Isophya miksici Peshev, 1985

Dragan P. Chobanov, Beata Grzywacz, Ionuţ Ş. Iorgu, Battal Cιplak, Maya B. Ilieva & Elżbieta Warchałowska-Śliwa, 2013, Review of the Balkan Isophya (Orthoptera: Phaneropteridae) with particular emphasis on the Isophya modesta group and remarks on the systematics of the genus based on morphological and acoustic data, Zootaxa 3658 (1), pp. 1-81 : 26-27

Isophya miksici Peshev, 1985

( Figs 40, 65 , 89 , 114 , 150, 151 , 156 , 192 )

Isophya miksici Peshev : Peshev 1985 (sp.n.).

Morphological description: Peshev 1985. Karyotype: Warchałowska-Śliwa et al. 2008 (as I. miksici and I. plevnensis ).

Supplement to the description and a diagnosis: Body colouration fresh- or dark-green but not bluish. The disc of tegmina is yellowish-brown with dark stridulatory area. CuP is yellowish (similarly to I. andreevae , I. tosevski and I. clara and instead of greenish as in I. bureschi ), about 2/3 of the length of metazone. A tendence to bulging (uplifting) the disc of tegmina and its veins may be noted but the surface of disc is flat. The colouration of the lateral parts of tergites has a tendency for whitish opalescence. The stridulatory file ( Fig. 150 A, 151A) is short (2.5–2.9 mm) with low number of teeth (65–88 in the Bulgarian population). Female stridulatory apparatus is shown in Fig. 151 C. Male cercus has a wide, short subapical tooth ( Fig. 150 B). The song ( Fig. 156 ) resembles that of I. andreevae but has shorter syllables with fewer impulses, and is almost identical to that of I. clara .

Bioacoustics: Male calling song consists of groups of 3–6 syllables, the latter separated by an interval of 1–2 s (rarely up to 4 s) (Т=30°С). The syllables may have 1–3 after-clicks, usually apearing in the middle and final syllables of a group. The impulse period in the syllable is apparently longer among the first 5–8 impulses, gradually decreasing towards the end of the syllable. Sometimes the last 2–3 impulses again have distinctly longer periods.

The song was investigated in two populations—from Vrachanska Planina Mt. (Stara Planina Mts) at 1000– 1200 m (type locality) and the Iskar Valley near Iskar Town at ~ 50 m alt. At similar temperature (28–30°С) the song showed similar characteristics in the two populations. The syllables had 23–32 impulses (mean 27±3; n=40): in the mountain population the values are 23–31 (mean 27±2; n=20), in the lowland one—23–32 (mean 28±3; n=20). The length of the syllable (without after-clicks) was 112–213 ms (mean 166±25; n=40): in the mountain population—114–213 (mean 171±26; n=20), in the lowland one—112–197 (mean 162±24; n=20). Within the mountain population the after-clicks were more frequently observed (in 70% of the syllables) and the duration of the syllable+after-clicks became 285–516 ms, while the lowland population showed after-clicks in 20% of the cases and then the syllable became 247–319 ms. The impulse period frequently vary between individuals of the same population and may be from 5–6 ms (at the end) to 12–14 ms (at the beginning of the syllable). Rarely, the impulse period in the first 1–3 impulses reach 15 (in the mountain population)–20 ms (in the lowland population) and at the end the period decreases to 3 ms. The mean impulse period is 6.1 ms.

Both populations showed some difference in the heterochromatin-content and B-chromosomes (supernumerary to the standard chromosome complement) were found in the mountain population (Warchałowska- Śliwa et al. 2008).

Note: At this stage of knowledge the taxon is not well separated morphologically and bioacoustically from some populations of I. clara and I. plevnensis (see below) and some possibility for intraspecific relationships exists.

Distribution ( Fig. 192 ) and phenology: The species occurs in Northwestern Bulgaria and (most probably) Western Serbia, generally within the territory bordered by the rivers Iskar, Danube and Morava and the mountain of Western Stara Planina to the south. The species inhabits mesophyte grass-shrub associations between 50 and 1600 m alt. Nymphs—(III–)IV–VI, imago—(V)VI–VIII.

Notes to the literature distribution data: The data by Nedelkov (1908) for I. modestior from the region of Vratsa refer partly to I. miksici based on the checked material. The record by Paviċeviċ (1983a) for I. rhodopensis from Beljanica Mt. in East Serbia most probably concerns this species.

Figures

FIGURE 192. Distribution of I. bureschi, I. andreevae, I. tosevski, I. clara, I. miksici, I. plevnensis, I. longicaudata adamovici, I. l. longicaudata, and I. modesta on the Balkan Peninsula.

