Holocerus Bolivar , 1887

Skejo, Josip, Medak, Kristian, Pavlovic, Marko, Kitonic, † Davorka, Miko, Rafanomezanjanahary Jean Christian & Franjevic, Damjan, 2020, The story of the Malagasy devils (Orthoptera, Tetrigidae): Holocerus lucifer in the north and H. devriesei sp. nov. in the south?, ZooKeys 957, pp. 1-15 : 1

Genus Holocerus Bolivar, 1887

Tetrix Latreille, 1802 (partim): Serville (1838: 758); Augé (1898: 296; first depiction of Holocerus lucifer after the holotype);

Holocerus Bolívar, 1887: Bolívar (1887: 186, 231-232; tentative description, assignment to Metrodorinae ); Kirby (1910: 28; listed in catalogue); Rehn (1929: 492-493; redescription); Rehn (1937: 320; new records); Günther (1939: 91; listed in catalogue, taxonomic position discussed); Günther (1959: 11; included in key, discussed), Günther (1970: 79-92; discussed); Devriese (1995: 123-124; mentioned and depicted); Yin et al. (1996: 876; listed in catalogue); Otte (1997: 45; listed in catalogue); Skejo and Caballero (2016: figs 2a, b; mentioned and depicted); Skejo (2017: 14, 19, 68; listed in catalogue); Cigliano et al. (2020; OSF catalogue).

Type species.

Tetrix lucifer Serville, 1838 ( Holocerus lucifer ), by monotypy ( Bolívar).

Composition and distribution.

The genus is composed of two species, Holocerus lucifer and H. devriesei sp. nov. Both species inhabit rainforests of East Madagascar, from Ranomafana in the south to Marojejy in the north.

Ecology and habitat.

Records of adults and nymphs in different parts of the year indicate that the species may be active throughout the year. Devil’s pygmy grasshoppers are rainforest dwellers and they inhabit primary and secondary rainforests of Madagascar, where they can be found standing on both wet and dry tree bark of species such as the traveler’s palm ( Ravenala madagascariensis ; order Zingiberales : family Strelitziaceae ) (Figure 4 ). Holocerus lucifer and H. devriesei sp. nov. are good fliers and can glide for long distances (> 10 m) between rainforest trees and bushes.

Generic diagnosis and affinity to other genera.

The genus Holocerus is similar to the genera Notocerus (2 spp.) and Eurybiades (1 sp.), which are both endemic to Madagascar. Unlike the clearly separated dorsal spines in Holocerus , members of the genus Notocerus ( N. cornutus Hancock, 1900 and N. formidabilis Günther, 1974) have a highly elevated dorsum between the spines (making the spines connected). With the morphology of its spines, Notocerus cornutus is more similar to the members of the genus Holocerus than to its own congener, N. formidabilis (which has a high and warty hump). Holocerus can also easily be distinguished from Notocerus by the more prominent eyes. The only species from the genus Eurybiades , E. cerastes Rehn, 1929, is much smaller than the members of the genus Holocerus , and is easily distinguished from both Holocerus and Notocerus members by the long promedial projection, which is spiky and directed forwards. Holocerus and Notocerus have a short and tooth-like promedial projection of the prozona.

Figures

Figure 4. Holocerus devriesei sp. nov. and its habitat. A ♂ from Ranomafana in natural habitat (photo M. Hoffmann) B-E adult ♂ from Analamazaotra F-G natural habitat in Analamazaotra G Ravenala madagascariensis, the Traveler's Palm (B-G photo J. Skejo).