Zvierckia sarasinorum ( Günther, 1937 ) Skejo & Husemann & Jr & Tumbrinck & Pushkar & Pavlović & Mohagan & Pamin & Kasalo, 2024

Skejo, Josip, Husemann, Martin, Jr, Romeo Patano, Tumbrinck, Josef, Pushkar, Taras I., Pavlović, Marko, Mohagan, Alma, Pamin, Jan-Henrik & Kasalo, Niko, 2024, Revision of the polyphyletic genus Hirrius Bolívar, 1887 (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae), with descriptions of three new genera and insights into antennal sensilla morphology, Zootaxa 5524 (1), pp. 1-61 : 39-41

Zvierckia sarasinorum ( Günther, 1937) , comb. nov.

Vernacular name: “ Sulawesi Spiky Pygmy Devil” ( Fig. 23 , 25 , 26 )

Historical mentions: As Hirrius sarasinorum Günther 1937: 176 ; Blackith 1992: 90; As Zvierckia sarasinorum Skejo, 2017: 191 (not valid nor published combination as Diploma thesis cannot be regarded as a publication under ICZN 1999).

Type specimens examined. 1♀ holotype ‘ Celebes Ile Ile 500 m 11.12.1930 G Heinrich leg.’ ‘ Hirrius sarasinorum K. Günther’ ‘Typus’ ( MfN) ; 3♂♂ paratypes ‘ Celebes Ile Ile 500 m 11.12.1930 G Heinrich leg.’ ‘ Hirrius sarasinorum K. Günther’ ‘Typus’ ( MfN) .

Type specimens not examined. 1♀ paratype ‘ Nord Celebes Toli Toli , 11.XII.1895., Fruhstorfer leg.’ (Stettin) ; 1♂ paratype ‘ Celebes Ile Ile 500 m 11.12.1930 G Heinrich leg.’ ( MfN or SMTD) ; 1♀ paratype ‘ Celebes’ ‘Dres. Sarasin legrnt.’ ( NHMB = NMBA) .

Annotated diagnosis. In lateral view, the disc of the pronotum almost straight, except for the caudal part in which pronotum gradually descends. Lateral lobes of the pronotum bearing spines (ventrolateral, VL projections). Vertex 1.55 times as wide as an eye in males, and 1.64 times in females. Face 4.10 times as wide as an eye in males, 4.08 times in females. Female antennae dark with weak yellow rings between basal antennomeres, male antennae black with pale yellow rings between the basal antennomeres. General color black, except for the yellow-orange dorsum of the pronotum and hind femora, and with especially bright median and lateral carinae of the pronotum. Hind tibia uniformly brown.

Holotype measurements (female). Body length from tip of head to the tip of pronotum 16.85 mm; eye width 0.75 mm, vertex width 1.20 mm; pronotum length 15.75 mm; pronotum width (at shoulders) 4.85 mm; tegmen length 1.55 mm; tegmen width 0.45 mm; fore femur length 4.10 mm; fore femur width 0.95 mm; mid femur length 3.85 mm; mid femur width 0.90 mm; hind femur length 8.60 mm; hind femur width 2.85 mm.

Paratype measurements (male). Body length from tip of head to the tip of pronotum 15.75 mm; eye width 0.75 mm, vertex width 1.10 mm; pronotum length 14.50 mm; pronotum width (at shoulders) 4.30 mm; tegmen length 1.65 mm; tegmen width 0.50 mm; fore femur length 4.10 mm; fore femur width 0.90 mm; mid femur length 3.80 mm; mid femur width 0.85 mm; hind femur length 8.00 mm; hind femur width 2.40 mm.

Distribution, habitat, and questionable records. Indonesia, northern Sulawesi, endemic to the mountainous tropical rainforests above of Mt. Dako above Tolitoli and of Gunung Ile-Ile Mt. (500 m a.s.l) that is part of the Matinan Mountains. A record from southwestern Sulawesi (1♂ Loka, Piek van Bonthain X.1895. leg. drs. Sarasin (NMBA)), not examined by us, and that was not included by Günther (1937) in the type material needs to be checked as it could belong to another undescribed species. Lompobattang (Lompobatang, Piek van Bantaäng, Piek van Bonthain, approximately 5.34S, 119.93E) is a mountain in the southwestern-most part of Sulawesi, on to opposite side from other known localities of Z. sarasinorum comb. nov.

Note. Günther (1937) doubted whether Z. sarasinorum comb. nov. may represent only a local form of Z. montana comb. nov., but now when we have also a new species from central Sulawesi before us, it is clear that the differences between the three species are clear enough to distinguish them as separate species and that Sulawesi Spiky Pygmy Devil represents a unique species. This species was described based on few speciments, males and females, but lables ‘ holotype, allotype and paratype’ under specimens from Ile Ile absent ( Günther, 1937). Here we considered female from Ile Ile as holotype and males from this locality as paratypes.

Figures

FIGURE 23. Comparison of head in frontal view in the members of the genus Zvierckia gen. nov.: Z. montana (Günther, 1937) comb. nov., Z. sarasinorum (Günther, 1937) comb. nov., and Z. storozhenkoi Skejo et Tumbrinck sp. nov..

FIGURE 25. Zvierckia sarasinorum (Günther, 1937) comb. nov. ♀ holotype from Ile Ile. A) left lateral view, B) dorsal view, C) labels, D) head in frontal view. Photo E. Nguyen.

FIGURE 26. Zvierckia sarasinorum (Günther, 1937) comb. nov. ♂ paratype from Ile Ile. A) left lateral view, B) dorsal view, C) labels, D) head in frontal view. Photo E. Nguyen.