Three new cricket species and a new subgenus of Endecous Saussure, 1878 (Grylloidea: Phalangopsidae) from caves in northeastern Brazil
Author
Carvalho, Pedro Henrique Mendes
Centro de Estudos em Biologia Subterrânea (www. biologiasubterranea. com. br), Setor de Biodiversidade Subterrânea, Departamento de Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Cx Postal 3037, Campus Universitário, CEP 37200 - 000, Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Author
Junta, Vitor Gabriel Pereira
Centro de Estudos em Biologia Subterrânea (www. biologiasubterranea. com. br), Setor de Biodiversidade Subterrânea, Departamento de Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Cx Postal 3037, Campus Universitário, CEP 37200 - 000, Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Author
Castro-Souza, Rodrigo Antônio
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Departamento de Botânica e Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso, Rua Fernando Corrêa da Costa 2367, Cuiabá, 78060 - 900, Brazil.
Author
Ferreira, Rodrigo Lopes
Centro de Estudos em Biologia Subterrânea (www. biologiasubterranea. com. br), Setor de Biodiversidade Subterrânea, Departamento de Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Cx Postal 3037, Campus Universitário, CEP 37200 - 000, Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
text
Zootaxa
2023
2023-04-04
5263
1
1
39
http://dx.doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-04-22-0755-PDN
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.5263.1.1
1175-5326
7797711
3386FD59-2075-4F6A-8B21-B36C7F463EA9
Is
Endecous
(
Ramalhoecous
)
infernalis
n. sp.
a troglobitic species?
The length of the compound eyes of
E.
(
E
.)
zin
n. sp.
,
E
. (
E
.)
zaum
n. sp.
and
E
. (
R
.)
infernalis
n. sp.
are similar, even though the three species have different body sizes. Through morphometric analyses, it was verified that the compound eyes of
E.
(
R
.)
infernalis
n. sp.
are reduced when compared to the compound eyes of
E
. (
E
.)
zin
n. sp.
Besides that, it was found that the legs I and II of
E
. (
R
.)
infernalis
n. sp.
are elongated when compared to the legs I and II of
E.
(
E
.)
zin
n. sp.
and
E
. (
E
.)
zaum
n. sp.
The reduction of ocular structures and elongation of ambulatory appendages are well known troglomorphisms (
Desutter-Grandcolas 1998b
) and have now been observed in
E
. (
R
.)
infernalis
n. sp.
Those characteristics represent adaptations to a strictly subterranean lifestyle, and are, therefore, indicative of the troglobitic nature of this species. Nonetheless, conducting the inventory of the fauna in the surroundings of the caves where
E
. (
R
.)
infernalis
n. sp.
were found may further validated this hypothesis.