Phalangacris Bolivar, 1895
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5047.3.1 |
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publication LSID |
lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7052707F-306C-49F4-8BD1-C5BAD9F9C128 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/EA4D6374-B959-FF94-12D2-5FC437D6FF2A |
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treatment provided by |
Plazi |
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scientific name |
Phalangacris Bolivar, 1895 |
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Genus Phalangacris Bolivar, 1895 View in CoL
( Figs 1F–G View FIGURE 1 , 13–16 View FIGURE 13 View FIGURE 14 View FIGURE 15 View FIGURE 16 )
Type species. Phalangacris alluaudi Bolivar View in CoL , 1895
Other species included. Phalangacris View in CoL (?) phaloricephala Gorochov, 2006 View in CoL (Cousin island, near Praslin island), Phalangacris sotsote Hugel & Desutter-Grandcolas View in CoL , n. sp., Phalangacris ferlegro Hugel & Desutter-Grandcolas View in CoL , n. sp.
Distribution. South Western Indian Ocean, endemic to granitic Seychelles.
Diagnosis. Big but very slender species, with very long legs, antennae and cerci; legs all very thin, including FIII. Contrasted coloration, with yellow, brown and black. Male. FWs short, flap like; inner margin glandular; paraprocts not modified. Male genitalia similar to those of Phaeogryllus : pseudepiphallic sclerite short, transverse, with convex lateral margins in dorsal view; median lophi very closely set, making a very narrow apex compared to pseudepiphallic sclerite, separated by an emargination not truncated as in Phaeogryllus . Rami articulated with pseudepiphallic sclerite, with very thin apex. Dorsal sclerite of pseudepiphallic parameres small, well-sclerotized; ventral sclerite with sigmoidal base, the inner part smaller with teeth on inner and distal margins, the outer part larger and thicker, with regular margins. Ectophallic fold short and wide, sclerotized dorsally. Ectophallic apodemes very thick and much shorter than in Phaeogryllus , hardly longer than the sclerotization of epi-ectophallic invagination, and regularly divergent. Female. Apterous. Ovipositor short; apex unarmed, short, without apical enlargement. Female genitalia: copulatory papilla broadly triangular, sclerified dorsally.
Phalangacris and Phaeogryllus can easily be separated by their patterns of coloration, auditory tympana, male forewing length and coloration, male paraproct shape, female ovipositor and female copulatory papilla.
Redescription. Large species with very long and thin legs ( Fig. 13 View FIGURE 13 ). Coloration contrasted, yellow, brown and black, with distinct head pattern ( Fig. 1F, G View FIGURE 1 ).
General morphology. Head vertical. Fastigium narrow, much longer than wide; not separated from the vertex by a distinct furrow. Three ocelli, set in an equilateral triangle; median ocellus vertical, distinctly far from fastigium apex; lateral ocelli distinctly far from fastigium base. Scapes longer than wide, pedicel with a small white tooth on inner margin, antennae very long. Maxillary palpi very long and thin; articles 1 and 2 quite long, about one fourth article 3; article 3 a little shorter than article 4; article 5 the longest, widened only at and close to rounded apex, dorsal margin straight except for concave distal third ( Fig. 14A, D View FIGURE 14 ). Eyes protruding, pyriform; in side view, largely separated from cheek posterior and lower margins. Pronotum wider than long; DD margins both concave; LL anterior angles raised dorsally, posterior angle regressed. Legs very long and very thin. Coxae I largely separated from each other, more than coxae II. TI and TII longer than FI and FII respectively; basitarsomeres I and II longer than half TI and TII respectively. TI with two apical, ventral spurs; inner tympanum small, rounded, obliterate; outer tympanum lacking. TII with four apical spurs, inner spurs the longest, outer dorsal spur the shortest. FIII not very wide; with a long filiform apical part, between one third and one half TIII length. TIII longer than FIII; three inner and three outer short apical spurs; median and dorsal inner spurs the longest, median spur only slightly longer than dorsal spur; median outer spur shorter, but the longest on outer side, inner and dorsal outer apical spurs subequal. TIII with four pairs of subapical spurs, short and curved apically; inner spurs slightly lower on tibia than outer spurs. TIII serrulated between and above subapical spurs, except between isa1 and isa2. Basitarsomeres III shorter than half TIII, shorter than basitarsomeres I and II; with one row of outer dorsal spines in addition to inner and outer apical spines. Cerci extremely long, 1.5 times body length when not broken.
Male. FWs very short, flap-like, broadly triangular with straight distal margin, not overlapping, not covering tergite I midlength; lateral field reduced, as a short elongate triangle with a longitudinal vein; dorsal field venation reticulated, but with several clear longitudinal veins; inner margin of dorsal field sinuate, glandular on its distal 2/3 with a narrow area densely covered with short setae ( Fig. 14G–I View FIGURE 14 ). No glandular structures on metanotum, tergites and supra-anal plate. Subgenital plate short, low, furrowed distally at the level of a small and acute distal median lobe.
Male genitalia. Fig. 16 View FIGURE 16 . Small and compact. Pseudepiphallic sclerite wider than long, as long as or shorter than rami; sclerotized laterally and partly dorsally; posterior margin with two small, median lophi with tooth-like apex. Rami connected to lower lateral part of pseudepiphallic sclerite. Pseudepiphallic parameres with a dorsal sclerite smaller, plate-like and more sclerotized (black in coloration); ventral sclerite wider, cup-shaped, with wide teeth on inner margin. Ectophallic fold short and wide, sclerotized dorsally; distal margin truncate. Epi-ectophallic apodemes short and vertical; arc very wide, complete (but with a thin and clear longitudinal line); ventral sclerite between arc and pseudepiphallic parameres very long, as in Phaeogryllus . Endophallic sclerite long ang narrow; W-shaped, with outer branches very long compared to median part. A short lamella-like endophallic apodeme. No endophallic cavity.
Female (after P. ferlegro Hugel and Desutter-Grandcolas , n. sp.). Apterous. Subgenital plate short, transverse. Ovipositor straight, shorter than FIII, without terminal enlargement ( Fig. 15D View FIGURE 15 ).
Female genitalia (after P. ferlegro Hugel and Desutter-Grandcolas , n. sp.). Copulatory papilla sclerotized, not forming a closed chamber ( Fig. 15E View FIGURE 15 ).
Remark. Gorochov (2006) tentatively described Phalangacris ? phaloricephala from Cousin Island and mentioned that it differs from P. alluaudi only by its smaller size. We confirm here that this species belongs to Phalangacris , whatever the coloration of its head dorsum. Owing to observed endemism within the genus, and as Cousin Island is closer to Praslin than from Mahé (where P. alluaudi is present), it seems reasonable to hypothesize that P. phaloricephala is distinct from P. alluaudi ; it will be necessary however to check its relation to Phalangacris ferlegro Hugel and Desutter-Grandcolas , n. sp.
Habitat. Species of this genus are observed by night near the ground, usually on the very large rocks frequent on granitic Seychelles islands. Some species occur on semi-open habitats (summit of La Digue) or on rainforest (Vallée de Mai in Praslin).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.