Tachycines (Gymnaeta) Lianhuaensis 1902, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Feng, Xueli
name: Xiao, Jie
name: Zhao, Zhengxue
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Orthoptera
Rhaphidophoridae
Tachycines

description: Tachycines (Gymnaeta) Lianhuaensis sp. nov.
(Figs. 1, 2)
Description. Male. Body small size (Figs. 1A–C). Vertex of head not divided into two conical tubercles, ocellar disappearance (Fig. 1D). Eyes slightly reduced (Fig. 1D). Anterior margin of pronotum straight, posterior margin protruding caudad, ventral margin arcshaped (Fig. 1E); posterior margin of mesonotum protruding caudad; posterior margin of metanotum protruding caudad.
Legs long and slender. Coxae with small medial projections. Fore femur about 2.6 times longer than the pronotum, ventrally unarmed, internal genicular lobe with 1 small spine, external genicular lobe with 1 long spine; fore tibia ventrally with 1 inner spine and 2 outer spines, apex with 1 small outer spine on dorsal surface and 1 pair of long spines on ventral surface, between the paired ventral spines with 1 small spine. Middle femur ventrally unarmed, internal and external genicular lobes with 1 long spine respectively; middle tibiae ventrally with 1 inner spine and 1 outer spine, apex with 1 pair of dorsal spines and 1 pair of ventral spines, between the paired ventral spines with 1 small spine. Hind femur ventrally unarmed; hind tibia dorsally with 23–25 inner spines and 22–23 outer spines, arrange in groups, ventral and dorsal surface with a pair of small subapical spines respectively, apex with 1 pair of long dorsal spines and 1 pair of long ventral spines; the longest dorso-apical spine not exceeding the dorso-apical spine of hind metatarsus (Fig. 1F). Hind metatarsus keeled beneath.
Abdominal sternites with short ventral projections. Epiphallus of male genitalia like the shape of “H”; median lobe of genitalia with 1 pair of apical lobules, divided by a shallow notch; paired lateral sclerites small; dorsal and ventral pairs of lateral lobes almost equal in length (Figs. 1G, H).
Female. General appearance similar to that of male (Figs. 2A–C). Ovipositor longer than half the length of hind femur; base of ovipositor broad, narrowing to apex; apex pointed and slightly curved upwards; almost indistinct denticles on ventral edge of distal part of inferior valves (Fig. 2D). Subgenital plate with 3 nearly triangular lobes, median lobe rather large and paired lateral lobes small (Fig. 2E).
Coloration. Body yellowish brown, mottled with dark brown blotches. Face without distinct stripes. Legs with light brown annular stripes.
Material examined. Holotype: 1♂, Lianhua Cave, Puding County, Anshun City, Guizhou Province, 7.IX.2024, coll. Jie Xiao, Zhengxue Zhao & Xueli Feng. Paratypes: 5♂, 5♀, same data as the holotype.
Measurements (mm). Body: ♂ 10.40–15.32, ♀ 9.58–12.36; pronotum: ♂ 3.84–4.02, ♀ 3.74–4.34; fore femur: ♂ 10.10–10.64, ♀ 9.32–9.68; hind femur: ♂ 16.84–17.06, ♀ 16.58–17.32; ovipositor: ♀ 9.02–9.10.
Distribution. China (Guizhou).
Discussion. The new species resembles most species in the subgenus Tachycines (Gymnaeta) in terms of the shape of the male genitalia (approximately“H”), yet it is clearly distinguishable by the vestigial conical tubercles on the vertex of the head and the vestigial eyes.
Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the Lianhua Cave where this species occurs.
description: Published as part of Feng, Xueli, Xiao, Jie & Zhao, Zhengxue, 2025, Two new species of the subgenus Tachycines (Gymnaeta) (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae: Aemodogryllinae) from a karst cave in China, pp. 395-400 in Zootaxa 5594 (2) on pages 396-398, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5594.2.11, http://zenodo.org/record/14954282