Bucrates capitatus (De Geer, 1773)

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, : 64-66

Bucrates capitatus (De Geer, 1773)

Figs. 14 F-I, 46A-B, Map 9

1773 De Geer Mem. Ins. iii.: 455, pl. 40, fig. 1 >> Locusta capitata ; type locality: unknown; type depository: Naturihistoriska Rijksmuseum, Stockholm – holotype female

1838 Burmeister, Handb. Ent. 2: 709 >> Bucrates

1933 Sjöstedt, Y., Arkiv för Zoologi 25A: 7, pl. 15, fig. 5 >>photograph of the holotype

[syn.] latifrons = 1869 Walker, Cat. Derm. Salt. Brit. Mus. 2: 310; type locality: Venezuela, type depository: Museum of Natural History, London.

Diagnostic description.— General characteristics as described above. Wings fully developed, well surpassing apices of hind femora or shortened, not reaching apex of abdomen. Stridulatory file of male 3.2 mm long, with 113 lamelliform teeth, maximum width of file 0.27 mm ( Figs. 46 A-B); teeth of file uniform in thickness, evenly spaced and smoothly narrowing towards proximal end. Mirror of stridulatory apparatus somewhat longer than wide, with all margins convex. Fastigium of vertex about 4 times as wide as scapus, continuous with fastigium of frons; apex of fastigium of frons shallowly notched ( Figs. 14 F-H). Ovipositor somewhat longer than hind femur (ratio (all measurements are lengths in mm: range, mean±SD)

ovipositor/hind femur 1.20-1.29), weakly downcurved.

Coloration.— Body coloration brown or olive green; dorsum of pronotum darker, with two dark brown stripes on edges; tegmina with numerous dark speckles.

Measurements.— Table 9 .

Bioacoustics.— Belwood and Morris (1987) presented a spectrogram the call of B. capitatus (populations from Barro Colorado Island, Panama). The call is continuous, with an average call repetition rate of 450/min, and wide frequency range (approx. 7-40 kHz).

Distribution.— The geographic distribution of this species stretches from Guatemala through Costa Rica and Panama, to Venezuela and Bahia, Brazil. In Costa Rica this species is apparently uncommon, and is known only from one individual collected on the Osa Peninsula ( Map 9 ).

Material examined.— COSTA RICA: Puntarenas Prov., Bosque Esquinas, Península de Osa, elev. 200 m, 1 - 30 May 1994 (coll. J. Quesada) - 1 female ( INBio).

Other material.— Panama, French Guyana, and Venezuela.

Figures

FIG. 14. Costa Rican species of Bucrates. A-E. B. clausus: A. female - habitus, B. female face, C. female head and pronotum, dorsal view, D. male cerci, dorsal and ventral views, E. right hind tibia, dorsal view; F-I. B. capitatus: F. female face, G. female head and pronotum, dorsal view, H. head and pronotum, lateral view, I. male cerci, dorsal view.

FIG. 46. Stridulatory files of Costa Rican species of Conocephalinae s. l. A. Bucrates capitatus, B. ditto, enlarged fragment, C. Bucrates clausus, enlarged fragment, D. ditto, entire file, E. Pyrgocorypha rogersi, entire file, F. ditto, enlarged fragment, G. Pyrgocorypha hamata, enlarged fragment, H. ditto, entire file.

MAPS 7 - 12. Distribution of species of Conocephalinae s. l. in Costa Rica. 7. Neoconocephalus affinis, N. triops, 8. Neoconocephalus punctipes, N. cf. spiza, 9. Bucrates capitatus, B. clausus, Metacaputus brenesi, 10. Pyrgocorypha rogersi, P. hamata, 11. Caulopsis cuspidata, C. microprora, 12. Moncheca elegans, M. pretiosa, Vestria punctata.

Tables

TABLE 9. Body measurements of species of Bucrates

Species	Body with wings	Tegmen	Pronotum	Hind femur	Ovipositor
capitatus male female	49.8-52, 50.9±1.6 62.6-64.4, 63.6±0.9	38.4-38.8, 38.6±0.3 45.6-50.1, 48.4±2.4	9.6-9.9, 9.8±0.2 11-11.8, 11.3±0.4	21.6-24.3, 23±1.9 27.2-28.6, 27.9±0.7	na 32.7-36.2, 34.4±1.8
clausus male female	57.2-61.2, 59.2±2.8 59.7-64.7, 61.8±2.0	44.5-44.8, 44.7±0.2 47-50.5, 49.1±1.5	8.4-9.6, 9±0.8 8.1-9.1, 8.6±0.4	21.8-22.8, 22.3±0.7 22.5-24.1, 23.3±0.6	na 21.6-23.6, 22.6±0.7