Bioacoustics of Cuspicera

Description. Medium sized species. Pronotum prolonged, with vaulted apical area covering stridulatory area of tegmen; lateral lobes narrow with a projecting ventral lobe in about mid-length ( Fig. 6B ). Prosternal spines of medium length; mesosternal lobes subspinous with obtuse tip; metasternal lobes subangularly rounded; hind knees with a single apical spine on both sides. Femora with the following number of spines on ventral margins: fore femur 5 anterior, 5 posterior; mid femur 5 anterior, 2 posterior near base; hind femur 7 anterior over the whole length, without posterior spines. Hind knee lobes with one spine on both sides. Male. Pronotum lateral lobes with ventral expansion in about mid-length and with dorsal anterior area flat, posterior area swollen. Tegmina almost completely reduced to stridulatory apparatus, covered by pronotum when at rest; stridulatory file on underside of left tegmen 1.2 mm long, with small and very densely arranged teeth that count over 180 teeth or about 150 teeth per 1 mm , and even in the area with the largest teeth count 71 teeth per 0.5 mm or 14 teeth per 0.1 mm ( Fig. 6E ). Tenth abdominal tergite markedly wider than long with concave anterior and posterior margins; disc along midline little subsided but resulting furrow bridged in mid-length and there about as high as laterally ( Fig. 6H ). Cerci short conical, just before end with a compressed internal process with convex apical margin and on proximal margin with a semicircular projection from basal area; in or little before mid-length of cercus with another compressed and rounded internal projection ( Fig. 6I ). Subgenital plate central area with approaching lateral margins, lateral margins upcurved and then widened to compressed, convex, lateral rims; central area at base little excised and along midline with indication of a faint carina; apical margin angularly excised ( Fig. 6H ), swollen on both sides and downcurved, carrying small styli. Titillators with basal area curved laterad, simple band-shaped but little widened, central area long and narrow, forming a sclerotized, dark band that widens apically and gives rise to a short, about triangular process, while the central area of the band curved laterad and distad and supports a roughly triangular membranous surface that is densely covered with clinging hairs. That structure is in subapical area bent again and forms a roughly long-oval membranous sacculus with rugose surface and narrow end ( Figs 6F–G ). Female unknown. Measurements ( 1 male ).—body w/o wings: 22; pronotum: 8.3; tegmen: 4; hind femur: 11.5 mm .

Diagnosis. Males differ from those of other species with prolonged pronotum fully covering the abbreviated wings by a combination of the following characters: prosternal spines long; lateral ventral projection of pronotum lateral lobes in or before mid-length; posterior area of pronotum slightly elevated against anterior area, with convex surface; male cerci short, provided with a narrow, basal-internal process and a wide and compressed apical-internal process; males micropterous, tegmen without apical flap behind stridulatory area; stridulatory file on underside of male left tegmen narrow, curved anteriorly, and provided with numerous, rather narrow and densely packed teeth; titillators with narrow outcurved basal area, straight central area and widened apical area with stiffened rim provided with species specific modifications, at end with an elongate apical flap that is obviously moveable against the central area. Females are unique for the modification of the subgenital plate, which is provided with rich projections and extensions in about basal half of the plate. The pronotum is shorter than in males, with truncate apical margin, and the ventral extension of the lateral lobes is distinctly behind mid-length of pronotum. The face of Cuspicera is less elongate than in Papucera but slightly more oval.