Redescription and diagnosis of the African genus Gemeneta Karsch, 1892 (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Catantopinae)

Abstract

The subfamily Catantopinae is a poorly defined subfamily of the Acrididae, having many genera that require taxonomic clarification. The genus Gemeneta from this subfamily is found in African forests and has only two described species, Gemeneta terrea and Gemeneta opilionoides. However, the original descriptions of the genus relied heavily on external female morphology, and a description of male G. opilionoides was completely lacking. The present work provides the first description of the male of G. opilionoides, a morphological description of both species, including internal genitalia, and clarifies the generic diagnosis. This study is a contribution to a better understanding of the taxonomy of Catantopinae in the tropical forests of Africa.