Furnia insularis ( Stål, 1876 )

Hugel, Sylvain, 2009, Gryllacrididae and Tettigoniidae (Insecta, Orthoptera, Ensifera) from Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu, Zoosystema 31 (3), pp. 525-576 : 554-558

Furnia insularis ( Stål, 1876)

( Figs 13 ; 15D )

Anaulacomera insularis Stål, 1876: 57 .

Furnia insularis – Kirby 1906: 468.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Samoa. c. m. Nr. 6211. ♀ holotype ( NHRS). High quality pictures examined.

TYPE LOCALITY. — South western Pacific, Samoa.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Vanuatu. (6 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀), Sanma Province, Espiritu Santo Isl., Butmas, forêt sur plateau de Tankara, 15°21’56”S, 166°59’E, 600 m alt., sur plante, 3 m de haut, nuit, Exped. Santo 2006, 16.X.2006, coll. S. Hugel, 2 ♀♀ (SH-057, SH-059) (MNHN-ENSIF2209, 2211).

Peavot, 14°59’27”S, 166°47’37”E, 0-5 m alt., végétation arbustive en arrière de plage, nuit, Exped. Santo 2006, 24.X.2006, coll. S. Hugel, 1 ♂ (SH-054) ( MNHN- ENSIF2206). — Peavot, 14°59’37”S, 166°47’04”E, 38 m alt., forêt secondaire, ancien jardin, rive S de la rivière principale, terrasse 2, sur plante 2 m de haut, nuit, Exped. Santo 2006, 20.X.2006, coll. S. Hugel, 1♀ (SH-061)(MNHN-ENSIF2213). — Same locality and date, forêt secondaire, ancien jardin, nuit, coll. S. Hugel, 1 ♂ (SH-055) (MNHN-ENSIF2207). — Same locality, forêt secondaire, ancien jardin, nuit, 21.X.2006, coll. S. Hugel, 1 ♀ (SH-056) (MNHN-ENSIF2208). — Same locality, forêt secondaire, ancien jardin, rive S de la rivière principale, terrasse haute, nuit, 23.X.2006, coll. S. Hugel, 2 ♀♀ (SH-058, SH-060) (MNHN-ENSIF2210, 2212).

Penaoru, 1900 m, X-XI.2006, coll. E. Boitier, 1 ♀ (SH- 069) (MNHN-ENSIF2221). — Penaoru, camp de base, “ortho3”, Exped.Santo 2006, X-XI.2006, 3 ♂♂ (SH-062, SH-063, SH-064) (MNHN-ENSIF2214-2216). — Same locality and date, 3 ♀♀ (SH-065, SH-066, SH-067) (MNHN-ENSIF2217, 2218, 2219). — Same locality, 17.XI.2006, 1 ♂ (SH-068) (MNHN-ENSIF2220).

Peavot, 14°59’37”S, 166°47’04”E, 38 m alt., forêt secondaire, ancien jardin, rive S de la rivière principale, terrasse haute, sur plante 2 m de haut, nuit, enregistré, Exped. Santo 2006, 20.X.2006, coll. S. Hugel, 1♂ (SH-159) (MNHN-ENSIF2311).

DIAGNOSIS. — Size medium for the genus, FW length 21.5-29.2 mm (> 35 mm in F. bakeri Karny, 1921 ); fastigium frontis dorsal margin broadly rounded ( Fig. 13A ; strait in F. malaya , Fig. 14D ; narrowly rounded in F. incerta Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878 , Fig. 14A ); fastigium not pointing (unlike F. exotica ); pronotum lateral lobe about as wide as high (wider than high in F.acuminata ; higher than wide in F. malaya and F.bakeri ); male cerci apex bent inwards, with a minute spine on the apical dorsal margin ( Fig. 13F ); male SGP with a U-shaped emargination ( Fig. 13I ; deeper U-shaped emargination in F. incerta , Fig. 14B ; no emargination in F. exotica ; angular emargination in F. bakeri , Fig. 14F ; V-shaped emargination in F. acuminata ); ovipositor short, <9 mm, strongly upcurved, enlarged at mid length ( Fig. 13B ;> 10 mm and moderately upcurved in F. bakeri ).

DISTRIBUTION. — South western Pacific : Samoa (holotype) ; Fiji, Suva; Vanuatu, Espiritu Santo.

HABITAT AND LIFE HISTORY TRAITS. — All F. insularis specimens have been mostly found in non coastal forests, in both preserved or slightly anthropized areas. This species seems to be strictly active during night hours. Adult are staying on tree or bush foliage, even in undergrowth.

