Andeogryllus Cadena-Castañeda n. gen.

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Orthoptera .speciesfile.org:TaxonName:514434

Type species: Andeogryllus magdalenensis n. sp. by original designation.

Description. Body small and mid-sized (12-15 mm), color dark brown or yellowish-brown, without long white rings at the base of the antenna or legs. Body and legs highly setose (Figs. 1, 3). Head as wide as pronotum, rounded and smooth (Fig. 1B, 3B); almost as wide as high in frontal view; episternal suture straight (Figs. 1C, 3C). Vertex convex. Eyes ovoid, not protruding. Circular lateral ocelli, central ocellus ovoid and together forming a flat triangle. Eyes and antennal pits are located very low on the face, very close to episternal suture, and almost at the same level, the antennal pits slightly more dorsal than the eyes’ lower margins. Fastigium wide almost 1.5 times as wide as scape. Maxillary palpi mid-sized, third and fourth subequal and cylindrical, the fifth dilated at apex and subtriangular shaped (Figs. 1A, 1C, 3A, 3C). Thorax. Pronotal disc wider than long, covered by dense hairs; anterior margin concave, posterior margin straight and wider than the anterior margin (Figs. 1B, 3B); lateral lobules square as wide as high and with rounded lateral edge, ventral margin straight (Figs. 1A, 3A). Prosternum unarmed with the posterior margin constricted; mesosternum rectangular with posterior margin curled-angled; metasternum broader than mesosternum, slightly expanded and the pentagonal shaped, posterior margin convex. Meso- and metanotum without glandular pits. Legs. Femora without spines; fore tibia with tympanum only on the outer side, ovoid and elongated, apex with three spurs, inner ventral spur longest; mid-tibia with three apical spurs and with inners ones longer than outer; hind tibia with four spurs on each dorsal margin, and three spurs at the apex on both sides. First tarsomeres of the hind leg furrowed dorsally; with two rows of strong dorsal spines, getting stronger toward apex, apical spines the biggest. Wings. Fore wings ovoid, covering the abdomen, shiny and moderately thickened tegmina. Stridulation area complete; harp with two diagonal veins; mirror almost as wide as long, divided by a diagonal vein; basal area with only two veins; chordal area with three veins; apical area reduced and with reticulated veins. Lateral field with four to five longitudinal, parallel veins (Figs. 1B, 3B). Abdomen. Tergites are covered by short hairs; subgenital plate short, longer than wide, apex rounded. Male genitalia. Pseudepiphallic sclerite rectangular, very short, almost longer than wide, median lophi longer than the lateral lophi, quadrangular and with a small medial incision, side edges with hairs (Figs. 2A, 2B, 2D, 4A, 4B, 4D); lateral lophi slightly prolonged; pseudepiphallic apodemes short (Figs. 2A, 4A); pseudepiphallic paramere short, slightly longer than the lateral lophi and with dilated and truncated apex (Figs. 2B, 2C, 4B, 4C). Rami not separated from each other anteriorly, but well separated from pseudepiphallic sclerite (Figs. 2A, 2B, 2C, 4A, 4B, 4C). Ectophallic fold lanceolated, sclerotized over its whole length and in ventral view with a groove from base to apex (Figs. 2B, 2C, 4B, 4C). Dorsal cavity moderately developed. Endophallic sclerite mostly membranous and short (Figs. 2B, 4B).

Female. Unknown.

Taxa included. The type species and Andeogryllus caucensis n. sp.

Etymology. The name refers to the Andes, especially the Colombian Andean slopes where the species of the genus are distributed, with the typical ending - gryllus to refer to it is a genus of Andean field crickets. The gender of the name is being established as neuter.

Comparison. Regarding the external and genital morphology Andeogryllus n. gen. is similar to Zebragryllus differing by its coloration: the species of the new genus have brown coloration in different shades, including the antennae; unlike Zebragryllus species are generally brown or black with white stripes (one of the characteristics that refer to its name), the species without this pattern of coloration, it differs because if they have notable portions of the antenna of white color followed by portions of brown color, this does not happen in the new genus. The two genera differ in their genitalia, because Andeogryllus n. gen. have the median lophi short, quadrangular and with a small medial notch, the ectophallic fold in ventral view with a groove from base to apex; Zebragryllus have the median lophi moderately elongated, subtriangular shaped and with a more conspicuous medial notch; the ectophallic fold is flat in ventral view.

The new genus is also similar to Atsigryllus, this is a tiny versión of Andeogryllus n. gen. and Zebragryllus, which has a secondary reduction of the pseudepiphallic sclerite; although in their external morphology the three genera could be confused. Andeogryllus n. gen. in its habitus it also resembles the small and black-head Mexican species of Anurogryllus (Urogryllus), distributed in the Gulf of Mexico, the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, Southeastern Mexico (Between Oaxaca and Chiapas) and possibly species yet to be described of the same mountain system in Guatemala.

Comments. The description of Andeogryllus n. gen. rises to ten genera and twelve species of Gryllinae recorded for Colombia. The records of field crickets are concentrated in the Central Andean region and the rest of the country is still unexplored, awaiting more genera and species to be described (Cadena-Castañeda, 2011; Cadena-Castañeda & Tíjaro, 2020; Cadena-Castañeda et al., 2021).

Key to species

1. Dark brown color throughout the body (Fig. 1). The cell of the posterior margin of the mirror, occupying a third of the length of the mirror (Fig. 1B). Stridulation file with 102-107 funtional teeth (Fig. 1D). Ectophallic fold not surpassing the apex of the median lobe (Figs. 2B, C, D). Lateral lobe shaped like a shoulder blade and with a straight apex (Figs. 2A, B).............................................................................................. A. magdalenensis n. sp.

‒ Brown coloration with ocher regions especially in all femurs (Fig. 3). The cell of the posterior margin of the mirror, occupying a fifth of the length of the mirror (Fig. 3B). Stridulation file with 78 funtional teeth (Fig. 3D). Ectophallic fold surpassing the apex of the median lobe (Figs. 4B, C, D). Lateral lobe triangular shaped and with a slightly prolonged and rounded apex (Figs. 4A, B)................................................................................ A. caucensis n. sp.