Review of the tribe Amorphopini (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae: Metrodorinae): Pygmy moss-lichen tetrigids from the Amazon rainforest
Author
Cadena-Castaneda, Oscar J.
Universidad INCCA de Colombia. Grupo en Ecologia Evolutiva y Biogeografia Tropical ECOBIT, Bogota, Colombia. & Universidad Distrital Francisco Jose de Caldas. Grupo de Investigacion en Artropodos " Kumangui ", Bogota, Colombia.
ojccorthoptera@gmail.com
Author
Silva, Daniela Santos Martins
Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude, Universidade Federal de Vicosa (UFV) - campus Rio Paranaiba, 38810 - 000, Rio Paranaiba - MG, Brazil.
Author
Mendes, Diego Matheus De Mello
Laboratorio de Entomologia Sistematica, Urbana e Forense. Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonia (INPA), CEP 69060 - 001, Manaus, AM, Brazil.
Author
Pereira, Marcelo Ribeiro
Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude, Universidade Federal de Vicosa (UFV) - campus Rio Paranaiba, 38810 - 000, Rio Paranaiba - MG, Brazil.
Author
Domenico, Fernando Campos De
Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), 04263 - 000, Sao Paulo - SP, Brazil.
Author
Sperber, Carlos Frankl
Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo, Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), 04263 - 000, Sao Paulo - SP, Brazil.
text
Journal of Orthoptera Research
2020
29
1
45
62
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/jor.29.33717
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/jor.29.33717
1937-2426-1-45
647877CDF0434952841920D0F18EA28C
1D3609CADB1D568ABC40741E117DB0B1
Eomorphopus Hancock, 1907
Type species
Eomorphopus antennatus
(
Bolivar
, 1887).
Description
Body moderately depressed dorsoventrally (Figs
4A
,
5A
), granulate and moderately rugose. Eyes slightly conical with a flattened base; vertex narrowed forward, truncate anteriorly, not advancing beyond the eyes; frontal costa with a narrow scutellum between the antennae and moderately sulcate (Figs
4D
,
5D
), lateral lobes outwardly dilated below, the posterior angles oblong (Figs
4C
,
5C
,
6D
) or acute (Figs
8D
,
9D
). Tegmina sublanceolate and wings surpassing the pronotum apex (Figs
4A
,
8A
). Fore femur strongly carinate, but not entirely clypeate (Figs
6E
,
8E
,
9E
); mid femur flattened, margins above sub-straight, below strongly foliaceo-expanded, often sinuate toward the apices (Figs
6F
,
8F
,
9F
); antegenicular tooth of hind femur developed; the first and third articles of the hind tarsi equal in length.
Fig. 4.
Eomorphopus granulatus
(female lectotype)
A.
Lateral left habitus;
B.
Lateral right habitus;
C.
Dorsal view;
D.
Head details in frontal view; and
E.
Labels. Scale bars: 5 mm.
Fig. 5.
Eomorphopus granulatus
(male paralectotype)
A.
Lateral left habitus;
B.
Lateral right habitus;
C.
Dorsal view;
D.
Head details in frontal view; and
E.
Labels. Scale bars: 5 mm.
Fig. 6.
Eomorphopus granulatus
(male not a type)
A.
Habitus in lateral view;
B.
Frons;
C.
Head, lateral lobes of pronotum and tegmina in lateral view;
D.
Habitus in dorsal view;
E.
Fore-femur;
F.
Mid-femur;
G.
Terminalia in ventral view; and
H.
In lateral view.
Comments.
-
For a long time,
Eomorphopus
species were described as
Amorphopus
, except for
E. purpurascens
, which was originally described as
Acrydium purpurascens
by
Olivier (1791)
and is still almost unknown, without photos and with scant morphological information. Additionally, some of the available morphological information on
E. purpurascens
is non-traditional, such as the description of the coloration used by Oliver (1791). Characteristics of this kind can be lost over time (e.g., wings with purplish coloration). Furthermore, the type species was not defined in the original description and the depository is unknown. The distribution is known only for Trinidad Island (
Olivier 1791
). For that reason, we propose as
nomen dubius
this species, and
Eomorphopus
only contains two valid species:
E. granulosus
and
E. antennatus
.
Behavioral notes
The Brazilian specimens were collected in lowland floodplains in areas of the
Solimoes
River and non-flooding ombrophilous forests (Terra Firme). They are commonly found in litter on the ground and occasionally on trunks of fallen trees. They are usually found in the same environment with other pygmy grasshoppers, such as
Scaria
(
Cadena-Castaneda
et al. 2019
). They are easily unnerved and usually jump when approached.