Anaulacomera (Cervicercora) melloi, Fianco, 2023

Fianco, Marcos, 2023, Katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) from Guartelá State Park, State of Paraná, Southern Brazil: diversity, bioacoustics and description of five new species, Journal of Natural History 57 (1), pp. 1080-1137 : 1119-1122

Anaulacomera (Cervicercora) melloi sp. nov.

( Figure 15 )

Diagnosis

The new species can be readily distinguished from its congeners by having the ventroproximal process of the cerci widened, flattened and with apex twisted at an angle of 25°; dorsal cercal spine obtuse, between the ventroproximal and the ventrodistal lobules of the cerci; and ventroproximal and ventrodistal lobules quite evident and distinct.

Description

Holotype male ( Figure 15 ). Small, yellowish green ( Figure 15a–b ). Head ( Figure 15c ): fastigium of frons triangular and projected; with a whitish ocellus on middle; not touching fastigium of vertex. Antennal sockets a little dilated near apex and at beginning of fastigium of frons. Fastigium of vertex quite elevated; hourglass shaped; globose at apex; with a deep and large sulcus on middle that does not reach apex; reddish on dorsal surface proximally. Thorax: pronotum greenish, with some reddish punctuations. Pronotal disc ( Figure 15b–c ) with brownish and yellowish stains; anterior margin concave; posterior margin convex; furcal sulci bell-shaped. Lateral lobes ( Figure 15b–c ) with some reddish stains; smaller than pronotal disc, longer than wide; anterior margin concave, posterior margin convex, inferior margin sinuous; humeral sinus presenting an angle of ca. 80°. Tegmina shorter than hindwings ( Figure 15b ); anal and costal margins parallel ( Figure 15b,15h ); Sc quite small and curved ( Figure 15h ); ScP without major branches; R long, following ScP in whole extension; RP leaving R just before middle of tegmen ( Figure 15h ); RA lacking bifurcations; RP branching before its middle; M not so long, quite curved at base, sinuous after that, with no major bifurcations; A1 crimson, stridulatory area with crimson stains ( Figure 15d ). Metabasisternum globose, elevated at middle; anterior margin convex; lateral lobes quite reduced, rectangular. Abdomen: tergite X projecting posteriorly; middle region a little curved ventrad. Cercus ( Figure 15e–g ) long with one spine, two lobules and three processes; ventroproximal process of cerci widened, flattened and with apex twisted at angle of 25° (detail in Figure 15g ); dorsal cercal spine obtuse, dorsal surface of its length quite sclerotised ( Figure 15e ); distal process long, directed upwards and curved a little inwards ( Figure 15e–f ); ventral process small, on middle region between ventroproximal and ventrodistal processes; ventroproximal and ventrodistal lobules quite evident and distinct, first rugose ( Figure 15e, 15g ). Subgenital plate quite small and trapezoidal ( Figure 15f ); styliform processes small, triangular, as long as wide; medial keel spectral; posterior margin concave; anterior margin straight; lateral margin slightly convex; lateral flange undeveloped.

Type material

Holotype male, ′ Brasil, Pr , Tibagi , Parque \ Estadual do Guartelá [Guartelá State Park] \ 24.5660°S, 50.2561°W \24,566,161, 50.152480°O 10–13.ii.2021 Armadilha \luminosa [light trap] M. Fianco, D.N.\ Barbosa & P.W. Engelking ̍, deposited at DZUP.

Measurements (mm)

Holotype: BL: 12; TegL: 21; HW: 1.8; PrL: 2.5; PrH: 2.3; FLiii: 13; TLiii: 16; SPL: 1; CL: 2.5; SFL: 0.7.

Etymology

The specific epithet honours the Brazilian orthopterist Dr Francisco Assis Ganeo de Mello, who has made several and significant contributions to the knowledge of crickets, and advised many orthopterists in Brazil.

Comparison

This species is tentatively allocated to the superapex species group of Anaulacomera (Cervicercora) based on the form of the male cercus; it differs in its ventroproximal process which lacks any notch or lobulations, but shares with the group a widened and flattened ventroproximal process, the presence of only one spine on dorsal cercal edge and one spine between the distal and ventroproximal processes.

Regarding the two existing members of the superapex species group, A. (C.) dama and A. (C.) superapex Gorochov, the new species, A. (C.) melloi sp. nov., is more similar to A. (C.) dama , sharing with it a long cercus, with dorsal lobule long and curved upwards, a small subgenital plate with a straight margin, and the presence of a small protuberance between ventroproximal and ventrodistal lobules that herein is interpreted as the ventral lobule. This little protuberance between ventroproximal and ventrodistal lobules is illustrated in the description provided by Rehn (1913) and also observed in the collected individuals of A. (C.) dama . The new species differs from A. (C.) superapex in having a dorsal and ventrodistal lobule projected upwards, not downwards, and a ventrodistal lobule not pointed or forming a spine.

This is a tentative allocation since the cerci of the new species also resembles the cerci of the schunkei species group of Anaulacomera (Cercicercora) , which includes four species: A. (C.) festae Giglio-Tos , A. (C.) forceps Gorochov , A. (C.) unispinosa Gorochov and A. (C.) schunkei Caudell. Males of all species of this group have ventral and ventrodistal spines quite defined, as pointed out by Gorochov (2020). Also, in all species of this group the dorsal lobule is always directed downwards, whereas A. (C.) melloi sp. nov. has this lobule directed upwards. Additionally, in all species that compose the schunkei species group, except A. (C.) festae , the male cerci possess some modifications especially a serrulation in the distal process of the cerci, observed in A. (C.) unispinosa , and a ventrodistal lobule rounded and with setose apical part, as in A. (C.) forceps and A. (C.) schunkei .

It is important to pay attention to the protuberance in the ventral margin of the cerci: Could this protuberance be homologous to the lobule (ventral) between ventroproximal and ventrodistal lobules? If so superapex and schunkei should be considered the same; however, only a phylogeny and proposal of characters and their states will answer this.

The absence or reduction of a notch or lobule on ventroproximal process is observed in mariposa and virgula species groups of Anaulacomera (Cervicercora) ; however, the form of the cerci and ventroproximal process is quite different (see descriptions in Gorochov (2020) and discussion therein).

Figures

Figure 15. Anaulacomera (Cervicercora) melloi sp. nov. (a) Holotype, in vivo; (b) holotype, lateral habitus; (c) head and pronotum, dorsolateral view; (d) male left stridulatory area, dorsal view; (e, f) male subgenital plate and cerci, lateral and ventral view, respectively; (g) left = drawing of male cercus, lateral view, right = drawing of ventroproximal process of cercus, dorsal view; (h) male left tegmen (veins: black = ScP; blue = R; red = M; yellow = M+ CuA; green = CuA; arrow indicates A1). Abbreviations: d, distal process of cercus; ds, dorsal process of cercus; vp, v, and vd, ventroproximal, ventral and ventrodistal lobules or process of cercus, respectively.