Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 136: 45-66, 1984 African Crickets (Gryllidae). 4. The Genus Platygryllus from Eastern and Southern Africa (Gryllinae, Gryllini) DANIEL OTTE Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 19th and the Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103 WILLIAM CADE Biological Sciences, Brock University St. Catharines, Ontario L25 3A1 ABSTRACT.-This paper treats the known species of African Platygryllus. We have revised Chopard's (1967) scheme as follows: (a) four new species are described; (b) two species are moved to Platygryllus from other genera (Scapsipedus, Melanogryllus); (c) the type species is given a replacementname; (d) four species are moved to other genera (Teleogryllus, Gryllus);and (e) four nominal species are consideredto be nomina dubia. A species list summarizesthese changes. [Africa, crickets, Gryllidae, morphology, new species, Platygryllus, Orthoptera,songs, systematics] According to Chopard (1967) the genus seems, on the basis of male genitalia, to form a Platygryllus ranges throughoutAfrica and east- rather cohesive group, all possessing the long wards to Java and the Philippines. He includes coiled spermatophoretube mold (STM) and a in the genus thirteenspecies, nine of which are strongly flattened epiphallus. P. primiformis, African; one he considers to be widespread although resembling most of the Platygryllus from Africa to India, one is from Java and species rather closely, has genitalia which are Amboine, and one is from the Philippines. We definitely more like those of Teleogryllus and have not studied the males of nefandus Kirby Acanthogryllus. But its song, body color, and 1906 (Java) and atratalus Walker 1869 (Philip- body proportionsare definitely unlike those of pines). Until they are, their inclusion in the Teleogryllus. We offer a tentative hypothesis genus Platygryllus remains in doubt. that primiformis represents a link between In the present paper we treat nine African Platygryllus and Teleogryllusand Acanthogryl- species, four of which are new. One species and lus. In primiformis the spermatophore tube its synonym have been moved to Platygryllus mold is very long, as in Teleogryllus, but it is from Scapsipedus;one species has been moved bent out of the median plane, suggesting the to Platygryllus from Melanogryllus. initial stages of the coiling seen in other Platy- The changes in generic assignments are gryllus. The only way that the STM could based on an examinationof the male genitalia, continue to lengthen without taking up more which are quite distinctive in this genus. abdominal space is through coiling. Chopard lists melanocephalus Serville and Additional species of Platygryllus will prob- brunneri Saussure from India. Since the types ably be discovered in Africa, perhaps also of both of these species are lost, the identity of revealing how the genus is related to other the Indian specimens remains in doubt. Gryllini. The relationship of Platygryllus to other It should be stressedthat this is a preliminary membersof the tribe Gryllini is still unclear. At work on this genus. No effort was made to present the genus seems to be made up of two examine all Platygryllus specimens housed in groups: primiformis, on the one hand, and the other museums, for the following reasons: (1) remainingspecies on the other. The lattergroup Even if present in a collection, the specimens 45 This content downloaded from 142.66.3.42 on Fri, 19 Jul 2013 13:35:49 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 46 DANIEL OTTE AND WILLIAM CADE cannot be located and in some cases must be NOMINA DUBIA dissected before they can be recognized. (2) If brunneri Saussure 1877 they can be recognized as belonging to this ornaticeps Saussure 1877 genus, they do not have song data upon which viator Kirby 1906 to base one's determinations. It is better at brevicauda Karny 1907 this stage to have specimens which are not determinedthan ones which are incorrectlyde- METHODS termined. Once the treatmentof the genus be- All tape recordingswere made with a Nagra comes more comprehensive and the various SN tape recorder(8.9 cm/s) and a Sony ECM- species better understood, it will be important 5OPSelectret condenser microphone attached to to examine all previously collected specimens. a parabolicreflector. Tapes were copied onto 5 In the meantimewe urge collectors to recordthe inch reels by a Uher 4000 Report L tape re- songs of the species they collect. This can be corder. Sonographsof songs were made with a done quite easily with the aid of a miniature Kay Elemetrics 7029A Sonograph. cassette tape recorder. Temperatureswere determined by placing The following taxa are treatedand discussed the thermometer as close as possible to the here: place where the cricket was singing, especially when crickets were singing in dense grass, in GENUS PLATYGRYLLUSCHOPARD 1961b burrows, or on the ground. 1. cockbilli Chopard 1954 (moved from Scapsipedus) n. Body parts of crickets are named according comb. to the terminology of Otte and Alexander convexifrons Chopard 1961a (Scapsipedus) n. syn. (1983). 