Egyenesszárnyú rovarok akusztikus szignáljainak elemzése és a fajspecifikus párfelismerésben betöltött szerepük kísérletes vizsgálata = Descriptive analyses of Orthopteran acoustic signals and experiments on their function in the species-specific mate-recognition system

Két kérdéskörben végeztem vizsgáltaimat. Az első kérdéskörben a tudomány számára még ismeretlen énekű taxonok vagy taxonómiai szempontból érdekes helyzetű populációk hangjeleinek leíró analízisével foglalkoztam. Ebben a témakörben az Isophya harzi, I. rectipennis, I. zubowskii, I. modesta longicauda, I. pienensis, Saga rammei és Poecilimon brunneri akusztikus szignáljait elemeztem. A hangelemzési eredmények támogatják a vizsgált taxonok jelenleg érvényes taxonómiai státuszát, és nagymértékben megkönnyítik a rokonsági körükbe tartozó példányok faji identifikációját. Két tudományra új, morfológiailag kriptikus Isophya fajt sikerült Romániában felfedezni, valamint hazánk illetve Románia faunájára 1-1 új egyenesszárnyú fajt sikerült kimutatni. A második kérdéskörben a fajspecifikus párfelismerés szempontjából kritikus énekjellemzők felderítésével foglalkoztam. Ebben a kérdéskörben az Isophya camptoxypha nőstényeinek énekpreferenciait vizsgáltam hangvisszajátszásos kísérletek során a hímek énekének két ritmikai jellemzőjével szemben. A nőstények a hím syllabusainak időtartamával és ismétlési periódusával szemben is unimodális preferenciát mutattak. A két énekparaméter terében a szimpatrikus fajok énekei közül a mért nőstény ének-preferenciagörbék egyértelműen kiválasztják az I. camptoxypha hímek énekét. Ezek alapján a vizsgált két karakter és a velük szembeni nőstény preferenciák hatékony komponensei lehetnek az I. camptoxypha párfelismerési rendszerének. | My work was focused on two areas of the bioacoustics of Orthoptera. In a first group of studies I described the previously unknown acoustic signals of the following species, subspecies or populations from Eastern Europe: Isophya harzi, I. rectipennis, I. zubowskii, I. modesta longicauda, I. pienensis, Saga rammei and Poecilimon brunneri. The results confirm the present taxonomic status of all the studied taxa and makes the identification of specimens more confident and easier. Two morphologically criptic species of Isophya have been discovered in Rumania which are new to scinence, and also faunistic records for one species new to the Hungarian fauna and one species new to the Rumanian fauna have been made. An other area of my research was to examine the funciton of certain acoustic parameters of the male song in the species recognition of females. Female preferences for two male song characters (duration of syllables [DS], syllable repetition period [SRP]) have been studied in Isophya camptoxypha. Songs with modified DS or SRP were presented to virgin females and their response songs were recorded and counted. Female preference functions were unimodal for both characters. A comparison between the obtained preference functions and the DS and SRP values measured in I. camptoxypha and sympatric Isophya species suggests that the two examined characters and female preferences for them may be effective components of the species-specific mate recognition system of I. camptoxypha

Különböző egyenesszárnyú fajok (Orthoptera: Caelifera: Acridoidea) életforma típusainak morfometriai vizsgálata = Morphometric analysis of life forms of some orthopteran species (Orthoptera: Caelifera: Acridoidea)

