Corresponding author: Bruno Massa (
Academic editor: F. Montealegre-Z
Massa B (2016) The identity of the tropical African
A recent study of the material preserved at the Naturhistorisches Museum of Vienna revealed two specimens, both females (like the holotype). These were probably collected towards the end of 1800s, prior to the description of the species by ,
The material examined (see below) is preserved at the Naturhistorisches Museum of Vienna
Head and antennae: fastigium of vertex narrow and pointed, much narrower than the first antennal segment. Eyes round, prominent, face smooth without fronto-genal carinae, higher than wide.
Ovipositor very reduced, crenulated on upper apex.
Cameroon, Mukonje Farm (♀ holotype) (
Cameroon, Johann-Albrechtshöhe [near Lake Barombi, ca. 80 km from Mukonje], Rhode (2♀) (coll. Brunner von Wattenwyl,
Yellow-brownish, a black stripe from behind the eye on the head through the lateral lobes of the pronotum and gradually broadening along the tegmina. Abdomen yellow with some brown spots; legs yellow with many black dots; tympanum with a black anterior margin; fore and mid tarsi black, hind tarsi yellow with a black base.
Female. Fastigium of vertex sulcate above; face smooth without fronto-genal carinae, higher than wide. Pronotum without lateral carinae, surface shiny, with a well-developed humeral excision on the lateral lobes. Anterior margin of pronotum straight, posterior margin gently rounded, pronotum lobes rounded on posterior margins. Fore coxae armed with a fine spine; a very small spine is present at the base of the ventral inner margin of fore and of ventral outer margin of the mid femora, hind femora unarmed; fore tibiae with 3 black spines on ventral inner margin, 3 spines + 1 apical spur on ventral outer margin, 1 spine dorsal on fore tibia above tympanum + 1 apical spur; mid tibiae with 4-5 black spines on ventral inner margin + 1 apical spur, 6 black spines ventral on outer margin + 1 apical spur, 1 dorsal inner black spine + 1 apical spur; hind tibiae with 9-10 black spines ventral on both margins + 2 apical spurs on each side; dorsal margins of hind tibiae with many black and yellow black tipped spines + 1 apical spur on each side. Abdomen: styli pointed, ovipositor very short with crenulated dorsal apex. Subgenital plate triangular and short, as long as wide, apically rounded.
Male: unknown.
See Table
Measurements of two females of
Body length | 22.7–24.5 (20) |
Pronotum length | 4.8–4.9 (4.7) |
Pronotum height | 4.3–4.4 |
Length of hind femur | 25.8–26.0 (26.5) |
Tegmina length | 27.5–29.2 (27) |
Tegmina width | 3.4 (3.7) |
Length of hind wing | 31.8–33.5 (31.3) |
Ovipositor | 3.2–3.3 (2.4) |
Currently the genus
When the first species of
Presently, in the light of the revision of the genus
Characters of the tribe are the following. Fastigium narrower than first antennal segment, furrowed, face smooth without fronto-genal carinae, eyes round, very small spines or unarmed lower margins of fore and mid femora, hind femora with few small spines or unarmed, tegmina longer than wings, ovipositor very reduced.
In 1908 the Italian entomologist Achille Griffini described the katydid
This research received support from the Synthesys Project, which is financed by the European Community Research Infrastructure Action under the FP7 “Capacities” Programme at the Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna (2016: AT-TAF-5324), the