Estefaniacris, Cadena-Castañeda & Cardona-Granda, 2025

Cadena-Castañeda, Oscar J. & Cardona-Granda, Juan Manuel, 2025, Studies on Neotropical grasshoppers: Estefaniacris gen. nov. (Orthoptera: Acrididae), a new Andean genus, Zootaxa 5661 (2), pp. 261-273 : 264-265

publication ID

https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5661.2.7

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:37EC52FB-834C-41D4-B22E-878BE8A17C9E

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16604770

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03CE4676-FFFB-8140-56A9-FAD50A2D40BB

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Estefaniacris
status

gen. nov.

Estefaniacris gen. nov.

Type species. Estefaniacris huilensis sp. nov. by original monotypy and designation.

Etymology. Dedicated to Estefania Villanueva Rojas, Forestry Engineer, collaborating with the Flora of the Orinoquia and Juan Manuel Cardona-Granda’s wife.

Description. Slender insects, slightly coarse body surface, mainly on head and thorax ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ). Head rounded in frontal view, eyes conspicuous and rounded ( Fig. 2A View FIGURE 2 ); frons slightly convex, fastigium rounded distally truncate and not surpassing the antennal pedicel ( Fig. 2B View FIGURE 2 ). Thorax. Pronotum without modifications, with two medial sulcus ( Figs. 2B, C View FIGURE 2 ), lateral lobes rectangular, slightly wider than high ( Fig. 2B View FIGURE 2 ). Metanotum and first abdominal tergite with a mid-posterior protuberance ( Fig. 2B View FIGURE 2 ). Wings. Micropterous, tegmina lanceolate, five times longer than wide, moderately narrowed, and bicolored without conspicuous black spots ( Fig. 2D View FIGURE 2 ). Legs. Femora without spines or modifications; fore and mid tibiae with small black spinules, on the two ventral margins at the distal third section. Hind tarsomeres slender and elongated, covered by long and abundant bristles ( Fig. 2E View FIGURE 2 ). Abdomen unmodified. Last abdominal segment is noticeably modified into a concave extension that projects upward, with a denticulated posterior edge ( Fig. 2F–H View FIGURE 2 ). Cerci slender and hook-shaped ( Fig. 2F View FIGURE 2 ), without an internal apophysis ( Figs. 2G, H View FIGURE 2 ). Supra-anal plate subtriangular with the side margins embroidered ( Fig. 2G View FIGURE 2 ). Subgenital plate cupuliform and moderately inflated ( Fig. 2F View FIGURE 2 ). Phallic complex. Joined by membranes that envelop the endophallus and ectophallus, the epiphallus plate is positioned above them ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 ). Epiphallus with a well-developed lophus (Lo) ( Fig. 4A View FIGURE 4 ), ancora (Anc) very reduced, oval sclerites (Ov scl) undeveloped ( Fig. 4B View FIGURE 4 ). Ectophallus (ect) with ventro-lateral sclerite present, surrounded at side the valves of endophallus (Val end) and sheat of endophallus (Sh end) ( Figs. 3A–C View FIGURE 3 ). Zygoma (Zy) wide and subquadrangular in dorsal view ( Fig. 4C View FIGURE 4 ). Endophallic plates (End pl) wide, shoulder blade-shaped, and with moderately sclerotized edges ( Fig. 4E View FIGURE 4 ).

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Colombian Andes.

Comparison. Estefaniacris gen. nov. resembles the genera Stenelutracris Carbonell & Descamps, 1978 , Peruana Koçak & Kemal, 2008 , and Kyphiacris Carbonell & Descamps, 1978 .

The new genus is similar to Kyphiacris for a body covered with abundant hairs, predominantly black, with a whitish stripe extending from one side of the head to the other.Additionally, it shares the presence of a mid-posterior protuberance on the metanotum and the first abdominal tergite. However, the two genera can be distinguished by the pronotum: in Kyphiacris , elevations or projections are present between the third and fourth sulci, whereas this does not occur in Estefaniacris gen. nov. Furthermore, in Kyphiacris , the last segment of the maxillary palpi is not compressed, and the wings are undeveloped, rendering the species subapterous. In contrast, the new genus have tegmina, making it brachypterous. Additionally, the morphology of the cerci differs: in Kyphiacris , they are moderately compressed and bear an internal apophysis, whereas in Estefaniacris gen. nov., the cerci are hook-shaped and lack an internal apophysis.

Estefaniacris gen. nov. differs from Stenelutracris and Peruana in several aspects. The tegmina are narrower and monochromatic in these two genera, and there are no dorsal protuberances on the metanotum or the first abdominal segment. In contrast, the new genus exhibits such protuberances, and its tegmina are bicolored, with one-half black and the other whitish. Although Stenelutracris species have a black background, their venation is yellowish. The cerci of Stenelutracris and Peruana are moderately widened, subtriangular, and generally bear an internal apophysis, differing from the characteristic structure of the cerci in the new genus.

The new genus can be distinguished from all other genera in the subtribe by its last abdominal segment, which is noticeably modified into a concave extension that projects upward, with a denticulated posterior edge. Additionally, its cerci are slender and hook-shaped, lacking an internal apophysis, a shape not observed in any other known genus. Moreover, the wing venation is reticulate, with the background matching the color of the veins, unlike genera such as Lamiacris Carbonell & Descamps, 1978 , Ommatolampis Burmeister, 1838 , Eulampiacris Carbonell & Descamps, 1978 , and Hippariacris Carbonell & Descamps, 1978 , which have ovoid tegmina with venation arranged to form usually conspicuous black spots.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Orthoptera

Family

Acrididae

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