Tetraconcha stichyrata Karsch, 1890

Massa, Bruno, 2017, Revision of the tropical African genus Tetraconcha (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae) with the description of ten new species, Journal of Orthoptera Research 26 (2), pp. 211-232 : 214

Tetraconcha stichyrata Karsch, 1890 Figs 23-25, 68, 80, 98

(= T. scalaris Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1891)

Karsch, 1890b. Entom. Nachricht. 16 (23): 360.

Type material.

-Barombi Station (Cameroon) (MfN).

Material examined.

-Cameroon, Barombi Station (♂ holotype) (MfN); Cameroon, Rohde (1♀); Gabon (1♂) (NMW); Cameroon (1♂) (MNCN); Ivory Coast, Taï Nat. Park, Research Station 20.III.2017, 05°49'59.8"N, 07°20'32.0"W (light trap), P. Annoyer (1♂); Ivory Coast, Taï Nat. Park, Research Station 20.III.2017 (night), S. Danflous (1♀); Ivory Coast, Taï Nat. Park, Res. Station 4.IV.2017 (light trap), P. Moretto (1♂) (BMPC); Ivory Coast, Taï Nat. Park, Research Station 25.III.2017 (light), P. Annoyer (1♂) (PACT); Central African Republic, Dzanga-N’Doki National Park, Sangha, camp 4, 14.III.2005, P. Annoyer (1♂); Central African Republic, Dzanga-N’Doki National Park, N’Doki, Lake 1, 4.II.2012 (light trap), P. Annoyer (1♂) (PACT); Democratic Republic of Congo, Mulunau (1800 m) 24.V.1970, T. De Stefani (1♀) (MRT).

Remarks.

-When Karsch (1891) established the synonymy of T. scalaris from Gabon with T. stichyrata , he also briefly described the female of T. stichyrata , and gave its measurements, including the length (31.5 mm) and width (10 mm) of tegmina; however, according to Karsch (1891) the ratio length/width of tegmina in the males of this species should be 3.1, but it actually varies between 3.0 and 4.6, while in the females it lies between 4.0 and 4.8.

The stridulatory area and stridulatory file of T. stichyrata are shown in Figs 23-24; the stridulatory file is ca. 1.7 mm long, curved and consists of ca. 60 evenly spaced teeth; cubital areas are very wide (Fig. 24). The subgenital plate of this species is completely different from that of all other species of the genus being apically pointed not concave (Fig. 25). T. stichyrata has tegmina comparatively shorter than other species of the genus, so that the hind wings, when closed, remarkably exceeds the tegmina, both in males and in females.

Distribution.- T. stichyrata has been recorded in Cameroon and Gabon; it is here reported from Ivory Coast. Very probably its distribution covers central and western regions of tropical Africa.