Conocephalus (Megalotheca) namibius, Gorochov, 2009

Gorochov, Andrej V., 2009, Katydids of the genus Ewanella and of the subgenus Megalotheca (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae), African Invertebrates 50 (2), pp. 435-435 : 442-443

Conocephalus (Megalotheca) namibius sp. n.

Figs 15 , 36, 37 Etymology: From Namibia.

Description:

Male.

Coloration greenish yellow with a pair of hardly lighter (yellowish) stripes along lateral edges of disc, light brown area between them, yellowish proximal half of tegminal Sc, brownish both its distal half and stridulatory vein of upper tegmen, brown both plectrum of lower tegmen and majority of longitudinal veins in hind wings, semitransparent rest of wing venation, and transparent membranes of all wings (hind legs missing). Shape of head in profile as in Fig. 15 ; shape of both anterior part of head (from above) and proximal part of antennae similar to that shown in Fig. 12 , but rostrum hardly shorter; interspace between eye and posteroventral corner of epicranium (situated behind hind part of subgena) distinctly shorter than fore femur (ratio 1.2). Pronotum also similar to that of C. phasma (from above; Fig. 12 ), but slightly shorter and with lateral lobes higher and somewhat different in shape ( Fig. 15 ). Both pairs of wings long, extending much behind abdominal apex; tegmina narrow, and 4 mm not reaching apex of hind wings; stridulatory apparatus in lower (right) tegmen very similar to that of C. marcelloi ( Fig. 17 ); this apparatus in upper (left) tegmen very similar to that of C. phasma ( Fig. 12 ); costal area in proximal half of tegmina normally developed (but not wide); in distal half of tegmina, this area strongly reduced; tegminal RS and MA forming a single longitudinal vein with 6 or 7 short distal branches (base of RS almost indistinct, similar to crossvein; R appears like a vein lacking branches, as its base has distinct connection with only RA). Abdomen rather long, with 10 th tergite as in Fig. 36 ; cerci elongate (but less elongate than in C. phasma , C. longiceps , and C. marcelloi ), with almost acute apex and distinctly curved large denticle situated at middle of cercus; medial edge of cercus between its apex and this denticle convex at middle ( Fig. 36 ); genital plate with hind part almost identical to that of C. marcelloi ( Fig. 34 ); genital sclerites as in Fig. 37 . Female unknown.

Length (mm): Body 18, body with wings 29, pronotum 3.7, fore femur 2.4, tegmen 18.5.

Holotype: ♂ NAMIBIA: “ Waterberg Nat. Park, Entrance , Road 2512, 20 ° 32'S: 17 ° 20'E, Stuckenberg & Londt, Acacia thornveld”, 20.iii.1984 ( NMSA).

Comparison: Differences between the new species and the most similar species ( C. marcelloi , C. phasma , C. longiceps , and possibly C. xiphidioides ) are described in the key.

Figures

Figs 11–28. Conocephalus, male (after Karny (1907), Uvarov (1928), Gorochov & Llorente (2004), Eades & Otte (2009), and orig.): (11–13) C. phasma, head and pronotum laterally (11), head with base of left antenna, pronotum, and tegmina dorsally (12), stridulatory apparatus of right tegmen (13); (14) C. longiceps, pronotum laterally; (15) C. namibius sp. n., head and pronotum laterally; (16, 17) C. marcelloi, stridulatory apparatus of left (16) and right (17) tegmina; (18) C. xiphidioides, stridulatory apparatus of left tegmen; (19–21) C. zlobini sp. n., pronotum laterally (19), left tegmen (20), strudulatory apparatus of right tegmen (21); (22) C. montana, pronotum laterally; (23) C. parvula, stridulatory apparatus of left tegmen; (24) C. rhodesianus, pronotum laterally; (25) C. bechuanensis, pronotum laterally; (26, 27) C. discolor, pronotum laterally (26), stridulatory apparatus of left tegmen (27); (28) C. inaequalis, pronotum laterally.

Figs 30–56. Conocephalus, male (after Peringuey (1916), Uvarov (1928), Gorochov & Llorente (2004), Eades & Otte (2009), and orig.): (30–32) C. phasma, abdominal apex dorsally (30), hind part of genital plate ventrally (31), genital sclerites (32); (33–35) C. marcelloi, abdominal apex without left part dorsally (33), hind part of genital plate ventrally (34), genital sclerites (35); (36, 37) C. namibius sp. n., abdominal apex without left part dorsally (36), genital sclerites (37); (38) C. longiceps, cercus dorsally; (39–42) C. zlobini sp. n., abdominal apex dorsally (39), inner side of cercus (40), hind part of genital plate ventrally (41), genital sclerites (42); (43–45) C. montana, cercus dorsally (43) and laterally (45), its inner side (44); (46–49) C. parvula, cercus dorsally (46) and laterally (48), its inner side (47), hind part of genital plate ventrally (49); (50–52) C. vaginalis, cercus dorsally (50) and laterally (51), hind part of genital plate ventrally (52); (53) C. rhodesianus, cercus dorsally; (54, 55) C. discolor, cercus dorsally (54), genital sclerites (55); (56) C. inaequalis, cercus dorsally.