Studies on Neotropical Pseudophyllinae: Integrative description of Dentotibium gen. nov., and of a toothed foretibia katydid (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) that sings from burrows in branches

Abstract

Herein, we describe the genus Dentotibium gen. nov. and the species D. ramucantoris sp. nov, a toothed foretibia katydid within the subfamily Pseudophyllinae from Colombia. This new katydid is a forest dweller inhabiting oak woodlands between 1600 and 2300 m above sea level, only found in the western slopes of the Eastern Andes of Boyacá Department, Colombia. This new species burrows in woody branches and shows big heads in both sexes. The appearance of Dentotibium gen. nov. is similar to that of Trichotettix Stål, 1873 but differs in having tubercles over the dorsal margin of the foretibiae. It is also close to Nastonotus Bolívar, 1890, but differs from in lacking the three black stripes in the vertex and having a less marked frontal suture and smoother face. Males sing all night long, and their calling song consists of periodic syllables with three differentiable phases. Seasonal calling activity lowers remarkably during the dry season (Jun–Aug). DNA barcoding sequences for the paratypes made available in a previous study are included here.