New data and taxa for Orthoptera Tettigoniidae and Acrididae from tropical Africa

Summary

The results of a long-term study on the Orthoptera collected in tropical Africa and preserved in different European natural history museums are reported. Horatosphaga bazeletae n. sp. is described from South Africa, Dapanera falxcercata n. sp. from Cameroon, Eurycorypha specularia n. sp. from Zambia (Tettigoniidae Phaneropterinae), and Eucoptacra popovi n. sp. (Acrididae Coptacrinae) from the Gabon. Furthermore, the new genus Pigalua n. gen. is described for Eulioptera insularis Ragge, 1980 from Annobón Is. (Equatorial Guinea). The new tribe Kevaniellini n. trib. is proposed for Kevaniella bipunctata Chopard, 1954. Besides, the hitherto unknown males of Eurycorypha flavescens (Walker, 1869) and Eurycorypha klaptoczi Karny, 1917 from West Africa are described. In addition, new records or unknown taxonomical characters are reported for five species of Horatosphaga, Peronura clavigera Karsch, 1889, Prosphaga splendens Ragge, 1960, Kevaniella bipunctata Chopard, 1954, Eurycorypha prasinata Stål, 1874, Poreuomena lamottei Chopard, 1954, Tylopsis fissa Ragge, 1964, Catoptropteryx extensipes Karsch, 1896 and Mangomaloba latipennis Chopard, 1954 (Tettigoniidae Phaneropterinae).

Résumé

Nouvelles données et nouveaux taxa pour des Orthoptères Tettigoniidae et Acrididae d’Afrique tropicale. Les résultats de l’étude de nombreux Orthoptères collectés en Afrique tropicale et conservés dans divers musées européens, sont présentés. Les nouvelles espèces suivantes sont décrites : Horatosphaga bazeletae n. sp. d’Afrique du Sud, Dapanera falxcercata n. sp. du Cameroun, Eurycorypha specularia n. sp. de Zambie (Tettigoniidae Phaneropterinae), et Eucoptacra popovi n. sp. (Acrididae Coptacrinae) du Gabon. Le genre Pigalua n. gen. est créé pour Eulioptera insularis Ragge, 1980 de l’île d’Annobon (Guinée équatoriale). Une nouvelle tribu, Kevaniellini n. trib., est proposée pour le taxon africain Kevaniella bipunctata Chopard, 1954. Les mâles jusqu’ici inédits d’Eurycorypha flavescens (Walker, 1869) et E. klaptoczi Karny, 1917, espèces d’Afrique de l’Ouest, sont décrits. Enfin, de nouvelles données de répartition et des caractères morphologiques jusqu’ici ignorés sont apportés pour cinq espèces du genre Horatosphaga, ainsi que pour les espèces suivantes de Tettigoniidae Phaneropterinae : Peronura clavigera Karsch, 1889, Prosphaga splendens Ragge, 1960, Kevaniella bipunctata Chopard, 1954, Eurycorypha prasinata Stål, 1874, Poreuomena lamottei Chopard, 1954, Tylopsis fissa Ragge, 1964, Catoptropteryx extensipes Karsch, 1896 et Mangomaloba latipennis Chopard, 1954.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:4A87893D-654C-4EDF-B2A3-FEA9940C4948

Keywords:

• taxonomy
• tropical Africa
• new taxa
• new records

Acknowledgements

I am especially indebted to Mercedes Paris (Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales of Madrid), Michael Ohl (Museum für Naturkunde of Berlin), Suzanne Randolf and Harald Bruckner (NMW), Martin Fikáček (NMHP), Laure Desutter and Simon Poulain (Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris), Roberto Poggi, Maria Luisa Tavano and Giuliano Doria (MSNG), Luca Bartolozzi (MZUF) who facilitated the study of specimens preserved in their museums; to Corinna Bazelet (Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University) and Piotr Naskrecki (Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University), for their suggestions; to Roberto Poggi (MSNG) and Haralabos Tsolakis (Department of Agriculture, Food and Forest Sciences, University of Palermo) for their advice on the Greek origin of the name Lamecosoma. I also thank very much Philippe Moretto, who kindly let me study the material collected during 2012–2016 in central and western African countries; Max Barclay (NHM) for facilitating the study and loan of Orthoptera collected by Marios Aristophanous, Enrico Ruzzier and P. Moretto in Ivory Coast. The collection and study of the material from the Ivory Coast was made possible thanks to the support of the African Natural History Research Trust (Hereford, UK) and Richard E.L. Smith. Collecting authorizations were obtained as follows: 019/UB/DSV2012 of 16.I.2012 from Bangui University, Central African Republic; 135/MESRS/DGRSIT/mo of 12.VI.2015, 238/MESRS/DGRSIT/mo of 13.X.2015, 040/MESRS/DGRSIT/mo of 8.III.2016 from the Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche Scientifique of Ivory Coast, and 0429/MINEDD/OIPR/DG of 14.VII.2016 and 0505/MINEDD/OIPR/DG of 18.VIII.2016 from the Ministère de l’Environnement et du Développement Durable of Ivory Coast. Finally, I thank the managers and contributors of the Orthoptera Species File (OSF, http://Orthoptera.SpeciesFile.org) for the great and useful work they carry out for orthopterists worldwide, and to Luca Picciau, who permitted the use of his photograph of Eurycorypha aequatorialis. Finally, I am very grateful to two anonymous referees, who gave many useful suggestions to improve a first manuscript, and John J. Borg for the English revision. This paper is dedicated to all curators of museum collections, who spend their life cataloguing, preserving and studying specimens collected in all the parts of the world, and allow taxonomists to carry out their research on this important evidence of biological diversity.

Additional information

Funding

This research received support from the Synthesys Project, which was financed by European Community Research Infrastructure Action under the FP7 “Capacities” Programme at the following museums: Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid (CSIC) [2013: ES-TAF-2438], Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin [2014: DE-TAF-4109], Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna [2016: AT-TAF-5324], and National Museum of Natural History, Prague [2016: CZ-TAF-5559].