Isophya speciosa (Frivaldszky, 1867)

Dragan P. Chobanov, Beata Grzywacz, Ionuţ Ş. Iorgu, Battal Cιplak, Maya B. Ilieva & Elżbieta Warchałowska-Śliwa, 2013, Review of the Balkan Isophya (Orthoptera: Phaneropteridae) with particular emphasis on the Isophya modesta group and remarks on the systematics of the genus based on morphological and acoustic data, Zootaxa 3658 (1), pp. 1-81 : 48-49

Isophya speciosa (Frivaldszky, 1867)

( Figs 30 , 55, 79 , 104 , 129 , 181 , 190 , 195 )

Odontura speciosa (Frivaldszky) : Frivaldszky 1867 (sp.n.). Isophya tenuicerca Ramme : Ramme 1951 (sp.n.).

Morphological description: see the references above; Brunner von Wattenwyl 1878; Brunner von Wattenwyl 1882; Eliescu 1936; Ramme 1951 (both as I. speciosa and I. tenuicerca ); Bey-Bienko 1954; Can 1959a, b (as I. tenuicerca ); Harz 1969; Heller 1988. Bioacoustics: Heller 1988. Karyotype: Warchałowska-Śliwa et al. 2008.

The species is well characterised in the cited references. Slight variation is observed in the shape of the apex of male cerci which generally coincides with the differences between I. speciosa and I. tenuicerca .

Diagnosis: I. speciosa differs from I. amplipennis by the slender male cerci with narrow apex and pointed apical/subapical tooth ( Figs 104 , 181 B); female lamella ( Fig. 129 ) is less laterally protruded; male stridulatory file ( Fig. 181 A) bears the largest number of teeth among the known representatives of the group—from 154–160 (in two males from NE Bulgaria, Byala, and SE Bulgaria, Kovach, respectively) to over 170 (Heller 1988) and has a length of 2.6–2.8 mm (present paper: two males from NE and SE Bulgaria, respectively) or possibly more. Male song ( Fig. 190 ) has four recognisable parts. The syllables are longer than these of the other studied species of the group (about 3.6 s at>27°С after Heller 1988 and 5.2 s at 24°С in a male studied here); possibly there are differences in the impulse interval and length of different parts of the song between I. speciosa and I. amplipennis but it is difficult to judge for this character due to the significant differences in the recording temperature of available recordings (compare Heller 1988: Abb. 33 for both species as well as this paper: Fig. 190 ).

Distribution ( Fig. 195 ) and phenology: Subendemic for the Balkan Peninsula, known from S Romania, Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Macedonia, Bulgaria, NE Greece (Thraki), Eropean Turkey and NW Anatolia. This is the widestly distributed Isophya on the Balkans, inhabiting mesophyte plant associations from the sea coast up to 2500 m altitude in Pirin Mts ( Bulgaria). Due to its wide altitudinal range the phenology of some populations may be largely shifted, i.e. in the highest places nymphs emerge when imagines disappear in lowlands. Nymphs— ІІ(VI)–V(VІІ), imago—IV(VІІI)–VІІ(ІХ).

Notes to the literature data: We partially refer the data by Nedelkov (1908) for I. pyrenaea to I. speciosa basing on one male from Dragalevtsi, identified by Nedelkov as I. camptoxypha (Fieb.) . However, the locality “Vitosha” has also been tentatively referred to I. rectipennis following Chobanov (2009b).

Köhler (1988) recorded I. brevipennis Br.W. (synonym of I. camptoxypha (Fieber)) from Pirin based on a single female. The specimen by Köhler (1988) most probably belongs to I. speciosa , occurring at that height on Pirin Mts together with I. bureschi . However, I. bureschi is more similar to I. modestior , the latter also wrongly recorded by Köhler (1988) from Pirin.

Figures

FIGURE 190. Male calling song of I. speciosa (BG: Vitosha Mt., Zheleznitsa) at two different speeds (air temperature during recording 24 ºC; time scale below). Break-signs in Fig. 190 B indicate the place of interruption of the syllable (no part of it is missing).

FIGURE 195. Distribution of I. amplipennis and I. speciosa on the Balkan Peninsula.

FIGURES 19 – 30. General appearance of some Balkan Isophya; 19 — I. modestior (male); 20, 21 — I. dobrogensis (20 — male, 21 — female); 22, 23 — I. zubowskii (22 — male, 23 — female); 24, 25 — I. camptoxypha (24 — male, 25 — female); 26, 27 — I. gulae (26 — male, 27 — female); 28, 29 — I. obtusa (dark— 28, and green— 29 colour forms; males); 30 — I. speciosa (malebelow, and female—above).

