Aryalidonta itishreea, Subedi & Kasalo, 2023

Subedi, Madan & Kasalo, Niko, 2023, Aryalidonta itishreea, a new genus and species of Thoradontini (Orthoptera, Tetrigidae) from Nepal honors the Emperor of Laughter, Journal of Orthoptera Research 32 (1), pp. 63-80 : 63

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/jor.32.94918
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:743EE8DE-5453-4621-82D4-269EBD2AE773
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/62BD925B-D71C-4C92-BDF8-43C5956B95BF
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:62BD925B-D71C-4C92-BDF8-43C5956B95BF
treatment provided by	Journal of Orthoptera Research by Pensoft
scientific name	Aryalidonta itishreea
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Aryalidonta itishreea sp. nov.

Figs 2 View Fig. 2 , 3 View Fig. 3 , 4 View Fig. 4 , 5 View Fig. 5 , 6 View Fig. 6

Etymology. -

The specific epithet is derived from the Nepali word “itishree”, which is the title of one of Bhairav Aryal’s books and translates to "The End". The name is also a reference to the tragic end of Bhairav Aryal’s life, as well as to his unyielding belief that an end is an invitation to a new beginning. The name is Latinized with the suffix “-a” to form a noun in the nominative case and is feminine in gender.

Common name. -

Aryal’s Ten Avatar Groundhopper (Nepali: अर ्यालको दश औत ारी भ ुइँफड्के).

Common name etymology. -

Named after one of Bhairav Aryal’s masterpieces, Dash Autar (Nepali: दश औत ार; English transl. Ten Avatars). The name symbolically refers to the many color forms observed among individuals of this species.

Type locality. -

Amaldarchaur, Ghyalchok, Gorkha, Nepal (Nepali: अमलद ारचौर, घ ्याल्चोक, ग ोरखा, न ेपाल) situated at an altitude of 465 ± 10 m asl (approximate) with GPS coordinates 27.809511°N, 84.718849°E. Shown in Fig. 1 View Fig. 1 .

Material examined. -

Type material. Holotype: (Fig. 3 View Fig. 3 ) NEPAL • ♀; Gandaki Province, Gorkha District, Gandaki Rural Municipality, Ghyalchok , Amaldarchaur ; 27.809511°N, 84.718849°E; 465 ± 10 m a.s.l; 30 Aug. 2022; M. Subedi leg.; sub-tropical forest with freshwater stream and agricultural lands, collected by hand; ANHM GoogleMaps . Paratypes: (Figs 4 View Fig. 4 - 6 View Fig. 6 ) NEPAL • 2 ♂, 1 ♀; Gandaki Province, Gorkha District, Gandaki Rural Municipality, Ghyalchok , Amaldarchaur ; 27.809511°N, 84.718849°E; 465 ± 10 m.a.s.l; 30 Aug. 2022; M. Subedi leg.; sub-tropical forest with fresh water stream and agricultural lands, collected by hand; ANHM GoogleMaps .

Additional material. -

Numerous photographs of the individuals in their natural habitat, taken by the first author.

Photographic and video material. -

The specimens of the type series in their natural habitat can be seen in Fig. 2 View Fig. 2 and in the video at https://youtu.be/iQi8iAH_DSQ.

Distribution. -

Known only from the type locality and the surrounding areas.

Diagnosis. -

This species is differentiated from all other Thoradontini species by the following combination of characters: (i) the bifurcation of the frontal costa in the upper quarter of the compound eye height; (ii) the paired ocelli placed a little below half of the compound eye height; (iii) vertex triangular, narrowing anteriorly, narrower than a compound eye in its anterior part; (iv) surface of the vertex flat with low carinae; (v) lateral lobes projecting laterally, rectangular with a small protrusion caudally and a sharp tip laterally; (vi) low and barely distinct carinae of the pronotum; (vii) prozonal carinae converging caudally; and (viii) proximal halves of middle femora enlarged.

Description. -

(Fig. 3 View Fig. 3 ) Head: Eyes oval. Top margin of eyes above vertex. Vertex bulging between the carinae of vertex; small areas close to the medial carina are lowest. Frontal costa bifurcates in the upper quarter of the eye height. Facial carinae slightly divergent, forming a narrow scutellum a little wider on bottom. Lateral carinae of vertex follow outline of eye anteriorly, curving at level of frontal costa bifurcation and joining the scutellum a little below that level. Paired ocelli placed a little below half of compound eye height. Top margin of antennal groove above bottom margin of eyes, bottom margin below. Caudal margin of eye not in contact with anterior margin of pronotum. Vertex not visible above eyes. Facial carinae protruding in front of anterior level of eyes in lateral view. Head exserted above level of pronotal surface. Vertex at base of eyes same width as eye; slightly narrowing anteriorly; wider than half a compound eye at its apex. Anterior margin of vertex does not reach anterior margin of eyes; frontal costa at level of the anterior margin of eyes. Medial carina of vertex present in anterior half between eyes. Lateral carinae of vertex present in anterior third between the eyes. Fossulae shallow, elongated, and present in anterior half of vertex between eyes.

