Neophisis (Indophisis) montealegrei Tan & Jin & Baroga-Barbecho & Yap 2020, new species
Creators: name: Tan, Ming Kai
name: Jin, Xing-Bao
name: Baroga-Barbecho, Jessica B.
name: Yap, Sheryl A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Orthoptera
Tettigoniidae
Neophisis
Neophisis montealegrei

description: Neophisis (Indophisis) montealegrei new species
(Figs. 2–7)
Material examined. Holotype (male, UPLBLG.19.74): Philippines, Luzon, Laguna, Paete, Brgy Ilaya Norte, UP Laguna Land Grant, N14.39764, E121.54068, 345.4± 6.3 m, 1959 h, 7 September 2019, under foliage, coll. M.K. Tan, J.B. Baroga-Barbecho, and S.A. Yap (UPLBMNH).
Paratypes (2 males and 1 female, Philippines, same locality, all coll. M.K. Tan, J.B. Baroga-Barbecho, and S.A. Yap): 1 male (UPLBLG.19.58), N14.39858, E121.54280, 349.1± 5.6 m, 2043 h, 6 September 2019, on rattan; 1 male (UPLBLG.19.67), N14.39848, E121.54047, 334.5± 5.5 m, 1916 h, 7 September 2019, under foliage of tree; 1 female (UPLBLG.19.75), N14.39672, E121.54018, 355.1± 6.6 m, 2030 h, 7 September 2019, under rattan leaf.
Diagnosis. The new species differs from all known Neophisis (Indophisis) congeners by the following combination of characters: male phallus with ventral phallomere with spatulate apex; cephalic lobe of epiphallus oblong, tapered into an obtuse narrow apical third, lateral margins after middle crenulate; cercus small and stout, with a small stout basal nodule at the inner surface and apical third somewhat cylindrical; posterior margin of male tenth abdominal apex with broad lateral lobe with truncated apex, and small stout nodule produced ventral of this lobe; short tegminal length and shape of mirror.
Comparison with congeners. The new species is similar to Philippine species Neophisis (Indophisis) philippinarum (Karny, 1920) from Laguna, Luzon Island, Neophisis (Indophisis) curvata Jin, 1992 from Davao, Mindanao Island; and Neophisis (Indophisis) gracilipennis Jin, 1992 from Laguna, Luzon Island.
It is most similar to N. (I.) curvata by shape of sclerotized epiphallus, male subgenital plate, mirror with dark, ring-like mark; but differs by ventral phallomere with spatulate apex (instead of bifurcated); male tenth abdominal tergite without distally-directed lateral projections along posterior margin not hook-like; male cercus with small basal inner lobes (instead of broad); and wings not surpassing well beyond hind femur, mirror of male left tegmen distinctly wider than long (instead of longer than wide); female subgenital plate transverse with longitudinal ridge in the middle, posterior margin broader than anterior margin (instead of fairly narrow); female ovipositor more strongly curved with serrated margins.
It is similar to N. (I.) gracilipennis by mirror with dark, ring-like mark, shape of female subgenital plate; but differs by shape of sclerotized epiphallus not rod-like (although both have denticulated margins); ventral phallomere not bifurcated; male tenth abdominal tergite without posterior margin tapering into a truncated (slightly emarginat- ed) apex (instead of a large right-angular incision); female ovipositor more strongly curved with serrated margins
The new species also differs from the possibly sympatric short-winged N. (I.) philippinarum by sclerotized epiphallus not dentate ventrally, ventral phallomere not bifurcated; male cercus not strongly curved upward; presence of mirror with dark, ring-like mark. The female of the new species also differs from that of short-winged Neophisis (Indophisis) philorites Jin, 1992 from Mindanao (only female adult known) by female subgenital plate with posterior margin having a lobe in the middle.
Distribution. UP Land Grant, Laguna on Luzon Island.
Description. Habitus typical of Neophisis (Indophisis) (Fig. 2). Eye almost globular, slightly longitudinally elongate (when viewed laterally). Vertex conical, apex obtuse. Antennal cavity nearly contacting with each other. Antennal scapus elongated, wider than vertex, longer than length of eye and nearly as long as head; pedicel shorter, slightly less than half the length of scapus. Face high, hardly concave in profile. Maxillary palps slender and elongated, apical segment with apical part club-shaped. Pronotum dorsal disc rectangular, fairly broad, ca. 1.2 times longer than wide; with metazona barely elevated, having posterior margin straight and elevated. Pronotum lateral lobe distinctly longer than tall. Thoracic auditory foramen tiny; thoracic spiracle elongated and oval, not covered by pronotum. Outer and inner tympana on fore tibia conchate with orifices oval and equal in size. Fore coxa without distinct spines. Fore femur with 4 and 5 long spurs on the inner and outer edges respectively; fore tibia with 7 and 7 long and thin spurs on the inner and outer edges respectively; middle femur with 0 and 5 spurs on the inner and outer edges respectively; middle tibia with 5–6 and 7 thin spurs on the inner and outer edges respectively. Spurs on forelegs longer than those on middle legs; spur on both fore and middle legs with acute apex. Hind femur with 9 short outer ventral spines; no inner ventral spine. Knees on all legs with genicular lobes spinose.
