Neoconocephalus punctipes ( Redtenbacher, 1891 )

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, : 60-61

Neoconocephalus punctipes ( Redtenbacher, 1891)

Figs. 13 C-F, 44E, 45C, 56C-D, Map 8

1891 Redtenbacher, Monografie der Conocephaliden 1891: 422 >> Conocephalus ; type locality: Caribbean: St. Vincent; type depository: The Natural History Museum, London – syntypes male and female

1906 Kirby, Syn. Cat. Orth. 2: 248 >> Conocephaloides

1983 Walker and Greenfield, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. 109: 378 >> Neoconocephalus

1999 Naskrecki and Otte, Illustr. Cat. Orthop. I (CD ROM) >> holotype illustrated

[syn.] surinamensis = 1891 Redtenbacher, Monografie der Conocephaliden 1891: 385, 422; type locality: Surinam >> Conocephaloides

1912 Karny, in Wytsman, Gen. Ins. 139: 37

>> Homorocoryphus

1983 Walker and Greenfield, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. 109: 378 >>Syn. of Neoconocephalus punctipes

1999 Naskrecki and Otte, Illustr. Cat. Orthop. I (CD ROM) >> syntype female illustrated

Diagnostic description.— General characteristics as described above. Stridulatory file of male 1.2-1.7 mm long, with 56-84 teeth, maximum width of file 0.17 mm ( Figs. 44 E); proximal third of file abruptly narrowing, with teeth only third as wide as in distal part of file. Mirror of stridulatory apparatus rectangular, with distal margin of mirror weakly convex ( Fig. 45 C). Fastigium of vertex touching fastigium of frons with no visible gap between them ( Fig. 13 D) or fastigia separated by narrow gap ( Fig. 13 F); frontal portion of fastigium with weakly defined white band but no dark markings beneath ( Figs. 13 C, 13E).

Mid femur with 2-3 small spines on anterior ventral margin, never accompanied by black spots at their bases; hind femora occasionally with dark spots at bases of ventral spines. Brown individuals often with dark speckles on tegmina; hind tibia in green individuals often brown but not nearly as dark as in N. affinis .

Ovipositor approximately as long as hind femur (ratio ovipositor/hind femur 0.99-1.08), straight.

Measurements.— Table 7 .

Bioacoustics.— The call of N. punctipes is a long, highpitched buzz ( Figs. 56 C-D). Costa Rican populations have the wingstroke rate of 230 wingstrokes/s, and similar rates were recorded by Walker and Greenfield (1983) for populations from Panama, Trinidad and Jamaica. The principal frequencies of the call are 9.5-15 kHz. Males sing mostly at dusk and at night although individual males may call briefly during the day.

Distribution.— N. punctipes has been recorded from St. Vincent, Trinidad, Jamaica, and Panama ( Walker and Greenfield 1983). These are the first record of this species from Costa Rica. It occurs throughout the country in grassy habitats at low elevations.

