Philmontis spinosus Ingrisch 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Ingrisch, Sigfrid
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Orthoptera
Tettigoniidae
Philmontis
Philmontis spinosus

description: Philmontis spinosus sp. nov.
Figs. 1C, 3A–C, 4E, 5F, 6G, 8F–G
Holotype: Papua New Guinea: New Guinea NE, Morobe, 32 km south of Wau, Bulldog Road (7°37’S, 146°43’E), 2350 m, 30.v.1962, leg. J. Sedlacek —depository: Bernice B. Bishop Museum, Honolulu (BPBM).
Other specimens studied: Papua New Guinea: Morobe, Mt Missim (near Wau), elev. 2400–2800 m (7°10’S, 146°54’E), 23–30.iv.1968, leg. J.L. Gressitt — 1 female (BPBM); Wau, Mt Missim, elev. 1350–1600 m (7°10’S, 146°54’E), 13.v.1967, leg. J.L. Gressitt — 1 female (BPBM); New Guinea (NE), Mt Amingwiwa, elev. 3000–3400 m, 12.iv.1970, leg. J.L. Gressitt — 1 female (BPBM); Mt Missim, elev. 2600 m (7°10’S, 146°54’E), 22.iv.1966, leg. J.L. Gressitt & Wilkes — 5 females, 6 males (BPBM); same locality, 22–30.iv.1968, leg. J.L. Gressitt, R.C.A. Rice, J. Sedlacek — 2 females, 1 male (BPBM); same locality, 22–30.iv.1968, leg. J.L. Gressitt — 1 female, 2 males (BPBM); Morobe province, Mt Por, elev. 2300–2500 m, 2–3.xii.1979, leg. J.L. &. M. Gressitt — 1 female, 1 nymph female (BPBM); New Guinea NE, Upper Watut, elev. 1600 m (6°57’S, 146°21’E), 12.v.1968, leg. J.L. Gressitt — 1 male (BPBM); Morobe, 22–28 km south of Wau, Bulldog Road, elev. 2850 m, 29–30.v.1962, leg. J. Sedlacek —1 nymph female (BPBM); 32 km south of Wau, Bulldog Road, elev. 2800–2900 m (7°37’S, 146°43’E), 30.v.1962, leg. J. Sedlacek — 2 females, 2 males (BPBM); same locality, 30.v.1962, leg. J. Sedlacek — 1 male (BPBM); Bulldog Road, elev. 2100 m (7°37’S, 146°43’E), 30.iv.1969, leg. J. Sedlacek — 1 male (BPBM); same locality, 25.vii.1977, leg. J.L. Gressitt — 5 females, 2 males (BPBM); Wau, elev. 1250 m (7°20’S, 146°45’E), 23.i.1963, leg. J. Sedlacek — 1 female (BPBM); Morobe District, Mt Amingwiwa, elev. 2000–2200 m, 10.iv.1970, leg. J.L. Gressitt — 1 male (BPBM).
Diagnosis. Males of P. spinosus sp. nov. differ from all other species of the genus in that they have the apical lobes of the tenth abdominal tergite prolonged and flattened with narrow interspace, while in the other species these lobes are short with wider interspace. Also, the shape of the cerci is unique as they are simply rounded and moderately curved, missing any concave depressions of the internal surface as in species related to P. nigrofasciatus Willemse, 1966 nor do they have any complex internal projections as in P. angulatus sp. nov. or P. profusus sp. nov., but are only provided with a short, obtuse, internal projection with a minute spinule at tip. Females differ from those of P. nigrofasciatus by the subgenital plate that, behind the narrowed very basal area and the subbasal widening, has the lateral margins more strongly approaching and the ventral surface entire for about half of the length of the apical area (in P. nigrofasciatus one third or less) and afterward divides in an acute angle into a pair of long and narrow, conical projections with acute tip, while in P. nigrofasciatus and other species of the genus the central disc ends into a wide, sub-straight or faintly concave hind margin and the elongate apical projections arise from the lateral margins of the central disc, often widely separated from each other.