FIGURES 56 – 79. Morphology of female head, pronotum and tegmina of the Balkan Isophya and I. yaraligozi (localities as in Figs 31 – 55 unless specifically given): 56 — I. hospodar; 57 — I. rectipennis; 58 — I. pavelii (paratype of I. rammei Peshev); 59 — I. thracica; 60 — I. bureschi; 61 — I. yaraligozi; 62 — I. tosevski; 63 — I. andreevae (paratype); 64 — I. clara; 65 — I. miksici (paratype); 66 — I. plevnensis (paratype); 67 — I. longicaudata adamovici (paratype, BG: Sliven, 1000 m, NMNHS); 68 — I. l. longicaudata; 69 — I. rhodopensis leonorae (BG: “ Alibotush, 1500 m ”, 13.07. 1959, NMNHS); 70 — I. rh. rhodopensis (as in Fig. 46 but 17.07.1956); 71 — I. rh. petkovi; 72 — I. modestior; 73 — I. dobrogensis; 74 — I. zubowskii; 75 — I. aff. camptoxypha (MK: Bistra Mt., 2.08. 2004, CC); 76 — I. gulae (paratype, BG: Dolna Topchiya, 10.07. 1974, NMNHS); 77 — I. obtusa (BG: Vezhen Peak, 15.07. 1969, NMNHS); 78 — I. amplipennis (TR: “ Turkey | 1960 | Sureya Bey ”, NHM); 79 — I. speciosa (BG: Sakar Mt., 14.06. 1952, NMNHS). Scale (if present; black line right of the specimen) = 10 mm.

FIGURES 80 – 104. Male abdominal terminalia of the Balkan Isophya and I. yaraligozi (localities as in Figs 31 – 55): 80 — I. hospodar; 81 — I. rectipennis; 82 — I. pavelii; 83 — I. thracica; 84 — I. bureschi; 85 — I. yaraligozi; 86 — I. tosevski; 87 — I. andreevae; 88 — I. clara; 89 — I. miksici; 90 — I. plevnensis; 91 — I. longicaudata adamovici; 92 — I. l. longicaudata; 93 — I. m. modesta (= intermedia); 94 — I. rhodopensis leonorae; 95 — I. rh. rhodopensis; 96 — I. rh. petkovi; 97 — I. modestior; 98 — I. dobrogensis; 99 — I. zubowskii; 100 — I. aff. camptoxypha; 101 — I. gulae; 102 — I. obtusa; 103 — I. amplipennis; 104 — I. speciosa. Scale (if present) = 2 mm.

FIGURES 105 – 129. Female abdominal terminalia of the Balkan Isophya and I. yaraligozi (localities as in Figs 31 – 55 unless specifically given); figures of the whole ovipositor are followed by enlarged figure of the ovipositor base: 105 — I. hospodar (BG: Dolni Glavanak, 25.04. 2005, CC); 106 — I. rectipennis (BG: Byala Vill., 27.06. 2002, CC); 107 — I. pavelii (BG: Chernogorovo, 29.05. 2006, CC); 108 — I. thracica; 109 — I. bureschi (BG: Bansko, 8.08. 2006, CC); 110 — I. yaraligozi; 111 — I. tosevski; 112 — I. andreevae (BG: Kresnensko Hanche, 19.04. 2006, CC); 113 — I. clara; 114 — I. miksici (BG: Gorski Dom Lodge, 24.06. 2006, CC); 115 — I. plevnensis (BG: Levishte, 14.07. 2009, CC); 116 — I. longicaudata adamovici (BG: Karandila, 24.06. 2008, CC); 117 — I. l. longicaudata (BG: Sofia University Botanical garden, 26.06. – 1.07.2004, CC); 118 — I. m. modesta (= intermedia); 119 — I. rhodopensis leonorae (BG: Livade, 9.08. 2006, CC); 120 — I. rh. rhodopensis (BG: Bachkovo, 600 m, 23.05. 2004, CC); 121 — I. rh. petkovi (BG: Gluhite Kamani, 23.06. 2008, CC); 122 — I. modestior (BG: Bankya, 24.05. 2006, CC); 123 — I. dobrogensis; 124 — I. zubowskii; 125 — I. aff. camptoxypha (data as in Fig. 75); 126 — I. gulae; 127 — I. obtusa (BG: Ravnets Ridge, 14.07. 2009, CC); 128 — I. amplipennis (as in Fig. 78); 129 — I. speciosa (BG: Bankya, 24.05. 2006, CC). Indications on Fig. 127 show, respectively: G—gonangulum; L—lamella; P—lateral pit between lamella and gonangulum. Scale (if present) = 5 mm.

FIGURES 174 – 181. SEM of taxonomically important structures of Isophya: 174 — I. dobrogensis (RO: Popina Island); 175 — I. zubowskii (RO: Babadag, NMB); 176 — I. camptoxypha (RO: “ Bucec b. Sinaia, 13 – 1800 m, 25.8. 41, Ramme ”, NMB); 177 — I. gulae (BG: Elhovo, Dolna Topchiya Resrve); 178, 179 — I. obtusa (178 — BG: Lyulin Mt.; 179 — Pleven Lodge); 180 — I. amplipennis (TR: near Sogut); 181 — I. speciosa (BG: Kovach Locality). A—male stridulatory file (174 – 179 — scale 200 μm; 180, 181 — scale 100 μm); B—ventral / ventro-apical view of apex of male cerci (scale 100 μm); C—female stridulatory apparatus (scale 100 μm; for 175 C— 200 μm).