Material examined.— COSTA RICA: Alajuela Prov., Caño Negro, R.N.V. S Caño Negro, elev. 20 m, 8 - 24 August 1992 (coll. K. Flores) - 1 male, 1 female ( INBio); same locality, elev. 20 m, 2 September 1993 (coll. K. Flores) - 1 male ( INBio); La Marína, 18 August 1961 (coll. C.F. Walker) - 1 male ( UMMZ); Playuelas, Caño Negro, R.N.V. S Caño Negro, elev. 20 m, 15 December 1992 (coll. K. Martínez) - 1 male ( INBio); same locality, elev. 20 m, 31 December 1992 (coll. K. Martínez) - 1 female ( INBio); Puesto Playuelas, Caño Negro, R.N.V.S. Caño Negro, elev. 20 m, 27 September 1993 (coll. K. Martínez) - 1 male ( INBio); Cartago Prov., Quebrada Segunda, P.N. Tapantí, elev. 1250 m, 15 March 1992 (coll. R. Vargas) - 1 male ( INBio); Guanacaste Prov., 9 mi N Cañas on Río Tenorio, Finca La Pacifica, elev. 40 m, 3 - 10 February 1969 (coll. D.C. Rentz) - 1 male ( CSIRO); Estac. Pitilla, 9 km S. Santa Cecilia, elev. 700 m, 22 August 1993 (coll. C. Moraga) - 1 male ( INBio); Estac. Pitilla, 9 km St. Cecilia, elev. 700 m, 15 November 1988 (coll. GNP Biodiversity Survey) - 1 female ( INBio); same locality, elev. 700 m, 15 December 1988 (coll. GNP Biodiversity Survey) - 1 female ( INBio); Finca Jenny, 30 km N Liberia, elev. 300 m, 15 January 1992 (coll. F. Araya) - 1 female ( INBio); same locality, elev. 240 m, 15 January 1994 (coll. F. Araya) - 1 female ( INBio); Finca Jenny, 31 km N Liberia, elev. 300 m, 15 December 1988 (coll. GNP Biodiversity Survey) - 1 female ( INBio); Los Almendros, P.N. Guanacaste, 24 April 1992 (coll. G. Gallardo) - 1 female ( INBio); Palo Verde N. P., Palo Verde Biological Station, 5 February 1994 (coll. P. Naskrecki) - 2 males, 1 female ( PN collection); Heredia Prov., Finca La Selva, nr. Puerto Viejo, 6 April 1969 (coll. D.C. Rentz) - 1 male ( CSIRO); Finca Naranjo Valenciana, 2 km S Pueblo Nuevo, Sarapiquí, elev. 90 m, 22 August 1992 (coll. M. Ortiz) - 2 males ( INBio); same locality, elev. 90 m, 9 - 30 September 1992 (coll. M. Ortiz) - 3 males ( INBio); same locality, elev. 90 m, 9 - 30 October 1992 (coll. M. Ortiz) - 1 male ( INBio); same locality, elev. 90 m, 22 December 1992 (coll. M. Ortiz) - 2 males ( INBio); same locality, elev. 90 m, 4 - 31 January 1993 (coll. M. Ortiz) - 3 males, 1 female ( INBio); La Virgen de Sarapiquí, 24 April 1993 (coll. M. Ortiz) - 1 male ( INBio); same locality, 30 May 1993 (coll. M. Ortiz) - 1 male ( INBio); Puerto Viejo, La Selva Biological Station, elev. 50 - 150 m, 10° 26' N, 84° 1' W, 22 October 1995 (coll. P. Naskrecki) - 1 male ( ALAS ); Limón Prov., Amubri, Talamanca, elev. 70 m, 29 August 1994 (coll. G. Gallardo) - 1 male ( INBio); Cuatro Esquinas, Tortuguero N. P., 15 September 1989 (coll. J. Solano) - 1 male ( INBio); Estac. Hitoy-Cerere Res. Biol. Hitoy Cerere, Río Cerere, elev. 100 m, 15 December 1992 (coll. G. Carballo) - 1 female ( INBio); Puntarenas Prov., Estac. Queb. Bonita, Res. Biol. Carara, elev. 50 m, 26 January 1993 (coll. R. Guzmán) - 1 male ( INBio); P. N. Manuel Antonio, Quepos, 20 August 1993 (coll. G. Carballo) - 1 female ( INBio); same locality, 15 December 1993 (coll. G. Carballo) - 1 male ( INBio); Península de Osa, Corcovado N. P., Estac. Sirena , 22 March 1980 (coll. D.H. Janzen and W. Hallwachs) - 2 females ( INBio); same locality, 12 August 1980 (coll. D.H. Janzen and W. Hallwachs) - 1 female ( INBio); Península de Osa, Corcovado N. P., Sirena , 7 - 14 March 1994 (coll. P. Naskrecki) - 1 male ( PN collection); Península de Osa, Rancho Quemado , elev. 200 m, 15 July 1992 (coll. M. Segura) - 1 male ( INBio); same locality, elev. 200 m, 15 August 1992 (coll. M. Segura) - 1 female ( INBio); same locality, elev. 200 m, 15 November 1992 (coll. R. Aguilar, M. Segura and F. Quesada) - 1 female ( INBio); Penisula de Osa, Rancho Quemado , elev. 200 m, 15 July 1992 (coll. A. Marín) - 1 female ( INBio); same locality, elev. 200 m, 3 April 1994 (coll. A. Marín) - 1 male ( INBio); Rancho Quemado, Pen. Osa, 1 November 1990 (coll. B. Apu) - 1 male ( INBio); same locality, 15 February 1991 (coll. F. Quesada) - 1 female ( INBio); Rancho Quemado Península de Osa, elev. 200 m, 15 October 1990 (coll. F. Quesada) - 5 males ( INBio); Rancho Quemado, Península de Osa, elev. 200 m, 15 May 1991 (coll. F. Quesada) - 1 female ( INBio); same locality, elev. 200 m, 31 March 1993 (coll. A. Gutiérrez) - 1 female ( INBio); Sirena, Corcovado N.P., elev. 0 - 100 m, 15 January 1990 (coll. G. Fonseca) - 2 males ( INBio); same locality, elev. 0 - 100 m, 15 February 1990 (coll. G. Fonseca) - 1 female ( INBio); same locality, elev. 0 - 100 m, 10 - 25 August 1992 (coll. A. Gutiérrez) - 1 male ( INBio); Vuelta Campana, R. Térraba, Rey Curré, elev. 100 - 500 m, 28 February 1993 (coll. S. Rojas) - 1 female ( INBio); PANAMA: Panama Prov., Tocumen Airport at Panama City, 22 January 1975 (coll. D.C. Rentz) - 1 female ( CSIRO).

Figures

FIG. 13. Frontal and lateral view of fastigia of Costa Rican Neoconocephalus spp. A-B. N. triops, C-D. N. punctipes - form without a fastigial gap, E-F. N. punctipes - form with a fastigial gap, G-H. N. cf. spiza.

FIG. 44. Stridulatory files of Costa Rican species of Neoconocephalus. A. N. affinis, B. ditto, enlarged fragment, C. N. triops, enlarged fragment, D. ditto, entire file, E. N. punctipes, entire file, F. ditto, enlarged fragment, G. N. cf. spiza, enlarged fragment, H. ditto, entire file.

FIG. 45. Stridulatory areas of Costa Rican species of Neoconocephalus, dorsal views, left and right sides. A. N. affinis, B. N. triops, C. N. punctipes, D. N. spiza.

FIG. 56. Oscillograms of male airborne calls and substrate tremulations of species of Neoconocephalus. A. N. affinis, B. ditto, 0.5 s fragment, C. N. punctipes, D. ditto, 0.5 s fragment, E. N. cf. spiza (Costa Rica, Heredia Prov., Las Selva Biol. Sta.), F. ditto, 0.5 s fragment, G. N. spiza (Panama, Gamboa).

MAPS 7 - 12. Distribution of species of Conocephalinae s. l. in Costa Rica. 7. Neoconocephalus affinis, N. triops, 8. Neoconocephalus punctipes, N. cf. spiza, 9. Bucrates capitatus, B. clausus, Metacaputus brenesi, 10. Pyrgocorypha rogersi, P. hamata, 11. Caulopsis cuspidata, C. microprora, 12. Moncheca elegans, M. pretiosa, Vestria punctata.