Prionotropis appula (O.G. Costa, 1836)

Massa, Bruno, Ünal, Mustafa & Verde, Gabriella Lo, 2015, Revision of the genus Prionotropis Fieber, 1853 (Orthoptera: Pamphagidae: Thrinchinae), Zootaxa 4059 (3), pp. 499-524 : 515-517

Prionotropis appula (O.G. Costa, 1836)

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Orthoptera .speciesfile.org:TaxonName:42811

Material examined. Italy, Basilicata, Campomaggiore (Potenza) 14.VII.1974 (1♂, 1♀); Italy, Campania, Naples (ex Costa) (2♀); Italy, Apulia, Otranto (ex Costa) (1♂, 2♀) ( MNCN); Italy, Campania, Naples (ex Costa, ex Brunner, 1891, ex Pantel) (2♂, 2♀); Italy (coll. Azam) (4♂, 2♀); Italy, Apulia, Mt. S. Angelo 28.VII.1929, C. Confalonieri (1♂, 1♀); Italy, Basilicata, Matera 18.VI.2003, Delobel (2♂, 1♀) ( MNHN); Italy, Apulia, Mt. S. Angelo 28.VII.1929, C. Confalonieri (23♂, 23♀); Italy, Apulia, Manfredonia 29.VII.1929, C. Confalonieri (3♂, 2♀); Italy, Apulia, Altamura VI.1909, A. Andreini (2♂, 2♀); Italy, Apulia, Foggia VII.1917 (1♂, 1♀); Italy, Apulia, Otranto 12.VI.1929, C. Confalonieri (6♂, 2♀); Italy, Basilicata, Melfi (1♀) ( MSNG); Italy, Calabria 1892 (1♂); Italy, Apulia, Masseria Resecata 12.VI.2007, B. Massa (1♂, 2♀); Italy, Apulia, Manfredonia 14.VI.2007, B. Massa (1♂); Italy, Apulia, Altamura 12.VI.2007, B. Massa (1♂); Italy, Apulia, Alberobello 6.VII.1970 (1♀); Italy, Molise, Macchiav. Fontane (Campobasso) 30.VI.1997, Mancini (1♀) ( BMCP).

Remarks. P. appula differs from P. hystrix by the pronotal shape, the colour of the hind tibia and inner side of the hind femur and the length and the shape of the wings (Figs 8, 10, 16, 18, 24, 26, 32, 34); differences from P. willemsorum n. sp. are reported below. The epiphallus has a longer apex than in P. willemsorum n. sp., but penis valves are very similar ( Figs 37 , 39, 44 , 46 , 52, 53 ).

Distribution. P. appula occurs in Latium, Molise, Campania, Apulia, Basilicata and Calabria ( Fontana et al. 2005, Massa et al. 2012). It was recorded from Greece by Brunner von Wattenwyl (1882), and recovered in the area of Epirus (Ioannina) by Foucart & Ponel (1999) and Willemse & Willemse (2008). Previous authors did not find differences between Italian and Greek specimens, but a more careful comparison allowed us to find unique characteristics in the Greek population, and we describe it here as a new taxon (see below). In particular, in P. appula the pronotum and tegmina are shorter and posterior edge of epiphallus is longer than in P. willemsorum n. sp.

Measurements. see Table 1 . Biometric ratios show that the two species of Italy and Greece are related, and we may consider the Italian P. appula of transjonian origin ( Figs 65–68 ).

Figures

FIGURES 34 – 37. Dorsal view of females of Prionotropis appula (34), P. willemsorum n. sp. (35), P. flexuosa (36) and P. maculinervis (37).

FIGURES 38 – 44. Lateral view of the epiphallus of Prionotropis hystrix (38), P. azami (39), P. rhodanica (40), P. appula (41), P. flexuosa (42), P. willemsorum n. sp. (43) and P. maculinervis (44).

FIGURES 45 – 51. Dorsal view of the epiphallus of Prionotropis hystrix (45), P. azami (46), P. rhodanica (47), P. appula (48), P. flexuosa (49), P. willemsorum n. sp. (50) and P. maculinervis (51).

FIGURES 52 – 58. Frontal view of penis valves of Prionotropis hystrix (52), P. flexuosa (53), P. azami (54), P. rhodanica (55), P. appula (56), P. willemsorum n. sp. (57) and P. maculinervis (58).

FIGURES 65 – 66. Biometrics of the genus Prionotropis. Ratio length of pronotum / length of hind femora (PL / HFL), length of hind femora / length of tegmina (HFL / TGL), length of pronotum / length of tegmina (PL / TGL) and total length of body / length of tegmina (TL / TGL) in males (65) and in females (66) of Prionotropis appula, P. willemsorum n. sp., P. rhodanica, P. azami, P. hystrix, P. flexuosa, and P. maculinervis.

FIGURE 67. Scatterplot of the first two factors resulting from the PCA analysis of biometrics of Prionotropis appula, P. willemsorum n. sp., P. rhodanica, P. azami, P. hystrix, its synonym P. sontiaca, P. maculinervis and P. flexuosa males (a) and females (b).

FIGURE 68. Length of tegmina of males and females of Prionotropis appula, P. willemsorum n. sp., P. rhodanica, P. azami, P. hystrix, P. flexuosa and P. maculinervis.