Bioacoustics of Moncheca elegans

Remarks.— Although frequently collected, it seems that this species has long remained unrecognized. I did not have a chance to examine the holotype personally, but I compared my specimens to color photographic slides of the type made by T.H. Hubbell, now deposited in the slide collection of the Museum of Zoology at the University of Michigan . Hebard (1927 , 1933 ) considered it a junior synonym of Moncheca pretiosa , but a comparison of his specimens with the holotypes of M. elegans and M. pretiosa reveals the presence of two distinct species (see Table 18 for a list of differences). Surprisingly, he failed to notice well defined differences in the male genitalic characters of the two species, as well as less prominent but nonetheless consistently present differences in the pattern of coloration. Specimens from Peru mentioned by Hebard (1927) as having much darker coloration are also distinct from the two species known from Costa Rica , and possibly represent another undescribed species. The taxonomic problems with the genus Moncheca stem from the fact that most authors have paid a lot attention to the coloration, which can be quite variable, while almost entirely neglecting morphological characters of male genitalia and the stridulatory apparatus.

Diagnostic description.— General characteristics as described above. Stridulatory file of male weakly curved, 2.18 mm long, with 114 narrow and relatively thick teeth, maximum width of file 79 μm ( Fig. 47 D); teeth of file uniform in thickness, evenly spaced and smoothly narrowing towards proximal end. Mirror of stridulatory apparatus with vein AA 1 strongly oblique. Male cercus flattened laterally and strongly expanded dorso-ventrally at apex, resulting in foot-like shape of cercus ( Fig. 27 E); male 10th tergite almost completely black, strongly sclerotized, convex and shiny, its posterior margin expanded, forming concave, lobe-like projection, covered with dense hair ( Fig. 27 D). Ovipositor longer than hind femur (ratio ovipositor/hind femur 1.24-1.36), perfectly straight ( Fig. 27 A). Species Body with wings Tegmen Pronotum Hind femur Ovipositor elegans male female 50-54.7, 52.4±2.2 64.9-71.6, 68.4±3 42.7-46.8, 44.9±2.2 55.9-62.2, 59.1±3 6.2-6.7, 6.4±0.2 8.1-8.7, 8.4±0.3 14.4-14.9, 14.6±0.2 17.4-19.3, 18.6±0.8 na 23.2-24.9, 24±0.8 pretiosa male female 44.4-53.6, 47.8±3.6 57.6-66.7, 61.2±3.1 36.8-45.7, 40.2±3.4 48.5-58.2, 52±3.3 5.4-6.3, 5.9±0.4 6.7-7.5, 7.2±0.3 14.3-17, 15.6±1.1 16.5-19.5, 18.3±1.1 na 21.6-25, 23.1±1.2 Coloration .— Body coloration of preserved specimens mostly dark olive green. Face ( Fig. 27 B), larger part of pronotum ( Fig. 27 C) and legs shiny black. Clypeus and labrum crimson red and pronotum with wide, ivory band in metazona. Costal field of tegmina yellow to pink (crimson underneath), the remainder of tegmina dark olive green with yellow venation. Abdomen yellow or yellowish green. Sometimes lower valvula of ovipositor yellow. Measurements .— Table 19 . Bioacoustics.— Morris and Beier (1982) describe a calling sound of what they identified as a male of Moncheca pretiosa . The description of its coloration, combined with the origin of specimens (Monteverde — M. pretiosa does not seem to occur in that part of Costa Rica ), suggest that it was in fact M. elegans (this conclusion was confirmed by G. K. Morris upon reexamination of the specimen described in their paper, pers. comm.). The call is described as sibilant and quavering, low Q buzz. Pulse train groups consist of two train types of similar duration but differing in amplitude envelopes ( Morris and Beier 1982: 313, Fig. 13 ). Energy of the call occurs in a wide band, 20- 70 kHz, with the strongest peak near 30-34 kHz.