Tyrannoraptor venator Mendes & Sobral & Neto 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Mendes, Diego Matheus De Mello
name: Sobral, Rafael
name: Neto, Alberto Moreira Da Silva
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Orthoptera
Tettigoniidae
Tyrannoraptor
Tyrannoraptor venator

description: Tyrannoraptor venator sp. nov.
Figures 1–12
Diagnosis. Male with asymmetrical mandibles, left mandible elongated, curved and projected frontwards, highlighted among the other mouthparts (Figs. 2A–D). Apical region of cerci sinuous, tip round, inner margin with few small spines curved (>10), spines slightly longer intercalated by shorter spines, in dorsal and ventral view (Figs. 2I–J). Styli straight with apex round (Figs. 2I–J).
Description. Holotype Male.
Head. Head dorsally with small and elongated fastigium-vertex, in frontal and dorsal view (Figs. 2B–C); eyes large and globular (Figs. 2B–D). Frons, clypeus and gena smooth (Fig. 2B–D). Mandibles asymmetrical, with left mandible elongated, curved and projected frontwards, highlighted among the other mouthparts (Figs. 2A–D).
Thorax. Pronotal disc anteriorly quadrangular, without carina, posteriorly elongated, slightly projected upwards and concave, in dorsal view (Fig. 2C); dorsolateral suture slender and straight, in lateral view (Fig. 2D). Furcal suture transversally straight, forming a small depression on its extension, in dorsal and lateral view (Figs. 2C–D). Dorsolateral suture and furcal suture concolorous with pronotal disc (Figs. 2C–D). Mesobasisternum with shape trapezoidal, anteriorly concave and narrow, medially with two subtriangular projections with apex round (Fig. 2F). Metabasisternum hexagonal (Fig. 2F).
Wings. Tegmina narrow with apex round, with anterior margin concave and posterior margin straight (Fig. 3A–B). Left stridulatory file sinuous (Fig. 4A); basal and apical teeth shorter than middle teeth; teeth on apical extremity short and straightly aligned (Fig. 4A). Total length of left stridulatory file 2.3 mm, greatest width of the vein of 0.2 mm, with 74 teeth (Fig. 4A). Right stridulatory file sinuous; basal and apical teeth shorter than middle teeth (Fig. 4B). Total length file of 2 mm, greatest width of the vein 0.2 mm, with 46 teeth (Figs. 4B).
Legs. Fore femur straight, with apex slightly curved, narrower than the base; ventral region with four large spines inward and three spines outward (Fig. 2G). Fore tibia straight; ventral region with six large spines inward and four spines outward; tympanum open and tympanic region enlarged (Fig. 2G). Mid femur slightly curved, thickened at base and narrowing towards apex; ventral spines absent (Fig. 2H). Mid tibia straight, basal half thickened with four pairs of large ventral spines (Fig. 2H). Hind femur thickened at basal half (Fig. 2E). Hind tibia straight, narrow, with several short ventral spines and several dorsal spines bigger than ventral spines (Fig. 2A). All legs with short bristles (Figs. 2A, G–H).
Abdomen. Cerci slender, cylindrical, with basal half curved and apical half sinuous, in dorsal and ventral view (Figs. 2I–J); presence of pair of spurs curved inward on apical third; cerci apex round, with inner margin with few short spices curved (>10), spines slightly longer intercalated by shorter spines, in dorsal and ventral view (Figs. 2I–J). Tergite X with posterior margin expanded, forming a bifurcated projection with both apices round, in dorsal and ventral view (Figs. 2I–J). Subgenital plate rectangular and straight apically (Fig. 2J). Stylus straight, elongated, parallel and with apex round (Figs. 2I–J).
Internal male genitalia. Not examined.
Coloration. Described based on photos of live specimens (Fig. 5). General coloration light green with patches of dark green. Scape and pedicel light green. Antennal sclerite with base light brown and apex dark brown. Eyes yellow with longitudinal red stripe medially and a short area light green dorsally. Asymmetrical mandible dark brown with apex black. Pronotal disc light green with posterior projection slightly light brown. Legs light green. Tarsi light brown with tarsal claws dark brown. Tegmina light green, with dorsal region with a dark brown stripe. Abdomen, cerci and subgenital plate light green.
Female: Similar to male (Fig. 6A, C–H), except for the following traits:
Head. Symmetrical mandibles (Fig. 6B).
