China (insect)

''China'' is a genus of grasshoppers in the family Chorotypidae. , it is monospecific, consisting of its sole species ''China mantispoides''. It is found in China, Thailand, and Myanmar. Malcolm Burr first circumscribed the genus in 1899; the species ''C. mantispoides'' was described in 1870 by Francis Walker. It is a pest of hickory trees.

Distribution

Although ''China'' has sometimes been described as being endemic to China, its range extends to other countries in Mainland Southeast Asia. The type locality of ''C. mantispoides'' was recorded as just "China".

''C. mantispoides'' is found in central and southern China. Its range includes the provinces of Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Sichuan, and Zhejiang. It is found in Dabie Mountains, Hubei Province, at elevations of in mixed evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved forests. This species has also been observed in the Bamianshan Nature Reserve, Hunan; this is within the Nanling Mountains and is mostly a forest of subtropical broad-leafed evergreens. ''C. mantispoides'' has also been reported in the Sanjiang wetlands in Linhai, Zhejiang.

''C. mantispoides'' has been reported in Thailand. In addition, a specimen identified as ''China'' cf. ''mantispoides'' was found in the Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve, Khorat Plateau, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand; this is part of the central Indochina dry forests. The range of ''C. mantispoides'' also extends into Myanmar; it has been recorded in Lashio.

Taxonomic history

The British entomologist Francis Walker first described ''C. mantispoides'' in 1870; he placed it in the genus ''Mastax''. Walker based his description on a single male specimen. The holotype was deposited in the British Museum. The British entomologist Malcolm Burr then transferred this species to his new genus, ''China'', which he circumscribed in 1899. Burr included only ''C. mantispoides'' in his circumscription of ''China''.

Burr initially placed ''China'' in a new group, Chinae; in 1903, he changed this group to the subfamily Chininae. Subsequent orthopterists like Cándido Bolívar Pieltain in 1930, James A. G. Rehn in 1948, and Marius Descamps in 1974 have followed in placing ''China'' in this subfamily. However, Grigory Bey-Bienko's 1951 taxonomy placed ''China'' in the subfamily Eumastacinae. , the Orthoptera Species File recognizes Chininae as a valid subfamily which includes ''China''.

Description

The antennae of ''China'' are very short, and are filiform in shape. The wings and tegmina extend past hind femora. Spines along the inside of the hind tibiae get gradually longer distally; the spines are otherwise homogeneous and none are markedly longer.

The body of ''C. mantispoides'' is black with a tawny underside. Its antennae are black with a pale yellow colouring at their base. The sides of the prothorax are tawny. The legs are also tawny, and the tarsi and tips of the tibiae are blackish.

The hind tibiae of ''C. mantispoides'' have 22 spines along their outside and 19 longer spines along their inside. Dark bands go transversely across the hind femora. For male and female ''C. mantispoides'', respectively, the body length is and , the forewings' length is and , and the hind femora's length is and . The males' tegmina have a length of and the females have a tegmen length of .

Biology

''C. mantispoides'' is univoltine. The eggs hatch in late May after overwintering. The nymph has five instars. In early October, females lay at least ten eggs deep in the soil. Adults do not exhibit phototaxis. Adult males can fly up to at once. ''C. manispoides'' can be found on the trunks of pine trees like the Chinese red pine; their colouration acts as camouflage.

Natural predators include the Chinese blackbird, red-billed blue magpie. The spider '' Oxyopes sertatus'' is a predator of its nymph, and various predatory ants feed upon the eggs. ''C. mantispoides'' eats various grasses and weeds. It also feeds on the leaves of the following plants:

* ''Carya cathayensis'' (Chinese hickory)
* ''Glochidion puberum''
* ''Ulmus pumila'' (Siberian elm)
* ''Cornus officinalis'' (Japanese cornel)
* ''Diospyros kaki'' (Oriental persimmon)
* ''Liquidambar formosana'' (Chinese sweet gum)
* ''Diospyros lotus'' (date-plum)
* ''Quercus fabrei'' (Faber's oak)
* ''Rhus chinensis'' (Chinese sumac)
* ''Platycarya strobilacea''
* '' Quercus glandulifera''
* ''Rosa multiflora'' (multiflora rose)
* ''Smilax china'' (China root)
* ''Cayratia japonica'' (Japanese cayratia herb)
* ''Rosa laevigata'' (Cherokee rose)
* ''Caragana sinica''

As a pest

''C. mantispoides'' is one of the main pests of hickory in Zhejiang. They feed on the leaves from June to October; the most serious damage is in mid-October. Trees afflicted by this pest end up with dead leaves, often leaving no more than the veins. This weakens the trees' ability to photosynthesize and interferes with the harvest of their fruit. Researchers have suggested a mix of trichlorfon and urine to combat ''C. mantispoides'' as a pest; the urine lures the grasshoppers away from the trees. Others have also suggested digging and turning over soil in October so their eggs freeze. ''C. mantispoides'' is also an occasional pest of '' indica'' and '' japonica'' rice in the Xinyang region.

Notes

References

{{taxonbar, from=Q14625391, from2=Q10449947

Caelifera genera
Monotypic Orthoptera genera
Insects of China
Insects of Myanmar
Insects of Thailand
Chorotypidae