Sinochlora szechaeanensis Tinkham, 1945

Liu, Chun-Xiang & Kang, Le, 2007, Revision of the genus Sinochlora Tinkham (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae, Phaneropterinae), Journal of Natural History 41 (21 - 24), pp. 1313-1341 : 1334-1336

Sinochlora szechaeanensis Tinkham

( Figures 2A, B , 3F , J–M, 8A–R)

Sinochlora szechaeanensis Tinkham 1945, p 235 –246; Eades et al. 2006.

Sinochlora kiangsuensis Tinkham 1945, p 235 –246; Eades et al. 2006. Syn. n.

Sinochlora gracilisulcula Shi and Zheng 1996, p 180 –181; Eades et al. 2006. Syn. n.

Material examined

Three males, two females, China: Sichuan Prov.: Mt. O’meishan, Qingyinge , 800– 1000 m, 17 September to November 1957, coll. Huang Keren, Lu Youcai, and Zhu Fuxing ( IZAS) ; one male, China: Jiangxi Prov.: Jiulianshan, Xiagongtang , 580 m, 24–30 July 2000, coll. Yuan Decheng ( IZAS) ; one male, China: Zhejiang Prov.: Mt. Tianmushan , 29 August 1947 (collector unknown) ; one male, China: Guangxi Prov.: Mt. Maoershan , 1200– 1080 m, 25 August 1982, coll. Yang Jikun ( ICAU) ; four males, three females, China: Sichuan Prov.: O’Mei Mt. , 1 October 1991, coll. Liu Zuyao, Wang Tianqi, and Yin Haisheng ( MSIE) ; one male, China: Anhui Prov.: Huangshan Mt., Wenquan , 9 October 1980 ( MSIE) ; one female, same data as in above but 1 September 1983, coll. Bi, He, and He ( MSIE) ; one male, one female, China: Anhui Prov., Dongzhi ( MSIE) ; three males, two females, China: Henan Prov.: Neixiang, Getengpa , 700–950 m, 5 August 1985, coll. Zhang Xiujiang ( MSIE) ; three males, one female, China: Henan Prov.: Shangcheng, Huangbaishan Mt. , 1000 m, 25 October 1984, coll. Zhang Xiujiang ( MSIE) ; one male, China: Henan Prov., Neixiang, Baoshanman , 1000 m, 14 August 1985, coll. Zhang Xiujiang ( MSIE) ; one male, China: Henan Prov.: Xixia, Huangbaian , 900 m, 20 August 1985, coll. Zhang Xiujiang ( MSIE) ; one male, China: Henan Prov.: Tongbai County, Tongbai Mt. , 11 September 2000, coll. Liu Zhang ( MSIE) ; two males, China: Hunan Prov., Dayong, Zhangjiajie , 13 September 1988, coll. Liu Xianwei ( MSIE) ; one male, China: Hubei Prov., Shennongjia, Muyu , 1200 m, 29 August 1983, coll. Jin Gentao, Liu Zuyao, and Zheng Jianzhong ( MSIE) ; one female (paratype of S. gracilisulcula ), China: Sichuan Prov., Mt. O’meishan, 31 July to 6 August 1992, coll. Shi Fumin ( SNUB) .

Redescription

Male. Stridulatory file on underside of left tegmen with 10 undeveloped teeth at the basal part and about 64 normal teeth in the remaining part ( Figure 3F , J–M). Epiproct bigger, longer, dorsally concave entad, with long black heavy bristles in the ventral surface, and apical area with a pair of relatively longer spine-like lateral processes which are projected dorsad beyond the median tumid area of the tenth abdominal tergum, notch between cambered ( Figure 8 G–R).

Measurements (mm)

Length of body: male 23.0–32.0, female 32.5–33.0; length to apex of ovipositor 32.5–34.0; length to tip of wing: male 49.0–59.5, female 58.5–59.5; length of pronotum: male 5.7–6.5, female 6.5–6.8; length of tegmen: male 44.0–47.5, female 45.5–48.5; largest width of tegmen: male 8.5–10.0, female 9.0–10.0; length of hind wing: male 48.5–52.0, female 49.5–53.5; length of anterior femur: male 9.0, female 8.0; length of median femur: male 12.0, female 12.5; length of posterior femur: male 27.0–32.0, female 28.6–30.5; length of ovipositor 10.0.

Discussion

The type specimens of S. gracilisulcula have been damaged. The original description of S. gracilisulcula just differs from that of S. szechaeanensis in the former having the following apomorphies: small distance between the lateral lobes of male tenth abdominal plate, female subgenital plate slightly broader than long, and with a distinct obtuse-angular notch at the base and basal lateral margins distinctly enlarged. After carefully examining a damaged female paratype and the material from O’Mei Mt., Sichuan Province at hand, we found that these specimens somewhat vary to a different extent regarding male tenth abdominal tergum and shape of female subgenital plate. Thus as concerning male tenth abdominal tergum and female subgenital plate, we consider that there lies much morphological variation within the geographical population in O’Mei Mt., Sichuan Province; and the apomorphies mentioned about S. gracilisulcula are just not beyond the variation. So we consider S. gracilisulcula just as a junior synonym of S. szechaeanensis .

When carefully examining specimens from nine different geographical populations: Sichuan Province, Hunan Province, Hubei Province, Henan Province, Anhui Province, Jiangxi Province, Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang Province, and Guangxi Province, we can trace all transitive forms of the different character states—male tenth abdominal tergum dorsally with or without a middle elongate sulcus, and slightly varied female subgenital plate between S. kiangsuensis and S. szechaeanensis . More importantly, male epiprocts of different geographical populations are nearly similar in structure, differing only by size of protuberance at the base of the ventral surface, of which all transitive forms with different size also can be traced ( Figure 8 G–R). The other characters including male stridulatory file, male tenth subgenital plate and male cerci are of slight or no difference. Thus we also consider S. kiangsuensis as a junior synonym of S. szechaeanensis .

Distribution

Sinochlora szechaeanensis Tinkham is distributed over the Chinese district of the Oriental Region.

Figures

Figure 2. Male left and right stridulatory areas of Sinochlora species. (A, B) S. szechaeanensis from Jiangxi Prov.; (C, D) S. szechaeanensis from Zhejiang Prov.; (E, F) S. trispinosa; (G, H) S. retrolateralis sp. n.; (I, J) S. tibetensis sp. n.; (K, L) S. aequalis sp. n.

Figure 3. Stridulatory file on underside of left tegmen of Sinochlora species. (A) S. sinensis; (B) S. trapezialis sp. n.; (C) S. nonspinosa sp. n.; (D) S. hainanensis; (E) S. longifissa; (F) S. szechaeanensis from Jiangxi Prov., China; (G) S. mesominora sp. n.; (H) S. retrolateralis sp. n.; (I) S. trispinosa sp. n.; (J) S. szechaeanensis from Henan Prov., China; (K) S. szechaeanensis from Hubei Prov., China; (L) S. szechaeanensis from Hunan Prov., China; (M) S. szechaeanensis from Zhejiang Prov., China. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figure 8. Transition of characters in different population of Sinochlora szechaeanensis. (A, G–J) From Sichuan Prov.; (B, K) from Hunan Prov.; (C, L) from Hubei Prov.; (D, M) from Jiangxi Prov.; (E, N) from Henan Prov.; (F, O–R) from Zhejiang Prov. (A–F) Male tenth abdominal tergum, dorsal view; (G, K–N) male epiproct, lateral view; (H, Q) male epiproct, ventral view; (I, P) male epiproct, dorsal view; (J, R) male epiproct, dorso-apical view. Scale bar: 1 mm.