Sphingonotus

Husemann, Martin, Ray, Jesse & Hochkirch, Axel, 2011, A revision of the subgenus Parasphingonotus Benediktov & Husemann, 2009 (Orthoptera: Oedipodinae: Sphingonotini), Zootaxa 2916, pp. 51-61 : 57-59

Sphingonotus Parasphingonotus turkanae Uvarov, 1938

Material examined. Type material: Holotype: 1 male, KENYA, Turkana, Komogin R., 0 5 Mar. 1934, leg. D. R. Buxton, det. B. Uvarov, Depository: NHM, Paratype: 1 male, KENYA, Lokitang, Turkana Nord, 1932-33, leg. C. Arambourg, P.-A. Chappuis & R. Jeannel, det. B. Uvarov, Depository: NHM, Paratype: 1 female, ETHIOPIA, Bourié, Shore of river Omo, 1932-33, leg. C. Arambourg, P.-A. Chappuis & R. Jeannel, det. B. Uvarov, Depository: NHM.

Additional material examined. 1 female, ETHIOPIA, El Oha, 10 Nov. 1968, leg. J. Tunstall, Depository: NHM, 1 male, ETHIOPIA, Diré-Daoua, Dec. 1934, leg. H. Uhlenhuth, Depository: NHM, 1 male, 1 female, YEMEN, Socotra, R. A. F. Camp, 26–27 Jan. 1953, leg. G. Popov, Depository: NHM, 1 female, YEMEN, San’a, 10–15 Oct. 1937, leg. Dr. C. Rathjens, Depository: NHM, 1 male 1 female, SOMALIA, near Borama, 1934, leg. Capt. R. H. T. Taylor, Depository: NHM, 1 male, 1 female, TANZANIA, Tanganyika Terrain, Mkomasi Station, 60 miles W of Amani, 20 June 1934, leg. E. Burtt, Depository: NHM, 1 male, TANZANIA, Mt. Meru, 26 May 2005, leg. C. Hemp, Depository: M. Husemann, private collection.

Distribution. Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia ( Uvarov 1938, Dirsh 1965, Hemp 2009), Socotra, Yemen ( Uvarov & Popov 1957, Johnsen & Schmidt 1982)

Male. General facies: Habitus as typical for the genus, but fairly slender; medium size: length from fastigium of vertex to end of fore wings 20.7–23.3 mm (N=9).

Color: Body coloration variable: light to medium brown. Antennae alternating light and dark brown. Outer area of hind femora same color as body, but with dark incomplete fascia 1/3 of the length of the femora away from the knee. Sometimes with smoky spot in the middle of the medial area. Inner side of hind femora beige with dark knee and one full fascia at the level of the outer band, in addition the whole medial area is dark. Hind tibiae dirty whitish or pale yellow with dark spines.

Head: Antennae filiform, longer than head and pronotum together. Frontal ridge slightly concave with lateral carinae, widened between basis of antennae. Fastigium of vertex concave, lateral carinae almost parallel, elevated, medial carinula variable, usually distinctly developed, often Y-shaped. Temporal foveolae distinct, elongate triangular.

Thorax: Pronotum almost as wide as long; pronotal disk strongly rugose with elevated tubercles and ridges, 2 complete transverse sulci, the area between the sulci consists of two elevated knobs which form a small plateau and interrupt the third (median) sulcus; median carina distinct in front of first sulcus; posterior margin right angled and weakly rounded at the tip; lateral carinae developed in metazona. Metazona 2–3 times as long as prozona (0.35– 0.6, N=9).

Wings: Fore wings moderately densely reticulated, relatively narrow: 5.9–7.4 (N=9) as long as wide. Intercalary vein often almost straight, sometimes curved, then the central part is most distant from the radius, smooth; radius serrated. Hind wings slightly bluish without any trace of fascia but with dark veins.

Femora: Hind femora 3.5–3.9 (N=8) times longer than wide; spurs of tibia of normal length for the genus; arolium small (1/3 of length of claws).

Abdomen: Tympanum typical for the genus, as high as long, less than 50% of opening covered by ventral lobe. Epiproct short and trilobate, about 2/3 the length of the cerci, lateral margins slightly elevated, basally with several small tubercles. Cerci longer than epiproct, slightly conical with blunt rounded tip.

Inner genitalia: Lophi of epiphallus large and bipartite, internal lobes mushroom shaped, projecting inside, external part oval; ancorae in- and down-curved, pointed; epiphallic bridge of medium width; anterior projections short and narrow; posterior projections short, rounded.

Female. The females are mostly similar to males but differ in the following characters:

Body more stout; body size: 25–29.5 mm (N=7); cerci almost cylindrical with rounded tip. Ovipositor displays some variation; short, valves strongly curved, with rounded or pointed tips; both valves approximately of similar length, lower valve with distinct rounded tooth. Lower valve from seen below with basal plates of almost round shape ( Fig. 5 ), covering less than half of the valve. Proximal part of valves relatively narrow, laterally elevated. Subgenital plate without distinct lobes, lobes replaced by two broad curvatures.

Differential diagnosis. S. radioserratus is easily distinguished from the other two species of the subgenus by its two incomplete wing bands on the forewing and by the dark band on the hind wing. The males have a very distinctive supra-anal plate, which is longer than in the other species of the subgenus and has a horseshoe-shaped ridge in the apical part. S. turkanae and S. femoralis are easily distinguished by the sculpting patterns of the pronotum, which is much more rugose and has a higher and more distinctive medial carina in S. turkanae . The upper carina of the hind femora has a distinct step in S. turkanae (like in Oedipoda species). The fastigium of vertex and frontal ridge of S. turkanae are much wider than in S. femoralis and have a more distinct carina which can be bifurcated in some individuals. Females of all species differ in the shape of the basal lobes of the lower valve of the ovipositor. S. femoralis have oval basal lobes, while S. radioserratus has an internal small appendix proximal on the basal lobe. S. turkanae has very short basal lobes which are of almost round shape. The female subgenital plates of all species differ as well. S. femoralis has two rounded lobes, while those are almost rectangular in S. radioserratus and only represented by a broad curvature in S. turkanae .

Figures

FIGURE 5. View of the lower valve of the ovipositor and the subgenital plate from below: a) a former paratype of S. airensis from Niger, b) a paratype from S. P. femoralis from Somalia, c) an allotype from S. P. radioserratus from Tunisia, and d) a paratype of S. P. turkanae from Ethiopia.