Teratodinae, Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1893

Sultana, Riffat & Song, Hojun, 2024, Annotated catalogue of Pakistani Acrididae (Orthoptera: Caelifera: Acridoidea), Zootaxa 5486 (1), pp. 1-47 : 32

Teratodinae

( Fig.7 )

Geographical Distribution: Pakistan ( Uvarov 1931) (Pre-partition of Indian sub-continent), ( Wagan & Sultana 2013 and Sultana & Wagan 2015).

Comments

Teratodinae is a little-known subfamily, with a very small number of described species (23) within eight genera. Among these genera, only Kabulia is found in Pakistan, which includes three species: K. balucha , K. evansi , and K. kostylevi . All described species are Palearctic and restricted to Balochistan. Ramme established the genus Kabulia , which includes two remarkable flightless grasshoppers, K. afghana from Afghanistan and Kabulia indica from India. Later, Uvarov added two more species, K. balucha and K. evansi , from Baluchistan, Pakistan. The genus harbors rich Pakistani holotype diversity, including K. kostylevi . Usually, teratodines prefer arid environments; however, some are found in areas with desert grass and acacia thorn bushes. All species appear to be thermophilic, i.e., living in bushes or shrubs), possibly associated with Malvaceous shrubs ( Kevan 1949, Donskoff 1977). Although flightless, these insects can leap several feet at a time, with one leap by a male measured at approximately seven feet (Kavan 1949). It has been noticed that Kabulia seems to be very rare in appearance and, to date, is only known from the type locality Balochistan. Currently, five specimens, two of each K. balucha , and K. kostylevi , and a single individual of K. evansi , have been reported. However, the last specimen was collected for the first time from the Juniper Forest in Ziarat, a protected area in Balochistan. The present study suggests that further additions to the number of species can be confidently expected when the fauna of the Palearctic region is better explored.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Distribution of Melanoplinae, Spathosterninae, Teratodinae, Tropidopolinae, Coptacrinae in various ecological zones of Pakistan