FIGURES 56 – 79. Morphology of female head, pronotum and tegmina of the Balkan Isophya and I. yaraligozi (localities as in Figs 31 – 55 unless specifically given): 56 — I. hospodar; 57 — I. rectipennis; 58 — I. pavelii (paratype of I. rammei Peshev); 59 — I. thracica; 60 — I. bureschi; 61 — I. yaraligozi; 62 — I. tosevski; 63 — I. andreevae (paratype); 64 — I. clara; 65 — I. miksici (paratype); 66 — I. plevnensis (paratype); 67 — I. longicaudata adamovici (paratype, BG: Sliven, 1000 m, NMNHS); 68 — I. l. longicaudata; 69 — I. rhodopensis leonorae (BG: “ Alibotush, 1500 m ”, 13.07. 1959, NMNHS); 70 — I. rh. rhodopensis (as in Fig. 46 but 17.07.1956); 71 — I. rh. petkovi; 72 — I. modestior; 73 — I. dobrogensis; 74 — I. zubowskii; 75 — I. aff. camptoxypha (MK: Bistra Mt., 2.08. 2004, CC); 76 — I. gulae (paratype, BG: Dolna Topchiya, 10.07. 1974, NMNHS); 77 — I. obtusa (BG: Vezhen Peak, 15.07. 1969, NMNHS); 78 — I. amplipennis (TR: “ Turkey | 1960 | Sureya Bey ”, NHM); 79 — I. speciosa (BG: Sakar Mt., 14.06. 1952, NMNHS). Scale (if present; black line right of the specimen) = 10 mm.

FIGURES 80 – 104. Male abdominal terminalia of the Balkan Isophya and I. yaraligozi (localities as in Figs 31 – 55): 80 — I. hospodar; 81 — I. rectipennis; 82 — I. pavelii; 83 — I. thracica; 84 — I. bureschi; 85 — I. yaraligozi; 86 — I. tosevski; 87 — I. andreevae; 88 — I. clara; 89 — I. miksici; 90 — I. plevnensis; 91 — I. longicaudata adamovici; 92 — I. l. longicaudata; 93 — I. m. modesta (= intermedia); 94 — I. rhodopensis leonorae; 95 — I. rh. rhodopensis; 96 — I. rh. petkovi; 97 — I. modestior; 98 — I. dobrogensis; 99 — I. zubowskii; 100 — I. aff. camptoxypha; 101 — I. gulae; 102 — I. obtusa; 103 — I. amplipennis; 104 — I. speciosa. Scale (if present) = 2 mm.

FIGURES 105 – 129. Female abdominal terminalia of the Balkan Isophya and I. yaraligozi (localities as in Figs 31 – 55 unless specifically given); figures of the whole ovipositor are followed by enlarged figure of the ovipositor base: 105 — I. hospodar (BG: Dolni Glavanak, 25.04. 2005, CC); 106 — I. rectipennis (BG: Byala Vill., 27.06. 2002, CC); 107 — I. pavelii (BG: Chernogorovo, 29.05. 2006, CC); 108 — I. thracica; 109 — I. bureschi (BG: Bansko, 8.08. 2006, CC); 110 — I. yaraligozi; 111 — I. tosevski; 112 — I. andreevae (BG: Kresnensko Hanche, 19.04. 2006, CC); 113 — I. clara; 114 — I. miksici (BG: Gorski Dom Lodge, 24.06. 2006, CC); 115 — I. plevnensis (BG: Levishte, 14.07. 2009, CC); 116 — I. longicaudata adamovici (BG: Karandila, 24.06. 2008, CC); 117 — I. l. longicaudata (BG: Sofia University Botanical garden, 26.06. – 1.07.2004, CC); 118 — I. m. modesta (= intermedia); 119 — I. rhodopensis leonorae (BG: Livade, 9.08. 2006, CC); 120 — I. rh. rhodopensis (BG: Bachkovo, 600 m, 23.05. 2004, CC); 121 — I. rh. petkovi (BG: Gluhite Kamani, 23.06. 2008, CC); 122 — I. modestior (BG: Bankya, 24.05. 2006, CC); 123 — I. dobrogensis; 124 — I. zubowskii; 125 — I. aff. camptoxypha (data as in Fig. 75); 126 — I. gulae; 127 — I. obtusa (BG: Ravnets Ridge, 14.07. 2009, CC); 128 — I. amplipennis (as in Fig. 78); 129 — I. speciosa (BG: Bankya, 24.05. 2006, CC). Indications on Fig. 127 show, respectively: G—gonangulum; L—lamella; P—lateral pit between lamella and gonangulum. Scale (if present) = 5 mm.

FIGURES 150 – 155. SEM of taxonomically important structures of Isophya: 150, 151 — I. miksici (150 — BG: Gorski Dom Lodge; 151 — BG: Iskar); 152 — I. plevnensis (152 A—BG: Chernelka Canyon; 152 B, C—BG: Apriltsi); 153 — I. longicaudata adamovici (BG: Karandila Locality); 154 — I. longicaudata longicaudata (BG: Bolata Valley); 155 — I. m. modesta (= intermedia) (RO: Babadag). A—male stridulatory file (scale 1 mm); B—ventro-apical view of apex of male cerci (152 B deformed) (scale 100 μm); C—female stridulatory apparatus (scale 500 μm).

FIGURES 156 – 161. Male calling song at two different speeds (air temperature at recording shown; time scale below): 156 — I. miksici (BG: Gorski Dom Lodge); 157 — I. plevnensis (BG: Apriltsi); 158, 159 — I. longicaudata adamovici (BG: Karandila Locality, two males); 160 — I. longicaudata longicaudata (BG: Bolata Valley); 161 — I. modesta modesta (RO: Babadag). Break-signs in Fig. 161 B indicate the missing silent interval of the syllable shown in Fig. 161 A.