Astyloplatum luteolum, Cadena-Castañeda & Castañeda & Garay & García, 2023

Cadena-Castañeda, Oscar J., Castañeda, Didier, Garay, Andrea & García, Alexander García, 2023, Studies on Raspy Crickets: Astyloplatum n. gen. a new gryllacrid genus from Colombian Andes (Orthoptera: Gryllacrididae), Zootaxa 5293 (1), pp. 171-178 : 175-176

Astyloplatum luteolum n. sp.

( Figs. 1–4 )

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Orthoptera .speciesfile.org:TaxonName:522680

Etymology. Name regarding its yellowish and ochre coloration of this species, derived from the Latin luteum.

Holotype. Male. Colombia, Boyacá, Coper, Vereda Turtur , sector San Ignacio. 5.4284, -73.9902. 1200 m. 15 January 2010. O.J. Cadena-Castañeda ( CAUD).

Paratypes. A male and a female same data as holotype. A male. Colombia, Santander, Encino , 6.151933, - 73.067858. 2250 m. 2 October 2005. S. Martínez ( CAUD)

Description. In addition to the characters of the genus: Male. Small-size (18–20 mm.) ( Fig. 1 ). Coloration. Body ocher with faint yellow stripes on the pronotum ( Fig. 2B ) and legs, genicular area of the femora ( Fig. 2E ), and base of the tibiae faded yellowish brown ( Fig. 2D ); eyes black with depigmented rear and dorsal margin ( Figs. 2B, C ). Head. Dorsal edge of vertex rounded and protruding upwards ( Figs. 2A–C ). Labrum rectangular wider than high, clypeus ovoid; symmetrical mandibles ( Fig. 2A ); maxillary palps with the third and fourth segment subequal, fifth segment longer than the third or fourth; last segment of the labial palp rounded, and with the inner edge flattened ( Fig. 2C ). Pronotum. Smooth and shiny, pronotal disc wider than long, anterior margin rounded, posterior margin straight ( Fig. 2B ), lower border of lateral lobes straight, and corners rounded ( Fig. 2C ). Legs covered by several hairs, but more abundant on the fore and mid tibiae ( Fig. 2D ). Hind femur ventrally armed with four to six spines on the outer margin and two to five on the inner margin placed from the middle of the femur towards the apex. Hind tibia is dorsally armed with four outer spines and four or five inners ( Fig. 2E ). Wings. ScP vein connects near the apex of ScA; later divides into two branches distally. Rs vein bifurcates over the last distal third of the tegmina, dividing near the apex into two veins. MA vein not forked and differentiating at the base. CuA vein bifurcating close to the middle of the tegmina. CuP and anal veins originating independently and without branches ( Fig. 2F ).

Abdomen. First abdominal tergite with a stridulation file, second tergite with two files, longitudinally traversing the bottom of each tergite, both on the right and left side of the tergite. Tenth tergite subtly elongated in the center of the posterior edge in two plates ( Figs. 2G, H ), each in the shape of a semicircle, with the posterior edge almost straight, outlined in black, and with several denticles on edge ( Fig. 2H ). Under the posterior border of the last tergite, the epiproct is located with two triangular plates with sharp edges outlined in black ( Fig. 2I ). Paraprocts moderately sclerosed, without any modification. Cerci thin 1.5 times longer than the subgenital plate ( Figs. 2G, H ). Subgenital plate almost as long as wide, posterior edge with two conical projections on each side, in the middle of these, the posterior edge emarginates, slightly exceeding the lateral projections, and rounded ( Fig. 2J ). Phallic complex. dl rounded and covered with microstructures, from which hairs emerge, forming the ti; df thin and over the anterior part of the phallus ( Fig. 3A ). up.vl as two rounded sublobes, and longer than the other lobes; lw.vl rectangular, with the apex slightly truncated and the lateral edges gradually diverging to the sides ( Fig. 3B ). Ejd wide and without sclerotized structures; ejv elongate, curving ventrally and inwardly, surrounding the ejd in ventral view ( Fig. 3B ).

Female. Similar to the male in shape and size ( Fig. 4A ). The color of the body is lighter ochre, and the stripes on the vertex ( Fig. 4B ), pronotum ( Figs. 4C, D ), and hind femur are faded gray ( Fig. 4F ). The tegminae reach the anterior border of the ninth tergite ( Fig. 4H ). Epiproct ovoid, unmodified; subgenital plate long, emerging at the level of the eighth abdominal segment, with a rounded posterior edge, and with a fold of integument originating internally before the apex and protruding from it ( Fig. 4G ).

Measurements (mm) males/female: LB: 18–20 / 20. Pr: 4–4.5 / 4. Teg: 14–15 / 14. HF: 9–10 / 9. HT: 9.5–10/ 9. SP: 2–2.5 / 2.5. Ov: 7.5.

Variation. Only the number of spines on the femora or tibiae, which vary even in the same specimen, a male paratype had five spines on the outer margin and only two spines on the inner one.

Comments. The specimens collected in Coper, Boyacá, were found at night on citrus plants (tangerine) but were very fast and hard to capture. The males vibrated on the leaves and arranged their antennae in front of the body. The female also projected the antennae and touched with them the leaves where the males trembled, approaching each other to copulate later.

iNaturalist photographs of a male specimen of this species have been found, and the link is shared below: Moniquirá, Boyacá (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/131778261). With the above data, the distribution of this species occurs between 1200 m. at 2250 m., in the humid and high Andean forests of the eastern slope of the Andes Mountains range, on the side that borders the Magdalena River valley in the departments of Boyacá and Santander.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Astyloplatum luteolum n. gen. et n. sp. Male habitus A. Lateral and B. Dorsal view.

FIGURE 2. Astyloplatum luteolum n. gen. et n. sp. Male. A. Frons. B-C. Head and pronotum in dorsal and lateral view respectively. D. Fore leg. E. Hind leg. F. Tegmina venation. G. Terminalia in lateral view. H. Terminalia in axial view. I. Details of denticles of tenth tergite and epiproctus. J. Subgenital plate.

FIGURE 3. Astyloplatum luteolum n. gen. et n. sp. Male genitalia. A. Dorsal. B. Ventral views.

FIGURE 4. Astyloplatum luteolum n. gen. et n. sp. Female. A. Habitus. B. Frons. C–D. Head and pronotum in dorsal and lateral view respectively. E. Fore leg. F. Hind leg. G. Subgenital plate. H. Terminalia in lateral view.