Dioncomena flavoviridis Hemp, 2023

Hemp, Claudia, Montealegre-Z, Fernando, Woodrow, Charlie & Heller, Klaus-Gerhard, 2023, Bush-crickets with very special ears and songs - review of the East African Phaneropterinae genus Dioncomena Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878, with notes on its biogeography and the description of new species, Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 70 (2), pp. 221-259 : 221

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/dez.70.100804
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2824CBF6-C72A-4397-B944-262D324AF5D6
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/C174DC5F-2B7F-4C74-B68F-5344AAD1BF0B
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:C174DC5F-2B7F-4C74-B68F-5344AAD1BF0B
treatment provided by	Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift by Pensoft
scientific name	Dioncomena flavoviridis Hemp
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Dioncomena flavoviridis Hemp sp. nov.

Figs 1D, E View Figure 1 , 2B View Figure 2 , 3E, F View Figure 3 , 4C, D View Figure 4 , 5 View Figure 5 , 6B View Figure 6 , 8A View Figure 8 , 19 View Figure 19 , 20A, B View Figure 20 , 21 View Figure 21 , 22A-C View Figure 22 , 23 View Figure 23 , 24 View Figure 24 , 25 View Figure 25 , 29 View Figure 29 , 30 View Figure 30 , 35A View Figure 35 , 36 View Figure 36

Type material.

Holotype male. Tanzania, Nguru Mountains, area between 6°03'40"S, 37°33'13"E 800 m and 6°02'39"S, 37°33'35"E 1500 m, lowland to submontane forest, November 2020. Paratypes: 4♂♂, 17♀♀, same data as holotype and February 2017, March 2017, March 2019, March 2020, and November 2022. Depository: CCH.

Description.

Male: General habitus and color pattern. Typical for the genus, with a contrasting pattern of green, bluish and black colours. Head & antennae. The fastigium of the vertex is compressed and narrower than the scapus, sulcate above. Thorax & legs. The pronotum has a broad pitch black stripe along the disc, widening at the metazona and completely covering this part (Fig. 1E View Figure 1 ). The fore coxa is black with a small yellow spine. The fore and mid femora have few very small spinules along ventral ridges, while the hind femur has a double row of widely spaced, irregularly positioned spinules. The fore tibia has a ventral double row of irregularly set small spinules and a pair of short ventral spurs. The mid tibiae have few spines in a double row ventrally, with tiny and only slightly hooked spurs. The hind tibia has four rows of spines irregularly set along its length. Tegmina & wings. The tegmina and wings have a typical shape and coloration for Dioncomena . The stridulatory file on the underside of the left tegmen is continuous, about 1.7 mm long, and with around 40 evenly and widely spaced teeth (Fig. 2B View Figure 2 ). Abdomen. The tenth abdominal tergite is slightly incurved at the posterior margin, with a membranous structure medially (Fig. 3E View Figure 3 ). The subgenital plate is longer than wide, v-shaped and incurved medially (Fig. 3F View Figure 3 ).

Female. With a similar habitus, size, and color pattern to males (Fig. 1F View Figure 1 ), but lack the hooked spines on the mid tibiae. The ovipositor is relatively small and strongly upcurved (Fig. 4C View Figure 4 ), and the subgenital plate has a broad base with a triangular posterior margin (Fig. 4D View Figure 4 ).

Nymphs. Nymphs of this species are only a few millimeters long when freshly hatched, with antennae that are 4-5 times longer than the body length. A conical hump is present on the head, a feature typical of all observed L1 stages of Dioncomena species (Fig. 5A, B View Figure 5 ). As they grow, the nymphs become progressively larger and may stay predominantly green (L2, Fig. 5D View Figure 5 ) or become more brownish (L3, Fig. 5C View Figure 5 ), with brown bands appearing along the hind legs from about stage 3.

Measurements, (mm) males (n = 2). Body length 15.2-15.5. Length of pronotum 3.3-3.9. Length of tegmina 24.5-26.5. Length of hind femur 18.0-19.3.

Measurements, (mm) females (n = 6). Body length 15.5-17.0. Length of pronotum 4.2-4.5. Length of tegmina 27.0-27.5. Length of hind femur 19.5-20.1. Ovipositor 4.2-4.5.

Biology.

The eggs are black, oval-shaped, and approximately 3-4 mm long and 2 mm wide. They are typically deposited into the midribs of leaves or small twigs (Fig. 6B View Figure 6 ). In November 2020, females collected from the Nguru Mountains laid numerous eggs that hatched three and a half months later, at the end of February 2021. The first adult emerged at the end of May 2021, three months later. Similar to other species studied, such as D. sanje sp. nov. and D. ornata , males transfer only small spermatophores to females during mating (Fig. 8A View Figure 8 ).

Song.

See Bioacoustics.

Habitat and distribution.

Lowland to submontane forest. Individuals occur single in more or less closed forest. Tanzania, Nguru Mountains.

Etymology.

The species is named after the distinctive bright yellowish-green colored lobes of the pronotum which contrast with the black stripe on the dorsal side of the pronotum and the remaining pattern of black, yellowish-green, and bluish-green on the body and tegmina. The name " flavo - viridi " is derived from Latin, meaning “yellowish-green”.