Bioacoustics of Nemastoma bidentatum

Remarks In Hadži’s original preparation, labelled “ Nemastoma bidentatum Roewer pulli”, with two cover glasses on the same microscope slide, there are two males and a female. One male corresponds to the type specimen of Nemastoma ( Stridulostoma ) seliskari Hadži, 1973 ( Hadži 1973a ) . For this species, Hadži (ibid.) founded a new subgenus Stridulostoma based on the existence of an alleged “stridulatory organ” on the Fe III ( Hadži 1973a : figs 37č–d). Gruber (1976: 797) explained that the stridulatory organ alone does not justify establishing of a new subgenus, especially because this new species differs from N. ( Lugubrostoma ) triste pluridentatum Hadži, 1973 exclusively by possession of this organ, and accordingly, synonymized Stridulostoma with Nemastoma . Following these remarks, Schönhofer (2013: 36) synonymized N. seliskari with N. b. pluridentatum . We found that the portion of the Fe III, identified by Hadži (1973a) as a stridulatory organ in the type specimen, is in fact a depression-damage, caused by desiccation. Moreover, such damage is present in nearly all (sic!) the other femora of this freshly moulted specimen, but nothing resembles the fine lamellated structure shown in Hadži’s drawing (1973a: figs 37č–d). No similar structure was found in the specimens of Nemastoma collected later on Mt. Mirna gora. One might imagine that a careless inspection under a microscope at low magnification could result in the illusion of a ʻstridulatory organʼ. However, the drawing of its lamellae cannot be considered anything but a pure fabrication. Moreover, Pa-Fe in Hadži (1973a : fig. 33c), being under the same cover glass in the preparation, belongs to the same specimen, although Hadži (ibid.) ascribed it to N. ( Lugubrostoma ) triste pluridentatum . See remark under N. pluridentatum stat. nov.