A főbb eredmények: -A hossz és szélesség mutatói egymással erős pozitív korrelációt mutattak. A első láb comb hossza nem korrelált a testhosszal, az első láb combján mért szélesség bizonyult a legkevésbé használhatónak. A pronotum hossza és szélessége, fej szélessége is elhagyhatók. -A fajok egyik alkalmas index alapján sem alkottak diszkrét csoportokat, egy keskeny combú megnyúlt és egy zömök vastag combú alak közti grádiens mentén oszlottak el. -A korábbi életforma típus besorolásnak leginkább megfelelő grádienst a mell megnyúltságának sorozata mutatta. A típusok itt sem váltak el élesen. Az átmeneti életforma kategóriák fajai a rájuk jellemzőbb fő típussal együtt, keveredve helyezkedtek el a grádiens mentén. -Bár jól elkülönülő csoportok kimutatása nem sikerült, a fajok grádiensen való elhelyezkedése igazolja az életforma típusok alakbeli elkülönülését. -A testalkat és a homlokszög között sikerült egyértelmű trendet kimutatni. A zömök fajok nagyobb homlokszöggel jellemezhetők, de a kapcsolat statisztikai úton nem volt igazolható. -A legeltetés intenzitás a növényzetre eltérő magasság-csökkentő hatást gyakorol. -A kis testméretű fajok abundanciájában nem volt kimutatható hatása a legeltetésnek. -A közepes testméretűek esetén ez a hatás jelentőssé válik. -A nagy testű fajok az intenzíven legeltetett terülteken feldúsulnak. | The capital results: -The indicators of the length and width showed a positive correlation with each other. -The species did not form discreet groups, an one with a narrow thigh based on one of the suitable indices stretched and they scattered along gradient between a squat shape with a thick thigh. -The previous lifestyle type gradient being equal to a classification mostly the breast length his series showed it. The types here separated sharply. The transitional lifestyle the species of categories find a job getting mixed along the gradient. -Although the statement of groups separating well did not succeed, the species on a gradient the position of truth the lifestyle justifies the shape separation of types. -He managed to manifest a unambiguous trend between the build and the facial angle. The squat races with a bigger facial angle qualifiable, but the contact was not justifiable on a statistical road. -The grazing intensity has a different tall-reductive effect on the vegetation. -The abundance of the species with a little body size was not the demonstrable effect of the grazing. -This effect becomes considerable in case of the ones with a medium body size. -The species with a big body it grazed intensively lied become copious

Re-visiting phylogenetic and taxonomic relationships in the genus Saga (Insecta: Orthoptera).

Twelve of the 13 bushcricket species of the Saga genus are bisexuals and diploids, except the parthenogenetic and tetraploid bush cricket, Saga pedo. Despite a continuous research effort stretching through the 1900s, the taxonomic relationships of the Saga species are still disputed. In this study, our primary aim was to reveal natural relationships of the European Saga species and three of their Asian relatives, with special attention to the problematic taxonomy of two subspecies: S. campbelli campbelli and S. c. gracilis. Following a phylogenetic analysis of eight species, a comprehensive study was carried out on the above three taxa by using acoustic and morphometric approaches in parallel. Our phylogenetic data showed that European Saga species evolved from a monophyletic lineage. The geographical transitional species S. cappadocica was positioned between European and Asian lineages supporting the idea that the European Saga lineage originated phylogeographically from the Asian clade. The above results showed better agreement with the morphological data than with earlier ones based either on karyology or acoustic information only. After reviewing our data, we concluded that Saga pedo has most likely evolved from S. c. gracilis and not from S. rammei or S. ephippigera, as proposed by earlier studies. S. c. gracilis shares the same ITS2 haplotype with S. pedo, indicating that the latter could have evolved from populations of the former, probably through whole genome duplication. Based on acoustic and morphometric differences, we propose to elevate the two subspecies, S. campbelli campbelli and S. c. gracilis, to species level status, as Saga gracilis Kis 1962, and Saga campbelli Uvarov 1921. The present work sets the stage for future genetic and experimental investigations of Saginae and highlights the need for additional comprehensive analysis involving more Asian Saga species

A Description of the Male Drumming Call of Besdolus ventralis (Pictet, 1841) (Plecoptera: Perlodidae)

Orci, Kirill Márk, Kovács, Tibor, Murányi, Dávid (2022): A Description Of The Male Drumming Call Of Besdolus Ventralis (Pictet, 1841) (Plecoptera: Perlodidae). Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 68 (2): 183-188, DOI: 10.17109/AZH.68.2.183.2022, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.17109/azh.68.2.183.202

Isophya sicula Orci, Szovenyi & Nagy, sp. nov.

