Anisophya melanochloris
Creators: name: Fianco, Marcos
name: Preis, Hemanueli
name: Szinwelski, Neucir
name: Braun, Holger
name: Faria, Luiz R. R.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Orthoptera
Phaneropteridae
Anisophya
Anisophya melanochloris

description: Anisophya melanochloris (Rehn, 1911)
(Figures 1, 2, 4 A–D, 8D, 10A, 11A)
Type information: Holotype male; Puerto Bertoni (Paraguay); deposited at Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANSP). Holotype examined through photos available at OSF.
Diagnosis: Anisophya melanochloris can be recognized within the genus by the presence of a black dorsal band across the abdominal tergites, as wide as pronotum; male stridulatory file curved near costal area, straight to anal area, with smaller and more spaced teeth near its edges; male tergite I with a structure similar to a gland, medially with a carina over a tubercle; male subgenital plate trapezoidal, posterior processes as wide as long; male cerci straight; medial face with two processes; the apical with a dark tooth on apex.
Male (Fig. 1 A–F; 4A, C; 10A): Head (Fig. 1C, D): Fastigium of the frons square, 1.3x wider than scape. Median sulcus of vertex as long as scape. Antennal scape dorsoventrally flattened. Frons green with dark grey spots. Gena multicoloured, stained with light grey, yellow and white. Vertex and occiput dark brown with a whitish narrow band from fastigium, and a medial light yellow, narrow band across the vertex. Thorax: Pronotum: Pronotal disc with yellowish and brownish stains; anterior edge concave, posterior edge convex. Lateral lobes green with tiny red spots (Fig 1D); lateral carinae irregular, light yellow; a black band below each lateral carina, gradually increasing in size towards metazona. Wings: brachypterous individuals; forewings rounded and a little longer than pronotum (Fig 4A); stridulatory file curved near costal area, straight to anal area; with smaller and more spaced teeth near its edges (Fig. 4C). Posterior wings absent. Legs: genicular lobes of all femora without spines. Leg I coppery, leg II black and dark brown, leg III light brown. Abdomen: Tergite I with a structure similar to a gland, medially with a carina over a tubercle, that can be inflated; in uninflated state, with a rough appearance. Medially with a velvety black band, as large as pronotum. Tergite X with a semi-elliptical depression orientated towards the apex of the abdomen; medial sulcus beginning on the first third of posterior depression (Fig. 1F). Subgenital plate trapezoidal, posterior processes as large as long (Fig. 1E). Cerci straight; medial face with two processes; the apical with a dark tooth on apex and slightly curved towards its anterior edge (Fig. 1F). Genitalia (Fig. 11A): Phallus symmetrical, rounded; ejaculatory vesicles large, sub-oval; lower fold of ventral lobe triangular; upper folds of ventral lobe irregular, finger-like, longer than lower fold of ventral lobe; dorsal fold plicated; ventral fold of dorsal lobe with two triangular tips, horizontally orientated; dorsal lobe, in ventral position, with a median expansion.
Calling songs (Fig. 2, 8D): Males produce at least three song patterns, with remarkable differences, even if two of them are only slightly different (Fig. 2A). Males produce a long echeme and two long sequences of pulses that constitute a syllable, here nominated A, A’ and B (Fig. 2B, E and F, respectively). The echeme consists of a long sequence of hemisyllables, at 22ºC each of them with a duration of 4 ms ± 10 (5–80 ms), beginning with a crescendo, with the intensity stabilizing after one third of the echeme, with the mute interval between each syllable 30 ms ± 8 (10–80 ms) (Fig. 2B). Dominant frequency is 15.7 kHz ± 0.7 (14.4–21.9 kHz) and with bandwidth of 7.07 kHz ± 1.5 (3.4–10.5 kHz) (Fig. 2C, D; 8D, green line). The A syllables consist of pulses firstly emitted with a long mute interval with an increasing intensity, followed by a reduction of the mute intervals; the intensity maintained until the second third, where both intensity and mute interval increase again, followed by a short decrescendo of intensity (Fig 2E); pulse mean duration: 4 ms ± 1 (1–10 ms), with a mute interval of 8 ms ± 9 (8–90 ms), peak frequency of 15.8 kHz ± 1.1 (13.7–21.5) and bandwidth of 7.6 kHz ± 1.2 (3–20.6) (Fig. 2G); interval between syllabes: 140 ms ± 300 (10–880 ms). The A’ syllables are very similar in structure to A, with two differences: the intensity is not maintained in the first third of the syllable, and the syllables are more spaced in time than in B (Fig. 2A, dashed red box). The B syllables are formed by a sequence of pulses that starts with a narrow mute interval and a continuous intensity that decrease as the mute interval starts to increase (Fig. 2F); the pulse duration is of 3 ms ± 0.8 (0.8–6 ms) with a mute interval of 4 ms ± 5 (0.6–8 ms), peak frequency of 15.7 kHz ± 0.9 (13.1–22.7) and bandwidth of 7.9 kHz ± 1.5 (2.4–21.7) (Fig 2H). At first glance the emission of these three kinds of sounds seems random, as the interval between echemes and alone syllables varies a lot, likewise the sequence of emitted sounds, sometimes males emit the echemes alone, sometimes grouped with A or B syllables.