Male. Tegmen reduced, reaching to posterior end of third abdominal tergite; apex obtuse (Fig. 3A). CuPb with stridulatory file transverse, crescent shaped (Fig. 3B). Stridulatory file straight at anal end, feebly curved in the middle and strongly curved anteriorly at basal end; 1.5–1.8 mm long (Figs. 3C, 3D). Harp area 1 (h1) narrow in basal half, widening posteriorly; in apical half with margins parallel. Harp area 2 and 3 (h2, h3) transverse, widened at both ends, narrow in the middle (Fig. 3B). Mirror fully developed, rectangular, 1.2–1.3 times wider than long (Fig. 3B).
Tenth abdominal tergite enlarged, with posterior end projected and concealing epiproct; posterior end tapering into a truncated (slightly emarginated) apex; posterior margin with broad lateral lobe (pll) with truncated apex, and small stout nodule produced ventral of this lobe (Figs. 4 A–C). Paraproct with a stout nodule produced apically (Figs. 4 B–D). Cercus small and stout, with a small stout basal nodule (bn) at the inner surface; base widened, then flattened and bent (nearly 90º) dorsally (in lateral view) and inwardly (in dorsal view); apical third somewhat cylindrical, enlarging apically (in dorsal view); apex obtuse (Figs. 4 A–D). Subgenital plate wide, forming two large obtuse lobes at the apex, triangularly and deeply emarginated between the lobes; each lobe projected outward into a stout process at which stylus inserts (Figs. 4B, 4E). Stylus short, but longer than apical process of subgenital plate; cylindrical and gently taper into subacute apex (Figs. 4B, 4E).
Phallic complex with moderate-sized lateral phallomeres, apical third pointing dorsal; short dorsal phallomere, with mix of long, short, more sclerotized denticles and chitinous plate forming an acute apex; ventral phallomere with spatulate apex (Figs. 5A, 5B). Cephalic lobe of epiphallus oblong, tapered into an obtuse narrow apical third, lateral margins after middle crenulate (Figs. 5C, 5D).
Female. Epiproct with basal half transverse, swollen laterally and furrowed in the middle; apical half rounded with obtuse apex (Fig. 6A). Paraproct concealed under epiproct, rounded (Fig. 6A). Cercus simple, swollen in the middle before tapering gently into obtuse apex (Fig. 6A). Subgenital plate transverse with longitudinal ridge in the middle, posterior margin broader than anterior margin, concave and emarginated in the middle (Fig. 6B). Ovipositor upwardly curved with finely serrated dorsal and ventral margins at apical third (Fig. 6C).
Colouration. Pale green when alive, yellow when preserved in ethanol. Eye dark red. Head, including vertex (slightly darker green), face, maxillary palps, antennal scapus, genae pale green; pedicel and antennal segments slightly yellowish. Pronotum dorsal disk pale green, with green elongated spot in the middle, one near the anterior and posterior margins each; lateral lobe also pale green, with a darker green spot near ventral margin. Male tegmen yellow green; mirror with frame reddish brown, mirror area with dark ring-like markings. Legs all pale green; spurs whitish with black apices; tympanum with basal half of conchate covering black. Abdomen green; sternites white, tergites with apical area darker green. Female ovipositor generally pale green, with only apex and the dorsal and ventral margins brown.
Measurements (mean in brackets; in mm). Males (n = 3): BL = 11.8–13.5 (12.9), HL = 1.6–1.7 (1.6), HW = 2.4–2.7 (2.5), PL = 3.1–3.4 (3.3), PW = 2.6–2.8 (2.7), TL = 4.0–4.5 (4.3), HFL = 15.3–16.5 (15.8), HTL = 18.3–19.5 (18.7); female (n = 1): BL = 12.2, HL = 1.6, HW = 2.4, PL = 3.1, PW = 2.3, TL = 3.4, HFL = 16.2, HTL = 18.8, OL = 7.4.
Bioacoustics. At 30.2±0.1 ºC (29.9–30.5 ºC), the male calling song consists of two pulses with song duration 0.10±0.01 s (0.09–0.12 s) (Figs. 7B, 7C). The first pulse peaks at 0.022±0.002 s (0.016 –0.027 s) after start of song; the second pulse peaks at 0.042±0.002 s (0.039 –0.048 s); and the peaks of both pulses are 0.020±0.002 s (0.015 – 0.025 s) apart (Figs. 7B, 7C). Mean peak frequency is 43.3±2.5 (36.3–45.3 kHz) (Fig. 7D).
Etymology. This species is named after a renowned Orthopterist, Fernando Montealegre-Zapata, who has made immense contribution to the bioacoustics of katydids.
description: Published as part of Tan, Ming Kai, Jin, Xing-Bao, Baroga-Barbecho, Jessica B. & Yap, Sheryl A., 2020, Taxonomy and bioacoustics of Meconematinae (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) from Laguna (Philippines: Luzon), pp. 527-544 in Zootaxa 4732 (4) on pages 530-537, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4732.4.2, http://zenodo.org/record/3667326