Kuzicus Gorochov, 1993

Tan, Ming Kai, Dawwrueng, Pattarawich & Artchawakom, Taksin, 2015, Taxonomic review of Kuzicus Gorochov, 1993 (Tettigoniidae: Meconematinae), with two new species from Thailand and key to species, Zootaxa 3999 (2), pp. 279-290 : 281-282

Genus Kuzicus Gorochov, 1993

Diagnosis. Tenth abdominal tergite of male with large paired apical lobes. Male epiproct small. Male genitalia with large yoke-like epiphallus; apex with projections, either robust, articulated, denticulated or spine-like.

Discussion. Prior to this review, the genus consists of three subgenera and 14 species in total ( Gorochov, 1998; Ingrisch & Shishodia, 1998, 2000; Sänger & Helfert, 2004, 2006a, 2006b; Ingrisch, 2006; Mao et al., 2009; Di et al., 2014). This is an Asian genus with its distribution ranging from Sumatra ( Indonesia) north to Japan and China as well as India (Eades et al., 2015).

The discovery of more species (including those outside of this paper) with intermediate characters led to problems to the subgeneric system. Diagnostic characters previously used for defining subgenus need to be reexamined and a taxonomic revision (using both old and new material) is as such required (A. V. Gorochov, pers. comm.). Thus, the subgenus name for all species are tentatively omitted here.

Nevertheless, species of subgenus Parakuzicus lacks most important characters of the genus Kuzicus : male epiphallus without apical lobes (either robust unarticulated projections directed anteriorly towards head or denticulated and articulated projection directed posteriorly away from head). It also differs by male tenth abdominal tergite with apical lobe truncated and much shorter, cerci bifurcated from base into a medial (internal) and lateral (external) branch of roughly equal length. Thus, we propose that Parakuzicus should be more accurately considered a separate genus.