Minoscudderia spinicercata, Massa, Bruno, 2017

Massa, Bruno, 2017, New taxa of Orthoptera (Insecta Tettigoniidae Phaneropterinae) from Madagascar, Zootaxa 4242 (2), pp. 299-312 : 310

Minoscudderia spinicercata new species

( Figs 7 A–7G)

Material examined. Holotype ♂. Madagascar, Vohémar ( NHMP).

Description. Male ( Figs 7 A–7G). Colour. Yellowish, posterior margin of pronotum laterally black, anterior margin of tegmina black, followed by a white stripe along nearly all margin ( Figs 7 A, 7B). Fastigium of vertex narrow, furrowed above, clearly separated by fastigium of frons ( Fig. 7 C). Eyes round, well projecting, with frontogenal carinae below them. Legs comparatively long. Fore coxae armed with a well-developed spine. Fore tibiae furrowed superiorly, distinctly widening above tympanum, which is open on both sides. Fore femora armed with 8 inner ventral spines + 1 spur, 7 outer ventral margin + 1 spur, mid tibiae with 12 spines on outer ventral margin and unarmed inner ventral margin + 1 spur on each side, hind femora armed with 9 spines on inner and outer margins, hind tibiae with many spines on ventral and dorsal margins + 3 spurs on each side. Pronotum narrowing anteriorly, flat above, anterior margin straight, posterior margin widely rounded, humeral sinus evident, lobes of pronotum rounded and short ( Fig. 7 B). Tegmina comparatively narrow with rounded apices. Wings just long as tegmina. Stridulatory area of left tegmen narrow, stridulatory file curved and consisting of ca. 50 teeth evenly spaced ( Fig. 7 D). 10th tergite with straight hind margin, cerci long, stout, incurved, a chitinous inner spine subapically placed ( Figs 7 E–7G). Subgenital plate short, trapezoidal, styli absent ( Fig. 7 G).

Diagnosis. This taxon is tentatively placed within the genus Mimoscudderia , differences from it lie mostly on the eye shape. Differences from the two known species M. modesta Carl, 1914 and M. picta Carl, 1914 are mostly on the colour of tegmina. It is also characterized by a subapical spine on the cerci and very short pronotum lobes.

Measurements. Male. Body length: 23.7; length of pronotum: 4.7; height of pronotum 4.5; length of tegmina: 34.2; width of tegmina: 6.8; length of hind femora: 17.6.

Etymology. The name spinicercata refers to the inner subapical spine on cerci.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Mimoscudderia spinicercata n. sp., male: habitus (A), lateral view of head and pronotum (B), face (C), stridulatory file (D), lateral (E) and dorsal view (F) of last abdominal segments and cerci, subgenital plate (G).