MEASUREMENTS. — See Table 5.

REDESCRIPTION (after material from Espiritu Santo)

Head ( Fig. 13A ). As wide or slightly wider than pronotum; face, genae and occiput smooth, not shiny; occiput relatively flattened; eyes rounded, moderately projecting; in dorsal view: fastigium flat, slightly exceeding the scrobus, not exceeding the fastigium frontis, truncated, 0.11 (min: 0.08; max: 0.13) times wider in the apex than head maximal width (eyes not included), cuneiform, with a median longitudinal sulcus; in frontal view, fastigium frontis higher than wide, notched dorsally by dorsal sulcus, distinctly separated from the frons by a deep sulcus, lateral ocelli distinct in some specimens on the lateral sides of the fastigium verticis; in frontal view: fastigium frontis higher than wide, inter scrobus width 0.21 (min: 0.19; max: 0.25) times as wide as head maximal width (eyes not included), superior border widely arched; median ocellus not distinct in the ♀ holotype ( Samoa) but well distinct in some specimens from Espiritu Santo, oval, less wide as half fastigium width; frons/genae limit without carina but with a distinct depression; scapus less wide than eyes (frontal view), about as wide as the fastigium frontis, without spine.

Thorax. Pronotum: smooth, not shiny; 1.5 (min: 1.4; max: 1.7) times longer than wide (maximal width including lateral lobes lateral expansion) discus anterior margin weakly convex, posterior margin rounded (convex) with a narrow inconspicuous concavity on the middle; prozona and mesozona weakly arched, metazona flattened; discus posterior sulcus inconspicuous, other transversal sulci absent; with an inconspicuous longitudinal sulcus on the metazona; without median and lateral carinae; lateral lobe as wide as high (average 1.0; min: 0.9; max:1.1); rounded, anterior margin weakly concaves. Prosternum inermis as usual; mesosternum with rounded posterior lobes; metasternum with 2 diverging anterior spines well distinct from the lateral lobes rounded posteriorly. FW 4.8 (min: 4.5; max: 5.1) times as long as wide (on the middle); with transparent cells, with moderately dense reticulation; with sub parallel sides; apex rounded; HW distinctly exceeding the FW.

Legs. TI with uncovered oval inner and outer tympana; distinctly inflated on tympanal area; without clear carinae; flattened ventrally; with 1 inner ventral apical spur and 1 outer ventral apical spur; with 2-5 inner preapical spurs (usually 5); with 1-5 (usually 4 or 5) outer preapical spurs, without dorsal spurs or spines. FI with one apical and one minute ventral spine on each knees lobe; without clear carinae; with 5-10 (usually 6 or 7) inner ventral spines; without spines on the ventral outer margin. TII laterally flattened near the knee; without clear carinae; with 1 ventral apical spurs on each side; with 6-9 (usually 8) ventral anterior preapical spurs; with 4-7 ventral posterior spurs (usually 7); without dorsal spurs. FII with one apical and one minute ventral spine on each knee lobe; without distinct carinae; rounded dorsally; with 8-13 ventral anterior spines; without ventral posterior spines. TIII with 2 ventral and 1 dorsal apical spurs on each side; laterally flattened; with 10-13 inner ventral spurs; 14-19 outer ventral spurs; 27-33 inner dorsal spines; 25-34 outer dorsal spines. FIII relatively thick, 6.7 (min: 6.3; max: 7.2) times longer than FIII maximal width; with one apical and one ventral spine on each knee lobe; with 2 ventral carinae, the external more elevated; with 2-6 spines on the inner ventral carina, near the knee; with 8-14 spines on the outer ventral carina.

Colour

The general coloration is pale green (yellowish in dead specimens). When visible, the ocelli are creamish. FW veins and veinlets pale green, cells hyaline, stridulum veins brown and cream, anal field veinlets yellowish; HW hyaline except the visible apex of anterior field; ventral and internal area of femora from yellow to orange. Ovipositor green with darkened apex.

SEXUAL DIMORPHISM Males are significantly smaller than females. Female size slightly longer than male size (FIII 14.8 ± 0.3 mm vs. 16.3 ± 0.5 mm); female FW about 20% longer than male FW.

