Page:Paraplangia sinespeculo, a new genus and species of bush-cricket, with notes on its biology and a key to the genera of Phaneropterinae (Orthoptera, Tettigonioidea) from Madagascar.pdf/2

144 recent molecular study (Hemp et al. 2015) the Euconchophorini representative appeared basally to the studied Agraeciini from Africa, India and Australia, but within Conocephalinae. In any case, a member of this Agraeciini/Euconchophorini-complex seems to have arrived in Madagascar relatively long ago.

The largest Malagasy subfamily is Phaneropterinae (at present ca. 40 species; Table 1). Madagascar has a few species in common with continental Africa (Phaneroptera sparsa, Tylopsis bilineolata, T. irregularis, and Eurycorypha cereris), and several genera have species which are endemic to Africa as well as to Madagascar – most of them also with endemics on other islands in the Western Indian Ocean (Eurycorypha, Plangia, Parapyrrhicia, Trigonocorypha). One genus with one endemic species to Madagascar has most of its species distributed in Asia (Holochlora). Thus, two thirds of the 22 phaneropterine genera are endemic to Madagascar. Most phaneropterine species are long-winged. There have probably been several independent colonization events of Madagascar, mostly from Africa [as with the flying mammals (bats), although some of which seem to have come directly from Southeast Asia; Bates et al. 2006]. For genera endemic to Madagascar, the closest relatives are expected to be found in Africa.

Considering the low intensity of research, the number of species and genera known at present is certainly only a small percentage of that actually occurring there or which had, sadly, occurred there in the past (see Goodman and Jungers 2014). Therefore, one of the authors (KGH) seized the opportunity to rear nymphs of an unidentified species from Madagascar. After these animals molted successfully to adults, they had to be identified (see key below) and, not completely unexpectedly, they were identified as belonging to a new genus and species. Since they lived for quite some time in the laboratory, we were able collectto collect [sic] data which were not previously known from any other Malagasy bush-cricket, and which are hopefully a starting point for similar studies in situ.

Methods

The animals were held in plastic containers, differing in size depending on the size of the animals, and fed with Taraxacum officinale, replaced daily.

Measurements.—Total body length, lateral aspect, refers to the midline length of the insect from fastigium verticis to tip of abdomen including the subgenital plate. In females, the ovipositor is not included in the measurement of the body length. Measurements of ovipositor are taken laterally in a straight line from tip to base disregarding the curvature.

To obtain the mass data, living animals and spermatophores were weighed to the nearest 2 mg (balance Tanita Professional Mini 1210– 100).

Acoustics.—The male calling song was recorded in the laboratory using a digital bat detector (Pettersson D1000X) with a sampling rate of 100 kHz. Duets were recorded in stereo using a Sony ECM121 microphone (frequency response relatively flat up to 30 kHz according to own tests) and an Uher M645 microphone connected to a personal computer through an external soundcard (Transit USB, “M-Audio”; 44.1-kHz sampling rate).

Song measurements and spectrograms were obtained using Amadeus II and Amadeus Pro (Martin Hairer; http://www.hairersoft.com). Oscillograms of the songs were prepared using Turbolab (Bressner Technology, Germany). All recordings were made at temperatures between 22 and 25°C. The singers were caged in plastic tubes or gauze cages with microphone fixed or hand-held at distances between 5 (duet) and 80 cm.

Acoustical terminology.—Tettigonioids produce their songs by repeated opening and closing movements of their tegmina. The sound resulting during one cycle of movements is called a syllable; opening and closing hemisyllables can often be differentiated (Ragge and Reynolds 1998). Syllable duration: time period measured from the first impulse to the last; syllable period: time period measured from the first impulse to the first impulse of the next syllable; impulse: a simple, undivided, transient train of sound waves (here: the damped sound impulse arising as the effect of one tooth of the stridulatory file). Typically, after some time the same or a similar pattern of syllables and pauses is repeated. This grouping, often separated from the next by a silent interval, is called a song unit.

Chromosomal analysis.—Paraplangia sinespeculo (two males CH8239, CH8240) and Orophus cf. tessellatus (Saussure, 1861) [Costa Rica; obtained from https://www.saltatoria.info/arten%C3%BCbersicht-a-z-species-a-z/orophus-tesselatus/] (one male CH7705 and one female CH7707) were used for chromosomal analyses. Preparations were obtained from testes and ovaries, incubated in hypotonic solution (0.9% sodium citrate), fixed in ethanol: acetic acid (3:1), and crushed in 45% acetic acid. C-banding was carried out using the method of Summer (1972) and the silver staining method (AgNO3) for localization of the nucleolus organizer regions (NORs) was performed as previously reported (Warchałowska-Śliwa and Maryańska-Nadachowska 1992). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with ribosomal 18S rDNA and telomeric (TTAGG)n DNA probes were conducted following the protocol described by Warchałowska-Śliwa et al. (2009). Chromosomes were studied with a Nikon Eclipse 400 microscope with a CCD DS-U1 camera and NIS-Elements BR2.

Results

The specimens of the new species were identified using the key given below (based on Karsch 1889, Brunner von Wattenwyl 1891, Carl 1914, Ragge 1980, OSFO). See also Table 1 for additional data. Using Ragge’s (1980) key for all African Phaneropterinae with open tympana (excluding Madagascar) one would end up with Plangia.