Tukunha Mendes & Rafael 2021, gen. nov.
Creators: name: Mendes, Diego Matheus De Mello
name: Rafael, José Albertino
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Orthoptera
Tettigoniidae
Tukunha

description: Tukunha Mendes & Rafael gen. nov.   
Figures 11–19  
 Type-species. Tukunha pinimauna sp. nov.   
 Grammatical gender. Feminine.   
 Diagnosis. Fore tibia with open tympanum (Figs. 12F – 14F). Thorax laterally with a dark purple spot (Fig. 16). Tegmina lanceolate broad, with rounded apex (Figs. 13, 15). Vein MP and MA with two branches each (Figs. 13, 15). First branch of MP vein and last branch of CuA vein connected by two transverse veins, forming a pentagonal or hexagonal cell (Fig. 13, 15). Vein CuA with three bifurcated branches reaching the wing margin (Figs. 13, 15). Main branches of the CuA, MP and MA veins associated with hyaline regions, laterally with small rounded black spots (Figs. 13, 15, 16). Legs with dark (dark purple or black) and light (dark yellow or light gray) bands (Fig. 12, 14, 16)   
 Description. Head dorsally round and frontally slightly rounded, in lateral view (Figs. 12D, 14D). Globular eyes (Figs. 12B–D, 14B–D). Dorsal region of the head with numerous small bristles and small black spots (Figs. 12B–D, 14B–D). Pronotal disc rectangular, without carina, anteriorly concave with median triangular projection, laterally straight and posteriorly convex, in dorsal view (Figs. 12C, 14C); pronotal disc with several small black spots, in dorsal view (Figs. 12C, 14C). Dorsal-lateral suture straight and concolorous (Figs. 12C–D, 14C–D). Furcal suture rounded concolorous with pronotal disc (Figs. 12C–D, 14C–D). Mesobasisternum triangular-shaped, anteriorly straight (Figs. 12E, 14E). Metabasisternum diamond-shaped, laterally with two small triangular projections (Figs. 12E, 14E). Thorax laterally with a dark purple spot (Fig. 16). Tegmina lanceolate broad, with rounded apex (Figs. 13, 15). Vein R sinuous and with small branched branches near the apex (Figs. 13, 15). Vein MP and MA with two branches each (Figs. 13, 15). Vein CuA with three bifurcated branches reaching the wing margin (Figs. 13, 15). Vein CuP with a single branch (Figs. 13, 15). Main branches of the CuA, MP and MA veins associated with hyaline regions, laterally with small rounded black spots (Figs. 13, 15, 16). Fore femur straight with seven small ventral spines (Figs. 12F, 14F). Fore tibia with open tympanum and three spines in ventral region (Figs. 12F, 14F). Mid femur straight and with six small ventral spines (Figs. 12G, 14G). Mid tibia with enlarged basal half, two dorsal spines and four ventral spines (Figs. 12G, 14G). Hind femur enlarged at basal half with several small ventral spines (Figs. 12H, 14H). Hind tibia slightly enlarged in basal half (Fig. 12H, 14H). All legs with short bristles (Figs. 12F–H, 14F–H). Cercus weakly curved, apex acuminate (Figs. 12I–K, 14I–K). Subgenital plate triangular, apex rounded and stylus absent (Figs. 12I, 14I). Ovipositor curved; apex of ventral valve the same size of dorsal valve; ovipositor with small apical teeth (Figs. 12K, 14K).   
 Additional taxonomic notes. Among the Microcentrini, Tukunha gen. nov. appears most closely related to Lobophyllus Saussure, 1859 and Capiguara Mendes, Chamorro-Rengifo & Rafael, 2020. Tukunha gen. nov. differs by both genera for having hyaline regions in the main branches of the CuA, MP and MA veins with small round lateral spots (versus absent in Lobophyllus and Capiguara).   
 Comments. Tukunha gen. nov. is a mysterious katydid from Central Amazon. For more than one decade of collections focused on katydids, Tukunha gen. nov. was rare to find and up until now only females were collected. This pattern of a female predominance in collections conflicts with the majority of Amazonian Phaneropterinae, which males are more abundant in collections and preserved collections. In some cases, even genera with many species that are easily collected, such as Caauara Mendes, Chamorro-Rengifo & Rafael, 2020, are without females. We thought that Tukunha gen. nov., as the majority of Amazonian Phaneropterinae, was a canopy dweller and that traditional collecting methods that did not reach the canopy would not be effective. This could explain why they are so rare in collections. However, in February 2021, we found a last-instar nymph of Tukunha piminauna sp. nov. on bushes in a Terra Firme forest (at ca. 50cm height). This record corroborates the rarity of Tukunha gen. nov., as that kind of bush is always examined during collecting (because it is the most accessible throughout the manual collecting at night), being normally habited by species of Conocephalinae, Pseudophyllinae and Pterochrozinae.   
 Etymology. The epithet is in apposition, Tukunha comes from the Brazilian indigenous language Tupi: Tuku [tukura] meaning “katydid” + kunha meaning “women, female”, meaning “female katydid”. The name is given in reference to the curious fact that only female specimens in this genus are known.
description: Published as part of Mendes, Diego Matheus De Mello & Rafael, José Albertino, 2021, Two new and rare genera of angle-winged katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae Phaneropterinae: Microcentrini) from the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest, pp. 553-572 in Zootaxa 4999 (6) on pages 562-564, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4999.6.3, http://zenodo.org/record/5119780