A new species of tree crickets Oecanthus (Orthoptera, Gryllidae, Oecanthinae) in tobacco plantation from Southern Brazil, with body color variation

Abstract

We provide herein a description of a new species of Oecanthus collected from the tobacco plantation in southern Brazil, municipality of São Lourenço do Sul, State of Rio Grande do Sul. Description focused metanotal gland features, phallic sclerites, and calling song. A large sampling of individuals was distributed into four groups according to body and appendages color and dotted. We also rank all kind of marks present in the scape and pedicel. We compare linear morphometric variables of the metanotal glands and tegmina, as well as calling song parameters between groups in order do define all of them as the same species. Photographs and measurements are provided.

New species of tree cricket Oecanthus Serville, 1831 (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Oecanthinae) from Reserva Natural Vale, Espírito Santo, Brazil, with chromosome complement

“…shows pseudepiphallic main lobe triangular with rounded apex, as well as ectophallic sclerite U-bifurcate. Later may be observed when sclerites are analyzed separately, as was done in this work, and also by Zefa et al (2012) and Milach et al (2015).…”

“…The O. valensis n. sp. phallic complex is similar to species O. pictus, O. pallidus and O. lineolatus, all of them documented in Brazilian territory (Zefa et al, 2012;Milach et al 2015. ), differing on the pseudepiphallus morphology, since O. valensis n. sp.…”

“…Male genitalia (Figs 25-30). Similar as O. pictus (Milach et al 2015), differing in pseudepiphallic main lobe with triangular lobes and rounded apex, and ectophallic sclerite posteriorly U-bifurcate with inner branches forming an ectophallic fold.…”

“…Six species of Oecanthus were described from Brazil, O. minutus Saussure, 1878 from state of Pernambuco, O. pictipes Rehn, 1917 state of Rio Grande do Norte, O. tenuis Walker, 1869 state of Pará, and O. pallidus Zefa, 2012, O. lineolatus Saussure, 1897and O. pictus Milach & Zefa, 2015, last three from state of Rio Grande do Sul, and collected on a tobacco plantation (Zefa et al 2012;Milach et al 2015). According to our field experience there may be more than one hundred of undescribed species in different Brazilian biomes.…”

“…Almost all Oecanthus species are pale green or brown, with translucent tegmina. Species diagnosis usually is done by combining scape and pedicel marks, with calling song parameters, tegmina, metanotal gland, phallic sclerites, and chromosomes (Walker 1963;Toms & Otte 1988;Metrani & Balakrishnan 2005;Zefa et al 2012;Milach et al 2015).…”