Neoxabea mexicana sp. nov. (Gryllidae: Oecanthinae): A new species from Mexico and a key for Neoxabea in North and Central America

Nancy Collins,Carlos Gerardo Velazco-Macias

doi:10.3897/jor.30.62000

Abstract

A new species of tree cricket,Neoxabea mexicanasp. nov., is described from northeast Mexico. Although it has morphological similarities to two other species found in Mexico, there are distinguishing characters, such as a well-developed tubercle on the pedicel, black markings on the maxillary palpi, one of the two pairs of spots on the female wings positioned at the base of the wings, stridulatory teeth count, and the pulse rate of the male calling song. The calling song description and pre-singing stuttering frequencies are provided. Character comparisons that rule out other species in the genus are presented. The common name given to this new species is Mexican tree cricket. Sound recordings and video are available online. We also make some clarification of the status ofNeoxabea formosa(Walker, 1869), described asOecanthus formosus, and present a key ofNeoxabeain North and Central America.

Highlights

A photograph posted in October 2018 (Fig. 1) on Naturalista (2020) of a female tree cricket in northeast Mexico led to the investigation of the new species described here
This paper describes a new species of Neoxabea that has a stridulatory teeth count that falls within the range of some of the male specimens labeled as N. formosa that T
This investigation revealed the following characters for Neoxabea mexicana sp. nov.: well-developed tubercles on the pedicel as well as the scape; a black line on all segments of the maxillary palpi; a large amount of dark staining on the male tegmina, and one pair of dark spots on the wings of females located at the base

Summary

Introduction

A photograph posted in October 2018 (Fig. 1) on Naturalista (2020) of a female tree cricket in northeast Mexico led to the investigation of the new species described here. A 2020 photograph (Naturalista 2020, iNaturalist 2020) from Bosques del Rey, Guadalupe, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, showed a male tree cricket that lacked spines on the hind tibiae and had areas of dark staining on the tegmina. Subsequent findings of another male and female (Figs 2, 3) from the exact locality as the photograph of the female in 2018 led to further photographs, song recordings, and the collection of specimens. The lack of data for N. formosa, along with its complicated history, presented challenges In his description of Oecanthus formosus Walker, 1869, a female specimen from the collection of M.

Methods

Results

Conclusion