Sphingonotus

Husemann, Martin, Ray, Jesse & Hochkirch, Axel, 2011, A revision of the subgenus Parasphingonotus Benediktov & Husemann, 2009 (Orthoptera: Oedipodinae: Sphingonotini), Zootaxa 2916, pp. 51-61 : 53-54

Sphingonotus Parasphingonotus femoralis Uvarov, 1933

Synonymy: Sphingonotus airensis Chopard, 1950

Material examined. Type material: Holotype: 1 male, ARABIAN PENINSULA, South Arabian Desert, 1931, leg. B. S. Thomas, det. B. Uvarov, Depository: NHM, Paratype 1 female, ARABIAN PENINSULA, South Arabian Desert, 1931, leg. B. S. Thomas, det. B. Uvarov, Depository: NHM, Paratype, 1 female, SOMALIA, Behin, Jan. 1897, leg. F. Gillet, det. B. Uvarov, Depository: NHM.

Additional material examined. 1 male, OMAN, Kabil, 28 Oct. 1970, leg. J. Tunstall, Depository: NHM, 1 female, OMAN, Dhofar, Salalah, Jebel Qara, 23 Oct. 1983, leg. S. D. Gillett, Depository: NHM, 1 female, SAUDI ARABIA, Nejran, 20 July 1962, leg. G. Popov, Depository: NHM, 1 male, SAUDI ARABIA, upper Wadi Alahsiba, Tihma, 10 Feb. 1962, leg. G. Popov, Depository: NHM, 1 male, IRAN, Sarbaz, May 1950, leg. Salvatian, Depository: NHM, 1 female, YEMEN, near Taizz, 8 Oct. 1962, leg. G. Popov, Depository: NHM, 1 male, YEMEN, El’Asr, about 3 miles W of San’a, 14 Feb. 1938, leg. H. Scott & E. B. Britton, Depository: NHM, 1 male, YEMEN, Beit Baus, about 5 miles S of San’a, leg. H. Scott & E. B. Britton, Depository: NHM,

Specimens formerly identified as S. airensis : 1 male, 1 Ƥ, ERITREA, Agra Plain, 0 7 July 1950, leg. A. J. Wood, Depository: NHM, 1 male, 1 female (former paratypes of S. airensis ), NIGER, Air, Tésuar, 1947, leg. Chop. Vill., Depository: NHM, 1 male (former Type of S. airensis ), NIGER, Air, Tésuar, 1947, leg. Chop. Vill., Depository: MNHN, 1 male, 1 female (former Types of S. airensis ), NIGER, Air, Tassasset, 1947, leg. Chop. Vill., Depository: MNHN, 1 female (former Types of S. airensis ), NIGER, Air, Tarrouadji, 1947, leg. Chop. Vill., Depository: MNHN, 1 female, NIGER, Tabourax, 27 Oct. 1985, leg. T. McNary, Depository: Timothy J. McNary, private collection.

Distribution. Records exist from Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad (former distribution of S. airensis ( Chopard 1950, Dirsh 1965, Mestre & Chiffaud 2006)), Sudan, Western Egypt ( Mistshenko 1936), Eritrea, Somalia ( Uvarov 1933), Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Jordan, and Israel, to Iran and Pakistan ( Popov 1980, Massa & Fontana 1998, Ingrisch 1999)

Male. General facies: Habitus as typical for the genus, but fairly slender; medium size: length from fastigium of vertex to end of fore wings 19.6–21.6 mm ( S. femoralis 19.6–21.6 mm (N=5), formerly identified as S. airensis 19.6–21.1 mm (N=3)).

Color: Body coloration variable: sandy to medium brown, sometimes with red tint. Antennae alternating light and dark brown. Outer area of hind femora same color as body, but with dark incomplete fascia 1/3 of the length of the femora away from the knee. Inner side of hind femora beige with dark knee and one full fascia at the level of the outer band, a second fascia is of variable width and can fill the whole medial area or can be absent. Hind tibiae dirty whitish or pale yellowish with dark spines.

Head: Antennae filiform, longer than head and pronotum together. Frontal ridge slightly concave with lateral carinae slightly widened between basis of antennae. Fastigium of vertex concave, lateral carinae elevated, median carinula variable, often slightly developed. Temporal foveolae diffuse, elongate triangular.

Thorax: Pronotum almost as wide as long; pronotal disk smooth with three complete transverse sulci; median carina present in front of first sulcus, often two small elongated tubercles (often of whitish color) between second and third sulcus; posterior margin rectangular to obtuse angular or rounded; lateral carinae slightly developed in metazona. Metazona approximately twice as long as prozona (0.37–0.56) ( S. femoralis 0.41–0.56 (N=5), formerly identified as S. airensis 0.37–0.55 (N=3)).

Wings: Hind wings slightly bluish or hyaline without any trace of a fascia but with darkened veins. Fore wings moderately densely reticulated, relatively narrow: 6.2–7.1 ( S. femoralis 6.4–7.1 (N=5), S. airensis 6.2–7.0 (N=3)) as long as wide. Intercalary vein slightly sinuous or curved with the centre being most distant from the radius, sometimes proximally splitting up into two veins smooth; radius serrated.

Femora: Hind femora 3.2–3.8 ( S. femoralis 3.2–3.8 (N=5), S. airensis 3.3–3.5 (N=3)) times longer than wide; spurs of tibia of normal length for the genus; arolium small (1/3 to 1/2 of length of claws).

Abdomen: Tympanum typical for the genus, as high as long, less than 50% of opening covered by ventral lobe. Epiproct elongate and trilobate, almost reaches the tip of the cerci, lateral margins slightly elevated, basally with small tubercles and two triangular and two linear ridges. Cerci slightly longer than epiproct, slightly conical with blunt rounded tip.

Inner genitalia: Lophi of epiphallus large and bipartite, internal lobes projecting inside and rounded, external part broad oval; ancorae in- and down-curved, pointed; epiphallic bridge of medium width; anterior projections short, spoon-shape, but pointed; posterior projections short, rounded.

Female. The females are mostly similar to males but differ in the following characters:

Body more stout; body size: 27.1–30.7 mm ( S. femoralis 28.4–30.7 mm (N=4), S. airensis 27.1–29.1 mm (N=4)); cerci conical with broad basis and pointed tip; ovipositor variable, short; valves strongly curved, with rounded or pointed tips; both valves approximately of similar length; lower valve with distinct rounded tooth; lower valve from seen below shows considerable variation ( Fig. 5 ). Although the appearance of the subgenital plates of the paratypes of S. femoralis from Somalia and S. airensis from Niger is slightly different, these differences are in the range of variation found among studied individuals within each species. Lower valve from seen below with basal plates of oval shape and variable size covering about half of the valve. Proximal part of valves of medium width, laterally elevated. Subgenital plate with two rounded lobes.

Figures

FIGURE 5. View of the lower valve of the ovipositor and the subgenital plate from below: a) a former paratype of S. airensis from Niger, b) a paratype from S. P. femoralis from Somalia, c) an allotype from S. P. radioserratus from Tunisia, and d) a paratype of S. P. turkanae from Ethiopia.