Wings. Anal veins not modified for sound production.
Abdomen. Tergite X posteriorly convex, in dorsal view (Fig. 6I). Cercus curved inward and with apex acuminated. Cercus with long white bristles (Fig. 6I). Subgenital plate subtrapeziodal, with apex bilobated (Fig. 6J). Ovipositor ensiform (Fig. 6K); absence of teeth on dorsal valve; ventral valve with tiny teeth on apex.
Coloration. General color pattern similar to males (Fig. 7). Ovipositor with general coloration light brown with areas dark brown (Fig. 6K).
Nymph. Old nymphs are very similar to adults, except by wings not developed, with coloration light green with areas pale yellow (Figs. 8A–B). Young nymphs are strongly different from adults, with the red stripe of eyes absent, dorsal region of body with longitudinal stripe and spots dark green; abdominal apex dorsally with dark brown spot (Fig. 8C).
Etymology. From Latin venator, meaning “hunter”. In reference to the predatory habit of this katydid.
Geographical records. Brazil: Amazonas (Fig. 11).
Type material. Holotype ♁: BRASIL, Amazonas, Iranduba, AM 070, km 30, 3°09'15.1"S – 60°14'20.0"W, 29.x–10.xi.2019, coleta manual, D.M.M. Mendes & G.M. Lourido leg. (INPA). Paratypes ♀: Idem (3♀ INPA).
Measurements (mm). Holotype ♁: TL: 31; TegL: 23; TegH: 3; WF: 2,5; PL: 3,3; PH: 2,7; FF: 3,2; FT: 4,1; MF: 3,7; MT: 4,5; HF: 13,5; HT: 14,7; Lplac: 3,2; LC: 3,1.
Paratype ♀: TL: 27; TegL: 15,3; TegH: 1,8; WF: 2,4; PL:3,2; PH: 3; FF: 3,2; FT: 4; MF: 3,8; MT: 4,3; HF: 10; HT: 10; Lplac: 3,5; LC: 2,8; OL: 4.
Habitat. Specimens of T. venator sp. nov. were collected in Terra Firme forests near edge areas (Fig. 10), associated with the plants Conceveiba martiana (Fig. 9A) and Aparisthmium cordatum (Figs. 9B–C) (Euphorbiaceae: Alchorneae). Adults and nymphs were observed several times on the same plant, but every time there was only one specimen per leaf (Fig. 9C) and the leaves were between 2 m to 5 m above the ground. This behavior is identical to that observed for T. arboreus (Mendes et al. 2018) and similar to other Amazonian Meconematinae, such as Arboraptor Mendes et al., 2018 Phlugiola Karny, 1907 (Mendes et al. 2017, Mendes et al. 2018). It is clear that there is a correlation between these observed Meconematinae and the plants Conceveiba sp. and Aparisthmium sp. The description of these behaviors is being addressed in a manuscript in preparation.
The type locality of T. mandibularis sp. nov. is Iranduba, a municipality approximately 30 Km from Manaus (Amazonas), delimited to the north by the Rio Negro and to the south by the Rio Solimıes (Fig. 12). Iranduba is inserted in the endemic area of Imeri (Da Silva et al., 2005). In the Amazonian biome, the separation of areas caused by large rivers is an important speciation factor. At the region between the Rio Negro and the Solimıes, this speciation process is noticeable in several groups, with similar species inhabiting the opposite banks of the rivers, as in birds (i.e. Pteroglossus azara x Pteroglussus aracari) and in mammals (i.e. Bradypus variegatus x Bradypus tridactylus). It is possible that this scenario also had happened between T. arboreus and T. venator sp. nov.
Iranduba has suffered in recent years an intense anthropic action (Fig. 12), with the rapid advance of deforestation of native vegetation for civil construction. The distribution limits of T. venator sp. nov. are so far restricted to Iranduba, but further studies are needed to find out how much this species may be threatened by anthropic actions and what measures are necessary for its preservation.
description: Published as part of Mendes, Diego Matheus De Mello, Sobral, Rafael & Neto, Alberto Moreira Da Silva, 2023, New species of Tyrannoraptor Mendes, Oliveira, Chamorro-Rengifo & Rafael, 2018 (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Meconematinae: Phlugidini) with asymmetrical jaws from the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest, pp. 531-542 in Zootaxa 5318 (4) on pages 534-540, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5318.4.6, http://zenodo.org/record/8181920