ISSN 2372-2517 (Online), ISSN 2372-2479 (Print) METALEPTEAMETALEPTEA THE NEWSLETTER OF THE ORTHOPTERISTS’ SOCIETY TABLE OF CONTENTS President’s Message (Clicking on an article’s title will take you By DAVID HUNTER to the desired page) President [1] PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE [email protected] [2] SOCIETY NEWS ear Society Members, [2] 14th Congress delayed due to COVID-19 by D. HUNTER [2] Call for OSF Grant Applications by M.M. A very happy New Year CIGLIANO to everyone! [3] Current Status of the Journal of Orthop- tera Research by T. ROBILLARD & C. BAZELET [4] The Theodore J. Cohn Research Fund: Without doubt, 2020 was A new call for applications for 2021 by M. D LECOQ D a very challenging year. Limitations on our activities have [5] REGIONAL REPORTS [5] North, Sahelian & West Africa by A. meant we have had to adapt to a very IDRISSI different environment for both work [5] T.J. COHN GRANT REPORTS and leisure. COVID-19 has affected [5] The kool katydid: acoustic response of all of us and, as has occurred with so a South African-endemic bush cricket, Thoracistus thyraeus, to a transformed many other international meetings, landscape by A. VAN DER MESCHT has led the Board to decide to delay [8] Oh, you shouldn’t have: investigating the role of nuptial gift proteins in decorated our next Congress (see next article). cricket sexual conflict by I. RINES Let’s hope for a better 2021 and a [10] Integrative taxonomic revision of the tribe Bryodemini Bey-Bienko, 1930 gradual return to normal - whatever (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Oedipodinae) by L. the “new normal” turns out to be and DEY & M. HUSEMANN [12] Egg morphology among the genus however long it takes. been a full recovery in recent months. Pseudosermyle Caudell, 1903 (Phasmato- A special thanks to both Corey Ba- This puts us in a good position to dea) by U. LÓPEZ-MORA & A.C. MAR- TÍNEZ-CERVANTES zelet and Tony Robillard for a smooth fund the upcoming Theodore J. Cohn transition of the editorship of our Research Fund projects and our many [15] OSF GRANT REPORTS [15] Oecanthines of high interest in the Journal. After an overlapping period other endeavours that support you as United States by N. COLLINS with Corey, Tony has now taken over members of our society while increas- [17] CONTRIBUTED ARTICLES as Editor of our Journal of Orthop- ing the profile of Orthoptera and re- [17] Field observations on the feeding habits lated groups. of the European Schmidt’s marbled bush tera Research. Corey’s tireless efforts cricket by C. PAGE over the past five years have brought The many reports in the current is- [18] Interview with Futaro Okuyama by R. MARIÑO-PÉREZ our journal to open access through sue of Metaleptea demonstrate the [20] Commission for Controlling the Desert Pensoft which means a substantially continuing success of the work of our Locust in the Western Region (CLCPRO) increased readership of our journal. members: it is with great pleasure that - A Success Story by M. L. HAMOUNY Remember that as members of our I present another excellent Metalep- [21] MEETING REPORTS [21] Proceedings of the 2020 ESA Sympo- society, you can publish your work in tea, thanks once again to the tireless sium: “Small Orders, Big Ideas (Polyneop- the journal free of charge (except for efforts of Hojun Song and Derek tera)” by D.A. WOLLER ET AL. coloured images), so send your ar- Woller! [26] TREASURER’S REPORT ticles to Tony, our new Editor! [27] EDITORIAL I draw your attention to the Report by our Treasurer, Pamm Mihm: even though the many economic uncertain- ties led to a decline in the Society’s investments early this year, there has Volume 41 (1) / January 2021 1 METALEPTEA 14th Congress delayed due to COVID-19 By DAVID HUNTER President [email protected] ith a great deal of ICE years by having our Congress ev- will most likely be much higher than reluctance, the Or- ery three years instead of four. Conse- normal in the immediate future. In ad- thopterists’ Society quently, ICE moving to the same year dition, COVID-19 has placed severe Board has decided as our Congress, combined with the limitations on the organisation of ICO to delay our 14th In- uncertainties of the ongoing SARS- in Paris, including organisers being W ternational Congress CoV-2 pandemic, led the Board to unable to get definite commitments ofW Orthopterology (ICO) that was decide to delay the Congress until as to availability of venues, making planned for 2022. 