Sphyrometopa femorata Carl, 1908

Piotr Naskrecki, 2000, Katydids of Costa Rica / Vol. 1, Systematics and bioacoustics of the cone-head katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Conocephalinae sensu lato)., Philadelphia, PA: The Orthopterists Society at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, : 97

Sphyrometopa femorata Carl, 1908

Figs. 25 A-E, 26A, 26C, 48A, 57G, Map 13

1908 Carl, Revue Suisse de Zool. 16: 135; type locality: Costa Rica; type depository: Museum d’Histoire Naturelle, Geneva – holotype female

[syn.] Conocephalus diversus = 1905 Rehn, J. A. G., Proce. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia: 825; type locality: Guatel, Costa Rica; type depository: Acad. Nat. Sci., Philadelphia

[syn.] Sphyrometopa rehni = 1912 Karny, in Wytsman, Gen. Ins. 139: 37; new name for Conocephalus diversus

Diagnostic description.— General characteristics as described above. Tegmina shortened, reaching 6th or 7th abdominal tergite, approximately oval in shape ( Fig. 26 A); hind wings greatly reduced about as long as 1/3 of tegmina. Stridulatory file of male 1.3 mm long, with 202 lamelliform teeth, maximum width of file 130 μm ( Fig. 48 A); teeth of file uniform in thickness, evenly spaced and smoothly narrowing towards proximal end. Mirror of stridulatory apparatus approximately square, with distal margin of mirror convex. Male cercus with dorsal lobe pointed apically and of the same color or only slightly darker than remainder of cercus ( Figs. 25 D-E).

Measurements.— Table 17 .

Bioacoustics.— Morris and Beier (1982) describe the call of S. femorata (a population from Monteverde) as a steady sequence of paired lisps, with the lisps repeated every 10 seconds at 16°C. Each lisp consists of a faint minor pulse train followed by a much longer and more intense major pulse train (the minor pulse train could not be detected in the recordings made by M. Greenfield in Monteverde, see Fig. 57 G). Both lisps in a pair have the same structure. Most of the energy of the call is allocated near 11 kHz, and in a broader higher frequency peak centered on 27 kHz.

Distribution.— S. femorata is restricted in its distribution to the Pacific portion of Costa Rica ( Map 13 ). Most specimens of this species have been collected from middle elevation sites between 500 and 1580 m Rentz (1976)

Material examined.— COSTA RICA: Alajuela Prov., Finca San Gabriel, 2 km SW Dos Rios, elev. 600 m, 15 May 1990 (coll. II curso parataxon.) - 1 female ( INBio); R.B. San Ramón, elev. 800 m, 1 - 31 March 1997 (coll. G. Carballo) - 1 female ( INBio); Zona Protectora de Arenal, Pocosol, 10 - 16 February 1994 (coll. P. Naskrecki) - 2 nymphs ( PN collection); Cartago Prov., P.N. Tapantí, Río Dos Amigos, A.C. Amistad, elev. 1480 m, 1 - 31 March 1994 (coll. G. Mora) - 1 female ( INBio); Guanacaste Prov., Estac. Cacao, 2 km SW del Cerro Cacao, elev. 1000 - 1400 m, 8 - 17 February 1995 (coll. M.A. Zumbado) - 1 female ( INBio); Estac. Pitilla, 9 km St. Cecilia, elev. 700 m, 15 May 1988 (coll. GNP Biodiversity Survey) - 2 females ( INBio); same locality, 15 July 1988 (coll. GNP Biodiversity Survey) - 2 females ( INBio); same locality, 15 August 1988 (coll. GNP Biodiversity Survey) - 1 female ( INBio); same locality, 15 November 1988 (coll. GNP Biodiversity Survey) - 1 female ( INBio); same locality, 15 January 1989 (coll. GNP Biodiversity Survey) - 1 female ( INBio); same locality, 6 - 7 December 1993 - 1 female ( INBio); same locality, 15 August 1994 (coll. C. Moraga) - 1 male, 1 female ( INBio); Estac Cacao, SW side Volcán Cacao, elev. 1000 - 1400 m, 15 March 1988 (coll. GNP Biodiv. Survey) - 1 female ( INBio); same locality, elev. 1000 - 1400 m, 1 December 1989 (coll. R. Blanco and C. Chávez) - 1 female ( INBio); Estac. Pitilla, 9 km S Santa Cecilia, elev. 700 m, 15 September 1989 (coll. C. Moraga and P. Rios) - 1 female ( INBio); San José Prov., Estac. Zurquí, 500 m antes de Tunel, elev. 1600 m, 15 April 1991 (coll. G. Maass) - 1 male ( INBio).

Figures

FIG. 25. Costa Rican species of Sphyrometopa. A-E. S. femorata: A. female - habitus, B. female face, C. female head and pronotum, dorsal view, D. male cerci, dorsal view, E. male left cercus, lateral view, F. S. atlantica - male left cercus, lateral view.

FIG. 26. Costa Rican species of Sphyrometopa and Moncheca. A. S. femorata - male left tegmen, B. S. atlantica- male left tegmen, C. S. femorata - titillators, everted, D-F. M. pretiosa: D. female head and pronotum, lateral view, E. female head and pronotum, dorsal view, F. male cerci, dorsal view, G. male cerci, lateral view.

FIG. 48. Stridulatory files of Costa Rican species of Conocephalinae s. l. A. Sphyrometopa femorata, C. Sphyrometopa atlantica, C. ditto, enlarged fragment, D. Eppia truncatipennis, enlarged fragment, E. ditto, entire file, F. Caulopsis cuspidata, entire file, G. ditto, enlarged fragment, H. Caulopsis microprora, enlarged fragment, I. ditto, entire file.

FIG. 57. Oscillograms of male airborne calls of Costa Rican species of Conocephalinae s. l. A. Neoconocephalus triops, B. ditto, 0.5 s fragment, C. Eppia truncatipennis (Panama, Gamboa), D. ditto, 0.5 s fragment, E. Sphyrometopa atlantica, F. ditto, 0.5 s fragment, G. Sphyrometopa femorata, 0.5 s fragment.

MAPS 13 - 18. Distribution of species of Conocephalinae s. l. in Costa Rica. 13. Sphyrometopa femorata, S. atlantica, Eppia truncatipennis, 14. Erioloides longipennis, E. macrocephalus, E. longinoi, E. brevipennis, 15. Erioloides, consobrinus, E. acutidentis, E. latiscobinus, E. sikesi, 16. Eriolus aculeus, E. acutipennis, E. duplidentis, E. penicillus, 17. Subria sylvestris, S. crassicerca, S. scutellaris, 18. Podacanthophorus alas, P. nelciae, P. vargasi, P. maylinae.