Antennae: Filiform. As long as length between anterior margin of head and humeral angles. 14 antennomeres, apical one consisting of fused segments, possibly 2 or 3.

Pronotum: Macropronotal. Lateral surfaces of pronotum moderately converge dorsally. Pronotum widest at humeral angles. Dorsal surface mostly flat. Prozonal carina weakly elevated, slightly visible. Prozona sulcated with sulci of irregular shape. Apex of lateral lobe rectangular with slight protrusion in caudal part. Ventral and tegminal sinus in shape of a right angle. Humero-apical carina moderately visible. Infrascapular area subrectangular, a little narrower in anterior half. Lateral area progressively widening caudally. Median carina slightly elevated at transition between prozona and metazona, otherwise flat. Tubercles present throughout surface of pronotum. Entire surface covered with small nodules and larger tubercules. Anterior margin of pronotum truncated. Prozonal carinae composed of small nodules, weakly visible, converging caudally. Median carina continuous, reaching the apex of the pronotum, weakly visible in some areas. Lateral lobes projected laterally, rectangular with small protrusion caudally and sharp tip laterally. Humeral angles blunt. Last third of pronotum strongly narrowing. Before the narrowing, internal lateral carinae barely concave, revealing very narrow lateral area. Caudally of the narrowing, internal lateral carinae progressively converging towards apex. Apex of pronotum bluntly rounded.

Wings: Alae reaching apex of pronotum. Tegmina oval, entirely visible.

Legs: Front legs: Femora long and slim. Dorsal margin of femora slightly convex; ventral margin straight. Tibiae smooth. Middle legs: Femora long and slim; expanded in the proximal half, narrowing distally. Tibiae smooth. Hind legs: Femora smooth. Dorsal external area with slight parallel elevations. Antegenicular teeth moderately sized, triangular. Genicular teeth moderately sized, rectangular, parallel to bottom margin of femur. Tibiae smooth with several small spines. First tarsal segment longer than third. Pulvilli triangular, sharp; distal one two times larger than proximal two.

Sexual dimorphism. -

No dimorphism observed between sexes except for the more expanded proximal parts of mid femora in males, and different terminalia. Female: Ovipositor valves elongated. Bottom valve narrow and serrated. Top valve expanded distally, serrated. Apices of valves acute, hook-like. Male: Elongated subgenital plate enclosing reproductive organs. Blunt apex.

Notes on variability. -

Due to the position of the head during the fixation process of the holotype and the way it was pinned, its eyes do not reach the anterior margin of the pronotum. In other observed specimens, the eyes reach (or nearly reach) the anterior margin of the pronotum, which is the way this character appears when the animal is in a resting state.

The shape of the lateral carinae of the vertex is variable. These carinae usually form a u- or v-shaped structure in the anterior view but the parts of the carinae that are closer to the medial carina can be variably developed, i.e., the length of that part is variable.

The proximal part of the midfemora is expanded in all specimens, but this character is much more apparent in males than in females and can be considered to represent sexual dimorphism.

The basic shape of the lateral lobes is rectangular with more- or less-expressed protrusions laterally and caudally. In some cases, the lateral protrusion can form a short tooth or spine. The variability of this character is presented in Fig. 7 View Fig. 7 .

Nymphs. -

For the most part, the nymphs resemble the adults, with the obvious exception of the nymphs being brachypronotal and lacking wings and antegenicular teeth. All carinae in nymphs are better expressed than in adults. The lateral lobes in all the observed nymphs are of a basic shape, lacking the finer structures present in adults. The colors of nymphs are more saturated than those of adults. Nymphs of this species can be seen in Fig. 8 View Fig. 8 .

Coloration. -

Many different patterns of coloration have been observed and can be seen in Fig. 9 View Fig. 9 . The coloration is cryptic, with patterns of coloration similar to that of the surrounding surfaces. The individuals of this species can be mostly uniformly colored (Fig. 9D, F, G, H View Fig. 9 ) or have a more complex pattern in the form of a differently colored anterior part of the pronotum (Fig. 9B, C, E, I View Fig. 9 ) or differently colored legs (Fig. 9A View Fig. 9 ).