2023. We hope this delay is sufficient congress organisation nearly impos- Similar delays have been made for because who knows when things will sible. Consequently, we are looking at other congresses, including, most im- be back to normal. the option of a smaller city venue, as portantly, the International Congress SARS-CoV-2 has placed substan- we often have had in the past, which of Entomology (ICE) in Finland, tial difficulties on any international is likely to be much safer and easier to which was originally scheduled for meeting. The substantial health issues organise in the current situation: the July 2020, then postponed until 2021, caused by the associated disease, CO- Yucatán of Mexico had been offered and now postponed again until 2022. VID-19, especially for older mem- as a potential venue for our 2025 con- This means that our 14th ICO, origi- bers, mean that holding international gress, and organisers of that venue nally scheduled for late 2022 would meetings will be extremely difficult have indicated that it could be brought be only a few months after ICE, and until there is a dramatic decline in the forward. Regardless, the delay will the last time this happened, in 2016 number of cases. Vaccinations will allow us to look carefully at what oth- with the 12th ICO in Brazil, it was be important, but there are still many ers have had to do in organising their clear that some of our members were uncertainties as to how effective they congresses, allowing us to have as unable to find funds for both ICE and will actually be in reducing cases and near normal a congress as possible. our event, so we had fewer people at how long such reductions will take. In this time of pandemic uncertainty, the Brazil ICO than expected. The And because international air travel is please stay tuned for updates on the Board then made the decision to avoid much reduced currently, travel costs timing and location of the next ICO! Call for OSF Grant Applications By MARIA MARTA CIGLIANO Museo de La Plata, División Entomología, FCNyM-UNLP CEPAVE, CONICET-CCT La Plata, ARGENTINA [email protected] he Orthopterists’ Society, men records. Any proposal that solely • Significance (highlighting the in cooperation with the focuses on fieldwork or other system- new data that will be added to Illinois Natural History atic research without direct benefits to OSF, preferably to taxa currently Survey, provides funding OSF will not be considered. Projects lacking images, sound record- for work in support of the may be proposed for periods of one to ings, distribution records, etc.) TT Orthoptera Species File. three years. • Objectives, methods and activi- Members of the Orthopterists’ Soci- Due to the Covid-19 situation, ties ety are invited to apply. Applications there has been a reduction in the • Timetable should be sent to María Marta Ciglia- funds available for grants. For 2021, 2. If applicable, provide summary of no ([email protected]). $20,000 USD will be available. All the research project related to the Grants are available for a project as the requested information must be proposal defined by the applicant. The project submitted by February 28, 2021 to re- 3. Curriculum vitae must involve benefit to the Orthoptera ceive full consideration. The commit- 4. Budget (including justification Species File. The usual benefit is the tee will complete its assessment and of trips to museums, fieldwork, addition of images (photographs of announce the results in March, 2021. equipment, etc.) the habitus and diagnostic details of 5. If applicable, provide letter of type specimens, other reliably identi- The proposals should include: agreement/acknowledgement to fied museum specimens, living indi- 1. Project description (not more than work with the collection from the viduals in natural habitats), sound re- five pages): corresponding institution/curator cordings, and/or geo-referenced speci- • Title including permission to add the Volume 41 (1) / January 2021 2 METALEPTEA images to OSF. on the “biogeographical value,” i.e., port of a qualified student to do this surveys in undercollected areas will under their supervision will also be Proposals from graduate students be preferred over similar activities considered. should include a simple recommenda- in well-worked terrain. Preference tion from their professor or advisor. will be also given to applicants who Important: A short financial and Preference will be given in relation demonstrate knowledge of the taxa in- tasks report will be required from to the amount of data added into OSF, volved. The methods, e.g., techniques each grantee once the funding period i.e., the expected contribution to the for capturing images, will be likewise is finished. The report should be in considered taxa (dependent on already considered in the evaluation. Also, a format suitable for publication in existing data). A detailed list of the priority will be given to applicants Metaleptea. species that are poorly illustrated in planning to document and photograph If the candidate has received an OSF and the data that is expected to the types of Orthoptera species not OSF grant in a previous year, the be added as a result of the grant is yet documented by images in OSF, tasks from the previous grant have to highly recommended to be included or who are planning to document the be finished and the report approved by in the proposal.