Isophya sicula Orci, Szövényi & Nagy sp. nov. Type material. Holotype, male (dry, pinned specimen) labelled: “ Isophya sicula, Harghita Bâi (Hargitafürdő), 2009. VI. 17., leg. Orci, K. M. & Szövényi, G.”. Paratypes, 4 males (one of them dry, pinned specimen the others in ethanol), 2 females (one dry, one in ethanol), all of them with the same data as in holotype. All specimens of the type material are deposited in Collection of Small Insect Orders, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary. A CD containing a sound recording of the calling song of holotype and paratype males is deposited also in the collection of HNHM. FIGURE 1. Oscillograms of the male calling song (A, B, D, E) and male female duet of Isophya sicula sp. n. (C, F). Syllable sequences at a larger time scale are shown in A, B, and C; single syllables at a more fine time resolution are presented in D, E, F. Ambient air temperature during the recording was 24.5 o C in the case of A, D; 21.6 o C in B, E; 26.5 o C in C, F. Male calling song and male-female duet. The male calling song of Isophya sicula sp. n. is a long sequence of syllables (Figs. 1 /A, B and Fig. 6 /A) produced by tegmino-tegminal stridulation. The duration of a continuous song is rather variable (from a few seconds to several minutes) with apparently accidental termination. A syllable consists of a main impulse series containing typically 1–2 (rarely 3) impulses and 0–1 after-clicks (Figs. 1 /D, E and Fig. 6 /D). Impulse repetition period in the main impulse series (if there are two or three impulses) is 3–5 ms. Peak amplitude of impulses in the main impulse series is much higher than that of the after-click. Syllables are repeated at an even repetition rate throughout the whole syllable sequence. Syllable repetition period (SRP) proved to be dependent of air temperature (in the range of 21–26 Celsius degrees SRP = 849,75 – 20,26 * T; where T is for air temperature in Celsius degrees, N= 11, Pearson product moment correlation between SRP and T was: r = - 0,635, p = 0,036). See Table 1 for basic descriptive statistics on the oscillographic features of the male song. The carrier wave has a wide-band frequency spectrum (Fig. 2) containing detectable components from 15 to 55 kHz and showing an amplitude maximum around 25 kHz. Therefore the male calling song sounds as a rather faint click-series to the unaided human ear and can be heard only from very short distance (1–2 m). The female response song contains one high amplitude impulse (Fig. 1 /F) and occasionally some additional, hardly detectable low-amplitude impulses following or preceding the main one after/by 10–20 ms. Female response can be expected after every syllable of the male (Fig. 1 /C) with a response delay of 40–70 ms (60 responses of one female was measured: minimum response delay was 39 ms, maximum 85 ms, 90 % of Morphology. Male (Fig. 3 /A, C, D and Fig. 5 /C, D): Head with fastigium verticis at base nearly as wide as half of scapus, relatively prolonged slightly tapered frontward; with dorsal groove. Pronotum 3.3–3.7 mm long, lateral carinae nearly parallel in prozona, broken at traverse sulcus, abruptly widen at the middle of length of metazona and becomes nearly parallel in the posterior part of metazona; anterior and posterior edges of pronotum moderately concave; in lateral view, dorsal surface of pronotum moderately concave, raised in metazona; ventral edge of paranota nearly straight; caudal margin of paranota slightly curved and passing into hind margin of pronotum. Maximum height of paranota about half the length of pronotum. Tegmina short and narrow. Visible length of elytra nearly as long as pronotum, approaching or reaching caudal margine of 1 st abdominal tergite. Cu 2 of tegmen swollen, its length 1 / 2 of caudal margin of pronotum, not reaching the right margin, right margin of left tegmen forms an obtuse angle at the distal end of Cu 2, speculum quadrangular. Stridulatory file 1.6–1.8 mm in length, with 48–60 teeth (Fig. 4 /A). Hind femur 3.6–4.5 times long as pronotum, without ventral spines. Epiproct 2–2.5 times as wide as long. Cerci 2.0– 2.4 mm long, covered by fine, short hairs, gradually narrow distalwards, distal 1 / 3 gradually and moderately incurved, apex of cerci rounded, with 1 triangular shaped black denticle. Subgenital plate moderately elongated, reaching the 3 / 4 length of cerci in dorsal view, narrowed apically with a relatively deep triangular incision and acute lobes on its caudal margin. Coloration green with fine dark spots (Fig. 5 /C), in approximately 30 % of the