Pyrgocorypha, Stal, 1873

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, : 67-70

PYRGOCORYPHA Stål, 1873

1873 Stål, Oefv. Vet.- Akad. Forh. xiii (4): 50; type

species: Conocephalus subulatus Thunberg, 1815 1999 Naskrecki and Otte, Illustr. Cat. Orthop. I (CD

ROM) >>full references

Note: The genus Pyrgocorypha Stål includes 16 described species, 2 of which are synonymized below. Of the remaining 14 species, 8 occur in the tropics and subtropics of the south and south-east Asia, the remaining 6 species are known mostly from the tropics and sub-tropics of the New World. The generic description below is based on Nearctic and Neotropical representatives of the genus.

Diagnosis

Body medium size to large, robust; both sexes macropterous ( Figs. 15 A, 16A); tegumen moderately granulose. Fastigium of vertex strongly projecting, twice to four times as long as eye diameter, often with apical hook, with distinct gap between fastigium of frons; frons flat or weakly convex; eyes small. Male cercus with two strong apical teeth bent inwards.

Description (male except where specified)

Head.— Fastigium of vertex strongly projecting, triangular when seen from above, two to four times as long as eye diameter; apex of fastigium often with small hook; base of fastigium with distinct tooth, separated from fastigium of frons by deep gap ( Figs. 15 A-C, 16A-C). Eyes small relative to size of head, not particularly protruding. Frons flat or weakly convex, smooth; tegumen of head smooth to moderately granulose, without traces of genal carinae; face triangular, slender to moderately wide.

Thorax and wings.— Dorsal surface of pronotum moderately granulose, flat or weakly convex; anterior dorsal margin straight, posterior one straight to weakly convex; lateral lobes with posterior angle broadly rounded and with well developed humeral incision. Thoracic auditory spiracle large, elliptical, completely hidden under lateral lobe of pronotum; posterior edge of spiracle with small, finger-like projection. Prosternum armed with two thin, widely separated spines (modified basisternum); meso- and metasternum with basisterna approximately narrowly.

Wings in both sexes fully developed, surpassing apices of hind femora . Stridulatory apparatus of male well developed; stridulatory file straight or weakly curved ( Figs. 44 E-H), evenly tapering on both ends, with broad and relatively thick, lamelliform teeth; stridulatory area of left wing with dense secondary venation (but not as dense as in Neoconocephalus ); mirror of right wing almost circular, large. Posterior margin of front wing straight; apex of front wing rounded.

Legs.— Legs thick and robust. Fore coxa with an elongate, forward projecting spine dorsally; middle coxa with or without dorsal spine directed caudat. All femora unarmed dorsally, fore and mid femora armed ventrally on anterior margins, and posterior femora armed on both ventral margins; genicular lobes of fore femora unarmed, lobes on mid and hind femora unarmed or only inner

(posterior) lobes with armed small spine. Front tibia unarmed dorsally, both ventral margins with immovable spines as long as 1/4 – 1/2 diameter of tibia. Tympanum on fore tibia bilaterally closed, tympanal slits facing forward, tympanal area weakly swollen, with pair of small pits below tympanal slits; middle tibia unarmed dorsally, ventrally armed on both margins; hind tibia armed on all four dorsal and ventral margins; apex of tibia with two pairs of ventral and one pair of dorsal movable spurs; dorsal surface of hind tibia sometimes densely pitted.

Abdomen.— Dorsal surface of abdominal terga smooth, unmodified. Posterior margin of male 10th tergite with shallow but distinct emargination. Female 10th tergite with deep furrow along midline and with deep triangular incision apically. Supraanal plate small, triangular; male cercus with two strong, apical teeth; lower tooth almost as long as basal part of cercus; upper, smaller tooth as long as 1/4 to 1/3 of lower tooth; both teeth strongly bent inwards ( Figs15 D-E); female cercus, simple, narrowly conical, slightly incurved. Subgenital plate of male with a pair of styli, posterior margin of plate straight, weakly emarginated or with deep triangular incision; female subgenital plate with shallow, rounded or deeply triangular incision.

Epiphallus without well developed, strongly sclerotized titillators but with part of phallic membrane sclerotized ( Fig. 16 E). Ovipositor weakly curved downwards or distinctly bent upwards at base; both dorsal and ventral margins of ovipositor smooth; apex of upper valvula rounded; ovipositor shorter or longer than hind femur.

Coloration.— Most or all species of the genus have both green and brown color forms, usually with no conspicuous markings. Sometimes dorsal surface of the pronotum is darker than the lateral lobes, and bordered by light, thin stripes. In some species the face and the ventral part of the fastigium of vertex, and sometimes also mandibles have dark markings.

Remarks.— This genus in many ways resembles the closely related genus Neoconocephalus . It differs mostly in a more robust body form and the structure of the fastigium of vertex, which is always pointed and usually hooked apically. The only species of Neoconocephalus with a similar fastigium of vertex is Cuban N. aduncus (Scudder) .

The call of Costa Rican species is unknown. Pyrgocorypha uncinata , a species known from southern United States and Mexico has a call described as “loud buzzing” ( Helfer 1987).

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. 15. Pyrgocorypha rogersi. A. female - habitus, B. female face, C. female head and pronotum, dorsal view, D. male cerci, dorsal view, E. male cerci, posterior view.

FIG. 16. Pyrgocorypha hamata. A. female - habitus, B. female face, C. female head and pronotum, dorsal view, D. apex of male abdomen, posterior view, E. male cerci, dorsal view.

FIG. 44. Stridulatory files of Costa Rican species of Neoconocephalus. A. N. affinis, B. ditto, enlarged fragment, C. N. triops, enlarged fragment, D. ditto, entire file, E. N. punctipes, entire file, F. ditto, enlarged fragment, G. N. cf. spiza, enlarged fragment, H. ditto, entire file.