Studies on Eumastacoid grasshoppers: Paralethus montanus n. sp. (Orthoptera: Episactidae) from Chiapas, Mexico.

Paralethus montanus n. sp. is described from Chiapas, Mexico. This new species constitutes the first record of the genus for Mexico, previously known only for El Salvador and Guatemala, and it is the first episactid species collected at higher elevations (above 3000 m). A standardization for the abbreviations of the genital structures of episactids is proposed, which could apply to other groups of eumastacoids. A key for the identification of Paralethus species is also provided. Finally, the taxonomy of the genus and the spatial and altitudinal distribution of Central American taxa are discussed.

Studies on Neotropical crickets: A new Tusked Cricket genus (Orthoptera: Phalangopsidae) from Colombia.

Dentoluzara spatulatus n. gen. et n. sp., from the middle lands of the Colombian Andes, is described. This new phalangopsid cricket is distinguished by its asymmetrical mandibles with a basal prolongation in the left one, which is why it is recorded as the first Tusked Cricket. This rare morphological structure has only been observed in some species of anostostomatids and a couple of genera of tettigoniids, but never in crickets. Furthermore, D. spatulatus n. gen. et n. sp., has the ps. p2, from the male genitalia, spatula-shaped, deriving its specific epithet from there. Finally, the new genus peculiar mandibular morphology and the subfamily Luzarinaes taxonomy are commented and discussed.

Studies of Raspy Crickets: The Status of the Wingless American gryllacridines (Orthoptera: Gryllacrididae).

In this contribution based on the American wingless gryllacridines, the two genera described for the New World Camptonotus and Neoeremus are defined and differentiated, resulting in three additional genera: Neortus stat. resurr., Fiancogryllacris n. gen. and Camposgryllacris n. gen. The species of these genera were described at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, and in most taxa, there are no records since their description, so the iNaturalist platform provided additional distributional data for some species. Taxonomic keys are provided for the identification of the genera and species studied. Finally, the evolutionary interpretation of the appearance and disappearance of wings in leaf-rolling crickets are discussed.

Studies on Neotropical crickets: A new Perugryllae cricket (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Gryllinae: Gryllini: Brachytrupina) from the foothills of the Colombian Andes.

A new tiny field cricket species of the genus Laureopsis (Orthoptera: Gryllidae), from the foothills of the Colombian Andes is described. With the description of Laureopsis andinus n. sp., the distribution of the Perugryllae Group expands outside the Amazon rainforest of Colombia and Peru, and is recorded for the first time in areas of Andean influence. A distribution map and a key for the identification of the species of the group are also provided. Finally, the morphology and distribution of the species of the two genera known for the Perugryllae group are discussed.

Studies on chevron crickets: Contribution to the knowledge of Lutosinae/ini taxa (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae).

In this contribution to the study of chevron crickets, we focus on several taxa of the subfamily/tribe Lutosinae/ini. Historical background was made on the classification of this group. Lutosa is redescribed, defining the generic and specific limits, thus providing a key for identifying the species based on males and another based on females. In addition, two new species are described: Lutosa morsellii n. sp. and Lutosa quaresmai n. sp.; L. marginalis, L. cubaensis and L. goeldiana were redescribed, and L. surda n. syn., was synonymized under L. paranaensis. Other species previously allocated in Lutosa are relocated as follows: Lutosa obliqua and L. azteca are again synonymized under Licodia pallipes; Lutosa inermis is moved back to Dolichochaeta (D. inermis comb. rev.). The genus Neolutosa is studied, grouping three species N. emarginata (with new specimens that rule out its presence in Central America), N. aculeata (with additional specimens, erroneously identified in the past as L. brasiliensis) and N. horribilis n. comb. (this species is transferred from Lutosa). A key to species is also provided. Records for Apotetamenus clipeatus are reported for the Brazilian Amazon and the states of Mato Grosso and So Paulo (Brazil). Finally, the classification of the family Anostostomatidae and the subfamily / tribe Lutosinae/nini is discussed.

Studies on Neotropical crickets: Aclodes paz n. sp. a new phalangopsid cricket (Orthoptera: Phalangopsidae) from the Santander caves, Colombia.

Aclodes paz n. sp. a new troglophilous species from the caves of the municipalities of La Paz and San Vicente del Chucur, Santander, is described. An overview of the taxonomic history of the tribe Aclodini and the genus Aclodes is provided, to understand the recent taxonomic changes in the group. The species is named in honor of La Pazs municipality and the desire of Colombians and other inhabitants of the world who have conflicts in their territories (the cricket of peace). Finally, the habitat and taxonomy of the genus are discussed.