Description. Medium sized species with wings covering abdomen but not fully reaching tip of hind knees. Face mostly of general color, antennal scrobae and first antennal segment black, vertex and occiput black; pronotum with dark brown or black lateral lobes, disc of general color; tegmen with light veins and veinlets and with light cells, dark color fades toward end of tegmen; hind femur with black genicular ring; abdominal tergites often black on both sides, brown in middle. Pronotum elongate; disc with anterior margin faintly concave, hind margin broadly rounded; lateral lobes long and narrow, its deepest point in or little before mid-length, auditory swelling distinct, without humeral sinus. Prosternal spines short to medium long; mesosternal lobes obtuse; metasternal lobes rounded. Femora with the following number of spines on ventral margins: (1) 4-6 / 4-7; (2) 2-6 / 0-3; (3) 5-10 / 0 (n = 35); hind knee lobes unispinose.
Male. Stridulatory file concave or faintly sinusoidal, teeth robust but dense, in apical third narrow and very dense (n = 6): total length 1.28, 1.19, 0.93, 0.99, 0.98, 1.09 mm; area with countable teeth 0.83, 0.99, 0.71, 0.73, 0.80, 0.86 mm with 42, 51, 36, 44, 50, 41 teeth; from base to end of distinct area 0.83, 0.92, 0.71, 0.72, 0.69, 0.86 mm with 44, 37, 36, 40, 34, 40 teeth; area with distinctly spaced, including largest teeth 0.68, 0.75, 0.52, 0.61, 0.61, 0.70 mm with 28, 32, 26, 32, 28, 30 teeth (Fig. 4E). Tenth abdominal tergite almost semi-circular in general outline with more than apical half divided into a pair of little down-curved lobes with broadly rounded ends that little approach each other while the more proximal interspace between both lobes is oval and widened; basal area of plate with a deep medial furrow that widens toward base. Cerci in dorsal view narrow cylindrical with internal surface only faintly flattened, in about apical half curved moderately mediad, in subapical area with a short process with convex apical and concave proximal surface and terminating into a short, curved spine from ventral-apical surface, while cercus stem behind process short conical also with a spine at tip (Fig. 3A–C). Disc of subgenital plate with convex, but toward end with concave lateral margins that terminate into long and narrow, diverging apical projections that carry long styli at tip; lateral margins of disc upcurved and then curved sideward forming compressed rims until division of plate into a pair of apical projections. Titillators in situ facing each other; when spread, with basal area semi-oval, followed by compressed, band-like stems that in apical half give rise to roughly triangular lateral projections with concave distal and convex proximal margins and with concave distal surface that is narrowing toward end which carries a sclerotized, rounded disc that is rectangularly twisted against preceding surface (Fig. 5F).
Female. Subgenital plate with basal area markedly widened and separated from main area by a rim that is interrupted in middle; surface proximad of rim concavely excavated except along midline; basal, lateral margin in ventral view oblique on both sides but extended into roughly triangular, compressed expansions only visible in lateral view; ventral surface behind transverse rim with converging and little upcurved lateral margins, at end divided into a pair of long spine-like projections with convex external surface and subacute tip (Figs 8F–G). Ovipositor stout in basal area, regularly curved and narrowed toward acute tip (Fig. 6G).
Measurements (17 males, 20 females).—Body w/wings: male 26–30, female 28–36; body w/o wings: male 21–27, female 22–31; pronotum: male 7.0–9.3, female 5.8–8.0; tegmen: male 18–20, female 20–23; hind femur: male 15.5–18.0, female 16–22; antenna: male 80, female 80–90; ovipositor: female 11.5–13.0 mm.
Etymology. The name of the new species refers to the long, pointed projections of the female subgenital plate; from Latin spinosus —spinous.
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 114-122, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5182.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7049507