1951 ; 4) kurmana Ramme, 1951 ; 5) melendisensis ( Çiplak, 2002) ; 6) salmani ( Çiplak, 2002) ; 7) sinuata Ramme, 1951 ; 8) squamiptera ( Uvarov, 1912) (type species); 9) weidneri (Demirsoy, 1974) .

Figures

FIGURES 17 – 24. Lateral view of the pronotum of 8 species of Platycleidini (Uludaghia, Squamiana, Pravdiniana, Sepiana, Sporadiana, Chizuella, Eumetrioptera).

FIGURES 48 – 63. Lateral view of the ovipositor of 16 species of Platycleidini (Platycleis, Sardoplatycleis, Sepiana, Metrioptera, Roeseliana, Bicolorana, Chizuella, Eobiana, Modestana, Sphagniana, Amedegnatiana, Alticolana, Parnassiana, Squamiana, Eumetrioptera).

FIGURES 94 – 101. Subgenital plate of the female of other 8 species of Platycleidini (Sepiana, Parnassiana, Amedegnatiana, Modestana, Sphagniana, Squamiana, Uludaghia).