2. ignobilis Walker 1869 Specimens examined are deposited at the 3. n. serengeticus sp. following 4. atritus n. sp. institutions:GENEVA, Museum d'His- 5. quadristrigatus Saussure 1877, replacementname for toire Naturelle; LONDON, British Museum lineaticeps Walker 1869, homonym of lineatceps Stal (Natural History); PARIS, Museum National 1858 d' Histoire Naturelle; PHILADELPHIA(ANSP), 6. capensis n. sp. Academy of Natural Sciences. 7. maurus Afzelius et Brannius 1804 (moved from Mela- nogryllus) n. comb. 8. arambourgi Chopard 1938 COLLECTINGAND TAPE RECORDINGLOCALITIES 9. primiformis n. sp. 5. Tanzania, Serengeti National Park, Seronera, 14 x 1980 SPECIES LISTED FROM OUTSIDE AFRICA (CHOPARD 1967) AND 6. Tanzania, Serengeti National Park, Kirawiraarea, CONSIDERED DOUBTFUL MEMBERS OF THE GENUS 20 x 1980 6A. Tanzania, Serengeti National Park, Mbalageti Riv- 10. melanocephalus Serville 1838 (Gryllus), type not er, nr. Kirawira, 20 x 1980 found, India, Nepal, Burma 7. Tanzania, Serengeti National Park, Grumeti River 11. nefandus 1906(Gryllus), replacementfor Kirby Gryl- nr. Kirawira, 20 x 1980 lus ignobilis Saussure 1877, nec Walker 1869, Java 15. South Africa, Natal (KwaZulu) Hluhluwe Game 12. atratalus Walker 1869 (Gryllus), Philippines Reserve, 10 xi 1980 20. South Africa, Natal (Kwazulu) Mkuze Game Re- SPECIES REMOVED FROM PLATYGRYLLUS serve, 19 xi 1980 13. pulchriceps Gerstaecker 1869, to Teleogryllus, Otte 46. South Africa, Cape Province, 19 km S of Mid- and Cade 1983a delburg on R 57, 11 iii 1982 14. aequipennis Saussure1899, synonym of Teleogryllus 50. South Africa, Natal (KwaZulu) Eshowe, 13-30 iii pulchriceps Gerstaecker, Otte and Cade 1983a 1982 15. soror Chopard 1940, to Teleogryllus, Otte and Cade 51. South Africa, Natal (KwaZulu) Mtunzini, 15-16 iii 1983a 1982 16. braueri Karny 1910, to Gryllus, Otte and Cade 1984c 54. South Africa, Natal (KwaZulu) ca. 5 km E of Empangeni, 17 iii 1982 This content downloaded from 142.66.3.42 on Fri, 19 Jul 2013 13:35:49 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions AFRICAN CRICKETS: PLATYGRYLLUS 47 55. South Africa, Natal (KwaZulu) ca. 18 km W of ing; thin pale, median line (usually short) some- Empangeni, 17 iii 1982 times present. Lateralocelli never connected by 56. South Africa, Natal (KwaZulu), ca. 15 km NE of pale stripe. Face always dark brown to black. Eshowe, old Empangeni road, 18 iii 1982 57. South Africa, Natal (KwaZulu) ca. 30 km NE of Hindwings micropterous or macropterous. Eshowe, old Empangeni road, 18 iii 1982 Fronttibiae with a large oval outer, and a small 58. South Africa, Natal (KwaZulu) ca. 18 km W of round inner tympanum. Empangeni, 18 iii 1982 Females: May be difficult to distinguishfrom 60. South Africa, Natal (KwaZulu) Hlabisa, 21 iii 1982 other grylline genera if not associated with 63. South Africa, Natal (KwaZulu) Hluhluwe Game Reserve, 23 iii 1982 males. Head markings similar to those of 66. South Africa, Natal (KwaZulu) Tugela River at males. Forewings extending at least to middle Middle Drift, 26 iii 1982 of abdomen. Hindwings hidden in some spe- 67. South Africa, Natal (KwaZulu) Mkuze Game Re- cies, extending beyond forewings in others serve, 28 iii 1982 (Table 2). 71. South Africa, Transvaal, Komatipoort, 30 iii 1982 76A. Kenya, Nairobi, 11 ix 1982 76B. Kenya, Nairobi, 10 x 1982 77A. Kenya, Karen, S side of Nairobi, 13 ix 1982 78. Kenya, Hunter's Lodge (Nairobi-MombasaRd), 14 ix 1982 82. Kenya, near Voi, flat plain and valley on S side of Sagala Hills, 17 ix 1982 93. Tanzania, Usa River, near Arusha, 25 ix 1982 104. Tanzania, ca. 20 km W of Kirogwe, rd to Handeni, 2 x 1982 109. Tanzania, Manyara National Park, 7 x 1982 112. Tanzania, Usa River, near Arusha, 9 x 1982 Genus PLATYGRYLLUS Chopard Platygryllus Chopard 1961b: 276. Type species: Playgrvl- lus quadristrigatus(Saussure). The name used by Cho- pard (1961b, 1967), Grvllus lineaticeps Walker 1869, is a primaryhomonym of G. lineaticeps St'al, and takes as replacement name the only synonym quadristrigatus. Walker's type remains the type specimen of the species. DIAGNOSTIC CHARACTERS. Males: Figs. 1-13. Tables 1, 2. Epiphallus trilobate, with central lobe flattened and not extending much beyond lateral lobes; ectoparameres hidden beneath epiphallus. Spermatophore tube mold (STM) extremely long and convoluted producingsper- matophoretube that may be as long as cricket (except in primiformiswhere STM is very long and bent out of median plane but not con- voluted). Head: forehead rather flattened in vicinity of ocelli; occiput and vertex blackish and usually with longitudinalstripes (lacking in maurus);stripe 3 usually present, stripe 2 some- times visible only at anterior end and often connected there to stripe 3, stripe I often miss- FIG. 1. Platygryllus cockbilli, loc. 63. This content downloaded from 142.66.3.42 on Fri, 19 Jul 2013 13:35:49 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 48 DANIEL OTTE AND WILLIAM CADE o .