Griffiniana longipes ( Naskrecki, 1994 )

Naskrecki, Piotr & Bazelet, Corinna S., 2012, A revision of the southern African katydid genus Griffiniana Karny (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Mecopodinae), Zootaxa 3218, pp. 47-58 : 57-58

Griffiniana longipes ( Naskrecki, 1994)

( Figs. 1 B; 2A, B; 3H, K; 4E, F)

Naskrecki 1994: 292 >> Ewanella longipes

Gorochov 2009: 436 >> Ewanella longipes

Gorochov 2009: 437 >> Ewanella breviuscula syn. n.

Type locality. REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA: Northern Cape, Helskloof, Richtersveld (28°18'S, 16°58'0''E) 23.iii.1959, coll. G. van Son—male holotype ( TMSA)

Diagnostic description (male, except where specified). General characteristics as for the genus, diagnostic characters listed below. This species can be distinguished from its congeners by the development of the tegmina, which in both sexes are fully developed and always surpass the apex of the abdomen, but may or may not surpass the hind knees; the non-stridulatory area of the tegmen is more than 3 times as long as the mirror ( Fig. 2 A.) The styli are slender, at least 5 times as long as wide (only about 3.5 times as long as wide in other species of the genus) ( Fig. 3 K.) The call of the male consists of long echemes, each lasting approximately 15 s, separated by short, 1–2 s gaps ( Figs. 4 E, F.)

Legs. Front femur armed with 5 spines on anterior and unarmed on posterior ventral margin; front tibia with anterior dorsal margin with 11, posterior one with 12 minute spines. Mid femur unarmed on posterior and 2–5 spines on anterior ventral margin; mid tibia noticeably thickened in proximal 3/4, with 14 small spines on anterior dorsal and 12 on posterior dorsal margin. Hind femur armed with 6–8 spines on anterior and 4 spines on posterior ventral margin

Wings. Tegmen fully developed, always surpassing apex of abdomen, may or may not surpass hind knees, 4.7– 5.3 times as long as pronotum; non-stridulatory area of tegmen 3.1–3.3 times as long as mirror; tegmen slightly narrowed towards apex; anterior margin weakly sinusoidal. Costal field relatively wide, distinctly narrowed in apical half; vein Rs in apical half, with 2 branches; veins Sc and R close together, parallel along their entire length; mirror large, shape as in Fig. 2 A. Stridulatory file flat, straight, with 37–49 teeth (up to 70 if including minute, poorly sclerotized teeth of anterior end of file), 1.2 mm long, 0.12 mm wide ( Fig. 2 B); hind wing slightly shorter than tegmen.

Abdomen. Cercus cylindrical, straight, narrowing towards apex; with small, subapical, inner tooth; paraprocts weakly sclerotized, with distinct apical hook; styli cylindrical, about 5 times as long as wide ( Fig. 3 K.) Female subgenital plate broadly trapezoidal, with very shallow apical incision, posterior lobes rounded ( Fig. 3 H.)

Bioacoustics. The call of G. longipes consists of long echemes of diplosyllables, with the echemes ( Figs. 4 E, F) lasting 12.7– 18.7 s (14.4± 3.18 s, n=5), separated by short gaps (1–2 s); each echeme consists of 30–69 (52± 15.43 s, n=5) diplosyllables. The absolute range of frequencies of the call was not measured due to the limitation of the equipment, but an ultrasonic detector registered acoustic signal up to approximately 50 kHz.

Measurements (2 males, 3 females). Body: male 16, female 14.5–28 (20.3±6.9); pronotum: male 3–3.5 (3.3±.4), female 3–3.5 (3.2±.3); tegmen: male 16–16.5 (16.3±.4), female 19–20.5 (19.8±.8); hind femur: male 17, female 17.5–21.5 (20±2.2); ovipositor: 11–14.5 (12.8±1.8) mm.

