Angara superba ( Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1891 ), 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 superba ( Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1891) comb. nov.

( Figs 9, 14E, F)

Xenica superba Brunner von Wattenwyl 1891: 40 . Holotype female, Brazil: Santa Catarina (MIZ, examined through photographs).

Amended diagnosis: Angara superba can be distinguished readily from other species by the following features: lateral carinae of pronotum crenelated; posterior edge of pronotal disc much wider than anterior edge; first abdominal tergite differing in colour from general body colour; area above lateral coloured band of different colour when compared with the general body colour.

Complementary description: Overall aspect ( Figs 9A, 14F): large-sized katydids, general colour brown or yellow, and a laterally coloured strip from head to abdominal tip. Head ( Fig. 9B, C): frons and gena rugose, brownish, or yellowish with black spots; fastigium of frons triangular, higher than wide, ocelli present. Clypeus brownish or yellowish proximally, dark brown or dark yellow at apex. Labrum light brown or whitish; maxillary and mandibular palps brownish or greenish. Scape as long as 0.4× of pedicel; scape and pedicel entirely black; flagellum ≥ 3× longer than body, first nine flagellomeres dark yellow, then five articles brown, three articles white, 15 articles brown, seven articles white, finishing in brown articles. Fastigium of vertex elevated, one lateral ocellus near half of fastigium of vertex. Thorax ( Fig. 9B–E): pronotal disc ( Fig. 9B) glabrous, rugose; brown or yellow; anterior margin concave; posterior margin concave, distinctly elevated. Lateral carinae ( Fig. 9C, D) crenelated, yellow. Lateral lobes ( Fig. 9D) long and slender, 3× longer than wide, anterior and inferior margin straight, posterior margin widely diagonalized and slightly curved. Tegmina ( Fig. 9E) truncated; stridulatory vein brown, other veins yellowish, general colour brown.Epimeron II 2× wider than episternum II; epimeron III 1.5× wider than episternum III; episternum II and III and epimeron II and III brownish or yellowish, with dark brown or dark yellow spots. Legs ( Fig. 9A): all coxae with a blackish spot; all legs dark brown or yellow; tibiae black on ventral margin at apex; three first tarsomeres black on ventral margin and brown dorsally, last tarsomere brownish; femur III slightly longer than body. Abdomen ( Fig. 9A, F, G): dorsal region dark brown or dark yellow, lateral region light brown or light yellow, with yellow or white spots; traversed by a coloured band, yellow; first abdominal tergite of different colour from general body colour. Tergite X ( Fig. 9F) with a deep depression on medial region. Subgenital plate ( Fig. 9G) trapezoidal, 2× longer than wide; styliform processes longer than wide; median keel present in the distal third. Cerci ( Fig. 9F, G) slightly curved, long and slender, thickness decreasing gradually towards the apical curvature to the dorsal region, with a black apical tooth at apex.

Female ( Fig. 14F): Larger than males. One white strip from eye towards the pronotum. Anterior margin of pronotal disc straight. Tegmina squared, veins evident, darker than general body colour. Abdomen plain coloured, with overall coloration marks as in males. Ovipositor 2× longer than pronotal disc, slightly curved up at base, and acuminate; serrulations beginning on the distal quarter of dorsal valves and distal fifth of ventral valves.

Measurements (in millimetres): Males: BL, 19.2–20.4; TegL, 3.8; HW, 3.2–3.9; HH, 3.9–4.2 PrL, 4.8–5.2; PPL, 3.7–4.3; PrH, 1.9–2.4; FLiii, 22.8–23.4; TLiii, 24.6–25.7; SPL, 2.4–2.7; CL, 2.9–3.2. Females: BL, 21.8–22.7; TegL, 2.2–2.8; HW, 3.9–4.4; PrL, 5.2–5.6; PLL, 3.2–3.5; PrH, 2.2–2.4; FLiii, 24.2–25.4; TLiii, 26.5–27.3; OL, 10.7–11.8.

Additional examined material: Three males and two females ‘ Brasil, PR, Piraquara, \ Mananciais da Serra \ 25.4965°S, 48.9823°W, \ 05.XI.2021, coleta ativa \ noturna. M. Fianco’, one of the males with ‘MFM035 ’; one female ‘ Brasil, PR, Piraquara, \ Mananciais da Serra \ 25.4965°S, 48.9823°W, \ 21.VIII.2021, coleta ativa \ noturna. M. Fianco’ and ‘MFM \ 036 ’; one female ‘ Brasil, Paraná, Piraquara \ Mananciais da Serra \ 14.X.2020. Coleta ativa noturna \ Fianco, M. & Melo, G.A.R. col’ .