Male

Singing apparatus ( Fig. 13D, E ): left and right FW anal field with thickened opaque cells; the file vein (A1) is well distinct (dorsal view) on the left FW; file with 46.8 ± 1.04 (min: 43; max: 50) lamellar teeth ( Fig. 13H ). Right FW tympanum not membranous, poorly defined, about 2.6 times as long as wide.Terminalia: tergite X (last) posterior margin concave dorsally; epiproct hidden by the tergite X; cerci apex flattened, bent inwards or upwards with a right angle (depending on the cerci position); with a minute spine on the apical dorsal margin ( Fig. 13F ). SGP without styli; elongated, at least as long as wide, usually longer (depending on the specimen preservation); with lateral carinae on the distal lateral margins, converging moderately; apex with a wide rounded emargination 0.14 (min: 0.13; max: 0.16) times as deep as the SGP maximal length; the emargination separates the SGP in two apical lobes with rounded apex, with a weak median longitudinal carina ( Fig. 13G ).

Female

SGP ( Fig. 13C ) weakly sclerotized, as wide as long; rounded on the apex; with a minute rounded apical emargination (destructed on the ♀ holotype). Ovipositor ( Fig. 13B ) strait on the base and falciform after the base; with denticulations in second half of the ventral and dorsal margins; apex pointing. Ovipositor 3.7 (min: 3.5; max: 3.8) times as long (apex to base of the ventral margin) as ovipositor maximal width (at the beginning of the denticulations).

CALLING SONG ( FIG. 15D )

Males call during night hours seemingly above 2 m. One male has been recorded and IR filmed in the field (SH-055, MNHN-ENSIF2207). At 26°C, the call of this species consists of irregular widely spaced (every 47.1 ± 19.0 s; min: 21.1; max: 103.6) syllables, either isolated or organized in short echemes (average 2.0 ± 0.3, range 1-3). Within a series, syllables are separated by 80.6 ± 24.7 ms (min: 30.5; max: 125.8). Th e calling frequency first harmonic peaks between 13-15 kHz, with distinct second harmonics at 26-30 kHz (many Cardiodactylus sp. [Eneopterinae crickets] songs are covering the recording, preventing a more precise analysis).

REMARKS

The sixteen Furnia specimens collected in Espiritu Santo are similar to F.insularis female holotype from Samoa (although slightly smaller in average). Furnia insularis occurs also in Fiji ( Bruner 1916), from which the first male ever reported of this species actually originates ( Caudell 1927). The Furnia males collected in Santo are not different from Caudell’s description, except the cerci. Caudell illustrated and described the cerci of his Fijian male as having a folded apex, whereas well preserved specimens of Santo have the apex of cerci bent with a right angle. In shrunken specimens from Santo (dried from alcohol), cerci are also appearing as folded, suggesting that Caudell’s specimen was also shrunken by a drying of alcohol preserved specimens. Th is was confirmed by David Nickle who examined the specimens (in litt.).

Figures

FIG. 13. — Furnia insularis (Stål, 1876): A, female holotype face in frontal view (after unpublished pictures, NHRS); B, female holotype ovipositor in right side view (after unpublished pictures, NHRS); C, female terminalia ventral view (no type specimen from Espiritu Santo,the female holotype subgenital plate is damaged);D, male left forewing anal field in dorsal view (specimen from Espiritu Santo); E, male right forewing anal field in dorsal view (specimen from Espiritu Santo); F, male cercus in dorsal view (specimen from Espiritu Santo); G, male subgenital plate (non type specimen from Samoa as the female holotype [MNHN, L. Chopard Det.]); H, SEM picture of the file. Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIG. 15.— Calling songs:A, Ityocephala francoisi Bolívar,1903 specimen MNHN-ENSIF2188,20H30,21°C,2 m high,Cardiodactylus sp. (Eneopterinae cricket) and Salomona redtenbacheri Brongniart,1897 are singing around (grey); B, C, Phaneroptera gracilis (Burmeister, 1838),the specimen MNHN-ENSIF2200 has been IR filmed in order to distinguish its call (black) from the other calls (Conocephalus sp.and crickets,in grey) 0H30,20°C; D, Furnia insularis (Stål, 1876),the specimen MNHN-ENSIF2311 has been IR filmed in order to distinguish its calls (arrows) from the background calls (Cardiodactylus sp. and Salomona redtenbacheri, see Fig. 20) 20H00, 21°C, 3 m from the specimen; E, Pseudorhynchus lessonii Serville, 1838, specimen MNHN-ENSIF2282, 19H40, 22°C. All songs recorded in situ.

FIG. 14. — Furnia Stål, 1876: A-C, F. incerta (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878) (after unpublished pictures from the holotype, NHW); D, E, F. malaya Stål, 1876 (after unpublished pictures of the holotype NHRS); F, F. bakeri Karny, 1921; A, D, frontal view of the face; B, F, ventral view of male subgenital plate; C, dorsal view of male cercus; E, female ovipositor. Scale bar: 1 mm.