Eur. J. Entomol. 107: 631–645, 2010 http://www.eje.cz/scripts/viewabstract.php?abstract=1574 ISSN 1210-5759 (print), 1802-8829 (online) Re-evaluation of the genus Phonochorion (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae) HASAN SEVGøLø1, SELIM S. CAöLAR2 and øSMAIL K. SAöLAM 2* 1Ordu University, Faculty of Art and Science, Department of Biology, Cumhuriyet Campus, Ordu, Turkey; e-mail: [email protected] 2Hacettepe University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Ecological Sciences Research Laboratories, 06800, Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey; e-mail: [email protected] Key words. Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae, Phaneropterinae, Phonochorion, morphology, systematics, bioacoustics, distribution, bush-crickets, Caucasus, East Black Sea Mountains, Lesser Caucasus Mountains Abstract. Phonochorion Uvarov (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae) is a little known genus consisting of three species: Ph. satunini, Ph. artvinensis and Ph. uvarovi. The objective of this study is to conduct a thorough distributional, taxonomic and system- atic revision of the genus Phonochorion using both bioacustic and external morphological characters. Field surveys indicate that the genus is distributed from the Trabzon region of Turkey to the Khulo province of Georgia however the exact limit of the eastern dis- tribution of the genus remains unknown. Phonochorion species occur only on the northern slopes of the East Black Sea and Lesser Caucasus Mountains. The Coruh Valley, which seprates the East Black Sea and Lesser Caucasus Mountain ranges, seems to be an effective physical and climatic barrier and determines the distribution of these species. Ph. uvarovi can clearly be distinguished from Ph. satunini and Ph. artvinensis by the calling songs of males and external morphological characters. Ph. artvinensis and Ph. satunini differ in several taxonomic characters but the males have virtually identical calling songs. From a character evolution per- spective, although geographically more distant, Ph. satunini is more closely related to Ph. uvarovi than Ph. artvinensis. Morpho- logical similarities in several characters indicate Phonochorion to be most closely related to Polysarcus zacharovi and the Poecilimon heroicus-group. Within the genus Phonochorion, song structure and morphological characters clearly indicate Ph. uvarovi to be the basal taxon. INTRODUCTION Mountains of Turkey in the 1950s by Bei-Bienko (1954). The genus Phonochorion (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Currently there are no other records of this species. Phaneropterinae) is a little known group endemic to the Recently Salman (1978) failed to find this species at both East Black Sea and Lesser Caucasus mountains in North the original locality in the Yalnizçam Mountains and the East Turkey and Western Georgia (Fig. 1). Only three Artvin province of Turkey. species are described for this genus: Ph. satunini Uvarov, Karaba÷ (1956) revised this genus but did not examine 1916 (type specimen), Ph. artvinensis Bei-Bienko, 1954 any specimens of Ph. artvinensis or provide a taxonomic key. The calling songs of Ph. satunini and Ph. uvarovi and Ph. uvarovi Karaba÷, 1956. The first papers on this genus give little more than simple taxonomic descriptions were briefly described by Heller (1990), however taxo- and contain very little information on the biology of the nomic problems within the genus were not evaluated. species. In addition, the information on the distribution Therefore, apart from the initial taxonomic descriptions and range of the genus is poor as there are only a few and few distributional records there is no comprehensive locality records. Below is a brief summary based on systematic or biogeographic study of this group. In addi- information in the literature. tion, the initial taxonomic description of Ph. artvinensis is Apart from its type locality (SW, Jugum Adzaricum both short and inadequate and there is very little and 1959 m, 16.viii.1902) there are no other records of Ph. inadequate data on the distributions of all three species. The objective of this study is to conduct a thorough satunini for Georgia, however Karaba÷ (1956), Heller (1990) and later Ünal (2005) record the same species revision of the taxonomy, systematics and distribution of the genus Phonochorion in order to clarify the taxonomic from Turkey (økizdere-Rize and Yusufeli-Artvin). Ph. status and distribution of each of the species. For these uvarovi was initially recorded from økizdere-Rize by reasons, specimens were collected in the field from the Karaba÷ (1956) and later by Heller (1990) from the same locality. Therefore, current data would seem to suggest Trabzon province in Turkey to the Khulo province in that Ph. satunini is distributed from