Cockscomb-shaped twighopper, Cladonotus bhaskari sp. n., a new and rare pygmy grasshopper species from Sri Lanka (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae: Cladonotinae)
Author
Tumbrinck, Josef
0000-0002-8955-7934
Auf der Hees 1, D- 41849 Wassenberg, Germany & j. tumbrinck @ t-online. de; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 8955 - 7934
j.tumbrinck@t-online.de
Author
Deranja, Maks
0000-0002-5710-1916
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Division of Zoology, Evolution Lab, Rooseveltov trg 6, HR- 10000 Zagreb, Croatia & maks. deranja @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 5710 - 1916 & karmela. adzic @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 6223 - 4759 & marko 09. pavlovic @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 2956 - 6548 & skejo. josip @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 2554 - 4499
maks.deranja@gmail.com
Author
Adžić, Karmela
0000-0002-5710-1916
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Division of Zoology, Evolution Lab, Rooseveltov trg 6, HR- 10000 Zagreb, Croatia & maks. deranja @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 5710 - 1916 & karmela. adzic @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 6223 - 4759 & marko 09. pavlovic @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 2956 - 6548 & skejo. josip @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 2554 - 4499
maks.deranja@gmail.com
Author
Pavlović, Marko
0000-0002-5710-1916
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Division of Zoology, Evolution Lab, Rooseveltov trg 6, HR- 10000 Zagreb, Croatia & maks. deranja @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 5710 - 1916 & karmela. adzic @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 6223 - 4759 & marko 09. pavlovic @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 2956 - 6548 & skejo. josip @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 2554 - 4499
maks.deranja@gmail.com
Author
Skejo, Josip
0000-0002-5710-1916
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Division of Zoology, Evolution Lab, Rooseveltov trg 6, HR- 10000 Zagreb, Croatia & maks. deranja @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 5710 - 1916 & karmela. adzic @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 6223 - 4759 & marko 09. pavlovic @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 2956 - 6548 & skejo. josip @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 2554 - 4499 & Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Institut für Molekulare Evolution, Universitätsstrasse 1, D- 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany & skejo. josip @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 2554 - 4499
maks.deranja@gmail.com
text
Zootaxa
2020
2020-07-31
4821
2
333
342
journal article
8913
10.11646/zootaxa.4821.2.5
0a19a58a-3c20-48b6-9065-2834e2b6fb81
1175-5326
4398711
85592B74-0D95-4931-919D-5AF86F891DB0
IV) Cockscomb-shaped twighopper,
Cladonotus bhaskari
sp. n.
(for the photo of the
holotype
in natural habitat see
Figure 1
, for dry
holotype
deposited in the museum collection see
Figure 2
, and for the distribution please refer to
Figure 3
).
Type series information
.
1 holotype female
SRI LANKA
: Sabaragamawa: Sinharaja rainforest (
N6.379331
,
E80.470206
) leg. T. Kirschey
19.XI.2016
. (ZFMK). The
holotype
is deposited in Museum Koenig in Bonn, Germany (ZFMK).
Type locality and distribution
. Known only from a single female (
holotype
) from the type locality—SRI LANKA: Sabaragamawa: Sinharaja rainforest (
N6.379331
,
E80.470206
). The species inhabits rainforests.
Etymology
. The species is named in honor of Dhanesh Bhaskar, our colleague and friend from
Kerala
,
India
, who is a specialist in grasshoppers (especially pygmy grasshoppers) of the Western Ghats. Mr. Bhaskar has hitherto described one new
Tettilobus
species. The specific epitheton is noun of the second Latin declension in genitive case; derived from the surname ‘Bhaskar’, the name of Dhaneesh’s father, in Latin declension ‘N
bhaskarus,
G
bhaskari
’.
Specific diagnosis
(for comparison see
Table 2
,
Table 3
, and
Figure 3
). This species is easily separated from its congeners by its unique pronotal morphology. Unlike
C. humbertianus
and
C. turrifer
,
C. bhaskari
sp. n.
has straight promedial projection; unlike
C. turrifer
and
C. latiramus
,
C. bhaskari
sp. n.
has shorter promedial projection; unlike
C. humbertianus
and
C. latiramus
,
C. bhaskari
sp. n.
has long frontomedial projection; and finally, unlike any other species, in
C. bhaskari
sp. n.
promedial projection starts as a narrow protuberance, and then suddenly widens into an axe-shaped/a cockscomb-shaped apex (see
Figure 2A
). For
measurements please
refer to the
Table 3
.
Holotype
description (female).
General appearance
(
Figure 1
,
Figure 2
).
