Paracophus velazquezi Cadena-Castañeda, 2021

Cadena-Castañeda, Oscar J., Soto, Wolfang Andrés Rodríguez, Cárdenas, Andrea Del Pilar Floréz & Acevedo, Angélica, 2021, Studies on Neotropical crickets: The continental Otteiini taxa (Orthoptera Phalangopsidae), those cave crickets are not confined to the West Indies, Zootaxa 4981 (2), pp. 331-356 : 337-340

Paracophus velazquezi Cadena-Castañeda n. sp.

( Fig. 3 , 4 , 7 A-D, 8A)

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Orthoptera .speciesfile.org:TaxonName:514180

Etymology. Dedicated to the engineer Edgar Velazquez from the Tecnologico Nacional de Mexico (Victoria campus), for all the support offered to the first author in the different academic procedures.

Type material. Holotype. Male. Mexico, Tamaulipas, Mirador Altas Cumbres, close to Balcon de Montezuma. 23.6059, -99.2049. 1260 m. 12 february 2016, O.J. Cadena-Castañeda & M. González leg. ( CAUD) . Paratypes. 1 male and 1 female immature, 1 subadult female, all specimens with the same data as holotype .

Description. Male. Mid-sized for the genus, the whole body is covered with small hairs, giving it a tomentose texture. Coloration. Ocher brown all over the body ( Fig. 3A, B ), black eyes ( Fig. 3C ), and the lower border of the cephalic capsule outlined in black at the level of the genae. Meso-, metanotum and first abdominal tergite with a darker tonality than the rest of the body ( Fig. 3A ). Head. Rounded, frons between antennal scapes very narrow; all ocelli reduced and not visible, eyes small and triangular-shaped in lateral view ( Fig. 3C ). Maxillary palp with five palpomeres, first and second shorter, third larger than fourth, and the fifth-largest is curved and rounded at apex. Thorax. Pronotal disc longer than wide and with curved dorsal edge in lateral view ( Fig. 3A ), straight anterior and posterior edges in the dorsal view, lateral lobes with rounded edges and moderately expanded, especially in the anterior half. Mesonotum with the dorsal surface sclerotized (visible when the wings are removed), metanotum as long and wide as the first abdominal segment and without any modification ( Fig. 3B ). Wings. Tegmina thickened, with diffuse venation and functional stridulating file, hind wings absent ( Fig. 3B ). Legs. Coxae broad and moderately elongated; fore and mid femur laterally compressed and without spines, fore and mid tibiae with three small spines on each ventral margin, ventral apex with two mobile spurs of similar size, tarsomeres dorsally unarmed, first tarsomere notoriously elongated, the second tarsomere reduced. Hind femur with a median line that goes from the base to the apex crossing the entire external face at the middle, additionally on the external face of the hind femur, faint whitish-yellow stripes cross from the dorsal edge to the midline of the femur; hind tibia with 4 spurs on each dorsal margin, the apex of the tibia with three spurs on outer and inner margin, medial spur the longest and the dorsal spur the smallest; first tarsomere elongated with two rows of dorsal denticulations with seven denticles on each row, also with one apical spurs on each side. Abdomen. Tergal glands between the fourth to seventh segments little visible and located between intersegmental membranes, slightly raising the dorsal margin of the posterior edge of the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh abdominal segment. Epiproctus subtriangular, wider than long; cerci as long as the hind femur; subgenital plate rectangular, longer than wide, with a straight posterior edge ( Fig. 3B ). Genitalia. Pseudepiphallic median lophi elongated, with a moderately deep “U” shaped notch; lateral lophi moderately prolonged and with a rounded distal edge in dorsal view ( Fig. 4A, B ); in lateral view, extended into a conspicuous spine and a smaller spine posteriorly, both at the apex ( Fig. 4C ); ectophallic fold membranous, conical and prominent ( Fig. 4A ); pseudepiphallic parameres with the distal processes rounded and exceeding the length of the median lophi in ventral view ( Fig. 4B ); arc narrow and not up-curved. Endophallic sclerite sclerotized, tubuliform, with three medium-sized processes at the apex; endophallic apodeme with cartilaginous appearance, widened at the base, the anterior border with two undulations, and the posterior portion tapering to connect with the endophallic sclerite ( Fig. 4B ). Ectophallic apodeme thin and undulating towards the basal region of the genitalia; rami shoulder blade-shaped, widened in lateral view, and internally concave ( Fig. 4C ).

Female. Similar to the male in appearance, the paratype female is subadult and does not have wing outlines, as it happens with the adult females of P. subapterus , possibly in its last molt, the tegmina would appear ( Fig. 3D, E ). Lager than males and darker; no glandular modification is present on the abdominal tergites; epiproctus triangular and angled apically. ovipositor with lanceolate apex ( Fig. 3E ).

Measurements (mm): Male holotype: LB: 12. Pr: 2.5. Teg.: 1.1. HF: 8. HT: 8.5. Subadult female paratype: LB: 17.5. Pr: 3.2. HF: 9. HT: 8.8.

Comments. The specimens were collected in an unnamed vertical cavern with a narrow entrance. We raided to a depth of 5 m, from then on, a rugged and deep fall was observed. The species co-inhabits with other Nemoricantor undescribed species, and with frogs that possibly prey on those crickets. Specimens of P. velazquezi n. sp. are very fast, and when they perceive white light, they quickly hide between the cracks, making it difficult to capture ( Fig. 8A ).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Paracophus velazquezi n. sp. A. Male habitus in lateral view. B. and dorsal view. C. frons. D. female head, and thorax in dorsal view. E. female abdomen in dorsal view.

FIGURE 4. Paracophus velazquezi n. sp. male genitalia. A. Dorsal. B. ventral and C. lateral view respectively.

FIGURE 7. Paracophus species. A-D. P. velazquezi n. sp. E-H. P. victoriensis n. sp. I-L. P. subapterus (after Hubell, 1972). A, E, I. Head, pronotum and wings in dorsal view. B, F, J. genitalia apex in dorsal view. C, G, K. genitalia apex in ventral view. D, H, L. male genitalia apex in lateral view.

FIGURE 8. Paracophus species in live condition from type localities. A. P. velazquezi n. sp. B. P. victoriensis n. sp.