examined specimens with two brick-red bilateral stripes on dorsal side from pronotum to the end of abdomen (Fig. 5 /D). Antennae yellowish brown, fastigium greenish brown, disc of pronotum green, lateral carinae with narrow reddish and white stripes. Tegmina brownish with light brown costal field and green margins with yellowish lateral stripe. Legs greenish or brownish with small darker spots. For descriptive statistics of 9 morphometric characters of males see Table 2. N Mean Minimum Maximum Std. Dev. Width of head 11 3.54 3.4 3.7 0.102 Length of pronotum 11 3.57 3.3 3.7 0.142 Width of pronotum (caudally) 11 4.14 3.6 4.4 0.269 Length of left elytrum 7 3.89 3.7 4.1 0.135 Width of left elytrum 10 3.12 3 3.3 0.103 Length of stridulatory file 4 1.66 1.6 1.77 0.079 Number of stridulatory pegs 5 53.40 48 60 4.775 Length of hind femur 11 15.77 13.5 17 1.142 Length of cercus 11 2.20 2 2.4 0.1 Female (Fig. 3 /B, E, F, G and Fig. 5 /E): Head roughly as in male. Pronotum 3.6–4.3 mm long, with straight lateral carinae, dorsal surface slightly concave, caudally moderately widening from the almost straight frontal margin until its moderately concave caudal margin; without conspicuous sulcus, paranota similar to those of male. Tegmina about third the length of pronotum, approaching or reaching the anterior margin of 1 st abdominal tergite, roughly quadrangular, edges more or less rounded. Right tegmen with two fields of stridulatory bristles on its dorsal surface near inner margin as in Fig. 4 /D. Hind femur 3.7–4.5 times as long as pronotum, without ventral spines. Epiproct semicircular. Cerci short, 1.3–1.7 mm long, covered by fine, short hairs, slightly bent, spine-like. Subgenital plate rounded, triangular like. Ovipositor relatively short, 2.1–2.5 times as long as pronotum (8.1–9.3 mm), gradually curving and narrowing distalwards; with 7–10 spines on dorsal margin and 7–9 spines on ventral margin, gonangulum ellipsoid. Coloration of head, body and legs similar to that of male (Fig. 5 /E). Tegmina light brownish with yellowish lateral edges. For descriptive statistics of 11 morphometric characters see Table 3. Diagnosis. Male song is a long syllable sequence composed of one type of syllable repeated at an even repeatition rate (140–200 syllables per minute at 21–26 C air temperature). Syllables consist of a main impulse-series of 1–2 (3) impulses and 0–1 after-clicks. Fastigium verticis at base half as wide as scapus, elytra reatively short and narrow in male, the length of Cu 2 ½ of the width of caudal margin of pronotum, right margin of left elytrum with a rounded obtuse angle at the distal end of Cu 2, stridulatory file contains 48– 60 pegs (see Fig. 4 /A). Cerci of male 2.0– 2.4 mm long, gradually narrow distalwards, distal 1 / 3 gradually and moderately incurved, apex of cerci rounded, with 1 triangular shaped black denticle. Ovipositor 8.1–9.3 mm. Habitat (Fig. 5 /A, B). The type locality of the new species is on the southern slope and plateau-like peak of the mountain Harghita-Ciceu, situated at the southern end of the volcanic mountain range Harghita (inner arch of Eastern Carpathians, Transylavania, Romania). Habitat of this species was found along the edge and in the small clearings of the Piceaetum excelsae forest belt (1350 – 1660 m a.s.l.) and also on the rocky plateaulike peak (1700–1730 m). Characteristic elements of the vegetation structure of the habitat are Juniperus L. and Vaccinium shrubs among the scattered Picea excelsa L. trees and a dense grassy vegetation of 18-40 - 60 cm hight among stones and rocks (5–15 % cover). Characteristic species of the Orthoptera assemblage in which Isophya sicula was found were Euthystira brachyptera (Ocskay, 1826), Myrmeleotettix maculatus (Thunberg, 1815), Chorthippus pullus (Philippi, 1830), Miramella Dovnar-Zapolskij, 1932 sp., Decticus verrucivorus (Linnaeus, 1758). Etymology. The specific epithet sicula (Latin) refers to the name of a group of local residents in the region of type locality, the Székely people. FIGURE 5. Photos of the habitat on Mountain Harghita-Ciceu at 1350 m a.s.l in June, 2005 (A) and at 1700 m a.s.l. on 30 th July 2004 (B) and specimens of Isophya sicula sp. n. (C, D, E).Published as part of Orci, Kirill Márk, Szövényi, Gergely & Nagy, Barnabás, 2010, Isophya sicula sp. n. (Orthoptera: Tettigonioidea), a new, morphologically cryptic bush-cricket species from the Eastern Carpathians (Romania) recognized from its peculiar male calling song, pp. 57-68 in Zootaxa 2627 on pages 59-64, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19825