Integrative taxonomic revision of the grasshopper genera Parapetasia Bolívar, 1884, and Loveridgacris Rehn, 1954 (Orthoptera, Pyrgomorphidae), with description of a new species of Loveridgacris

Abstract

The taxonomic status of the Pyrgomorphid genera Parapetasia Bolívar, 1884, and Loveridgacris Rehn, 1954 is complex and challenging. Here, we use a combination of morphological, distributional, and genetic data to revise the two genera and provide new information on their diversity. We describe a new species, Loveridgacris tectiferus sp. nov., from Tanzania and formally resurrect the status of Parapetasia rammei as a valid species within Parapetasia, resulting in two species in Parapetasia (P. femorata and P. rammei) and two in Loveridgacris (L. impotens and L. tectiferus sp. nov.). We also sequenced the COI and 16S genes of 10 Pyrgomorphidae species and provided the first phylogeny of the group. Our data show that all species are clearly distinct and represent molecular operational taxonomic units (mOTUs), with the exceptions of L. impotens and L. tectiferus sp. nov., which are morphologically clearly distinct but for which the concatenated sequence alignments of the two individual gene datasets (COI and 16S) do not provide sufficient information. In addition, high interspecific distances were found between Parapetasia and Loveridgacris. Moreover, the complete mitogenomes of L. impotens and L. tectiferus sp. nov. were sequenced using next-generation sequencing technology. The total lengths of the assembled mitogenomes were 15,592 bp and 15,737 bp, representing 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes and one D-loop region, respectively. To aid in identification, we present a key for the two genera, including a key to species. This study provides insights into the morphology, distribution, and phylogeny of Pyrgomorphidae in Africa.