The genus Ectadia (Orthoptera: Phaneropteridae: Phaneropterinae) in East Asia: description of a new species, comparison of its complex song and duetting behavior with that of E. fulva and notes on the biology of E. fulva

Klaus-Gerhard Heller,Chunxiang Liu,Elżbieta Warchałowska-Śliwa,Sigfrid Ingrisch

doi:10.3897/jor.26.14548

Klaus-Gerhard Heller, Chunxiang Liu + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.26.14548

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Abstract

The genus Ectadia is an East Asian genus of the tribe Elimaeini (Phaneropterinae) and is known for the complex stridulatory files of its members. The calling song was so far known from only one species, the relatively widespread Ectadia fulva. Here a new species from Yunnan, China, is described, which is morphologically similar to E. fulva except for the stridulatory file. In this character E. fulva deviates strongly from the new species and from all other Ectadia species by its high tooth number. The long lasting song (duration 30 to 60 seconds at 25°C) of the new species is very complex and differs widely from the much shorter song of E. fulva. Its spectral composition changes during stridulation. In the new species the females respond acoustically during gaps in the final part of the male song, whereas in E. fulva they answer typically after the male song. During mating Ectadia fulva males transfer small spermatophores without spermatophylax. All of its six nymphal stages are cryptically colored. In karyotype the new species being the first studied Ectadia species is similar to the related genera Elimaea and Ducetia (all 2n=29 chromosomes in the male).

Highlights

Six species are endemic to South China (Yunnan) and northern Vietnam (Liu et al 2004, Gorochov 2009), one species (E. fulva Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1893) is more widespread in South East Asia (Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, China: Yunnan, Guanxi, Fujian; Liu et al 2004, Kang et al 2014; Fig. 1), but the type species of the genus (E. pilosa Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878) is only known from one male collected in Kashmir (India)
From E. apicalis, which has a similar stridulatory file, it differs by larger size and the hind wings being clearly longer than the tegmina while slightly shorter in E. apicalis
Since the revision by Liu et al (2004) the genus Ectadia is known for its diversity in male stridulatory files

Summary

Introduction

Six species are endemic to South China (Yunnan) and northern Vietnam (Liu et al 2004, Gorochov 2009), one species (E. fulva Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1893) is more widespread in South East Asia (Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, China: Yunnan, Guanxi, Fujian; Liu et al 2004, Kang et al 2014; Fig. 1), but the type species of the genus (E. pilosa Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878) is only known from one male collected in Kashmir (India). It may not be so surprising to find a high number of species in this relatively small area, since Yunnan is one of the global biodiversity hotspots, well known for plant diversity (Li et al 2015, Tang 2015), not yet so much for insects When we heard an unknown calling song of an Ectadia species during a joint excursion (CXL and KGH) in Yunnan, we expected to find one of these species. Our species differed morphologically from all other known species. Its song was even more complicated (some details mentioned already in Heller et al 2015 as Ectadia sp.) than that of E. fulva, the morphologically most similar species and the only one with known song (Ingrisch 1998, Heller et al 2015)

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