Eupholidoptera cretica Ramme, 1951

Willemse, Luc, Tilmans, Jos, Kotitsa, Nefeli, Trichas, Apostolos, Heller, Klaus-Gerhard, Chobanov, Dragan & Ode, Baudewijn, 2023, A review of Eupholidoptera (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae) from Crete, Gavdos, Gavdopoula, and Andikithira, ZooKeys 1151, pp. 67-158 : 67

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1151.97514
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:5FEDE55D-C9AF-47D5-9125-9F1758AE2A18
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/953D4F3C-FE4D-5230-A2A9-308EAC95DAD5
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Eupholidoptera cretica Ramme, 1951
status

Treatment

Eupholidoptera cretica Ramme, 1951 View in CoL

Figs 14 View Figures 11–24 , 28 View Figures 25–38 , 42 View Figures 39–52 , 56 View Figures 53–66 , 72 View Figures 69–82 , 86 View Figures 83–96 , 100 View Figures 97–110 , 114 View Figures 111–125 , 129 View Figures 126–139 , 143 View Figures 140–153 , 157 View Figures 154–167 , 171 View Figures 168–181 , 185 View Figures 182–197 , 201 View Figures 198–212 , 226 View Figures 224–235 , 227 View Figures 224–235 , 255 View Figures 254, 255

Eupholidoptera cretica Ramme, 1951: 202.

Eupholidoptera cretica Morphological description. Ramme 1951: 202.

Remark.

Eupholidoptera cretica was described after a single male, collected 13 June 1942 by K. Zimmermann. This, most likely, is the mammologist who worked on the mammals of Crete and published a review of his observations including a map ( Zimmermann et al. 1953). As collecting location for the specimen Ramme (1951) mentioned “Sanmaria” [sic]. Samaria is the name used both for the gorge as well as the hamlet in the gorge ca. 4 km inland at 340 m altitude. Extensive searches in 2000, 2011, and 2019 around Agia Roumeli, the coastal village at the entrance of the gorge and the Samaria gorge itself were unsuccessful. Likewise visits to the Omalos plain above the Samaria gorge in 1991 (Heller), 2003 and 2004 (Tilmans) failed to find the species. Then the species appeared to have been trapped in fermenting traps placed in bushes at 1200 m on the southeastern-most flanks of Mt. Lefka above the villages of Anopoli and Limnia in 1991 and again on the Omalos plateau just above the Samaria gorge in 2019. Only few specimens were caught. A single undamaged male and female have been used to make stacked images, present diagnostic features for the male and describe the female.

Examined specimens.

1 ♂, 2 ♀ (for details see Suppl. material 2).

Diagnostic features.

Frontal part of head (Fig. 14 View Figures 11–24 ) pale with black dots; pronotum (Fig. 28 View Figures 25–38 ) pale with more or less distinct black spots in centre of disc and along rear edge of side flap. Male - stridulatory file with 107 teeth (including proximal and distal ones), density of teeth in middle two thirds of the file 32 teeth per mm; anal tergite (Figs 72 View Figures 69–82 , 86 View Figures 83–96 , 100 View Figures 97–110 ) with hind margin forming two widely separated triangular lobes pointing backward and downward with pointed tip; cerci (Figs 114 View Figures 111–125 , 129 View Figures 126–139 ) unarmed, 5 × longer than wide, basal half cylindrical, apical half conical, strongly curved inward, in profile straight; subgenital plate (Figs 143 View Figures 140–153 , 157 View Figures 154–167 ) as slightly wider than long, proximally widest, apically gradually narrowing, sides partly rimmed, in profile very weakly upturned, pointing backward, tip apical lobes narrowly truncate, spineless, with wide V-shaped excision along one third of length; styli (Fig. 171 View Figures 168–181 ) long, 0.6 × as long as cerci, 6 × longer than wide, cylindrical, inserted at inner tip of apical lobe, pointing backward and upward; titillator (Figs 185 View Figures 182–197 , 201 View Figures 198–212 ) symmetrical, apical arms from base widening, in apical half narrowing again, swollen, fused except for straight tooth-like apical fifth part, in profile weakly S-shaped hardly widened in basal half, somewhat dilated in swollen apical half.

Description.

Female. Examined specimens. 2♀: CHANIA: Lefka Mt., above Omalos - RMNH.INS1141837 (RMNH); Lefka Mt., Sfakion above Anopoli - 2005.060.01 (CT) (for details see Suppl. material 2).

General appearance (Figs 226 View Figures 224–235 , 227 View Figures 224–235 ) and colouration as male. Elytra in dorsal view covered by pronotum, in profile barely protruding, light coloured. Cerci relatively long, as long as subgenital plate, slightly bent inward and upward, conical, gradually narrowing toward slender pointed tip. Subgenital plate (Figs 42 View Figures 39–52 , 56 View Figures 53–66 ) distinctly wider than long, greatest width in distal half, in ventral view medially convex, laterally flattened, halfway forming distinct bulge, surface dull, smooth with dispersed hairs, hind margin with very wide U-shape excision reaching along a quarter to halfway, corners rectangular, in profile rhomboid to deltoid with a distinct depression in apical and dorsal corner, lower edge strongly convex, tip obtuse angular. Ovipositor in proximal two thirds straight, apical third slightly curved upward, 2 × longer than pronotum.

Measurements.

See Tables 6 View Table 6 , 7 View Table 7 .

Bioacoustics.

The song of this species has not yet been recorded.

Differential diagnosis.

Males differ from congenerics in the stout, unarmed, inward curved cercus (Figs 114 View Figures 111–125 , 129 View Figures 126–139 ), in the widely separated triangular lobes of the anal tergite with tips pointing backward and downward (Figs 72 View Figures 69–82 , 86 View Figures 83–96 , 100 View Figures 97–110 ), in the subgenital plate (Figs 143 View Figures 140–153 , 157 View Figures 154–167 ) gradually narrowing into truncate and spineless tips, in the very long, apically inserted backward and upward pointing styli (Fig. 171 View Figures 168–181 ) and the widened apical arms of the titillator (Figs 185 View Figures 182–197 , 201 View Figures 198–212 ) fused except for two short straight teeth in apical fifth. Females differ in the wide, convex, subgenital plate (Figs 42 View Figures 39–52 , 56 View Figures 53–66 ), the hind margin medially with a very wide and deep excision. In colouration E. cretica is one of the few Cretan Eupholidoptera species with no or only minute black marking on the pronotal disc. For more details differentiating E. cretica from other Cretan Eupholidoptera see Table 5 View Table 5 .

Distribution.

Besides the type location which is not exactly traceable, only known from two spots on Mt. Lefka, one in northwest near the Omalos plateau and Samaria gorge and a second along the southeastern slopes above the villages of Anopoli and Limnia (Fig. 255 View Figures 254, 255 ). For a complete list of localities, specimens and repositories see Suppl. material 1.

Habitat.

The area around the Omalos plateau where the species was trapped is described as Cupressus forest. The species has been trapped in fermenting traps placed above the ground in shrubs, indicating E. cretica like E. smyrnensis , E. mariannae as well as E. jacquelinae but contrary to most other Cretan species, actually lives in such shrubs and not in small prickly bushes on the ground.

Phenology.

Still very little is known. The first male was caught on 13 June 1942. Specimens being caught in traps were found in traps operative between 31 July and 19 October. The recorded altitudes where the species was found are between 1165 m and 1235 m.