Cooloolagraecia wallum 0 Rentz, Su and Ueshima Gen. et sp. nov.

ANIC number Gen. Nov. 30, sp. 1

(Fig. 1G, Figs 15 A-N; Fig. 20I; Fig. 22b D; Table 2; Map 4)

Common name. Wallum Katydid

This species is one of a number of distinctive orthopteroids associated with the coastal sands and adjacent habitats in the vicinity of Cooloola National Park, Queensland. The series was collected during trips made to find the Cooloola Monster, Cooloola propator Rentz (see Rentz, 1980).

Holotype male. 1. “ 25.59S 153.04E Searys Ck., 2km N. of Camp Milo, Cooloola Nat. Park, QLD. 24.x.1978 D. C. F. Rentz & J. Balderson, Stop 127”. 2. “ D. C. F. Rentz Cytol. prep. 78-166” 3. Series on Xanthorrhoea flowers”. 4. “ ANIC database #14008754” . Holotype in Australian National Insect Collection, Canberra. Paratypes. Queensland. 26. 00S 153.05E Camp Milo, Cooloola Nat. Park, 10.x.1978 (DCF Rentz, J. Balderson, Stop 118 and 124, 2 females, 1 female nymph parasitised by fly, ANIC) . 25.58S 153.06E nr Poona Lk., Cooloola Nat. Park, 17.x.1978 (DCF Rentz, J. Balderson, Stop 126, 2 males, 1 female, ANIC) . 26.00 S 153.05E 3 km SE of Camp Milo, Cooloola Nat. Park, 17.iv.1982 (DCF Rentz, Stop 23, 3 adult females, 1 male, 1 female nymph, 3 females, collected as nymphs, matured in laboratory 1.vi.1982, 6.v.1982, ANIC) . 26.00S 153.05E 0.8 km of Camp Milo, Cooloola Nat. Park, 16.iv.1982 (DCF Rentz, Stop 21, 3 males, 6 females, one collected as nymph, matured in laboratory 20.vi,1982, ANIC) .

Measurements. Table 2

Type locality. The type locality (Fig. 1G) was a densely vegetated wallum with Banksia robur and Xanthorrhoea with a dense cover of grasses and other small plants.

20 Named with reference to the habitat preferred by the species.

Description

Overall body shape robust, moderate size (Table 4). Colour of most specimens very similar, pale brown with darker areas on head and lateral portions of abdominal segments (Fig. 15A). The frons of most specimens is light reddish brown. Antennal scape and pedicel dark brown or black on anterior surface, much lighter posteriorly.

Head. Strongly slanting, produced well in front of pronotum (Fig. 15I); frons smooth, some minute punctations laterally and dorsally on genae; fastigium of vertex very short, spike-like, sulcus very faint, not present on some specimens; eye prominent, positioned very high on head, comparatively small; median ocellus faint, obscure, lateral ocelli absent. Thorax. Pronotum with minute pits concentrated in central portion (Fig. 15H), no carinae; lateral lobes shallow, with a swelling over thoracic auditory foramen; anterior margin of disk straight to shallowly concave (Fig. 15H), posterior margin very feebly obtuse; margins of lateral lobes undulating. Thoracic auditory foramen elongate, slanting cephalically, completely concealed by pronotum. Prothorax armed with a pair of widely spaced, relatively elongate spines; mesothorax unarmed, metathorax with a minute tooth on cephalic corner of anterior margin. Legs. Legs of normal expected length. Fore coxa armed with a robust tooth. Foreleg with femur armed on anterior margin of ventral surface with 3 short tooth-like spines, these positioned in distal one-third; tibia unarmed dorsally, ventral surface with 6 spines on each margin (Fig. 15K). Midleg with femur slightly laterally compressed, armed ventrally similar to fore femur but the spines smaller, tibia unarmed dorsally, ventral surface with 7 spines on anterior margin, one apparently apical, posterior margin 6-8 smaller spines. Hind leg with femur extending to or slightly beyond apex of abdomen at rest, ventral surface armed only externally with 6 spines, somewhat decreasing in length cephalad; tibia with many spines dorsally and ventrally, apex armed dorsally with 2 spurs, ventrally with 4 spurs. Genicular lobes of fore and middle femora unarmed, hind femur armed on both sides with a minute tooth. Tegmina. Tegmina represented as elongate pads, mostly concealed by pronotum, a single elongate vein?subcosta and media, other veins reticulate (Fig. 15J), venation heavy; stridulatory area with mirror very elongate, the file slightly raised, straight; wing not present.

Abdomen. Tenth tergite not abnormally produced, apex with shallow U-shaped median impression (Fig. 15L). Cercus complex (Figs 15 B-D), internal teeth and setose; ventral surface (Fig. 15D) with internal tooth wholly concealed from above. Phallic complex (Fig. 15M) with base massive, apex of arms with a minute spiniform processes internally at apex (Fig. 15N).

Female. Differs from male in following characters: Size larger (Table 2); tegmina similar, overlapping, extending to beginning of second abdominal segment, subcosta and radius the only principal veins, reticulate veins heavy. Tenth tergite broadly U-shaped apically; cercus rather stout, narrowing apically and feebly directed inwards (Fig. 15E); subgenital plate very broad, with broad, shallow median incision, (Fig. 15G). Ovipositor (Fig. 15A) gently upcurved, unarmed.

Colouration. Overall colouration medium brown, frons reddish brown. Intersegmental membranes black. Head with antennal scrobes rimmed with black, fastigium of vertex concolourous with head. Surface of pronotum with several dark brown lines (Fig. 15H). Legs brown with some faint dark brown diagonal stripes (Fig. 15A); all tarsi dark brown to black. Ovipositor light brown except darker subapically.

Stridulatory file. Stridulatory file elongate (Fig. 20I), straight, bearing approximately 152 teeth, the teeth are lamellar.

Cytology. 2n male= 29 (2 m + 26t =Xm) Holotype Fig. 22b D upper left gonial metaphase, upper right first metaphase, lower left 2 nd metaphase with x, lower right second metaphase without x.

Comments. This species was very common at the type locality along with C. gubbi Rentz & Su, gen. nov. (see below) and was found after dark on the flowering stalk of Xanthorrhoea where the abundant katydids apparently fed on the pollen and nectar without destroying the flowers.