Brinckiella arboricola Naskrecki & Bazelet, 2009, n. sp.
Creators: name: Naskrecki, Piotr
name: Bazelet, Corinna S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Orthoptera
Phaneropteridae
Brinckiella
Brinckiella arboricola

description: Brinckiella arboricola n. sp.
(Figs. 1 G; 2E–F; 3D, H, O, Q; 6)
Type locality. Republic of South Africa: Northern Cape, Goegap Nat. Res., bush huts, nr. main entrance (29°41'7.3''S, 17°56'49.8''E), 824 m, 2–4.x.2008, coll. P. Naskrecki & C. Bazelet - male holotype (SAMC)
Diagnostic description (male, except where specified) – General characteristics as for the genus, diagnostic characters listed below. This species is similar to B. wilsoni in the lack of denticles on the phallus, but differs from this and other species within the genus in the unique shape of the male cercus (Fig. 3 H) and the shape of the female subgenital plate (Fig. 2 E.)
Thorax. Lateral lobe of pronotum about twice as long as high, about as high as long in female (Fig. 1 G); anterior margin of pronotum flat; broadly rounded; metazona flat, posterior edge of metazona slightly raised, straight when seen from above.
Legs. Genicular lobes of front femur armed with single spines on both sides. Genicular lobes of mid femur armed with single spines on both sides. Genicular lobes of hind femur armed with single spines on both sides.
Wings. Stridulatory file flat, nearly straight, bent in proximal fourth, 6.0 mm long, 0.3 mm wide, with 44 teeth (Fig. 1 M.)
Abdomen. Tenth tergite unmodified. Cercus bent in apical third; straight when seen from side; apex tapered, with apical tooth (Fig. 3 H); phallus entirely membranous, without sclerotized elements (Fig. 3 D.) Subgenital plate broadly trapezoidal, straight apically; styli cylindrical, about twice as long as wide, parallel, separated by small gap and held horizontally. Female subgenital plate less than twice as wide as long, with broad median lobe (Fig. 2 E.)
Ovipositor. Apex with minute dentitions on lower valvula, upper valvula smooth; pointed, dorsal edge of upper valvula parallel to lower valvula, ovipositor slightly longer than half of hind femur; slightly curved (Fig. 2 F.)
Egg. Egg elongate, cylindrical in crosssection, straight (Fig. 3 O.)
Coloration. Coloration green to bright yellow (Fig. 5 E), antennae concolorous; antennal scapus without markings. Face pale green; eyes uniformly colored. Pronotum green, with dark and light stripes on upper edge of lateral lobe, continuous with those on thorax and abdomen. Tegmen mostly dark brown, with costal area lighter than rest of wing. Legs with basal parts sometimes darker or lighter than distal parts; hind femur uniformly colored; abdominal sterna without markings; abdominal terga with horizontal dark and light stripes laterally (in green individuals; unmarked in yellow ones); subgenital plate without markings.
Measurements (1 male, 3 females). total body: female 24–25.2 (24.4±.7); body: male 11, female 17.5–19 (18±.9); pronotum: male 2.5, female 3.1–3.5 (3.3±.2); tegmen: male 2; hind femur: male 14, female 14–15 (14.4±.6); front femur: male 8.5), female 7–7.6 (7.3±.3); mid femur: male 8.5, female 7.1–7.6 (7.4±.3); ovipositor: 8.9–9 (9±.1) mm.
Material examined. Republic of South Africa: Northern Cape, Namakwa Distr., Goegap Nat. Res., bush huts, nr. main entrance, elev. 824 m (29°41'7.3''S, 17°56'49.8''E), 2–4.x.2008, coll. P. Naskrecki & C. Bazelet (RSA _35) - 1 male (holotype) (SAMC); Goegap Nat. Res., main road nr. entrance, elev. 823 m (29°41'9.6''S, 17°57'14.3''E), 2.x.2008, coll. P. Naskrecki & C. Bazelet (RSA _26) - 1 female (paratype) (SAMC); Goegap Nat. Res., nr. bush camp on tourist rt., elev. 970 m (29°41'51.3''S, 18°0'42.8''E), 3.x.2008, coll. P. Naskrecki & C. Bazelet (RSA _34) - 2 females (paratypes) (ANSP, MCZ); Western Cape, Cederberg distr., Matjiesrivier Nat. Res., Pienaarsvlak, elev. 880 m (32°30'33.4''S, 19°18'37.1''E), 6.x.2008, coll. P. Naskrecki & C. Bazelet (RSA _43A) - 1 female (paratype) (USEC).
Etymology. Named in reference to the arboreal habitat of this species.
Remarks. Singing males of this species were seen, and collected from trees near the entrance to the Geogap Nature Reserve nr. Springbok in the Northern Cape Province. The call of this species consists of short, mostly ultrasonic echemes produced every 3–10 seconds (at 17°C.) Each echeme consisted of 13 short syllables. The dominant frequency of the call, as recorded by the ultrasound detector Pettersson D200, was 36 kHz (Fig. 6.)
description: Published as part of Naskrecki, Piotr & Bazelet, Corinna S., 2009, A species radiation among South African flightless spring katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae: Brinckiella Chopard), pp. 46-62 in Zootaxa 2056 on pages 58-60, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.186707