Lophotettix ( Corticotettix ) verhaaghi Kasalo, Skejo & Husemann, 2025

Kasalo, Niko, Husemann, Martin, Vielsäcker, Mathias, van de Kamp, Thomas, Subedi, Madan & Skejo, Josip, 2025, Lophotettix verhaaghi (Orthoptera, Tetrigidae), a new species of pygmy grasshoppers from Peru with a 3 D scan of the holotype, Contributions to Entomology 75 (2), pp. 355-360 : 355-360

Lophotettix ( Corticotettix) verhaaghi Kasalo, Skejo & Husemann sp. nov.

Description

(Fig. 1 ). Macropronotal.

Head. In anterior view, top of vertex a little below upper margin of eyes. Vertex more than two eyes wide. Frontal costa bifurcation in lower third of eye height. Facial carinae forming long rectangular shape. Paired ocelli at lower margin of eyes. Antennal grooves below level of bottom margin of eyes. Antennae composed of 10 visible segments; all segments flattened, with the distal ones being extremely so; last segment white. In dorsal view, vertex of isosceles trapezoidal shape. Medial carina barely visible in anterior third of vertex. Lateral carinae of vertex in form of small tubercles.

Pronotum. Prozonal carinae as long as eye as seen in dorsal view, strongly convergent caudad. Median carina visible throughout length of pronotum, forming long, tall, jagged, vaguely rectangular crest in lateral view (extending from anterior margin of pronotum to level of hind knees). Crest strongly undulated in dorsal view. Anterior margin of crest with two distinct protrusions (excluding the one at the corner of anterior and dorsal margin). Pronotal surface covered in small tubercles and carinulae. Humeral angles wide and blunt. Lateral lobes rectangular with rounded edges, projected laterally.

Wings. Tegmina large and oval. Alae reaching pronotal apex; dark brown to black with orange venation.

Legs. Anterior femora expanded in the proximal half. Middle femora wholly expanded, with a shallow indentation in middle of dorsal margin and small tubercle in middle of ventral margin. Anterior and middle tibiae a little expanded in middle. Anterior and middle tarsi with long first segment and extremely long second segment. Hind femur robust, with three tubercles on dorsal margin; long and sharp antegenicular tooth, genicular tooth moderately sized and smooth. Hind tibia thin, serrated along caudal margin. Hind tarsus long; first segment extremely long, with two small sharp proximal pulvilli and longer distal pulvillus; pulvilli clearly separated from each other; third segment approximately equally long as first.

Terminalia. Ovipositor elongated, serrated.

Diagnosis.

Crest extending from anterior part of prozona to the level of the hind knee; forming three distinct peaks, diminishing in size, one above head, one above tegmen, and one past hind femur insertion point. Edge of crest jagged. Anterior margin of crest with two distinct protrusions (excluding the one at the corner of anterior and dorsal margins). Crest strongly undulated in dorsal view. Apex of lateral lobes weakly bilobated with rounded edges.

Comparative diagnosis.

Distinct from L. ( C.) unicristatus and L. ( C.) hancocki by distinctly rounded edges of apex of lateral lobes of the pronotum (sharp in the former two species) and straight anterior margin of the crest (concave in former two). Most similar to L. ( C.) alticristatus , but differentiated by distinctly rounded edges of apex of lateral lobes (sharp in L. ( C.) alticristatus ), anterior margin of crest with two distinct protrusions, excluding the one at the corner of anterior and dorsal margin (three distinct protrusions in L. ( C.) alticristatus , with the additional one residing near the base of pronotum), and middle protrusion on the anterior margin of crest shaped like a simple spine (composed of two tubercles in L. ( C.) alticristatus ). The illustration of characters used to differentiate L. ( C.) verhaaghi sp. nov. and L. ( C.) alticristatus is provided in Fig. 2 .

Type series.

Peru • 1 ♀ holotype; Panguana, Dept. Huanuco, Rio Llullapichis ; -9.616667, -74.933333; 20.XI-7.XII.2008; E. Diller leg; UNMSM .

Type locality.

Panguana, Dept. Huanuco, Rio Llullapichis.

Measurements.

BL 10, 8; VW 1, 4; EW 0, 58; SW 0, 28; PL 14, 7; PLW 4, 07; PH 6, 25; TL 1, 94; TW 0, 75; AL 12, 22; FFL 2, 46; FFW 0, 61; MFL 2, 81; MFW 0.95; PFL 5, 8; PFW 2, 3; HTL 5, 05; FTL 1, 04; TTL 0, 97; SPL 0, 9; ODL 1, 51; OVL 1, 56

Distribution.

Peru, potentially present across the western margin of the Amazonian region.

Etymology.

The specific epithet is the Latinized genitive of the surname Verhaagh. The species is named in dedication to Dr. Manfred Verhaagh ( SMNK, Karlsruhe, Germany) for his lifelong work on insects, specifically also Peruvian ants, and his strong interest in communicating science to the public.

Notes.

We 3 D scanned the holotype of this species, and the model is available in the RADAR 4 KIT repository at https://dx.doi.org/10.35097/q6vpw436jjshv9aj. For a discussion on the utility of 3 D scans in Tetrigidae taxonomy, see Kasalo et al. (2024).

Figures

Figure 1. The female holotype of Lophotettix verhaaghi sp. nov. A. Localities where L. verhaaghi sp. nov. (red circle: type locality; blue circle: resembling L. verhaaghi sp. nov.) and L. alticristatus (blue triangle) have been recorded; B. Head in frontal view; C. Body in dorsal view; D. Body in lateral view; E. Digital 3 D reconstruction based on synchrotron X-ray microtomography. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figure 2. The comparison of diagnostic characters in Lophotettix verhaaghi sp. nov. and L. alticristatus. A. Apex of lateral lobe in L. verhaaghi sp. nov. has rounded edges; B. Apex of lateral lobes in L. alticristatus has sharp edges; C. Anterior margin of crest in L. verhaaghi sp. nov. lacks the bottom protrusion, while the middle protrusion is shaped like a simple spine; D. Anterior margin of crest in L. alticristatus exhibits the bottom protrusion, while the middle protrusion is composed of two tubercles. Photos of L. alticristatus: Josef Tumbrinck.