Phalangopsis araguaia, Junta & Castro-Souza & Ferreira, 2020

Junta, Vitor Gabriel Pereira, Castro-Souza, Rodrigo Antônio & Ferreira, Rodrigo Lopes, 2020, Five new species of Phalangopsis Serville, 1831 (Orthoptera: Phalangopsidae) from Brazilian caves in the Amazon Forest, Zootaxa 4859 (2), pp. 151-194 : 161-166

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4859.2.1

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7DFF87BA-9A4A-4773-AA2E-66A72505BC3F

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4539028

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03DFCA0A-5B67-596E-FF7F-FCDAFDDA414F

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Phalangopsis araguaia
status

sp. nov.

Phalangopsis araguaia n. sp.

( Figures 30–35 View FIGURES 30–35 , 36–42 View FIGURES 36–42 , 43–46 View FIGURES 43–46 , 47–51 View FIGURES 47–51 , 52–56 View FIGURES 52–56 , 148 View FIGURE 148 ; Table 1 and 3)

Material examined. Holotype ♂, code ISLA 65748, Brazil, Pará, municipality of São Geraldo do Araguaia , Re- manso dos Botos cave (6°22’6.96”S; 48°23’38.04”O), 20.ii.2018, Sperandei, V. F., leg GoogleMaps . Holotype condition: integrate, legs detached and stored in microtubes. Paratypes, 4 ♂ ♂ ( ISLA 65746; 65747; 65753; 65754), same data of holotype; municipality of São Geraldo do Araguaia , Macacos cave (6°25’19.30”S; 48°24’34.88”O), 20.ii.2018 GoogleMaps , 4 ♂ ♂ ( ISLA 65745; 65750; 65751; 65752) and 1 ♀ ( ISLA 65749), Sperandei , V. F., leg .

Distribution. Remanso dos Botos and Macacos cave in the municipality of São Geraldo do Araguaia, Pará, Brazil.

Etymology. The specific epithet “ araguaia ” make mention to the Araguaia river, to which Remanso dos Botos and Macacos caves are close.

Diagnosis. Combination of the following characteristics: paramere 2 underdeveloped, concave and presenting equal size that paramere 1 (dorsal view) ( Figs 31–33 View FIGURES 30–35 , Ps.P2); pseudepiphallic arm long and inclined internally ( Fig. 30 View FIGURES 30–35 , Ps.arm); pseudepiphallic median lobes developed and widely projected dorsally, tilted towards the exterior in dorsal view, shape sub-quadrangular in both lobules (front view) ( Figs 30, 32–33 View FIGURES 30–35 ; Ps.m.l); pseudepiphallic branch developed, forming an acute projection sclerotized covering the endophallus (dorsal view) ( Figs 30, 32–33 View FIGURES 30–35 ; Ps.b); upper central part of the ectophallic arc with two vestigial vertical projections, lower part curved horizontally ( Fig. 31 View FIGURES 30–35 , Ect. arc); endophallic distal portion developed in thickness, forked and with a small vertical furrow ( Fig. 34 View FIGURES 30–35 , a, End.d).