Studies on Neotropical crickets: Mellogryllus mutus n. gen. et n. sp., an intriguing new genus and species of cricket of the Miogryllae Group (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Gryllinae: Gryllini: Brachytrupina) from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

A new monotypic genus, Mellogryllus mutus n. gen. et n. sp., is described from the dense ombrophilous forests of the Brazilian coastal Atlantic Forest. This new genus is included within the genus-group Miogryllae due to the structure of the male genitalia. The key for the genera of the Group Miogryllae is also updated. Finally, the morphological particularities of Mellogryllus n. gen. are discussed, such as the presence or absence of tympanum in the different sexes, variation in the number of spurs on the legs, and the modification of the first pair of legs for underground life.

Studies on chevron crickets: Morphological redescription of Chilean red cricket Cratomelus armatus Blanchard, 1851 (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae).

An updated diagnosis for Cratomelus is provided, accompanied by a key to the identification of species. Cratomelus armatus is redescribed, including the genital structures, which were unknown until now, being a significant contribution to the morphological differentiation of this taxon of chevron crickets, giving additional data that will allow the future to differentiate them from the other anostostomatids of the world.

The tribe Dysoniini part VI: Phylogeny, biogeography and evolutionary trends of the lichen katydid genera (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae). Eleventh contribution to the suprageneric organization of Neotropical phaneropterines.

The tribe Dysoniini is widely distributed in the Neotropics, ranging from northeastern Mexico across Central and South America to northern Argentina. In the latter subcontinent it is most diverse. These tettigoniids are remarkable for their lichen- and bryophyte-mimicking camouflage and for having a particularly elevated vertex, which is unusual in the family Phaneropterinae. A cladistic analysis for 23 terminal taxa has been performed (20 in the ingroup and 3 in the outgroup), using 76 morphological and ecological characters in order to prove monophyly of the following genera and tribes: Hammatoferina n. subtr. (including Hammatofera), Markiina n. subtr. (Machimoides (Machima (Apolinaria (Lichenodraculus + Markia)))) and Dysoniina n. stat. (Quiva (Yungasacris (Dissonulichen (Alexanderellus n. gen. (Paraphidnia + Anaphidna) (Dysonia (Lichenomorphus + Lichenodentix)))))). The tribes genera resulted as monophyletic, except for Dysonia sensu Gorochov, so it was necessary to revalidate generic status for Dissonulichen n. stat. to recover monophyly for Dysonia. The three aforementioned subtribes and a new subgenus Dissonulichospinus n. subgen. (within Dissonulichen n. stat.) are proposed, as well as five new combinations of species so far included in Dysonia: Alexanderellus mariposa n. comb., Dissonulichen diffusus n. comb., D. ornatus n. comb., D. elegans n. comb. and Lichenomorphus pirani n. comb. Four species names are considered as synonyms: Hammatofera brasiliensis n. syn. (under H. nodicornis), Dysonia similis n. syn. (under Dissonulichen minensis), Dysonia cuiabensis n. syn. (under Dissonulichen hebardi) and Lichenomorphus nigriventer n. syn. (under L. puntifrons). Dysonia lamellipes is considered a nomen dubium. Characters referring to camouflage, mimicry, and behaviors associated with these adaptative preferences were optimized. Optimizations for structural phylogenies were indicated on each of the optimized characters, displaying nodes in which the different optimizations by characters differ. Characters analyzed on the ambulatory behavior of the studied taxa are closely related to the type of mimicry or camouflage occurring in each group, so those taxa that camouflage in foliose lichen move in a slow, circumspect fashion, contrasting to taxa mimicking crustose or fruticose lichen, which simulate lichen parts stirred by a breeze. This most effective strategy makes them almost impossible to spot in their natural habitat. Likewise, species with wasp mimicry tend to show behaviors that make their imitation strategy more efficient. The ancestral state of the tribe is a phyllomorphic type (leaf camouflage) as is usual in most genera of the family Phaneropterinae. The appearance of camouflage and mimicry in the species of the tribe is discussed, and how these converge with taxa of other areas of the planet. The relationship between optimized characters is then grouped in the most parsimonious tree, indicating frequency and relation between taxa and characters. A biogeographic dispersal-vicariance analysis of the tribes genera indicates that the ancestral area is in the Brazilian Shield as the only resulting ancestral distribution, with a secondary center of radiation in the Andes. Four vicariant events are postulated: 1) The differentiation of some genera by the rising of the Andes, 2) forming a barrier between species groups of the genus Markia. 3) Expansion from the ancestral area towards the Amazon and 4) the Andes. Diagnoses and a pictorial key to the identification of all genera, plus conventional keys for identification of all species are provided, along with distribution maps. A list presents all taxa of the tribe within the proposed classification, including distribution data, depositories of type specimens, and additional comments.

Studies on Neotropical crickets: A new Gryllotalpella species (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae) from Brazilian Amazon.

