Horatosphaga laticerca, Hemp & Heller, 2019

Hemp, Claudia & Heller, Klaus-Gerhard, 2019, Orthoptera (Tettigoniidae and Acridoidea) from Miombo woodlands of Central Tanzania with the description of new taxa, Zootaxa 4671 (2), pp. 151-194 : 159-161

Horatosphaga laticerca n. sp. C. Hemp

Holotype. Male. Tanzania, near Gulwe, Mpwapwa District, Dodoma Region, small hill covered by Miombo woodlands, on herbs in grasslands, March 2018 . Paratypes 13 males, 4 females, same data as holotype. Depository: Collection C. Hemp .

Description. Male. Color dark green, with broad dark brown fascia dorsal on head and pronotum. Head and antennae. Antennae thick, more than twice as long as length of insect (6 cm, N=1). Fastigium verticis consisting of two bulges running into narrow finger-like sulcate ridge; separated from conical fastigium of face by gap. Eyes slightly oval, prominent. Thorax. Surface of pronotum with numerous small wrinkles. Tegmina and wings. Venation of tegmina reduced, broad, oval, slightly longer than body length. Alae reduced ( Fig. 5 A ), about 6–7 mm long. Stridulatory file on inner side of left tegmen continuous and slightly curved; consisting of numerous small and tightly set teeth ( Fig. 6 D ). Legs. Tympanic auricles of fore tibiae conchate, not inflated. Fore and mid femora with ventral double row of stout black-tipped spines. Hind femora also with ventral double row of black spines that are less stout than on fore and mid legs. Fore and mid tibiae quadrangular in diameter, with numerous small spinules, especially ventrally. Hind tibia dorsally rounded, ventrally with double row of spinules. Abdomen. 10 th abdominal tergite greatly enlarged forming a two-parted structure: dorsally two elongated but apically rounded processes are formed; below these processes two bulbous structures are present ( Fig. 6 A, B ). Cerci laterally pan-like enlarged, with small finger-shaped process on anterior margin (arrow in Fig. 6 A ). Subgenital plate elongated with median v-shaped incision ( Fig. 6 C ).

Female: Similar in size and colour as male ( Fig. 4 B ), thus sexual dimorphism small. Alae stronger reduced than in male ( Fig. 5 B ), 4–4.5 mm long. Subgenital plate with broad base and incised apex ( Fig. 7 A ). Ovipositor stout, slightly up-curved and strongly serrated. Cerci thick and short.

Measurements, males (mm) (N=4). Total length of body 26.2–29.6; Median length of pronotum 6.5–7.2; Length of hind femur 33.4–35.3; Length of elytra 24.7–25.8.

Measurements, females (mm) (N=4). Total length of body 30.2–32.5; Median length of pronotum 7.5–7.8; Length of hind femur 33.4–34.6; Length of elytra 23.8–29.1. Length of ovipositor 13.4–14.3.

Diagnosis. H. laticerca n. sp. belongs to a group of Horatosphaga species with a modified 10 th tergite. In differ- ence to H. laticerca n. sp., H. ruspolii (Schulthess, 1898) , H. crosskeyi Ragge, 1960 , H. inclusa (Karsch, 1893) and H. parensis Hemp, 2002 have rather elongate tegmina with the typical grooves developed while the tegmina of H. laticerca n. sp. are abbreviated and broadly rounded with reduced venation and without stridulatory modifications outside the stridulatory organ itself. Morphologically similar are the East African species H. diminuta (Chopard, 1954) and H. vicina (Chopard, 1954) . They share with H. laticerca n. sp. a similar plump habitus in male and female, broad rounded tegmina with reduced venation and a similar knob-like 10 th abdominal tergite with a broadly sulcate upper and a bulbous lower part. However, unique are the pan-like expanded very large cerci of H. laticerca n. sp. while both H. vicina and H. diminuta have very inconspicuous cerci hidden under the enlarged 10 th abdominal tergite. Ragge (1980) noted that H. diminuta and H. vicina only differ in body size and that H. vicina is maybe a large form of H. diminuta . Both taxa occur in isolated mountains in northern Kenya / Ethiopia (Moyale area and Mt. Marsabit) and could well represent two taxa separated by unsuitable habitat for a longer time and thus being in current speciation. Females of the latter three species are similar in their habitus with differences in the shape of their ovipositors (strongly serrated in H. laticerca n. sp.; with few dents in H. vicina and diminuta ) and subgenital plates ( Fig. 7 ).

Habitat. Grasslands and ruderal vegetation in the vicinity of Miombo woodlands.

Distribution. Central Tanzania, only known from the type locality.

Etymology. The male cerci are very enlarged, there from Latin: - lati, broad cercus.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Male (A) and female (B) Horatosphaga laticerca n. sp.

FIGURE 5. Alae of male (A) and female (B) Horatosphaga laticerca n. sp.

FIGURE 6. Morphological details of male Horatosphaga laticerca n. sp. A, B. Semi-dorsal and lateral view on male apex; ar- row in A points to process on dorsal margin of laterally pan-like expanded cerci C. Subgenital plate D. Stridulatory file.

FIGURE 7. Morphological details of female Horatosphaga species A. Subgenital plate and lateral view on ovipositor (B) of H. laticerca n. sp. C. Subgenital plate and (D) lateral view on ovipositor of H. vicina.