Description, male holotype. Body color: general body coloration uniformly brownish; dorsal head light yellow ( Fig. 36 View FIGURES 36–42 ); pronotum dark yellowish brown with more accentuated whitish discoloration spots than in Phalangopsis quartzitica ( Fig. 38 View FIGURES 36–42 ); abdomen brownish dorsally, translucent and yellowish white ventrally; legs yellowish brown, whitish at the femur’s proximal region ( Figs 43–46 View FIGURES 43–46 ); cerci uniformly whitish brown. Head: lightly pubescent; elongated in front view (4.364 and 3.113 mm, length and width respectively); vertex marked with four vertical dark stripes reaching the occiput, two starting from the antenna base and two starting from the compound eyes ( Fig. 36 View FIGURES 36–42 ); gena and labrum whitish, clypeus greyish white, mandibles brownish yellow; all maxillary palpomeres slightly pubescent, first and second shorter than the others and whitish, third and fourth palpomeres similar size, the forth lightly larger and whitish yellow, fifth palpomere a little longer than fourth, claviform, curved, yellowish and whitish at the tips ( Fig. 36 View FIGURES 36–42 ); all labial palpomeres whitish, pubescent and increasing in size, third palpomere claviform ( Fig. 36 View FIGURES 36–42 ); scape pubescent, yellowish at the base and brownish toward the pedicel, pedicel light brown, antennomeres uniformly light brown; compound eyes black, with a small depigmented region near the scape insertion; ocelli absent ( Figs 36 and 37 View FIGURES 36–42 ). Thorax: pronotum dark yellowish brown; anterior, medial and posterior portion with whitish spots distributed along the sagittal axis in dorsal view ( Fig. 38 View FIGURES 36–42 ); dorsal disk broader than long, lateral lobe rounded, posterior and anterior margins sub-straight and with long bristles ( Fig. 38 View FIGURES 36–42 ). Legs. In general, femur, tibia and tarsus pubescent; first tarsomere serrulated; femur always smaller than tibia (μ=17.619 ± 4.052 mm; μ= 20.408 ± 5.001 mm, femur and tibia respectively, Leg III, n=9) ( Figs 43–46 View FIGURES 43–46 ). Leg I ( Figs 43 and 44 View FIGURES 43–46 ): tibia armed with two apical spurs and ventrally serrulated, tympanum absent; first tarsomere thrice bigger than the second and third together. Leg II ( Figs 43 and 44 View FIGURES 43–46 ): tibia serrulated ventrally, armed with two same-sized ventral apical spurs; first tarsomere ventrally serrated and almost thrice longer than the second and third together. Leg III ( Figs 45 and 46 View FIGURES 43–46 ): femur dilated; tibia serrulated, armed with three subapical spurs on inner ( Fig. 46 View FIGURES 43–46 ) and four on the outer side ( Fig. 45 View FIGURES 43–46 ), three apical spurs on outer ( Fig. 45 View FIGURES 43–46 ; a, b, c) and four on inner side ( Fig. 46 View FIGURES 43–46 ; d, e, f, g), the inner ones are the longest; first tarsomere almost thrice longer than the second and third tarsomeres together, armed with two apical spurs. ( Figs 45 and 46 View FIGURES 43–46 ). Right Tegmen: developed, stridulatory file absent, covering the first abdominal tergite, presenting more clearly marked veins than the other species in this study and bigger glandular thickening at the distal margin ( Fig. 39 View FIGURES 36–42 ). Abdomen: cerci pubescent and slender, with bristles at its base; supra-anal plate short, subquadrangular with bristles at the distal region, base with two lateral projections, apex sub-straight and base curved inside ( Figs 40 and 41 View FIGURES 36–42 ); subgenital plate oval, sub-quadrangular, base sub-straight, apex with a rounded reentrancy ( Figs 41 and 42 View FIGURES 36–42 ).