Georgia to the Georgia. This paper presents results on the total range of the genus, geographic distribution of individual species økizdere region of Turkey, where it occurs sympatrically with Ph. uvarovi. The third species of the genus, Ph. art- and species delimitation based on calling songs and vinensis, has only been recorded once in the Yalnizçam external morphological characters. * Corresponding author; e-mail: [email protected] 631 Fig. 1. Distribution of the species of the genus Phonochorion. MATERIAL AND METHODS Sounds were recorded in the field using a portable stereo audio recorder (TASCAM HD P2) fitted with a bat detector (TD Field studies 15-2 with HF-output via Mini-XLR, Laartech) or a M Audio Field surveys were undertaken in the years 2003–2008, Transit (mobile 24-bit/96kHz USB audio upgrade) and micro- during the months of June, July and August, which are the phone (kondensator ansteckmicrophone, 30–30000 Hz, distance months when these species are active. The total area sampled to microphone about 10–20 cm) attached to a notebook com- was 23,342 km2 and included parts of the Trabzon, Rize and puter. Sounds were digitized at a sampling rate of 96 KHz and Artvin provinces of Turkey and the Khulo province of Georgia. 24 bit resolution with Adobe Audition and Spectraplus software. In order to determine the presence or absence of species Oscillograms were generated using the above software after belonging to this genus, approximately 300 patches of charac- filtering out background noise. The following qualitative and teristic habitat for this genus were visited in the study area. The quantitative parameters were analyzed: duration of the calling presence of Phonochorion spp. was determined by listening for song, micro and macro syllable duration, syllable period, syl- their characteristic calling songs and finding adults and nymphs. lable group duration (echeme), number of syllables in each When no specimens were observed and no calling songs heard, group, number of impulses in each syllable and amplitude the localities where rechecked the following year in order to modulation of syllables. Analyses were carried on a total of 32 prevent any bias that might arise due to seasonal changes in calls recorded from 10 different populations of each of the three population abundance. species. Terminology used in song descriptions are as follows Depositories of the material collected are abbreviated as fol- (Ragge & Reynolds, 1998); Calling song: song produced by an lows: CH – Collecter Heller, Magdeburg; CHS – Collecter isolated male; Syllable: the sound produced by one complete up Hasan Sevgili, ùanlıurfa; HUZOM – Hacettepe University, (opening) and down (closing) stroke of the wing; Syllable Zoology Museum, Ankara; CIKS – Collecter øsmail K. Sa÷lam, period: time between the start of two consecutive syllables; ESRL – Hacettepe University Ecological Sciences Research Echeme: a first-order assemblage of syllables; Impulse: a Laboratories, Ankara; CSSC – Collecter Selim S. Ça÷lar, ESRL simple, undivided, transient train of sound waves. – Hacettepe University Ecological Sciences Research Laborato- ries, Ankara; ZIN – Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of RESULTS Sciences, St. Petersburg (type specimens of Ph. satununi and Genus: Phonochorion Uvarov, 1916 Ph. artvinensis). References. Phonochorion Uvarov: Uvarov (1916): 48; Tarbin- Species delimitation: Taxonomic key and song analysis skii (1940): 66; Bei-Bienko (1954): 363; Karaba÷ (1956): 49; Species were delimitated using both morphological characters Karaba÷ (1958): 89. and recordings of males stridulating. A key to species is pre- Type species. Phonochorion satunini. sented based on external morphological characters, which are illustrated in Figs 2–10. All characters were studied under a Defining features Leica MZ-7.5 stereoscopic zoom dissection microscope and In males the pronotum distinctly rises vertically and the photographed using a DC-300 digital camera system attached to metazona widens anteriorly; in males the tegmina are well the microscope. developed and highly chitinized; males have distinct and 632 TABLE 1. Diagnostic characters of Phonochorion species. Ph. artvinensis Characters Description Ph. uvarovi Ph. satunini East of ÇV* West of ÇV* Male overall colour Black yellow Yes No (Black red-lilac) No (Black red-lilac) No (Black red-lilac) With distinct Pronotum Yes No No No tubercles on the sides Tegmina protrudes Female tegmen No No Yes Yes from under pronotum No No No folded into an Metanotal gland Yes (curly bracket (curly bracket (curly bracket inverted v shaped shaped) shaped) shaped) Colour light yellow Yes No (red-lilac) No (red-lilac) No (red-lilac) Neck stretches No (narrows down No (narrows down No (narrows down Yes Male parallel towards apex towards apex) towards apex) towards