Female (Figs. 1G, H; 4B, D; 10A): Same size as male (Fig. 10A). Frons and gena light green, with dark spots and yellowish green stains. Vertex greyish. Anterior and posterior edges of pronotum sub-obtuse. Tegmina shorter than pronotal disc, not exceeding first half of second abdominal tergite (Fig. 4B), with six stridulatory files on the right tegmen, the first two straight, with conical teeth (Fig. 4D); pubescent. Tergite IX with a medial depression, its width not exceeding the abdominal black band. Tergite X with a median depression, from anterior to posterior region. Cerci conical and pubescent (Fig. 1H). Epiproct triangular, its base much larger than apex, which is rounded. Subgenital plate triangular, equilateral, apex rounded (Fig. 1G). Ovipositor as wide as long; curved; ventral valves semicircular; serrulations from final third of ventral valves and from half of dorsal valves (Fig. 1H).
Measurements (mm): Male: BL: 16.26 (13.86–18.68); TegL: 4.86 (4.59–5.13); HW: 3.44 (3.39–3.55); PrL: 3.85 (3.45–4.11); PrH: 2.55 (2.28–2.69); FLiii: 16.62 (15.47–17.79); TLiii: 17.40 (16.48–18.27); SPL: 2.48 (2.14– 2.87); CL: 1.94 (1.81–2.03); SFL: 1.87 (1.81–1.98); TN: 105 (102–109). Female: BL: 15.41 (14.95–15.67); TegL: 4.15 (3.91–4.44); HW: 3.98 (3.85–4.03); PrL: 4.20 (3.96–4.41); PrH: 2.48 (1.72–2.84); FLiii: 16.8 (14.40–19.01); TLiii: 17.55 (16.79–18.12); SPL 1.61 (1.22–1.98); CL: 1.80 (1.42–2.27); OL: 6.33 (5.86–6.71).
Remarks: The specimens of Anisophya melanochloris present some particular differences in comparison with the holotype, though the type locality of the species (Puerto Bertoni, Paraguay) is very close to the Iguaçu National Park (linear distance of 10–50 kilometers). The differences are mainly related to tegmen length, which is longer than the pronotum in the specimens that we have studied, in contrast with the holotype whose tegmina are slightly shorter than pronotum (Rehn 1911). Even if photographs of the holotype are available in the outstanding database OSF, they are small and somewhat dark, preventing further considerations, overall colouration pattern presented in the original description matches with the pattern found in the specimens that we have studied. The measurements of the type specimens show that individuals here collected are rather small regarding both body (5.8 mm shorter), pronotum (about 0.7 mm shorter in length) and femur III sizes (3.9 mm shorter). However, measures of body length may differ as different authors choose different structures for measurements (e.g. if the holotype was measured from fastigium to cerci apex, what decreases the difference to 3.8 mm).
Calling songs of A. melanochloris differ from those of other brachypterous phaneropterines, but showing some similarity with the Ethiopian Monticolaria kilimandjarica Sjöstedt, 1910, especially regarding the crescendo and decrescendo of the syllables (Hemp et al. 2009, see also figure 8 in Heller et al. 2015). Similar to dichopetalines and M. kilimandjarica, A. melanochloris produces more than a single type of song, one of these types consisting in pulses emitted in a high rate, i.e. type B (even if in these cases the mute interval between pulses varies during the calling song). More than just one kind of calling song is found in other Tettigoniidae, e.g. virtuosi katydids in the genus Amblicorypha Stål, 1873, where the complex songs seem to be an overall pattern, as explored by Walker (2006).
Examined Material: 1 male, “ BR, PR, Serranópolis do Iguaçu \ Parque Nacional do Iguaçu \ 1–02.XII.2017 \Coleta ativa noturna\ Fianco, M. col.”; 2 males and 2 females, “ BR, PR, Foz do Iguaçu \ Parque Nacional do Iguaçu \ 10– 14.X.2018 \Coleta ativa noturna\ Fianco, M. col.”; 3 males and 2 females, “ BR, PR, Foz do Iguaçu \ Parque Nacional do Iguaçu \ 05–09.I.2018 \Coleta ativa noturna\ Fianco, M. col.”; 2 males and 2 females, “ BR, PR, Serranópolis do Iguaçu \ Parque Nacional do Iguaçu \ 1–02.XII.2017 \Coleta ativa noturna\ Fianco, M. col.”; 1 male and 1 female, “ BR, PR, Serranópolis do Iguaçu \ Parque Nacional do Iguaçu \ 13–18.X.2017 \Coleta ativa noturna\ Fianco, M. col.”; 4 males and 2 females, “ BR, PR, Foz do Iguaçu \ Parque Nacional do Iguaçu \ 14–18.XI.2017 \Coleta ativa noturna\ Fianco, M. col.”; 3 males and 5 females, “ BR, PR, Serranópolis do Iguaçu \ Parque Nacional do Iguaçu \ 06–09.XI.2017 \Coleta ativa noturna\ Fianco, M. col.”; 1 male and 2 females, “ BR, PR, Serranópolis do Iguaçu \ Parque Nacional do Iguaçu \ 17.XI.2018 \Coleta ativa noturna\ Fianco, M. col.”. All specimens deposited at the “ Coleção Entomológica da Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana (UNILA)”.
description: Published as part of Fianco, Marcos, Preis, Hemanueli, Szinwelski, Neucir, Braun, Holger & Faria, Luiz R. R., 2019, On brachypterous phaneropterine katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae) from the Iguaçu National Park, Brazil: three new species, new record and bioacoustics, pp. 240-264 in Zootaxa 4652 (2) on pages 242-243, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4652.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/3363739