Morgenia melica Karsch, 1893

Massa, Bruno, Heller, Klaus-Gerhard, Warchalowska-Śliwa, Elzbieta & Moulin, Nicolas, 2018, The tropical African genus Morgenia (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae, Phaneropterinae) with emphasis on the spur at the mid tibia, Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 65 (2), pp. 161-175 : 165-166

Morgenia melica Karsch, 1893 Figs 7 , 17 , 25 , 33 , 47 , 48

Morgenia melica Karsch, 1893. Entom. Nachricht. 19 (13): 196.

Morgenia melica Type locality: Victoria (Cameroon) ( MfN, Berlin).

Material examined.

Cameroon, Victoria (holotype ♂) ( MfN) ; Gabon, Lope National Park Res. Station , Ogooue-Ivindo 28.III.2014, (1♂, BOLD LopeORT14-618) (light), ecotrop 2014 team ; Central African Republic, Dzanga-Ndoki National Park, 31.I.-29.II.2012 (light) (19♂), Sangha 2012 team; Mboki 24.I.2012 (1♂), Sangha 2012 team ; Ivory Coast, Täi National Park, Res. Station 16-20.III.2017 (light) (3♂, 1♀), B. Massa; 22.III-4.IV.2017 (light) (26♂), P. Moretto (BMPC) ; Democratic Republic of the Congo, Hombo 22.XII.1970, T. De Stefani (1♂) ( MRT) .

Distribution.

M. melica is known from Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Uganda, Gabon and Ivory Coast ( Karsch 1893, Massa 2013, Holstein 2015, present paper).

Remarks.

The left tegmen of M. melica has a small brown spot covering only the stridulatory area, costal area of tegmina has regularly spaced crossveins (Fig. 17 ) and cerci are slender, apically flattened and end with a small inner spine (Figs 47 , 48 ). The mirror of the right tegmen is as wide as in M. hamuligera (Fig. 17 ). The stridulatory file is 2.3 mm long, arched and composed of ca. 70 widely spaced teeth (Fig. 25 ). The inner ventral spur of mid tibiae is long and does not exceed the first tarsal article; its length is about 12-12.5% the length of the tibia. On the outer ventral margin of mid tibiae, three close short spines are present (Fig. 33 ).

Figures

Figures 5 - 8. Habitus of the male of Morgenia spathulifera (5), M. angustipinnata sp. n. (6), M. melica (7) and M. modulata (8) (left side).

Figures 15 - 18. Stridulatory area of left tegmen and mirror of right tegmen of the male of Morgenia plurimaculata sp. n. (15), M. angustipinnata sp. n. (16), M. melica (17) and M. modulata (18). Arrows in M. plurimaculata sp. n. and M. angustipinnata sp. n. show the net of small cells in costal area of their tegmina, while in M. modulata the protruding stridulatory area.

Figures 23 - 26. Stridulatory file of the left tegmen in the male of Morgenia spathulifera (23), M. angustipinnata sp. n. (24), M. melica (25) and M. modulata (26).

Figures 27 - 34. Mid tibia showing the inner spur in the male of Morgenia hamuligera (27), M. rubricornis (28), M. plurimaculata sp. n. (29), M. lehmannorum sp. n. (30), M. angustipinnata sp. n. (31), M. spathulifera (32), M. melica (33) and M. modulata (34).

Figures 45 - 50. Cerci and subgenital plate of male of Morgenia angustipinnata sp. n. (45 lateral, 46 ventral), M. melica (47 lateral, 48 ventral) and M. modulata (49 lateral, 50 ventral).