Mormotus
Creators: name: Naskrecki, Piotr
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2008
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Orthoptera
Phaneropteridae
Mormotus

description: 51. Mormotus (?) erectistylus Karsch, 1896
(Figs. 1 F–I; 6E–F; 13C–D)
This species has a somewhat confusing taxonomic history. Karsch (1896), described Mormotus erectistylus based on single male specimen from Togo. Griffini (1908) described a new species Tympanocompus erectistylus based on a specimen from Cameroon, and stated “[…]Non ho allontanato da me il dubbio che questa specie non possa essere quella descritta, pure su di un esemplare [male] da Karsch, col nome di Mormotus erctistylus. " (“[…] I have no doubt that this species cannot be the one, described from a male specimen by Karsch under the name Mormotus erectistylus. ”) Despite this statement, and obvious morphological differences included in Griffini’s description, Beier (1962) synonymized both species under the name Tympanocomus erectistylus (Karsch), and appeared to have based his description on Griffini’s specimen (the most significant difference being the degree of the development of male’s stridulatory organs.) I have not had a chance to examine Griffini’s type specimen of T. erectictylus, but have done so with Karsch’s type of M. erectistylus, and the individuals I collected in Ghana are clearly conspecific with the latter. Until I have a chance to examine the former, I abstain from making any taxonomic changes, and merely redescribe the male based on the new material, and describe the female of Mormotus erectistylus Karsch for the first time.
Description
General. — Body of medium size, robust (figs. 13C–D).
Head. — Antennae about twice as long as body; antennal scapus with apical spine. Eyes globular, strongly protruding. Fastigium of vertex triangular, usually not reaching apex of antennal sockets; grooved dorsally. Frons flat.
Thorax. — Anterior margin of pronotum flat; unarmed. Humeral sinus of pronotum absent; lateral lobe wider than high; marginal fold of pronotum smooth; metazona flat, unarmed; posterior edge of metazona straight. Pronotum surface densely granulate. Prosternum with two, widely spaced protuberances; sternum flat.
Legs. — Front tibia unarmed dorsally; front femur armed on anterior margin with 2–3 small spines; tympanum bilaterally closed, with narrow, forward facing slits; genicular lobes of front femur unarmed. Mid tibia unarmed dorsally; slightly thickened in proximal half. Mid femur armed with 3–4 spines on anterior ventral margin; genicular lobes of mid femur armed on inner side. Dorsal spines of hind tibia of equal size on both edges. Hind femur with 5 spines on anterior ventral margin; genicular lobes of hind femur unarmed.
Wings. — Left stridulatory area coriaceous, without mirror (fig. 6E); right stridulatory area with small, circular mirror (fig. 6F); stridulatory file nearly straight, bent in proximal fourth, flat, 1.62–1.8 mm long, 0.175 mm wide, with 114–123 teeth. Tegmen distinctly surpassing apex of abdomen; vein Rs branching off in apical third of tegmen; veins Sc and R close together, parallel along their entire length. Hind wing as long as tegmen.
Abdomen. — Cercus long and slender, bent inwards, unarmed, apex tapered (fig. 1G); 10th tergite enlarged, bulbous and strongly sclerotized; supraanal plate strongly sclerotized and fused with 10th tergite (fig. 1F). Subgenital plate elongate, narrowly trapezoidal; with small, triangular apical incision. Styli thickened apically, distinctly divergent apically (fig. 1H). Female subgenital plate widely triangular, with small, triangular apical incision; posterior lobes acute (fig. 1I).
Ovipositor. — Ovipositor slightly curved, dorsal edge of upper valvula convex in middle, apex pointed; ovipositor shorter than hind femur, apex with upper valvula minutely dentate, lower valvula smooth.
Coloration. — Coloration uniformly light brown; antennae concolorous; eyes with median, horizontal, lighter band; face without darker markings; occiput without markings; pronotum without markings; tegmen without distinct markings; hind wing slightly fumose; femora brown, with green knees, all tibiae green (figs. 13C–D); abdominal sterna without markings; subgenital plate without markings.
Measurements (4 males, 4 females). — body w/wings: male 35–36 (35.3±.5), female 38–45 (42.3±3.1); body w/o wings: male 31–33 (31.8±1), female 28–34 (31.6±2.8); pronotum: male 5–6.5 (6±.7), female 6–7 (6.8±.5); tegmen: male 21–27 (25.1±2.8), female 25–28 (26.3±1.3); hind femur: male 17–18 (17.6±.5), female 17.5–21 (19.2±1.8); ovipositor: 15–17 (16.4±.9) mm.
Material examined. — Ghana: Eastern Region, Ajenjua Bepo Forest Reserve, elev. 300–320 m (6°22'2.3''N, 1°1'58''W), 26–30.viii.2006, leg. P. Naskrecki, V. Awotwe-Pratt and M. Bakowski (Camp 1)— 2 females, 1 male (MCZ); Mamang Forest Reserve, elev. 130 m (6°15'1.4''N, 1°2'25.4''W), 30.viii–5.ix.2006, leg. P. Naskrecki, V. Awotwe-Pratt and M. Bakowski (Camp 2)— 1 female, 1 male (MCZ); Atewa Range, Asiakwa (South), elev. 690 m (6°15'44.3''N, 0°33'18.8''W), 11–16.vi.2006, leg. P. Naskrecki (Camp 2)— 1 female, 2 males (ANSP); Togo: Misahöhe, (6°57'N, 0°35'0''E), 6/7/1894 — 1 male (holotype) (ZMHB).
description: Published as part of Naskrecki, Piotr, 2008, Sylvan katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Pseudophyllinae) of the Guinean Forests of West Africa hotspot: an overview and descriptions of new species, pp. 1-41 in Zootaxa 1712 on pages 18-19, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.180953