Venegascophus Cadena-Castañeda, 2021

Cadena-Castañeda, Oscar J., Soto, Wolfang Andrés Rodríguez, Cárdenas, Andrea Del Pilar Floréz & Acevedo, Angélica, 2021, Studies on Neotropical crickets: The continental Otteiini taxa (Orthoptera Phalangopsidae), those cave crickets are not confined to the West Indies, Zootaxa 4981 (2), pp. 331-356 : 350

Venegascophus Cadena-Castañeda n. gen.

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Orthoptera .speciesfile.org:TaxonName:514183

Diagnosis. Eyes not reduced (as wide as half of the scapus) and normally pigmented ( Fig. 13A, B ). Pronotum subquadrate, slightly broader than long, anterior and posterior margins almost straight, lateral margins broadly convex, wider anteriorly than at the mid-length, lower parts of lateral lobes only moderately flared ( Fig. 13C , 14A ).Apterous species. Legs relatively short and stout, hind tibia with four dorsal spurs on each margin; all tarsi slender and elongated, first tarsomere armed dorsally and as long as a third of its respective tibiae. Abdominal tergites unspecialized without glandular apparatus; male epiproctus rectangular or subtriangular, wider than long. Cerci slender and almost as long as the hind femur. Females unknown. Male genitalia compact and covered by a membrane; ectophallic fold moderately sclerotized and poorly developed; pseudepiphallic median lophi with or without a medial notch and on the posterior lateral borders rounded and covered by several denticulations on the posterior portion; pseudepiphallic paramere rounded and without additional projections; endophallic apodeme slim, membranous and connected to the sclerotized endophallic sclerite; ectophallic apodeme slim, curved in lateral view and parallel; rami notoriously expanded dorsally ( Fig. 13 D-F, 14C-E).

Etymology. Dedicated to Crystian Sadiel Venegas Barrera, in recognition of his excellent and inspiring research and teaching work at the Tecnologico Nacional de Mexico (Victoria campus), as well as thanks for all his support for the first author during his stay in Mexico. With the ending - cophus , referring to its closeness to that genus. Gender is designated as neutral.

Taxa included: Venegascophus reddelli ( Hubbell, 1972) n. comb. (Type species) and V. sanctorum ( Hubbell, 1972) n. comb.

Comments. This new genus is partially derived from the first group proposed by Hubbell (1972) “GROUP I. Epigeic and troglophilous species with relatively short legs and normally pigmented eyes”, including two very similar species in external morphology and peculiar genitalia, in contrast to the other Paracophus s.l. species.

Key to Venegascophus n. gen. species

1. Male epiproctus rectangular. Pseudepiphallic median lophi broad, divided and expanded into two rounded lateral lobes. Pseudepiphallic lateral lophi, narrow, and subtriangular in lateral view ( Fig. 13 , D-F)....................... V. reddelli n. comb.

– Male epiproctus subtriangular. Pseudepiphallic median lophi mid-size, divided by a small notch, with two sub-triangular lateral lobes. Pseudepiphallic lateral lophdi, broad, and rounded in lateral view ( Fig. 14 C-E).............. V. sanctorum n. comb.

Figures

FIGURE 13. Venegascophus reddelli n. comb.A. Head and pronotum in lateral view. B. frons. C. head and pronotum in dorsal view. D, E, F. male genitalia in dorsal, ventral and lateral view respectively.

FIGURE 14. Venegascophus n. gen. and Hortacophus n. gen. A, C, D, E. V. sanctorum n. comb. B, F, G, H. H. apterus n. comb. A, B. head and pronotum in dorsal view. C, F. genitalia apex in dorsal view. D, G. genitalia apex in ventral view. E, H. genitalia apex in lateral view. (All draws after Hubbell, 1972).