Angara taroba (Fianco, Faria & Braun, 2019) comb. nov.

Xenicola taroba Fianco et al. 2019: 251 . Holotype male, Brazil: Paraná, Foz do Iguaçu , 25.6280°S, 54.4628°W (DZUP, examined).

Amended diagnosis: This species can by recognized by the following combination of features: fastigium of frons at most onesixth of the scape width; vein CuP black; subgenital plate wider than long; lateral coloured band yellow; male cerci tapering abruptly at apex.

Additional examined material: One male ‘ Brasil, PR, Matelândia, Prq. \ Nacional do Iguaçu, 220m \ 25.3627° S, 53.8100°W \ 06–09.xi.2021 Coleta ativa \ noturna, M. Fianco’, ‘MFM \ 057’, and ‘ Xenicola \ taroba \ det. M. Fianco v.2022 ’.

Angara xukrixi (Fianco, Faria & Braun, 2019) comb. nov. Xenicola xukrixi Fianco et al. 2019: 253 . Holotype male, Brazil: Paraná, Foz do Iguaçu , 25.1540°S, 53.8455°W (DZUP, examined).

Amended diagnosis: Angara xukrixi can be distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: lateral lobes of pronotum, with a semicircular sulcus in the middle, interrupting the ventral red strip; male subgenital plate with median keel across most of its length. Angara xukrixi can be distinguished from Clade B by the aforementioned characters that distinguish species from Clade A. From its closest related species, Angara rubra , it can be distinguished by the coloured band tricolour, body never reddish, frons and gena greenish, scape and pedicel never entirely black, and male subgenital plate longer than wide.

Additional examined material: One female ‘ Brasil, PR, Tibagi, Parque \ Estadual do Guartelá \ 24.5660°S, 50.2561°W \ 08–11.I.2021 Coleta ativa \ diurna, M. Fianco’ and ‘MFM \ 160’; one male ‘ Brasil, PR, Matelândia, Prq. \ Nacional do Iguaçu, 220 m \ 25.3627°S, 53.8100°W \ 06–09.xi.2021 Coleta ativa \ noturna, M. Fianco’, ‘MFM \ 048’, and ‘ Xenicola \ xukrixi \ det. M. Fianco v.2022 ’; one female with same data except ‘MFM \ 049’.

Biogeographical patterns within Angara

As mentioned earlier, the species of Clade A are distributed primarily in the Inland Atlantic Forest, with two species also found in the coastal region of Rio Grande do Sul ( Fig. 11A). Angara taroba , sister to the remaining taxa of the Clade A,is restricted to the Inland Atlantic Forest of western Paraná State in Brazil and Misiones in Argentina ( Fig. 11B). Angara caayari occurs in northeastern and southeastern Rio Grande do Sul and in northwestern and western Santa Catarina, in addition to northwestern and western regions of these states and northeastern Argentina, also within the Misiones province ( Fig. 11C). The species pair formed by Angara rubra and Angara xukrixi have allopatric distribution, as far as we know; Angara rubra is recorded in northeastern and northwestern Rio Grande do Sul and the northeastern region of Argentina, also within the Misiones province, specifically in northern Misiones ( Fig. 11D), whereas Angara xukrixi is recorded in western and central Paraná and the northeasternmost part of Argentina, north of the Misiones province ( Fig. 11G).

In contrast, the species of Clade B are distributed primarily in the Coastal Atlantic Forest, as shown in Figure 12A. Angara albofasciata can be found in the Coastal Atlantic Forest of Santa Catarina, Paraná, and São Paulo, with a distribution nearly identical to Angara nigrocercata ( Fig. 12B). Angara brauni is a restricted to the Coastal Atlantic Forest, representing the species with the northernmost distribution within Angara , occurring in eastern central São Paulo State, specifically in the municipality of Bertioga, and in eastern Paraná ( Fig. 12C). Angara superba is another species restricted to the Coastal Atlantic Forest, found in eastern Paraná and Santa Catarina ( Fig. 12G). The closest relative to Angara superba , Angara nunoi , has a known distribution only in Paraná, in the oriental-centre and southeastern regions ( Fig. 12F). Angara flavolineata is recorded in eastern, east-central, and northwestern Rio Grande do Sul and the coastal region of Argentina in Misiones Province ( Fig. 12E). Angara dohrni , in turn, exhibits the broadest distribution, ranging from eastern Santa Catarina to the coastal region of Argentina in Misiones, and also occurring in eastern Rio Grande do Sul ( Fig. 12D); as discussed above, the records for this species in Argentina and Uruguay are considered here as representing a distinct taxon.