Spinaraptor Mendes, Sobral & Silva-Neto, 2024

Mendes, Diego Matheus De Mello, Sobral, Rafael & Neto, Alberto Moreira Da Silva, 2024, The Spine Raptor-a new genus of predatory katydid (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Meconematinae: Phlugidini) from the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest, Zootaxa 5492 (4), pp. 545-562 : 546-550

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5492.4.4
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:CD7C22DD-82E0-4C5F-985F-DC1F0363F74F
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13268986
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/267987E5-FFAE-2F60-FF60-FAF3FEA100C6
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Spinaraptor Mendes, Sobral & Silva-Neto
status	gen. nov.

Treatment

Spinaraptor Mendes, Sobral & Silva-Neto View in CoL gen. nov.

Figures 1–18 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 4 View FIGURE 5 View FIGURE 6 View FIGURE 7 View FIGURE 8 View FIGURE 9 View FIGURE 10 View FIGURE 11 View FIGURE 12 View FIGURE 13 View FIGURE 14 View FIGURE 15 View FIGURE 16 View FIGURE 17 View FIGURE 18

Type-species. Spinaraptor taja sp. nov.

Grammatical gender. Masculine.

Diagnosis. Subgenital plate narrow, elongated and shorter in length than styli; styli elongated and forwardfacing, forming together with the subgenital plate an angle of almost 90° in relation to the tergite X ( Figs. 4H–J View FIGURE 4 , 14F–H View FIGURE 14 , 15A–C View FIGURE 15 and 16A–C View FIGURE 16 ). Cercus elongated, acuminate and without projections ( Figs. 4H–J View FIGURE 4 , 14F–H View FIGURE 14 , 15A–C View FIGURE 15 and 16A–C View FIGURE 16 ). Body slender and elongated ( Figs. 4A View FIGURE 4 , 8 View FIGURE 8 , 14A View FIGURE 14 , and 17A View FIGURE 17 ). Foreleg long, narrow; anterior tibia with long ventral spines ( Figs. 4E View FIGURE 4 , 8 View FIGURE 8 , 14A View FIGURE 14 , and 17A View FIGURE 17 ). Male genitalia without the presence of titillator sclerite ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 ).

Description.

Head dorsally with short fastigium-vertex, not forming projection, in frontal, lateral and dorsal view ( Figs. 4B–C View FIGURE 4 ). Eyes large, round and projecting ( Figs. 4B–C View FIGURE 4 ). Pronotal disc narrow and elongated, in dorsal view ( Fig. 4D View FIGURE 4 ); dorsal margin without carina, anteromedially straight and posteriorly projected upwards, in lateral view ( Fig. 4C View FIGURE 4 ). Dorsal-lateral suture short and sinuous, in lateral view ( Fig. 4C View FIGURE 4 ). Furcal suture curved, in dorsal view ( Fig. 4D View FIGURE 4 ). Dorsal-lateral suture and furcal suture concolorous with pronotal disc ( Figs. 4C–D View FIGURE 4 ). Tegmina narrow, hyaline, with the apex slightly curved ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 ). Vein R straight and with small branches straight and transversal ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 ). Vein M with the base fused with the base of the vein Cu; vein M with a single bifurcation near the base of the vein Cu, with the MA branch parallel to vein R and the MP branch following without bifurcations to the apex of the tegmina ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 ). Vein Cu bifurcated near the posterior margin of the tegmina; vein CuP short, reaching the median region of the tegmina and long CuA vein reaching the apical region of the tegmina ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 ). Legs long and slender ( Figs. 4A, D–F View FIGURE 4 ). Femora with a widened base and narrowing towards the apex ( Figs. 4A, D–F View FIGURE 4 ). Fore femur slightly curved, with seven narrow ventral spines: three on the anterior margin and four on the posterior margin ( Fig. 4F View FIGURE 4 ). Fore tibia sinuous, with the basal region slightly concave and medio posteriorly curved, in lateral view ( Fig. 4E View FIGURE 4 ); tympanum open and ventral region of fore tibia with five pairs of long and narrow spines ( Fig. 4E View FIGURE 4 ). Mid femur slightly curved and without spines, in lateral view ( Fig. 4F View FIGURE 4 ). Mid tibia with the basal half enlarged and straight; the apical half curved and acuminated; ventral region with three small recurved spines, in lateral view ( Fig. 4F View FIGURE 4 ). Hind femur enlarged at basal half, with several small ventral spines, in lateral view ( Fig. 4A View FIGURE 4 ). Hind tibia straight with long, narrow and several curved dorsal spines; apical half with dorsal and ventral margin with clusters of short, dense bristles ( Fig. 4A View FIGURE 4 ). All legs with short bristles ( Figs. 4E–H View FIGURE 4 ). Cercus narrow, acuminate, without projections and slightly curved inward ( Figs. 4H–J View FIGURE 4 ). Male genitalia without the presence of titillator sclerite ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 ).

Additional taxonomic notes. Spinaraptor gen. nov. appears most closely related to Phlugis White, 1862 . Phlugis has a wide body shape (and slender body in Spinaraptor gen. nov.); fore legs short and thick, with thick ventral spines of the median tibia and blunt apex (versus fore legs long and slender, with long, slender ventral tibial spines with acuminate apex in Spinaraptor gen. nov.); subgenital plate long, with the insertion region of the styli base extending beyond the apex of the cercus, in lateral view (versus subgenital plate short, with the insertion region of the styli base not exceeding the apex of the cercus in Spinaraptor gen. nov., in lateral view); stylus widened and short, with a truncated apical region (versus stylus narrow and elongated, with the apical region widened and curved in Spinaraptor gen. nov.).

Another important factor in this differentiation is the morphology of the male internal genitalia ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 ): in Phlugis we have the general shape of the dorsal lobe laterally elongated and curved upwards, with a shape similar to an anchor and the presence of two strongly sclerotized, elongated and acuminate sclerites of the titillator ( Fig. 2B–C View FIGURE 2 ) (versus a general shape of the dorsal lobe elongated, asymmetrical and without the presence of sclerites of the titillator in Spinaraptor gen. nov.).

Etymology. From Latin word Spina = spine, thorn + raptor = thief, meaning spine raptor. In reference to the long spines of anterior tibia and the predatory habit of these katydids.

Distribution. Brazil (Amazonas, Mato Grosso), Ecuador (Morona Santiago) , Peru (Iquitos) and Paraguay (Alto Paraguay).