Cearagrylloides microcephalus Martins-Neto

Martins-Neto, Rafael Gioia & Tassi, Lara Vaz, 2009, The Orthoptera (Ensifera) from the Santana formation (Early Cretaceous, Northeast Brazil): A statistical and paleoecological approach, with description of new taxa, Zootaxa 2080, pp. 21-37 : 28

Cearagrylloides microcephalus Martins-Neto , n. comb.

( Figs. 2 B, E, G)

1. Cearagryllus microcephalus Martins-Neto, 1991 .

Specimens included. GP/1T-1680 (holotype), RGMN-203, CV-1699, and RGMN-40 (510)

New supplementary material. RGMN-508.

Emended diagnosis. Females with robust body, varying from 24 to 26 mm length; fore wing length varying from 24 to 28 mm; ovipositor length around 38 mm. Ovipositor 1.6 times longer than the body and/or the fore wing length. Head notably small, laterally elongated. ScP straight, not thickened; R parallel to ScP. MP unbranched; around six MP2 secondary branches. r-m indistinct.

Discussion. The specimen CV-1699, with incompletely preserved ovipositor, was initially interpreted as belonging to the species Cearagryllus perforatorius ( Martins-Neto, 1991) , based just on the body and wing length. However, after re-examination of the venation of this specimen, it is now possible to verify that it belongs to Cearagrylloides microcephalus . In addition to the original characters assigned to the species (smaller body and head, longer ovipositor), the fore wing provided other important characters. In C. perforatorius ScP is sigmoid, distally divergent and basally thickened, in contrast to C. microcephalus , which exhibits a straight ScP, not thickened. Additionally, MA has typically three anterior secondary branches, not present in C. microcephalus . Another minor difference is a smaller number of MP secondary branches.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Fore wing (A-C), ovipositor (D-G) and hind legs (H-K) details of the Santana Formation Cearagryllinae (females). A, D, H) Cearagrylloides perforatorius n. gen. et n. comb., drawn from the specimen RGMN- 506 (A), CV- 6015 (D, H); B, E) Cearagrylloides microcephalus n. gen. et n. comb., drawn from the specimen RGMN- 508 (B), and GP / 1 T- 1680 (E); C, G, K) Paracearagryllus poliacanthus n. gen. et n. comb., drawn from the specimen RGMN- 338 (C, G), and from holotype (K); F) Cearagrylloides previstus n. gen. et n. comb., drawn from holotype. Scale bar 1 mm.