Paracophus victoriensis Cadena-Castañeda, 2021

Cadena-Castañeda, Oscar J., Soto, Wolfang Andrés Rodríguez, Cárdenas, Andrea Del Pilar Floréz & Acevedo, Angélica, 2021, Studies on Neotropical crickets: The continental Otteiini taxa (Orthoptera Phalangopsidae), those cave crickets are not confined to the West Indies, Zootaxa 4981 (2), pp. 331-356 : 340-345

Paracophus victoriensis Cadena-Castañeda n. sp.

( Fig. 5 , 6 , 7 E-H, 8B)

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Orthoptera .speciesfile.org:TaxonName:514181

Etymology. It alludes to Cd. Victoria, Tamaulipas, on the outskirts of that city, specimens of the type series were collected.

Type material. Holotype. Male. Mexico, Tamaulipas, Cd. Victoria, “Parque Recreativo Los Troncones”. 23.7788, -99.2150. 400 m. O.J. Cadena-Castañeda & M. Gonzalez leg. ( CAUD) . Paratype. 3 inmmature females, same data as holotype.

Description. Male. Similar in appearance to P. velazquezi n. sp., with darker tones in its coloration but with the same pattern ( Fig. 5 ). Structure of the head, thorax, tegmina, and legs without variation for the description provided for P. velazquezi n. sp. Abdomen. Tergal glands between the fourth and fifth abdominal tergites, with the posterior edges of these tergites moderately elevated in the dorsal region and accompanied by a tuft of longer hairs ( Fig. 5B, D ). Epiproctus triangular, as long as wide, with a rounded distal edge ( Fig. 5D ). Subgenital plate rectangular, longer than wide, and with a convex posterior edge. Genitalia. Pseudepiphallic median lophi elongated, with a moderately deep “V” shaped notch ( Fig. 6A ); lateral lophi moderately prolonged and with a rounded distal edge in dorsal view ( Fig. 6A, B ), in lateral view, extending into a conspicuous spine (longer than P. velazquezi n. sp.) and without a smaller spine posteriorly ( Fig. 6C ); ectophallic fold membranous, conical and prominent ( Fig. 6A, B ); pseudepiphallic parameres with a distal process rounded and other hook-shaped processes internally; arc narrow and not up-curved ( Fig. 6B ). Endophallic sclerite sclerotized, tubuliform, with a spine on each lateral apex edge; endophallic apodeme cartilaginous, connected with endophallic sclerite without constricting or getting thin and ending in two lobes in the anterior region of the apodeme ( Fig. 6B ). Ectophallic apodeme thin, and undulating towards the basal region of the genitalia ( Fig. 6C ); rami shoulder blade-shaped, widened in lateral view and internally concave ( Fig. 6A, B ).

Female. Unknown adult females ( Fig. 8B ). Measurements (mm): LB: 11.5. Pr: 2.5. Teg.: 1. HF: 8. HT: 8.5. Comments. In the book “Saltamontes y esperanzas del Noreste de Mexico ” by Barrientos-Lozano et al. (2013), possibly a female of this species is photographed (page 97), but identified as Neometrypus sp. (currently included in Gryllidae : Oecanthinae : Paroecanthini ), ruling out the presence of this South American taxon in Mexico.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Paracophus victoriensis n. sp. A. Male habitus in lateral view. B. and dorsal view. C. frons. D. abdomen in dorsal view.

FIGURE 6. Paracophus victoriensis n. sp. male genitalia. A. Dorsal. B. ventral and C. lateral view respectively.

FIGURE 7. Paracophus species. A-D. P. velazquezi n. sp. E-H. P. victoriensis n. sp. I-L. P. subapterus (after Hubell, 1972). A, E, I. Head, pronotum and wings in dorsal view. B, F, J. genitalia apex in dorsal view. C, G, K. genitalia apex in ventral view. D, H, L. male genitalia apex in lateral view.

FIGURE 8. Paracophus species in live condition from type localities. A. P. velazquezi n. sp. B. P. victoriensis n. sp.