Ganiagraecia karwinia Rentz, Su & Ueshima 2021, Gen. et sp. nov.
Creators: name: Rentz, Dcf
name: Su, You Ning
name: Ueshima, Norihiro
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Orthoptera
Tettigoniidae
Ganiagraecia
Ganiagraecia karwinia

description: Ganiagraecia karwinia 0 Rentz, Su and Ueshima Gen. et sp. nov.
ANIC Number, Gen. Nov. 9, sp. 9
Figs 9 A-K; Figs 20C, D; Fig. 21A; Fig. 22b A; Table 2, Map 4
Common name. Grass Tree Katydid
Holotype male. (In alcohol) 1. “ 25.26S 152.56E Mt. Tibrogargan (parking area), Glass House Mts. Qld. 15 August 1985 D. C. F. Rentz, R. Chiang, Stop 12”. 2. “collected as nymph, matured in laboratory 16.x.85”. 3. “ D. C. F. Rentz, Cytol. prep. 85-29”. 3. “Song recorded S-363”. 4. “ ANIC database #14008749”. Holotype in alcohol in Australian National Insect Collection, Canberra. Paratypes. Queensland. 25 o 26’S 152 o 56’E Glass House Mts, Mt Tibrogargan, (parking area), 15.viii.1985 (DCF Rentz, R. Chiang, Stop 12, 10 males, collected as nymphs, matured in laboratory 16.x, 18.x, 20.x, 25.x.1985; DCF Rentz, Cytol. Prep. 85-18, -19, -20 -21, -27, -28; 5 females, same locality data and maturation dates, ANIC). 26 o 54’S 152 o 56’E Glass House Mts, Mt Ngungun (parking area), 9.viii.1985 (DCF Rentz, R. Chiang, Stop 4, 2 males, collected as nymphs, matured in laboratory 18.x, 20.x.1985; 13 females, collected as nymphs, matured in laboratory 18.x, 20.x.1985; Cytol prep. 85-17, ANIC).
Type locality. The type locality is a rather open woodland with many Grass Trees, Xanthorrhoea sp., tall eucalypts and a dense undercover of herbs and grasses. The katydids were abundant in the lush weedy vegetation.
Measurements. Table 2
Differential diagnosis. Male. Antenna thin, about 5 times the length of body, annulate. Eye prominent, positioned high on head (Figs 9A, B). Cephalic margin of pronotum straight, caudal margin feebly concave. Prothorax with a prominent pair of thin spines; meso- and metathorax each bearing prominent tubercles (Figs 9D, G). Hind tibia armed dorsally on each side with many spines, packed close together, ventral surface with 6 or 7 very thin spines on each side. Cercus (Figs 9I, J) short, stout, with single internal tooth, apex acute, suggesting a minute tooth; subgenital plate with styles more robust than normal (Fig. 9M), median incision shallow, V-shaped.
Female. Differs from male in following. Thorax with a depression (glandular opening?) on the posterior portion of the mesothorax (Fig. 9D). Cercus distinctly curved inwards (Fig. 9N); subgenital plate about as broad as long, acutely tapering to apex, apex shallowly incised (Fig. 9O). Ovipositor longer than length of body, weakly upcurved, unarmed (Table 2).
Colouration. Overall colouration straw brown with minute greyish brown speckles over entire dorsal portion of body; ventral surface of body creamish white (Figs 9 A-B, D, G), subgenital plate light brown. Males with fastigium of vertex and median portion of pronotum with a black stripe (Fig. 9A), caudal half of pronotum black. Tegmina thin, colourless except for internal apical portion abdomen immediately beneath apex of tegmina dark (Fig. 9A, K). Female with head with brown stripe and with a thin white stripe in the middle (Fig. 9C); dark brown stripe extending from cephalic margin of pronotum to almost apex of abdomen (Fig. 9B), but not including tenth tergite.
Distribution. Known only from the Glasshouse Mts., Queensland (Map 4).
Habitat. Common in open woodland vegetated by tall eucalypts and Xanthorrhoea.
Seasonal occurrence. Adults found in mid spring.
Stridulatory file. File very distinctive (Figs 20C, D). Proximal portion with approximately 20 large teeth, decreasing in size and approximately 24-26 minute teeth on a raised swelling.
10 Karwin is an aboriginal word for Grass Trees, Xanthorrhoea species.
Karyotype. 2n male= 31 (30t +Xt) Fig. 22b A
Recognition. Very easily recognised by the combination of the yellow brown body colour with dark brown median dorsal stripe which contrasts with the distinct colour of the pronotum (Fig. 9L). Males have a simple cercus (Figs 9I, J) with a prominent internal tooth. Females bear a depression (glandular opening?) on the posterior portion of the mesothorax (Fig. 9D). The female cercus has a distinctive incurved tooth-like apex (Fig. 9N).
Discussion. This species appears to be endemic to the Glasshouse Mts. Its appearance and habitat preference is similar to that of Australiagraecia species but morphologically very different.
description: Published as part of Rentz, Dcf, Su, You Ning & Ueshima, Norihiro, 2021, Studies in Australian Tettigoniidae: New short-winged Agraeciini from Australia (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae; Conocephalinae; Agraeciini), pp. 1-72 in Zootaxa 5059 (2) on pages 18-19, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5059.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5602508