Plegmapterus splendens : Dirsh 1956
Creators: name: Tshililo, Precious
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Orthoptera
Baissogryllidae
Plegmapterus
Plegmapterus splendens

description: Plegmapterus splendens Dirsh, 1956
(Figs. 3J, 4J, 18)
Plegmapterus splendens: Dirsh, 1956:121–272, figs. 36. 7–10; Dirsh, 1965:279; Uvarov, 1966:18; Johnston, 1968:204.
Type locality. Africa, Southern Africa, Cape Province, Upington, Orange River. Type ♂ in Lund University Entomological Museum. Type not examined.
Material. SOUTH AFRICA: Northern Cape: 30 mi Springbok (S29.6734, E17.9117) 01.ix.1967 coll. J. Munt-ing— 1♂ (SANC); 6m S of Garies (S30.6574, E18.0075) x.1967 coll. F. W. Gass— 1♀ (SAMC); Western Cape: Bokouga, Uniondale Dist. (S33.6651, E23.3539) iii.1954 coll. SAM museum expedition— 1♀ (SAMC); Bosiesveld Bergen (S33.3378, E18.5218) ii.1940 — 1♀ (SAMC); Bulhoek Klaver, Clanwilliam (S32.1892, E18.8939) x.1950 coll. SAM museum expedition— 1♀ (SAMC); Cape Hex R. (S33.5061, E19.5294) xii.1884 — 1♂, 1♀ (SAMC); Eastern Cape: Beaufort “Umdala” (S32.8000, E26.6500) iii.1954 coll. SAM museum expedition— 1♂ (SAMC); Franschhoek (E33.9136, E19.1229) coll. E. Sehabb— 1♀ (SAMC); Gardiner’s Drift, Adelaide (S32.7071, E26.2952) iii.1954 coll. SAM museum expedition— 1♀ (SAMC); Goegap NR, bush huts, nr. main entrance (S29.6861, E17.9493) 02.x.2008 coll. P. Naskrecki and C. Bazelet,— 1♂ (USTB); Northern Cape: Hopetown (S29.6196, E24.0869) 13.ix.1940 coll. G. van Son— 1♀ (Transvaal Museum); Karasburg (S28.0216, E18.7480) viii.1950 coll. J.J.L.— ♂ (sanc); Kenhardt (S29.3457, E21.1578) 03.x.1954, coll. G. van Son— 1♀ (Transvaal Museum); Lammerskraal, Prince Albert Dist. (S32.8154, E22.3139) ix.1896 coll. D. Purcell— 1 ♀ (SAMC); Leipoldtville, Eland’s Bay (S32.2223, E18.4811) xi.1948 coll. SAM museum expedition— 1♀ (SAMC); Matjiesfontein (S33.2308, E20.5822) x.1891 coll. R. Triman,— 1♀ (SAMC); Michell’s Pass, Ceres District (S33.3788, E19.2964) x.1934 coll. SAM museum expedition— 1♂ (SAMC); Naauwport (S26.1877, E25.5766) 26.x.1948 coll. G. van Son— 1♀ (SAMC); O’Kiep (S29.5911, E17.8751) ix.1890 —adult (SAMC); Olifants R. between Citrusdal / Clanwilliam (S32.4575, E18.9669) x.1931 coll. SAM museum expedition— 1♂ (SAMC); Oudtshoorn Zebra (S33.7637, E22.3155) x.1951 coll. SAM museum expedition— 1 ♂ (SAMC); Outiep Garies (S30.5937, E17.8514) ix.1953 coll. J. du Toit— 1♀ (SAMC); Papendorp, Olifant’s R. (S31.6915, E18.1951) x.1950 coll. SAM museum expedition— 1♀ (SAMC); Port Nolloth (S29.2379, E16.9067) 1897— 1♂ (SAMC); Upper Sources Oliphant’s R. Ceres (S33.1542, E19.2399) xii.1949 coll. SAM museum expedition— 1♂ (SAMC); Victoria West (S31.4174, E23.1199) xi.193 coll. SAM museum expedition— 1♀, 1♂ (SAMC); Wit River Valley Bain’s Kloof (S33.6167, E19.1000) xii.1949 coll. SAM museum expedition— 1♀ (SAMC).
Distribution. This species was previously recorded from Namibia (Johnsen 1990 b; Naskrecki 1995) and South Africa (Dirsh 1956b)
Remarks. This genus was erected by Uvarov (1922), on the basis of its head integument, pronotum and the degree of development of the lateral carinae. Dirsh (1956) reviewed the genus and found that Uvarov’s (1922) generic characters are misleading because those generic characters vary between and within species.
I found a great deal of diversity in the shape and rugosity of its pronotum when I reviewed museum and field collected specimens. This also supports the statement by Dirsh (1956) that those characters (dorsum rugosity and shape) are misleading as they vary within species. The taxonomic status of this genus is not satisfactory and the genus has approximately four undescribed species, therefore revision is necessary.
description: Published as part of Tshililo, Precious, 2020, Review of South African Euryphyminae, pp. 70-104 in Zootaxa 4820 (1) on pages 98-99, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4820.1.4, http://zenodo.org/record/4397315