Erioloides macrocephalus (Carl, 1908) Carl, 1908

Piotr Naskrecki, 2000, Katydids of Costa Rica / Vol. 1, Systematics and bioacoustics of the cone-head katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Conocephalinae sensu lato)., Philadelphia, PA: The Orthopterists Society at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, : 88

Erioloides macrocephalus (Carl, 1908) n. comb.

(Big-headed scimitar)

Figs. 20 A-G, 49C, Map 14

1908 Carl, Rev. Suisse Zool. 16: 132. >> Eriolus ; type

locality: Costa Rica, Monte Aquacate, 600 m; type depository: Museum d’Histoire Naturelle, Geneva – holotype female

Diagnostic description.— General characteristics as described above. The largest species of the genus, body robust; wings in both sexes surpassing apices of hind femora by about half their length ( Fig. 20 A). Fastigium of vertex blunt, about as long as eye diameter and twice as wide as scapus ( Fig. 20 B). Face convex, distinctly punctate; genal carinae of head poorly developed but usually discernible. Dorsal surface of pronotum relatively rugose; flat; anterior margin of pronotum straight, posterior one convex ( Fig. 20 C); lateral lobes of pronotum about 1.7 times longer than high. Male stridulatory file straight, 1.8 mm long, 229 μm wide, with 187 closely spaced and relatively very wide, lamelliform teeth; teeth in proximal half of file much thinner and more closely arranged than in distal part; teeth on proximal end of file peg-like, irregularly clustered ( Fig. 49 C); mirror approximately rectangular, slightly longer than wide; secondary veinlet next to AA 1 present, well developed; stridulatory area of left wing devoid of secondary venation, secondary veinlet next to AA 1 present, somewhat divergent from AA

1

.

Male 10th tergite with two short, rounded lobes ( Fig. 20 E); female 10th tergite with deep, narrowly triangular incision. Male cercus relatively robust, distinctly incurved; its apex constricted; subapical inner spine small, blunt ( Figs. 20 D-E). Female cercus simple, elongately conical, distinctly curved. Titillators flattened, squamose, distinctly dilated apically, apices multidentate ( Fig. 20 F). Male subgenital plate with distinct ventral keel and deep triangular incision apically; female subgenital plate widely triangular, with wide, semicircular incision at apex. Ovipositor robust, with distinct file of pegs along midline of upper valvula ( Fig. 20 G); ratio ovipositor/hind femur 1.04-1.07.

Coloration.— General coloration light green. Upper portion of face green, lower portion of face, upper half of clypeus, and mandibles black; lower half of clypeus and labrum yellow ( Fig. 20 B). Tegmina green, with contrastingly yellow venation. Legs green; abdomen light green; ovipositor brown, with dark, nearly black apex.

Measurements.— Table 15 .

Bioacoustics.— Call unknown.

Remarks.— This species is known only from a few individuals collected in Costa Rica (southern Puntarenas Prov.) ( Map 14 ) and Panama. Nothing is known about its biology except that individuals of E. macrocephalus sometimes come to light, suggesting nocturnal activity.

Material examined.— COSTA RICA: Puntarenas Prov., Aquas Buenas, Centro Juvenil Tropical, elev. 100 m, 3 - 13 July 1997 (coll. A. Azofeifa) - 1 female ( INBio); Bosque Esquinas, Península de Osa, elev. 200 m, 1 - 30 May 1994 (coll. J. Quesada) - 1 female ( INBio); Sirena, Corcovado N.P., elev. 0 - 100 m, 15 February 1994 (coll. G. Fonseca) - 1 male ( INBio); PANAMA: Chiriquí Prov., 16 February 1960 (coll. D.F. Veirs) - 1 male ( ANIC).

Figures

FIG. 20. Erioloides macrocephalus. A. male - habitus, B. male face, C. male head and pronotum, dorsal view, D. male left cercus, lateral view, E. male cerci, dorsal view, F. titillators, dorsal view.

FIG. 49. Stridulatory files of species of Erioloides. A. E. longipennis, B. ditto, variation, C. E. macrocephalus, D. E. brevipennis, E. E. latiscobinus, F. E. consobrinus.

MAPS 13 - 18. Distribution of species of Conocephalinae s. l. in Costa Rica. 13. Sphyrometopa femorata, S. atlantica, Eppia truncatipennis, 14. Erioloides longipennis, E. macrocephalus, E. longinoi, E. brevipennis, 15. Erioloides, consobrinus, E. acutidentis, E. latiscobinus, E. sikesi, 16. Eriolus aculeus, E. acutipennis, E. duplidentis, E. penicillus, 17. Subria sylvestris, S. crassicerca, S. scutellaris, 18. Podacanthophorus alas, P. nelciae, P. vargasi, P. maylinae.