Measurements. -

The key measurements of the holotype and the paratypes are presented in Table 1 View Table 1 .

Note. -

All measurements follow Tumbrinck (2014) and Tan and Artchawakom (2015), except the vertex width and eye width measured in frontal view (Fig. 10 View Fig. 10 ). The measurements of pronotum length were taken from the anterior margin of the pronotum to its tip, which is mistakenly shown from the tip of the head by Tumbrinck (2014).

Habitat description. -

(Fig. 11 View Fig. 11 ) The habitat is a blend of agricultural land (Fig. 11E, F View Fig. 11 ) and subtropical forest (Fig. 11B View Fig. 11 ) dominated by Sal ( Shorea robusta ) trees with a freshwater stream, Tirtire khola (Nepali: त िरतिरे ख ोला) (Fig. 11D View Fig. 11 ). The species is commonly found along the banks of the stream and desires paths-with plenty of algal and moss growth during the rainy season-made through the forest. The area experiences hot and humid spring/rainy seasons (March to September) followed by cool and dry autumn/winter seasons (October to February). The species is found in abundance during the hot and humid seasons that favor the growth of moss and algae (a food source of the species). The habitat stands on the steep slopes of red soil with ground vegetation dominated by Chromolaena odorata , Oplismenus undulatifolius , Urena lobata , Murraya koenigii , Ageratum sp., Phyllanthus sp., Justicia adhatoda , Clerodendrum infortunatum , Lygodium microphyllum under the covers of Shorea robusta , Schima wallichii , Castanopsis indica , and Bambusa bambos .

Species found in close proximity. -

(Fig. 12 View Fig. 12 ) Tetrigids such as Coptotettix annandalei Hancock, 1915, Criotettix sp., Hebarditettix quadratus (Hancock, 1915), Teredorus carmichaeli Hancock, 1915, Thoradonta sp., Xistra angusta Ingrisch, 2001a share the habitat with Aryalidonta itishreea gen. et sp. nov.

Food source. -

(Fig. 13 View Fig. 13 ) The species generally feeds on moss (adults feeding: https://youtu.be/rW_f3n_Yhf8, nymphs feeding: https://youtu.be/U7kM0Gme8ms), algae, lichens, and detritus. The individuals of this species can frequently be found on "desire paths"-paths mostly devoid of vegetation, formed by the frequent passage of animals or humans (Fig. 11A View Fig. 11 )-which have plenty of moss and algal growth during the monsoon period, and on the stones around a source of water, overgrown with moss, algae, and lichens (Fig. 11C View Fig. 11 ).

Feces. -

(Fig. 14 View Fig. 14 ) The feces are excreted in the form of pellets. The pellets appear as pyriform to oval or elongated balls of mud, suggesting that detritus is a major component of food intake. There may be remnants of undigested fibers in feces (indicated by the black arrow in Fig. 14 View Fig. 14 ), which are fragments of mosses or algae.

Interactions with other animals. -

Wasps: (Fig. 15 View Fig. 15 ) Some individuals of the species were observed carrying adult wasps on their body surfaces. The wasps were not identified, but they possibly belong to the family Eulophidae as individuals belonging to this family have been found on Tetrigidae ( Skejo 2017). This interaction was observed only among the individuals found along a desire path inside the Sal forest around 150 m east of the type locality (Fig. 15A View Fig. 15 ). The wasps were observed either single (Fig. 15D View Fig. 15 ) or in groups (Fig. 15B, C View Fig. 15 ), mostly on the pronotum. The wasps were seen tightly holding onto the integument surface and were unmoved even when the groundhopper jumped or flew away. They appeared to be feeding on a substance on the surface of the pronotum, but the substance could not be seen using a macro lens. Video link to the observation: https://youtu.be/PO4gUwlDQbk

Mites: (Fig. 16 View Fig. 16 ) Several individuals of Aryalidonta itishreea gen. et sp. nov. were observed to be heavily infested with mites (Fig. 16B View Fig. 16 ). These observations were made only on the bunds of rice fields in the type locality (Fig. 16A View Fig. 16 ). However, the mites appear not to be species-specific and were also observed on Thoradonta sp. (Fig. 16C View Fig. 16 ), which is the only other species observed on the rice bunds alongside the species of interest. The presence of mites created difficulty in the movement of the individuals, and the infested individuals were not as agile as other normal individuals. Interestingly, the groundhopper made kicking movements with its forelegs, presumably in an attempt to remove the mites from the body. Video link: https://youtu.be/i0t36jpxrdM (kicking movements 20 seconds into the video).