Naskreckiana Kasalo, Buzzetti & Skejo, 2023

Kasalo, Niko, Buzzetti, Filippo Maria, Stancher, Gionata, Cambra, Roberto A. & Skejo, Josip, 2023, Contribution to the knowledge of Batrachideini (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae): description of two new flightless genera, Naskreckiana and Procellator, and revision of the status of Eotetrix, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 63 (2), pp. 279-292 : 281-284

Naskreckiana Kasalo, Buzzetti & Skejo gen. nov.

( Figs 2–4 )

Type species. Naskreckiana kosemeni Kasalo, Buzzetti & Skejo sp. nov., by original designation.

Diagnosis. Most similar to the Batrachideini genera with an elevated median carina of the pronotum: Cranotettix , Halmatettix , Plectronotus , and Procellator . The following set of characters allows this genus to be separated from all other Batrachideini members: (1) frontal costa bifurcation in the upper third of the eye height, (2) middle line of the antennal grooves at the bottom margin of the eyes, (3) anterior spine reaching approximately to the anterior level of eyes, (4) median carina of pronotum mostly smooth, elevated throughout its length, highest in the anterior third of its length.

Etymology. The genus is named after Piotr Naskrecki, who was the first to record this new genus in its natural habitat. The genus name is derived from his surname and is a feminine noun. Piotr Naskrecki is a famous zoologist, photographer, and fieldwork biologist, who made a huge contribution to orthopterology by describing 138 currently valid taxa (one tribe, 15 genera, 118 species, and 4 subspecies).

Composition and distribution. The genus includes a single species, Naskreckiana kosemeni Kasalo, Buzzetti & Skejo sp. nov., for now known only from Costa Rica.

Naskreckiana kosemeni

Kasalo, Buzzetti & Skejo sp. nov.

( Figs 2–4 )

Type locality. Costa Rica, Province San José, Cordillera de Talamanca, Cerro de la Muerte, near Interamericana. In Páramo vegetation, around ponds with Sphagnum growth.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: ♀ ( Fig. 2 ), labels: „CR:San Jose:Cordillera“ / de Talamanca: Cerro de / la Muerte, Veg. Paramo, / around ponds in Sphagnum , / 10.iii.1991 “ collected by M. Brojer, deposited at the Museo Civico di Rovereto , Italy ( MCRI).

Diagnosis. Median carina of pronotum smoothly curved. Pronotal apex not reaching terminalia. Anterior spine not reaching past the vertex. 18 visible anntenomeres.

Description of holotype. Head. Anterior view. Carinae of vertex U-shaped. Frontal costa bifurcation at around upper third of eye height. Facial carinae narrow and parallel, forming narrow scutellum. Paired ocelli just below bifurcation. Middle level of antennal grooves at level with bottom margin of eyes. Dorsal view. Vertex around 1.5 times wider than eye, progressively narrowing anteriorly. Medial carina present throughout length of vertex. Shallow fossulae present in anterior half. Antennae. Absent in holotype.

Pronotum. Lateral view. Median carina elevated throughout its length, smoothly curved, tallest above level of lateral lobes, slightly lowering towards head, moderately lowering towards pronotal apex. Paranota rectangular. Lateral lobes triangular with rounded tip. Ventral sinus large and smooth. Infrascapular area moderately sized, triangular, reaching approximately middle of length between humeral angles and pronotal apex.

Dorsal view. Pronotum covers large part of vertex. Anterior spine long, protruding to level of eyes. Prozonal carinae short, converging caudally. Interhumeral carinae approximately as long as prozonal carinae, parallel. Pronotum interspersed with small tubercles. Lateral lobes very slightly projecting outwards. Humeral angles rounded and blunt. Behind humeral angles, pronotum gradually narrows. Pronotal apex rounded.

Wings and tegmina invisible, either absent or reduced and covered by pronotum.

Legs. Anterior and middle femora slim and straight, with very slightly bumpy dorsal and ventral margins. Anterior and middle tibiae quadratic in cross-section; smooth. Anterior tarsi with long first segment that bears three rounded pulvilli. Hind femora thin and smooth, around 3.5 times longer than wide.Antegenicular and genicular teeth small. Hind tibiae with teeth along their caudal margins. Third tarsal segment approximately equal in length to first. Pulvilli damaged, distal one as long as proximal two.

Coloration. Faded in holotype. Uniformly brownish with large blackish areas on pronotal disc that extend from level of base of middle leg nearly to pronotal apex and are medially interrupted by median carina. Median carina and prozonal carinae of pronotum vaguely yellow. Lateral carinae of pronotum strongly yellow. Vertex covered with yellow dots. Anterior and middle femora darker than pronotum, hind femur brownish in upper half, blackish in bottom half. Maxillary palpi white.

Measurements (all in millimeters). Body length 18.22; vertex width 1.88; eye width 1.2; scutellum width 0.34; pronotum length 20.16; pronotum lobe width 8.21; pronotum height 6.99; infrascapular area height 1.32; infrascapular area length 5.9; fore femur length 4.22; fore femur width 0.97; middle femur length 4.16; middle femur width 0.74; post femur length 14.04; post femur width 4.05; hind tibia length 10.69; first hind tarsal segment length 1.04; third hind tarsal segment length 1.2; ovipositor dorsal valve length 3.29; ovipositor ventral valve length 2.89.

Etymology. Named in honor of C. M. Kosemen, a Turkish artist and independent researcher who is known for his work on speculative evolution. The specific epithet is a noun of the second Latin declension in genitive case; derived from the surname “Kosemen”.

Potential undescribed species. The specimen photographed by Piotr Naskrecki in Tapantí National Park ( Fig. 3 ) exhibits some apparent differences from the one photographed by Roland Lupoli in Braulio Carrillo National Park ( Fig. 4 ). The latter is a clear example of a living N. kosemeni sp. nov. Naskrecki’s specimen has a differently shaped median carina (slightly wavy instead of smoothly curved), longer anterior spine (reaching past the vertex), longer pronotum (apex covering terminalia), and different color pattern (paranota and legs dark, brownish; pronotal disc bright, yellowish). This specimen also has a notch in the exterior part of the visible paranotum, but it likely appeared due to physical damage during the growth of the individual. It is thus entirely possible that at least two separate species of Naskreckiana gen. nov. live around San José, but more specimens should be examined to be certain whether the noted differences represent intraspecific variability.

Figures

Fig. 2. The holotype of Naskreckiana kosemeni gen. & sp. nov.A – hind tarsus; B – body in lateral view; C – body in dorsal view; D–E – head in anterior view; F – head in dorsal view; G – knee of the hind leg, showing the antegenicular and the genicular teeth. Photographs by Filippo Maria Buzzetti, Josip Skejo and Jadranka Škorput.

Fig. 3. A living female individual of Naskreckiana, potentially representing an undescribed species of the genus. Photographed by Piotr Naskrecki.

Fig. 4. Living male (top) and female (bottom) individuals of Naskreckiana kosemeni gen. & sp. nov. in their natural habitat. Photographed in Braulio Carrillo National Park in Costa Rica by Roland Lupoli.