Pamphagus milevitanus Benkenana & Massa, 2017, new species
Creators: name: Benkenana, Naima
name: Massa, Bruno
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Orthoptera
Pamphagidae
Pamphagus
Pamphagus milevitanus

description: Pamphagus milevitanus new species
(Figs 5 ¯6, 23, 29, 35¯36, 37, 50)
Material examined and type depository. Algeria, Mila, loc. Chigara 21.V.2016 (♂ holotype); same data 9.V.16 (♀ allotype) (MSNG); Algeria, Mila, loc. Chigara 8.V.2014 (1♂, 1♀ paratypes) (MNHN); Algeria, Mila, loc. Chigara 22.V.2014 (2♂, 2♀ paratypes); same data 4.VI.2015 (2♂, 1♀ paratypes); same data 8.V.2014 (1♂ paratype); Algeria, Oum-el Bouaghi, Sigus 24.V.2016 (1♂, 1♀ paratypes) (BMPC).
Description. Male. Teguments rather smooth. Frontal ridge not projecting forward and compressed. Fastigium of vertex elongate, concave, limited by straight lateral carinulae. Antennae thick, 16¯18 segmented, of which the first 7¯8 with triangular section, others with circular section, as long as head and pronotum together; eyes oval. Median keel of pronotum high and raised, convex and laterally compressed, mainly in the dorsal portion, not or just interrupted by typical sulcus (Fig. 23). Dorsal posterior margin of metanotum and abdominal tergites, in lateral view, with a small tooth projection. Abdomen moderately carinate (Figs 5, 23). Krauss’s organ smooth. Tegmina short, like in the other species of Pamphagus, not exceeding the metanotum. Prosternal tubercle characterized by a bulge that ends anteriorly with two pointed lobes; mesosternal space and metasternal space just wider than long. Last sternite very pointed, cerci conical and short (Fig. 35). Phallic complex, in lateral view, with long aedeagus (Fig. 37); aedeagus from back view stout and rhomboidal (Fig. 50); 3¯4 large black pseudolophi (sensu Ünal 2014) of epiphallus, in single line, short ancorae (Fig. 37).
Female. Same characters of the male with the following differences (Figs 6, 29). Larger size (Table 1). Pronotum protruding mainly anteriorly, less posteriorly, ratio length/height of pronotum: 1.0. Mesosternum just wider than long, metasternum 1.5¯2 times wider than long. Ovipositor valves greenish, stout with slightly curved black tips. Cerci conical and pointed. Sub-genital plate rectangular, with a triangular lobe in the middle.
Colour. Green with yellow fore and dorsal margins of pronotum and abdominal carina. Ventral side of femora and inner side of tibiae yellow, tegmina blackish with yellow dorsal margin. Ventral side of tarsi blackish. Abdomen of the female less green than in male with posterior margin of tergites brownish.
Measurements. See Table 1. The ratio between the length and height of the pronotum is on average 1.0 both in males and in females.
Affinities. P. cristatus is the most related species to P. milevitanus n. sp. Both species have a high pronotum, in most specimens the carina is not interrupted by a typical sulcus, and the abdomen is superiorly a little carinate. P. cristatus has a comparatively longer than high pronotum (ratio length/height: 1.1 on average); in addition there are evident differences in the phallic complex (Figs 40, 56). For a comparison with other species of the genus Pamphagus cf. Figs 1 ¯4, 7¯22, 24¯28, 30¯34, 38¯46, 47¯49, 51¯56 and the key to species below reported.
Etymology. In antiquity Milevum was the Latin name of Mila; milevitanus is adjective.
Distribution. P. milevitanus n. sp. seems to occur only in the area of the highlands North and South of Constantine, in Mila, Setif and Oum-el Bouaghi provinces.
description: Published as part of Benkenana, Naima & Massa, Bruno, 2017, A new species of Pamphagus (Orthoptera: Pamphagidae) from Algeria with a key to all the species of the genus, pp. 102-110 in Zootaxa 4254 (1) on pages 105-106, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4254.1.6, http://zenodo.org/record/545728