Ityocephala nigrostrigata ( Walker, 1871 )

Hugel, Sylvain, 2009, Gryllacrididae and Tettigoniidae (Insecta, Orthoptera, Ensifera) from Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu, Zoosystema 31 (3), pp. 525-576 : 548

Ityocephala nigrostrigata ( Walker, 1871)

Pseudophyllus nigrostrigata Walker, 1871: 44 .

Ityocephala nigrostrigata – Bruner 1916: 162.

Ityocephala falcata Redtenbacher, 1892: 220 (type locality: South western Pacific, Tonga, Vava’u. Not Fiji). — Kirby 1906: 366.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Vavou, Pacific Ocean, ♀ holotype ( BMNH). Pictures examined.

OTHER MATERIAL. — Type material of I. falcata : Fiji. Dämel , Coll. Br [unner] von W[attenwyl] ; Ityocephala falcata [manuscript] det. Redtenbacher [printed] ♀ ( NHW). Pictures examined .

TYPE LOCALITY. — South western Pacific, Fiji.

REMARKS

The synonymy of I. falcata with I. nigrostrigata is often omitted in the literature. Nevertheless, it is not clear whether both female holotypes are really belonging to the same species: the ventral margin of I. nigrostrigata ovipositor is regularly rounded, except a flat area on the middle; the ventral margin of I. falcata holotype ovipositor is strait on the base and angularly up curved after the base (but this difference could be due to a bad preservation of ovipositor ventral valves of I. falcata holotype). In addition, I. nigrostrigata and I. falcata holotypes are from distinct South western Pacific archipelagos: the type locality of I. nigrostrigata is “Vavou” ( Walker 1871) now named Vava’u, a group of islands belonging to the Tonga archipelago and not Fiji as stated in many databases; the type locality of I. falcata is Fiji ( Redtenbacher, 1892). At this stage, and as I have not directly examined I. falcata and I. nigrostrigata holotypes and as males from Tonga and Fiji are unknown, I prefer to keep the synonymy of I. falcata under I. nigrostrigata .