Angara nigrocercata Fianco, 2025

Fianco, Marcos & Melo, Gabriel A. R., 2025, Molecular systematics and species revision of a Neotropical genus of flightless phaneropterine katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 204 (2) : -

Angara nigrocercata Fianco sp. nov.

( Fig. 7)

l s i d: z o o ba n k.o r g: ac t: 5 7 2 E B 2 5 7-D D F2- 4B E 5 -A3 B2- 601155C526B5

Diagnosis: Angara nigrocercata can be distinguished from species of Angara of Clade A by the aforementioned characters. From species of Clade B, it can be distinguished readily by the following combination: head larger than pronotum; anterior and posterior margins of pronotum elevated, giving it a saddle-like aspect; larger tibial spines; male cerci entirely black; and male subgenital plate white with a black spot on base at the lateral region. From its closest species, Angara albofasciata , it can be distinguished by the tegmina covering the first abdominal tergite, black and more robust cerci, tibial spines larger, and body covered by several black spots.

Description: Holotype male ( Fig. 7): Overall aspect ( Fig. 7A): medium to large-sized katydids, tibiae with several conspicuous spines. Head ( Fig. 7B–D): frons rugose; a medial black line from fastigium reaching clypeus, a lateral black line from lateral edges of fastigium towards clypeus but not reaching it, superior margin entirely black; fastigium of frons triangular, higher than wide, ocelli present, yellowish. Gena rugose, with black spots; clypeus, labrum, maxillary and mandibular palps yellowish with black spots. Pedicel as long as 0.7× scape; inner and posterior margins of scape and pedicel yellow, anterior and lateral margins brownish; flagellum ≥ 4× longer than body, brownish black, with white rings. Fastigium of vertex elevated; entirely white; a lateral ocellus near half of fastigium of vertex; lateral bicolour band from eye towards pronotum, orange on top and white on bottom; a medial white line from fastigium of vertex towards pronotum. Thorax ( Fig. 7C–E): pronotal disc ( Fig. 7C, D) saddle-shaped, anterior and posterior margins elevated; smaller than head; glabrous; anterior margin concave, posterior margin slightly convex; a thin whitish line on medial region; a black spot on anterior and posterior margins, surrounding medial line. Lateral carinae ( Fig. 7C, D) bearing a sulcus before half region which extends diagonally to anterior region of lateral lobes, a bicolour band throughout its extent, with a white–black pattern from top to bottom. Lateral lobes ( Fig. 7D) slightly long, 1.2× longer than high; anterior margin sinuous; inferior margin straight; posterior margin curved; blackish brown with black punctuations, but anterior region of metazona black. Tegmina ( Fig. 7E) truncated; stridulatory vein yellow; costal margin blackish; area between veins R and M entirely black; medial area blackish to yellowish at apex, which is pointed. Episternum II 1.5× wider than epimeron II; episternum III 1.2× wider than epimeron III; all epimera and episterna brownish, with blackish and whitish stains. Legs ( Fig. 7A): coxa I entirely white; coxae II and III yellowish–brownish with black stains; all trochanters brownish. Forelegs light brown with white and black spots, inferior margin black; mid- and hindlegs brownish covered with black and testaceous stains; femur III with a yellow line from base to middle; apex of femur III and base of tibia III white; all tarsomeres blackish. Femur III ~6.7× longer than pronotum. Tibiae III with long and conspicuous spines on lateral and medial margins of dorsal edge. Abdomen ( Fig. 7A, F, G): tergites with several black granulations, denser on the distal region; tergites VII–X with granulations only near medial region, dorsolateral region with no punctuation; pleura entirely white. Tergite X ( Fig. 7F) with a deep margination on medial region. Subgenital plate ( Fig. 7G) trapezoidal, longer than wide; styliform processes as wide as long; posterior margin concave; median keel absent; shorter than cerci; entirely white, but black punctuations at base. Cerci ( Fig. 7F, G) slightly curved; longer than subgenital plate; apex strongly curved to the medial region; thickness decreasing gradually towards apex, where it decreases abruptly, with a black apical tooth at apex; ventral edge black, dorsal edge brownish black.

Female: Unknown.

Measurements (in millimetres): Holotype: BL, 12.9; TegL, 3.2; HW, 2.2; HH, 2.7; PrL, 2.6; PLL, 2.2; PrH, 1.5; FLiii, 17.6; TLiii, 23.1; SPL, 1.2; CL, 1.7. Male paratypes: BL, 12.5–13.1; TegL, 3.2–3.4; HW, 1.92.3; HH, 2.7–2.9; PrL, 2.5–2.8; PLL, 2.1–2.4; PrH, 1.2–1.6; FLiii, 17.4–17.9; TLiii, 23.1–23.5; SPL, 1.1–1.5; CL, 1.6–1.9.

Etymology: The specific epithet derived from Latin niger meaning black plus cercata meaning cercus, in allusion to the male cerci colour.

Type material: Holotype male ‘ Brasil, PR, S. J. [São José] dos \ Pinhais , 25°36′18″S \ 49°11′37″W, 880m \ 01-31.XII.2019, Malaise \ A. C. Domahovski leg’ . Paratypes: two males ‘ Brasil, PR, S. J. [São José] dos Pinhais \ 25°36′18″S 49°11′37″W, 880m \ 01-31.XII.2019, Malaise A. C. \ Domahovski ”; one male, same data except ‘ 1-28.II.2022 ’, and ‘MFM \ 172’; and one male ‘ Brasil, PR, S. J. [São José] dos Pinhais \ 25°36′18″S \ 49°11′37″W Malaise \ 01-31.XII.2018 \ A. C. Domahovski’ .

Angara nunoi ( Fianco, 2023) comb. nov.

Xenicola nunoi Fianco 2023: 1109 . Holotype male, Brazil: Paraná, Tibagi , 24.5660°S, 50.2561°W (DZUP, examined).

Remarks: The tissue used for the molecular analysis derives from the holotype. This is the only species of Angara sampled in an area of open vegetation, in the Guartelá State Park (see Fianco 2023). We were able to find some additional iNaturalist records of Angara nunoi in the grassland formations of Paraná State. This species, besides being morphologically very similar to Angara flavolineata , came out as the sister of Angara superba ( Fig. 1). It can be differentiated from Angara flavolineata by the strongly emarginate male tergite X and the male subgenital plate longer than wide, and from Angara superba by the lateral carinae not crenelated and wings much longer than wide, covering the second abdominal tergite.

Examined material: Holotype male ‘ Brasil, PR, Tibagi, Parque \ Estadual do Guartelá \ 24.5660°S, 50.2561°W \ 21–24.x.2020, Coleta ativa \ noturna M. Fianco & H. \ Preis’ and ‘MFM001 ’. Paratypes: two females, same data, except ‘ 09–12.xii.2020 ’ and ‘ M. Fianco & \ N. Szinwelski’ .