Philmontis forcipatus
Creators: name: Ingrisch, Sigfrid
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Orthoptera
Tettigoniidae
Philmontis
Philmontis forcipatus

description: Philmontis forcipatus (Willemse, 1966)
Figs. 2I–K, 4D, 5C–D, 6D, 8D–E
Nicsara forcipata Willemse, C. 1966. Publ. natuurhist. Genootsch. Limburg 16:6
Nishida, G.M. 1979. Pacific Insects 20(1):28
Philmontis forcipata Ingrisch. 2015. Zootaxa 4046(1):305
Remark. As the genus name is masculine, the correct name of the species should be P. forcipatus.
Holotype (male, not seen): Papua New Guinea: New Guinea (NE), Mt Otto, elev. 2200–2225 m, 21–23.vi.1955, leg. J.L. Gressitt —depository: Bernice B. Bishop Museum, Honolulu (BPBM).
Material studied: Papua New Guinea: New Guinea (NE), Mt Otto, elev. 2200–2225 m (5°47’S, 145°2’E), 21–23.vi.1955, leg. J.L. Gressitt — 8 females, 6 males (BPBM); New Guinea NE, Mt Michael, elev. 2200–2500 m (6°24’S, 145°19’E), 20.i.1966, leg. J. Sedlacek — 1 male (BPBM).
Diagnosis. P. forcipatus (Willemse, 1966) is related to P. nigrofasciatus Willemse, 1966 and the three other species treated above, although it is somewhat larger: body length in the mean 10 mm longer than in P. nigrofasciatus and about 5 mm longer than in P. angustus sp. nov., P. murmur sp. nov. or P. flexus sp. nov. The male cerci follow the same basic scheme as in these four species, although they are greatly enlarged. The straight basal stem has the internal margin in more than apical half strongly widened and the dorsal surface compressed. That widened area carries at hind margin a cone similar to the situation in P. murmur; the area that follows is then upcurved with still concave internal surface, only the apical area is in-curved and horizontal as in the related species. The complex structure of the male cerci has obviously evolved as an adaptation to modifications of the female subgenital plate. The very basic area of the female subgenital plate is narrowed, followed by a widened central plate as in the other species of the genus. The apical projections however are strongly widened forming a pair of vaulted plates separated by a wide interspace while in most other species of the genus they form elongate, spine-like projections.
Description. Rather large for the genus with wings surpassing abdomen and reaching or surpassing middle of ovipositor in females. Face of uniform color, antennal scrobae black, basal segments of antennae often black, in some specimens only partly so. Pronotum elongate; disc with anterior margin faintly concave, posterior margin broadly rounded; lateral lobes long and narrow, its deepest point in males just behind mid-length, in females at beginning of apical third; auditory swelling distinct but without humeral sinus. Prosternal spines short or medium long; mesosternal lobes obtuse; metasternal lobes rounded. Femora with the following number of spines on ventral margins: (1) 5-7 / 5-7; (2) 4-6 / 1-2; (3) 7-10 / 0-1 (n = 4); hind knee lobes with a single spine.
Male. Stridulatory file on underside of left tegmen in apical area little more distinct than in most other species of the genus (Fig. 4D). Stridulatory file 1.53 mm long with 109 teeth; from base to end of distinct area 0.95 mm with 55 teeth; area with largest 30 teeth 0.56 mm (Mt Otto); and: total length 1.32 mm long; area with countable teeth 1.035 mm long with 74 teeth; from base to end of distinct area 0.78 mm with 45 teeth; central area with largest teeth 0.45 mm with 26 teeth (Mt Michael; this file is damaged around mid-length). Tenth abdominal tergite of about same size as preceding tergites; apical margin wide-concave with lateral angles rounded (Fig. 2I). Cerci at base slightly down-curved, afterward in lateral view ventral margin little convex but in about mid-length strongly curved dorsad and toward end curved proximad, while dorsal margin nearly regularly curved from base toward tip; area around first curvature on internal side markedly swollen and provided with 3 obtuse bumps on somewhat irregular, ventrointernal surface; behind swollen area cercus flattened with a marked rim on internal side and concave dorsal surface; at end cercus little twisted again and provided at rounded tip with 3 acute spinules (Figs 2I–K). Subgenital plate with rather narrow, elevated central area and widely convex and little upcurved lateral areas; disc in mid-line with a faint rim; behind lateral rim apical area divided into a pair of rounded projections that carry at end rather small styli. Paraprocts with a long up-bent projection with obtuse tip. Titillators flattened, in situ folded; in opened view with basal and apical areas directed laterad; in apical area only moderately widened, before end narrowed and provided at end with a roughly disc-shaped appendage with very finely serrulate rim; color brownish with scattered brown spots; basal area and part of sub-apical area transparent whitish, partly with dark spots (Figs 5C–D).
Female. Subgenital plate with projecting anterior area moderately wide, in ventral view with basal margin faintly convex to nearly straight in middle, concave on both sides, afterward anterior-lateral areas with roughly oval, dorsal extension not visible from below; central area seamlessly merging into central disc, lateral areas of disc separated by transverse folds from anterior areas that are followed behind by faint furrows; central area of plate terminates in middle into a short convex lobe, while lateral areas are expanded into huge, roughly bean-shaped apical lobes (Fig. 8D). In lateral view disc of subgenital plate with large dorsal expansions that are restricted by the clearly elevated lateral and sub-basal rims of the central disc (Figs 8E). Ovipositor rather long, in basal area nearly straight, afterward markedly upcurved and with regularly approaching margins toward acute tip (Fig. 6D).
Coloration. Of pale basic color, when alive probably partly green, with black pattern varying between specimens; head behind compound eyes, basal segments of antennae, lateral lobes of pronotum, lateral areas of abdominal segments, subgenital plates of both sexes, and hind knees black; tegmen with yellowish veins and veinlets, cells black, becoming lighter toward end.
Measurements (4 males, 4 females).—Body w/wings: male 31.0–32.5, female 33.0–33.5; body w/o wings: male 25.0–27.5, female 23–27; pronotum: male 8–9, female 7–8; tegmen: male 20.5–23.0, female 23–25; hind femur: male 18–20, female 19–20; antenna: male 80–90; ovipositor: female 13–14 mm.
description: Published as part of Ingrisch, Sigfrid, 2022, Revision of the genus Philmontis Willemse, 1966 and description of a new genus Philmontoides gen. nov. from New Guinea (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae; Conocephalinae), pp. 101-151 in Zootaxa 5182 (2) on pages 113-114, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5182.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7049507