The genus Gryllotalpella is redescribed, and Gryllotalpella mendesi n. sp. is described from the Brazilian Amazon. The key to the species is also updated, and the status of the specimen identified as Gryllotalpella minor by Rehn in 1917 is clarified. Finally, a map with the distribution of the currently known species is provided, and the status of the species described in past centuries is discussed.

Studies on Neotropical Pseudophyllinae: The placement and status of Dasyscelidius species (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae).

In this contribution to the subfamily Pseudophyllinae in the Neotropics, we focus on reviewing the status of the genus Dasyscelidius and its three species. After this revision, the genus remains monotypic, including only Dasyscelidius atrifrons (type species), adjusting the diagnosis, limiting it to the characteristics of the only known species for the genus. D. atrifrons, is recorded for the Bogot Savanna, previously in its original description its locality was only Colombia, without additional data on this species in other later contributions. Dasyscelidius brasiliensis is placed into the new genus Pepumiri n. gen., which is similar to Pleminia, including only Pepumiri brasiliensis n. comb., from the middle and highland plateaus of the Brazilian Cerrado. Dasyscelidius minimus is designated as nomen dubium, since the only type specimen is lost, and its original description or later data are very poor and do not allow a good identification. Finally, this contribution contributes to the differentiation between brachypterous taxa of the tribes Pleminiini and Platyphyllini, which in several cases may be similar and difficult to place in each tribe.

Three new Anaulacomera species (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae) from the Iguau National Park and nearby areas, southern Brazil.

Three new species of Anaulacomera are described, Anaulacomera (Anaulacomera) mariellae sp. n. and Anaulacomera (Anallomes) arlindoi sp. n., belonging respectively to the Inermis and Lanceolata species group, and Anaulacomera angelinae sp. n., placed as incertae sedis. The individuals were collected at the Iguau National Park and adjacent small fragments of Atlantic Forest, in southwestern Paran state, Brazil. The description was based on external morphology of males. We also present distribution maps for the species of the Inermis and the Lanceolata species groups.

Studies on raspy crickets: Caudafistulus rubrinervosus (Serville, 1838) n. comb. (Orthoptera: Gryllacrididae).

Caudafistulus n. gen. is described to accommodate Brachybaenus rubrinervosus, a species of Raspy Cricket from the Colombian Andes, endemic to the highlands of the Aburra Valley and the eastern subregion of the department of Antioquia. Caudafistulus rubrinervosus n. comb. differs from Brachybaenus species, due to its conspicuous frontal ocellus, male terminalia with processes on the tenth tergite, subgenital plate modified, and genitalia with sclerotized areas, being one of the few genera of gryllacridids known with this peculiarity in the world. Finally, the similarity of copulatory structures with old-world taxa and their possible function for mating is discussed.

Studies on Neotropical Pseudophyllinae: The status of the genus Brachyauchenus Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1895 and its species (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Pseudophyllinae: Platyphyllini).

In this contribution to the subfamily Pseudophyllinae in the Neotropics, we focus on reviewing the status of the genus Brachyauchenus and its four included species. After this revision, the genus remains monotypic, including only B. castaneus (type species), so it is necessary to provide a new diagnosis, since the current has characteristics of species that in the past was moved to Triencentrus, in addition to the characteristics of the species that are being excluded here. B. castaneus is redescribed to complement the characteristics of the genus, the unknown female is described, and new distribution data are provided, refuting the presence of this species in Bogot, Colombia, its type locality. Brachyauchenus festae and B. minutus are grouped into the new genus Mikrischyrum n. gen. (Platyphyllini) which is similar to Baliophyllum and Drepanoxiphus, and a key is provided to differentiate these species. Brachyauchenus varicosus is being moved to the genus Stenoschema (Pleminiini), restricting the distribution of Brachyauchenus to the center and north of the eastern slope of the Colombian Andes and the new genus in Panama and the Peruvian Amazon. A map is included with the distribution data of the species studied here. Finally, the variation of the coloration of some species and the current taxonomic panorama of the tribe Platyphyllini are discussed.

The status of Micronotus Hancock, 1902 species (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae).

In this contribution, we focus on the status of the genus Micronotus and its four species. After this revision, the genus only includes two of the four species, being synonymized Micronotus dubius n. syn. under M. quadriundulatus; includes within the genus M. andeanum n. comb. (transferred from the genus Tetrix) and confirming the status of M. asperulus. Micronotus is redescribed, including additional characters, and a key is provided to identify the three species considered as valid. Micronotus caudatus, is located in the new genus Danielatettix n. gen., by differing from and not fitting the diagnostic characteristics of Micronotus or another known genus of Tetriginae. The color variation of Danielatettix caudatus n. comb. is documented, and under this species its synonymized: Paratettix attenuata n. syn., P. hastata n. syn. and P. ignobilis n. syn. Finally, the distribution of the studied species and the taxonomic panorama of Tetriginae in the Neotropics are discussed.