Batrachidea Serville, 1838

Silva, Daniela Santos Martins, Cadena-Castañeda, Oscar J. & Pereira, Marcelo Ribeiro, 2021, Batrachideinae (Orthoptera: Caelifera: Tetrigidae): an overview of the most diverse tetrigids of the Neotropical region, Zootaxa 4946 (1), pp. 1-84 : 7

1. Genus Batrachidea Serville, 1838

According Grant (1956, 1962), this genus is characterized by frontal costa advanced well before the eyes in lateral view; pronotum tectate, with a hook-like projection anteriorly well developed; fastigium, from above, truncate, on approximately same line as anterior border of eyes; vertex lower than dorsal surface of eyes; frontal costa protruding before eyes in lateral view; antennae with 20–22 segments; brachypronotal or macropronotal conditions; tegmina usually maculate; middle femur apical spine presence or absence and hind femur with incrassate shape (flattened laterally and expanding from the base to the apex). However, these characteristics can be found in other batrachideines genera, mainly with the genus Tettigidea that also according Grant (1956) it could be most easily confused with Batrachidea due this generally similar body form.

Thus, we propose the inclusion of other characteristics to better delimit Batrachidea , mainly found in females, which are shared by the type species of the genus: (i) dorsal carina of frontal costa smaller or higher than the dorsal surface of the eyes, (ii) hind femur usually not robust, longer than wide (thinner than in Tettigidea species), (iii) elongated forehead, (iv) anterior edge of pronotum angulate, uncinate at tip (in females). According to these characteristics, the genus includes following species: Batrachidea flavonotata Bolívar, 1887 ( Fig. 2 ); Batrachidea macella Grant, 1956 ( Figs. 3 , 4 ); Batrachidea mucronata (Saint-Fargeau & Serville, 1825) ( Figs. 5 , 6 ); Batrachidea vesca Grant, 1956 ( Fig. 7 ), and Batrachidea planus (Hancock, 1907) .

However, Batrachidea planus (Hancock, 1907) comb. nov. is transferred here to this genus from Tettigidea , where it was originally described, adjusting better to the morphological characteristics of Batrachidea . Recently, Cadena-Castañeda et al. (2019) synonymized Batrachidea inermis Hebard, 1923 (female type specimen) under B. brevis (male type specimen), both species” being conspecific. Now, when comparing the female type of B. planus and the female type of B. inermis , no differences were found to keep both species separate ( Figs. 8 , 9 ). Thus, new synonymy is proposed: Batrachidea planus (Hancock, 1907) = Batrachidea brevis (Hancock, 1909) syn. nov.

Tettigidea granulosa Bruner, 1913 syn. nov. ( Fig. 6 ) is proposed as a synonym under B. mucronata , when comparing with the characteristics of both species, these are coincident. T. granulosa conforms to a macropronotal form of B. mucronata , complying with the range of variation described by Grant (1956). Similar structure of the frontal costa, as in frontal and profile view, brown coloration as the type specimens of T. gracilicornis Bruner, 1910 (currently synonymous of B. mucronata ), and the small spot near the apex of the usual tegmina of this species. The only character found in the type specimen of T. granulosa is the shape of the anterior edge of the pronotum, which is “wavy”, without the spine of the anterior edge of the pronotum, but when reading the original description of this species it does not describe this characteristic so unusual in Batrachideinae , that Bruner most certainly would not have overlooked for the description of this species, suggesting that the current shape of the anterior border of the pronotum is damage to this region, subsequent to the original description.

Distribution. South America, from Colombian to South Bolivia, central Paraguay and Brazil ( Fig. 35 ).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Batrachidea flavonotata Bolívar, 1887 lectotype (A) left lateral view, (B) dorsal view, (C) frontal view and (D) labels. Photo: Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet Stockholm (NHRS), photo Josef Tumbrinck.

FIGURE 3. Batrachidea macella Grant, 1956 holotype (A) left lateral view, (B) right lateral view, (C) dorsal view, (D) frontal view and (E) labels. Scale bar = 5 mm. Photo of type: Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia/Daniela Silva and Marcelo Pereira.

FIGURE 4. Batrachidea macella Grant, 1956 allotype (A) left lateral view, (B) dorsal view, (C) frontal view and (D) labels. Scale bar = 5 mm. Photo of type: Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia/Daniela Silva and Marcelo Pereira.

FIGURE 5. Batrachidea mucronata (Saint-Fargeau & Serville, 1825) (holotype Tetrix mucronata Saint-Fargeau & Serville 1825) (A) left lateral view, (B) right lateral view, (C) dorsal view, (D) frontal view and (E) labels. Photo of type: The Natural History Museum, London (BMNH), photo Josef Tumbrinck.

FIGURE 6. Batrachidea mucronata (Saint-Fargeau & Serville, 1825) (holotype of Tettigidea granulosa Bruner, 1913 syn. nov.) (A) left lateral view, (B) right lateral view, (C) dorsal view with arrows highlighting the anterior margin of pronotum (above the occiput, in dorsal view) undulated, (D) frontal view and (E) labels. Scale bar = 5 mm. Photo of type: Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia/Daniela Silva and Marcelo Pereira.

FIGURE 7. Batrachidea vesca Grant, 1956 holotype (A) right lateral view, (B) dorsal view, (C) frontal view and (D) labels. Scale bar = 5 mm. Photo of type: Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia/Daniela Silva and Marcelo Pereira.

FIGURE 8. Batrachidea planus Hancock, 1907 comb. nov. (holotype of Batrachidea inermis Hebard, 1923) (A) right lateral view, (B) dorsal view, (C) frontal view and (D) labels. Scale bar = 5 mm. Photo of type: Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia/Daniela Silva and Marcelo Pereira.

FIGURE 9. Batrachidea planus Hancock, 1907 comb. nov. (holotype of Tettigidea planus Hancock, 1907) (A) left lateral view, (B) dorsal view, (C) frontal view and (D) labels. Scale bar = 5 mm. Photo of type: University Museum, Hope Entomological Collections (UMO), Oxford, photo modificated from Josef Tumbrinck.

FIGURE 35. Map of approximated occurrence of the genus Batrachidea Serville, 1838.