Holocerus lucifer (Serville, 1838)

Skejo, Josip, Medak, Kristian, Pavlovic, Marko, Kitonic, † Davorka, Miko, Rafanomezanjanahary Jean Christian & Franjevic, Damjan, 2020, The story of the Malagasy devils (Orthoptera, Tetrigidae): Holocerus lucifer in the north and H. devriesei sp. nov. in the south?, ZooKeys 957, pp. 1-15 : 1

publication ID

https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.957.52565

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:EE16305B-FCE2-42AA-AA01-8CF694E13137

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/33B198D6-079E-5E64-82E6-464B852D4AD2

treatment provided by

ZooKeys by Pensoft

scientific name

Holocerus lucifer (Serville, 1838)
status

 

Holocerus lucifer (Serville, 1838) Figs 1 View Figure 1 , 2 Common name: Northern Devil’s pygmy grasshopper View Figure 2

Tetrix Lucifer Serville, 1838: Serville (1838: 758; description of the species based on a single ♀ holotype (MNHN) from Paris, see Fig. 1A-D View Figure 1 ); Augé (1898: 296; drawing of the HT from MNHN Paris = first depiction of this genus member, Fig. 1D View Figure 1 );

Holocerus Lucifer : Bolívar (1887: 186, 231, 232; mentioned, tentatively assigned to the genus Holocerus ); Kirby (1910: 28; listed in catalogue);

Holocerus taurus Rehn, 1929 syn. nov.: Rehn (1929: 494-497; detailed description of the species based on seven specimens, ♂ HT, 1 ♀ PT and 3 ♂♂ PTs from unknown locality, and 2 ♀♀ PTs from Maroantsetra, depicted) (Fig. 1E-G View Figure 1 ); Günther (1939: 91; mentioned, new records); Günther (1959: 11; included in key, depicted); Günther (1970: 79-92; discussed); Günther (1974: 966, 967; new records, depiction); Yin et al. (1996: 876; listed in catalogue); Otte (1997: 45; listed in catalogue); Cigliano et al. (2020; listed in catalogue).

Type material.

(1 HT of T. lucifer (Figure 1A-D View Figure 1 ), 1 HT (Figure 1E-G View Figure 1 ) + 6 PTs of H. taurus ). ♀ HT of Tetrix lucifer , Madagascar (MNHN); ♂ HT of Holocerus taurus , Madagascar, 1♀ PT from Madagascar, 3♂♂ PTs from Madagascar, 2♀♀ PTs from Maroantsetra II.1919 (ANSP).

Additional examined material.

There are a few records of the species since its description - by Rehn (1929) under the name H. taurus ; a photographic record from Flickr; a photographic record from Twitter; and several specimens from a museum collection in MNCN, Madrid. For detailed data on all records, see Table 1 View Table 1 .

Annotated specific diagnosis.

Holocerus lucifer is similar to H. devriesei sp. nov., which is the only other species of the genus Holocerus . Holocerus lucifer is easily distinguished from H. devriesei sp. nov. with the following set of characteristics: (i) Holocerus lucifer has slenderer femora of fore and mid legs than that of H. devriesei sp. nov.; (ii) dorsal spines are slenderer, more elongate and decurved in H. lucifer than those in H. devriesei sp. nov., and in profile they are, as described by Rehn, 'distinctly falcate, scimitar like’; (iii) middle prozonal spine (promedial projection) is blunter and lower in H. lucifer than that in H. devriesei sp. nov., and (iv) H. lucifer generally has more pale colored parts than H. devriesei sp. nov.

Measurements.

Body length, pronotum length, pronotum width, and hind femora length are shown (Table 2 View Table 2 ).

Variability.

(Figure 2 View Figure 2 ). Variability is evident in (1) coloration, as there are darker and paler specimens, (2) size, as there are larger and smaller specimens, and (3) the shape of the dorsal spines (elevated internal lateral carinae of the pronotum), as there are specimens in which the spines are more decurved and specimens with almost straight projections.

Distribution and habitat.

The species is known from the rainforests of Madagascar, from Marojejy and Maroantsetra in the north to the rainforests of Zahamena in the south. A specimen with the label ‘Tamatave’ could have been collected in the rainforests in the vicinity of the city of Toamasina, but also anywhere in the wide Toamasina region. The species inhabits primary and secondary rainforests and is probably a good flier, taking into account the observations of its sibling species’ ecology. As only one photo of a living individual of this species has been taken to date, hardly anything can be concluded about the species’ natural history. Despite being described for already 180 years, this species is less known and understood than H. devriesei sp. nov.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Orthoptera

Family

Tetrigidae

Genus

Holocerus

Loc

Holocerus lucifer (Serville, 1838)

Skejo, Josip, Medak, Kristian, Pavlovic, Marko, Kitonic, † Davorka, Miko, Rafanomezanjanahary Jean Christian & Franjevic, Damjan 2020
2020
Loc

Holocerus

Bolivar 1887
1887
Loc

Tetrix Lucifer

Serville 1838
1838