Philmontoides lobatus Ingrisch 2022, comb. nov.
Creators: name: Ingrisch, Sigfrid
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Orthoptera
Tettigoniidae
Philmontoides
Philmontoides lobatus

description: Philmontoides lobatus (Naskrecki & Rentz, 2010) comb. nov.
Figs. 9E, 10I–J, 11B, 12B, 14A–C, 17C–F
Philmontis lobatus Naskrecki & Rentz, 2010
Holotype (not examined): Papua New Guinea: Southern Highlands, Muller Range, Gugusu,elev. 515 m (5°43’45.3’’S, 142°15’47.8’’E), 3–10.ix.2009, leg. Naskrecki —depository: Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, USA (ANSP).
Specimens studied: Indonesia: Papua, Star Range, Hijob, elev. 25 m (5°0’S, 140°25’E), 10.ix.1959, leg. Neth. N.G. Exp. — 2 males, 3 females (NBC); Star Range, elev. 1500 m (4°51’S, 140°47’E), 13.vii.1959 — 1 female (NBC).
Diagnosis. P. lobatus is similar to P. hageni, it can be separated from it by the shape of the narrow, elongate male cerci which are at end divided into a narrow dorsal and a wider ventral branch that is at end subdivided into two short lobes, while in P. hageni the cerci are shorter, have the internal surface vaulted and terminate into two spined lobes and one obtuse lobe. Both species also differ markedly by the shape of the male titillators in that the widened, vaulted and almost completely recurved apical branches have the distal side long and the proximal side short while in P. hageni, the apical area of the titillator forms a simple vaulted plate with both sides of equal length. The females of both species differ by the shape of the subgenital plate that has the baso-lateral sclerites arising from the anterior area of the lateral margin of the plate in P. lobatus, while in P. hageni they arise at the very base, from a membranous latero-proximal expansion of the plate. From its closest relatives, P. globosus sp. nov. and P. disjunctus sp. nov., males of P. lobatus can best be separated by the shape of the male titillators as outlined in the key.
Remark. From the females collected together with males of this species it seems that there are two different shapes of female subgenital plates in that species: one with a pair of grooves and long baso-lateral projections (Fig. 17E–F; also figured in Naskrecki and Rentz 2010) and the other without groves and with shorter, rounded projections from basal lateral margin of the plate (Fig. 17C–D). It is however very likely that the shape with groves results from females with not fully hardened cuticula when collected soon after final ecdysis. Deformations of the female subgenital plate were also observed in other species studied for this publication, compare e.g., Figs 17I with J or Figs 17O with P.
Description. Elongate species with tegmen almost reaching end of hind femur. Prosternal spines long or of medium length; mesosternal lobes narrowly rounded, obtuse; metasternal lobes rounded with an angle or fold. Femora with the following number of spines on ventral margins: (1) 5-7 / 6-8; (2) 6 / 1-4; (3) 9-10 / 8-15; hind knee lobes bispinose; in the two males studied also knee lobes of fore femur at internal side bispinose, but second spine very small.
Male. Stridulatory file in about basal two thirds with large and spaced teeth; after a sinusoidal step, teeth abruptly narrowing and becoming denser and hardly perceptible toward end; total file length 1.2 mm with 40 teeth; area with largest teeth 0.68 mm with 16 teeth; area on step 0.15 mm with 8 teeth of declining size; apical area 0.15 mm with 16 tiny teeth (Fig. 12B). Tenth abdominal tergite vaulted, in apical area with a narrowed, straight projection that is at end divided into a pair of downcurved, compressed and widened projections that form together an oval with open end embracing an ovoid space (Fig. 11B). Epiproct with swollen and convex lateral margins, with a medial furrow and slightly excised apex. Paraprocts compressed, auricular with a short, obtuse, apical projection. Cerci in basal area cylindrical and very faintly curved mediad, in about apical third divided into a narrow dorsal process terminating into a short spine and a wider ventral process that is dorso-ventrally compressed, conically narrowed and curved mediad, but in apical area it is strongly laterally compressed and divided into two rounded lobes, dorsal lobe with a curved spine at tip, ventral lobe simply rounded (Fig. 10I–J). Subgenital plate similar to that of P. hageni: deeply excised from base with excision terminating into a narrow furrow that little surpasses midlength of plate, afterward with indication of a faint medial carina; lateral areas ascending and along rim little curved laterad again; the subgenital plate terminates into a pair of narrow projections that are slightly curved mediad and carry at oblique apical margin the styli (Fig. 11B). Titillators with basal area long and narrow, running parallel but not fused with each other, at base for a short distance curved sideward, at posterior end curved moderately sideward and widened to an elongate apical branch that is curved along longitudinal axis for about 180° into a narrow, nearly parallel-sided, elongate ventro-apical surface and a short dorso-proximal surface; ventro-apical surface toward end oval and widened, just before end it carries a small disc-shaped process with granular surface and rim; sinuate lateral sclerites very stout, running from about base of apical area of titillators sideward (Figs 14A–C).
Female. Subgenital plate similar to that of P. hageni; elongate with a strong medial carina, downcurved and approaching lateral margins and at end divided into a pair of short angular projections; at both sides from basal lateral margins with a semi-oval lateral expansion (Figs 17C–D). In females with not fully hardened cuticula when collected, with a pair of shallow groves in basal half, the basal, lateral projections prolonged, followed by a distortion of the lateral margins (Figs 17E–F).
Coloration. Scapus with internal surface brown. Vertex with three brown bands, the medial band split by a light line that can be indistinct or absent, or the vertex is dark brown with or without light spots. Pronotum with paranota dark brown with one or two light spots; disc light with or without an incomplete narrow brown medial band split in midline by a light line; anterior margin sometimes also darkened. Hind knees with a dark ring not completely reaching apex of hind femur or only with a dark spot at top.
Discussion. Six specimens from the Star Range in Papua (Indonesia) have been studied. Two males and three females had been collected at 25 m altitude, one female at 1500 m altitude. The two males fully agree with the description and illustrations for P. lobatus in Naskrecki & Rentz (2010). Unfortunately, in the original description of this species, females are not fully described except for the ovipositor and an image of the subgenital plate but without description. From the specimens at hand, only the subgenital plate of the female collected at 1500 m agrees with the image given in Naskrecki & Rentz (2010) while the females collected together with the males at 25 m altitude have a subgenital plates differing in shape from the image in the original description and from the female collected at 1500 m. The subgenital plate of the females collected at 25 m look similar to that of P. hageni but the globular baso-lateral extensions of the subgenital plate arise directly from the anterior lateral margin of the plate (Figs 17C–D) while in P. hageni they arise laterally of the very basal margin of the subgenital plate and are obviously moveable against it (Figs 17 A–B). From another similar species, P. globosus sp. nov., females of P. lobatus cannot be clearly separated while males show distinct differences in the shape of the phallus complex.
Measurements (2 males, 4 females).—Body w/wings: male 32, female 36–38; body w/o wings: male 28–30, female 27–32; pronotum: male 6.7–6.8, female 7.0–7.5; tegmen: male 24.0–25.5, female 26–29; hind femur: male 22, female 23.5–25.0; ovipositor: female 13.5–15.5 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 132-133, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5182.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7049507