Observations in Paratypes. Male phallic sclerites (paratype ISLA 65746, Figs 30–34 View FIGURES 30–35 ) Pseudepiphallus: dorsal branch well sclerotized, thin and developed, projecting to the interior of the sclerite as an arched shape ( Fig 30–33 View FIGURES 30–35 , Ps.db), similar to Ps.db of Phalangopsis kyju n. sp.; paramere 1 cambered triangular, with depressions in all its faces, connected to the paramere 2 and sclerite A by a membranous tissue ( Figs 31–33 View FIGURES 30–35 , Ps.P1); paramere 2 underdeveloped, concave and presenting equal size that paramere 1 ( Figs 31–33 View FIGURES 30–35 , Ps.P2); pseudepiphallic arm elongated and inclined internally ( Fig. 30 View FIGURES 30–35 , Ps.arm); A sclerite vestigial and fused with Ps.arm, reaching the paramere1 and visible at the ventral view ( Fig. 31 View FIGURES 30–35 , A); pseudepiphallic medium lobes very developed, lightly rounded and projected dorsally, tilted towards the exterior in dorsal view, lobes sub-quadrangular at frontal view ( Figs 30, 32 and 33 View FIGURES 30–35 ; Ps.m.l), in this species this structure is more developed than in Phalangopsis quartzitica n. sp.; pseudepiphallic branch developed, forming an acute projection sclerotized covering all the endophallus and part of the proximal region of the ectophallic apodeme at dorsal view ( Figs 30, 32 and 33 View FIGURES 30–35 ; Ps.b). Ectophallic invagination: apodeme thin, curved internally but with its distal portion slightly curved externally and apex little sclerotized ( Figs 30–32 View FIGURES 30–35 , Ect. ap); lateral bar developed, broad and lightly rounded, external face slightly projecting out of the genitalia ( Fig. 31 View FIGURES 30–35 , Ect.lb); median projection undeveloped ( Fig. 31 View FIGURES 30–35 , Ect.mp); upper central part of the ectophallic arc with two vestigial vertical projections, lower part curved horizontally ( Fig. 31 View FIGURES 30–35 , Ect.arc). Endophallus: endophallus curved dorsally in lateral view ( Fig. 34 View FIGURES 30–35 , b, End); endophallic distal portion developed in thickness, forked and with a small vertical furrow ( Fig. 34 View FIGURES 30–35 , a, End.d); medium portion short and lightly narrow ( Fig. 34 View FIGURES 30–35 , a–c, End.mp); apodeme reduced ( Fig. 34 View FIGURES 30–35 , a–c, End.ap).

Female: body size bigger than the male (♀ 24.041 mm); apterous; femur always smaller than tibia; supra-anal plate pubescent, with rounded distal portion, showing long bristles, base curved inside with two small lateral projections ( Fig. 47 View FIGURES 47–51 ); subgenital plate short, lightly pubescent, V-shaped, presenting a slight indentation ( Fig. 48 View FIGURES 47–51 ); ovipositor elongated, strong yellowish brown, sword-shaped with sharp apex (16.454 mm) ( Figs 49–51 View FIGURES 47–51 ). Female genitalia. Copulatory papilla triangular shaped, thinner than in P. quartzitica n. sp., lightly flattened dorsoventrally ( Fig. 35 View FIGURES 30–35 , a and c); edges lightly bulged in the middle portion ( Fig. 35 View FIGURES 30–35 , a and c); presents a dorsal opening of triangular shape in the proximal portion and a little rounded orifice in the distal portion ( Fig. 35 View FIGURES 30–35 , a–c).

Ecological Remarks: Specimens of Phalangopsis araguaia n. sp. were found in two quartzite caves in a region locally known as “Serra das Andorinhas”, located in São Geraldo do Araguaia municipality (Pará state). Such caves are relatively small (Remanso dos Botos cave is 125 meters while Macacos cave is 80.5 meters of extension), and are inserted at the base of the massive quartzite outcrop, which correspond to the Serra das Andorinhas mountain ridge. Specimens were mainly observed in the deeper portions of the caves (aphotic and with high moisture content). The main organic deposits within the caves are guano piles produced by bats with distinct feeding habits, as frugivory ( Carolia sp.) and insectivory ( Peropteryx sp. and Natalus sp.). In one of the caves (Remanso dos Botos cave, Fig. 53 View FIGURES 52–56 ), the seeds transported by the bats germinate, resulting in sprouts that were also consumed by the crickets ( Fig. 54 View FIGURES 52–56 ). Specimens of P. araguaia are mainly observed in the cave walls ( Figs 55 and 56 View FIGURES 52–56 ). Although the caves are quite preserved (only few signs of human use were observed, especially stepping), the external area is partially altered, exhibiting signs of deforestation and fire ( Fig. 52 View FIGURES 52–56 ). Furthermore, access to the caves is quite easy, since their entrances are located close to each other and close to a road (around 100 meters). As mentioned for P. quartzitica , no samplings were conducted outside caves in this study. Furthermore, P. araguaia do not present any troglomorphic traits. Hence, despite the fact that specimens of P. araguaia were only found in two caves, they are probably not troglobitic. Therefore, further studies including external samplings are needed to better understand the actual distribution of this species.

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