Material examined (10 specimens). Namibia: Hardap, Maltahohe, (24°49'60''S, 16°58'60''E), i.2002, coll. F. Roets— 1 female ( USEC); Karas, East of Haib River, (28°28'S, 18°0'E), 28.i.1973, coll. B. Lamoral— 2 females (paratypes) ( NMNW); Republic of South Africa: Northern Cape, Grootderm, (28°31'S, 16°37'0''E), 10.xii.1948, coll. G. van Son— 1 female (paratype) ( TMSA); Helskloof, Richtersveld, (28°18'S, 16°58'0''E), 23.iii.1959, coll. G. van Son— 1 male (holotype) ( TMSA); Richtersveld Nat. P., nr. Hand of God, elev. 361 m (28°9'10.1''S, 17°0'46.4''E), 29.xi.2009, coll. P. Naskrecki & C. Bazelet— 1 male ( MCZ); Richtersveld, 15 m NE Stinkfontein, (28°43'57.41''S, 17°21'12.22''E), 1.xii.1962, coll. D. Brown & W. Furst— 1 female ( SANC).

Remarks. G. l o n g i p e s is the most widely distributed species of the genus Griffiniana , currently known from central Namibia to northwest regions of the Northern Cape of South Africa, along Orange River. In South Africa it occurs in habitats belonging to Desert ( Fig. 5 C), Succulent Karoo, and Nama-Karoo Biomes ( Mucina and Rutherford 2006.)

Ewanella breviuscula Gorochov (2009) is considered here a junior synonym of G. longipes . The description of E. breviuscula was based on an incorrect interpretation of the illustrations of the holotype of G. longipes —the photo of the stridulatory apparatus of the holotype of G. longipes appearing in the online database of the Orthoptera ( Eades et al. 2011) shows it tilted, which, when drawn, produces a false impression of its shape. The actual proportions of the mirror of specimens collected at the type locality of G. l o n g i p e s (Richtersveld National Park) ( Fig. 2 A) are virtually identical to those drawn by Gorochov (2009, Fig. 5 .) Other presumed differences described by Gorochov between the two species (e.g., the shape of the male cercus and subgenital plate) fall well within the variation seen among the specimens collected from a few nearby localities in Richtersveld. Unfortunately, the call of the specimens from the type locality of E. breviuscula is unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitus of South African species of Griffiniana: A. G. c a p e n s i s, male; B. G. longipes, male; C. G. duplessisae, female.

FIGURE 2. Diagnostic characters of Griffiniana spp.: A. G. longipes, male right tegmen; B. ditto, stridulatory file; C. G. c a p e n - sis, male right tegmen; D. ditto, stridulatory file; E – L, G. duplessisae: E. male right tegmen; F. stridulatory file; G. male head an pronotum, dorsal view; H. male face; I. male head and pronotum, lateral view; J. ovipositor; K. egg; L. male hind femur.

FIGURE 3. Diagnostic characters of Aprosphylini: A. G. duplessisae, female, dorsal view; B. G. c a p e n s i s, ditto; C. G. p e d e s - tris, female head and pronotum, lateral view; D. ditto, dorsal view; E. ditto, fastigium of vertex; F. Aprosphylus olszanowskii, fastigium of vertex; G. G. pedestris, female subgenital plate; H. G. longipes, ditto; I. G. duplessisae, ditto; J. G. c a p e n s i s, ditto; K. G. longipes, male cerci and subgenital plate; L. G. duplessisae, ditto; M. G. capensis, ditto.

FIGURE 4. Oscillograms of male calls of Griffiniana spp.: A. G. c a p e n s i s, 5 s fragment; B. ditto, 0.5 s fragment; C. G. duplessisae, 5 s fragment; D. ditto, 0.5 s fragment; E. G. longipes, 5 s fragment; F. ditto, 0.5 s fragment.

FIGURE 5. Habitats and distribution of Griffiniana spp.: A. Cederberg Sandstone Fynbos in Matjiesrivier N. R., habitat of G. duplessisae; B. Tanqua Escarpment Shrubland in Tankwa Karoo N. P., habitat of G. c a p e n s i s; C. Noms Mountain Desert in Richtersveld N. P., habitat of G. longipes; D. distribution map of Griffiniana spp.