Holotype
of
C. bhaskari
sp. n.
is the largest known specimen of the genus
Cladonotus
, what could be due to the fact this is the only known female. Female pygmy grasshoppers are larger than males. Body is robust, dark in coloration, dark brown in the living specimen, while pale brown when the specimen is dried. Whole body—head, pronotum and legs—covered in fine and minute spine-like tubercles (
Figure 1
,
Figure 2
). Pronotum bears two black spots behind the shoulders.
Head
(
Figure 2E
) is, like the rest of the body, very spiky. Vertex is 1.9 times as wide as a compound eye, covered in numerous granules, and has truncated frontal margin. Median carina is short and indistinct; lateral and transverse carinae weakly elevated. In the lateral view, the vertex between the eyes cannot be seen, because of the prominence of the compound eyes, while in the frontal view the median part of the vertex raises above the level of the dorsal margin of the compound eyes, and is indeed the highest part of the fastigium. Frontal costa runs long before the bifurcation, which is positioned just between the compound eyes and bears a few prominent spines, two of which can be observed in the lateral view (
Figure 2A
). Facial carinae run after the bifurcation in strongly divergent fashion, with two concavities, and are strongly widened ventrad, forming a wide scutellum.
Pronotum
. Pronotum of this species is unique within the genus. The whole anterior part of the pronotum stands about
0.2 mm
higher than the posterior part. All the carinae are covered in tubercles and spines. Anterior margin of the pronotum bears a few strong spines (
Figure 2A
) and projects before the head in a spine-like fashion. In the lateral view, the anterior margin (also known as the frontomedial projection or FM) surpasses the frontmost part of the frontal costa by
0.35 mm
. The highest and the largest projection on the pronotum, as in the other species of the genus, is certainly the promedial projection. It is in this species partially fused with frontomedial projection, forming one L-shaped meta-projection. Promedial projection starts in the dorsum, about
1 mm
behind the eyes, as a narrow projection, and in its narrowest part measures
0.5 mm
, while some
1.8 mm
from the apex, it suddenly widens and measures 2.0 mm in its widest part. The tip of the projection has a cockscomb shape, with five evident apices (
Fig. 2A
). Promedial projection of this species strongly differs from those reported in other species of the genus. Shoulders are not armed with teeth or projections, except the fine spines present in all the pronotal carinae. Median carina is continuous and equipped with evident spines along its entire length. Median carina is the carina projected into frontal and promedian spine. Depression is present behind the shoulders, where the black dots are situated. Pronotum has a weakly bilobate, truncated apex, on each corner of which there is one large spine, pale colored and with dark apex. Tegminal sinus absent. Infrascapular area long and wide. Ventral sinus deep and evident. Paranota of the pronotum granulated and carinated.Apices of the lateral lobes of the paranota in dorsal view projected outwards and armed with serrated ventrolateral projections.
Wings
. Tegmina, the fore wings, and alae, the hind wings, are not visible. In order to check this character, we would need to remove pronotum from the specimen and uncover the thorax. Because we have a single specimen this is not possible. Wings are probably completely reduced and, if present, covered by the infrascapular area of the pronotum (probably the apterous or the vestigial
type
in
Zha
et al.
2020
).
Fore legs
(
Figure 2B
).
Femora
stout and with very spiky surface; bearing strong spines on the dorsal and ventral margins, two of which are especially evident on each of the margins.
Tibiae
dark with two pale rings, equipped with minute spines.
Tarsi.
Proximal tarsal segment short and pale colored. Distal long, dark and with a pale ring, bearing pale colored claws at the tip.
Mid legs
(
Figure 2B
). Similar to fore legs, except there is a long spine just at the knee of the mid femur.
Hind legs
(
Figure 2B, 2C
).
Femora
robust, 2.7 times as long as wide; ventral margin with minute teeth; dorsal margin with three toothed plates (lappets), of which one is antegenicular tooth. Genicular teeth smaller, but also armoured with saw-like teeth. Outer surface equipped with three prominent spines armoured with minute teeth.
Hind tibiae
dark, bearing 5-7 spines on the dorsal margins.
Hind tarsi
. First and third segments elongated, subequal in length. First and second pulvilli of the proximal segment angular and equal in size, third pulvillus elongated, two times as long as previous one, but with smoother apex (
Figure 2D
).
FIGURE 2. The cockscomb-shaped twighopper in a museum collection.
Holotype female of
Cladonotus bhaskari
sp. n.
A—detail of the fronto-dorsal projection, B—lateral view, C—dorsal view, D—pulvilli of the hind tarsi, and E—head in frontal view.
Abdomen
(
Figure 2B
). Dark, almost black, and so is the ovipositor. Parts of the abdomen are covered in rough integument, while other parts are smooth. Dorsal and ventral valvulae elongated. Cerci black and smooth. Teeth on the dorsal and ventral valvulae evident, minute.
Male not known
. This species is described from a female
holotype
only. Based on the size in other species (
Table 3
), male is probably slightly smaller in size.