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| Oryctopterus varuna Hiremath & Prathapan, 2021 |
ABSTRACT
The genus Oryctopterus Karny, 1937 (Orthoptera, Stenopelmatidae, Oryctopinae) is reported from India for the first time and two new species, Ot. varuna sp. nov. and Ot. yeshwanthi sp. nov. are described. Male and female external genitalia of Ot. varuna sp. nov. and female genitalia of Ot. yeshwanthi sp. nov. are figured and described. Notes on seasonality, food habits and behavior of Ot. varuna sp. nov. are provided.
Keywords: Oriental Region, male genitalia, female genitalia, diet, behavior
Order Orthoptera Latreille, 1793
Family Stenopelmatidae Burmeister, 1838
Subfamily Oryctopinae Kevan, 1986
Genus Oryctopterus Karny, 1937
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| Oryctopterus varuna sp. nov. 49. Walking posture. 50. Defending a frontal attack. 51. Abdomen and fore-legs raised when poked on thorax. 52. Initiation of digging. Images not to scale. |
Oryctopterus varuna sp. nov.
Etymology The new species is named after Varuna, the god of rains in Indian mythology. The name is a noun in apposition. This cricket was observed coming out to open areas such as campus roads following rains, hence the name. In the regional dialect, Ot. varuna sp. nov. is called ‘Mannunni’, meaning ‘child of soil’. Also nicknamed ‘Thanni-Pillai’, meaning ‘baby of water’, alluding to its emergence following rains.
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| Oryctopterus species. 48.Oryctopterus lagenipes (Karny, 1935), allotype, ♂, from Colombo, Sri Lanka (Karny 1937: pl. 7 fig. 2; available from Orthoptera species file). 49–52. Oryctopterus varuna sp. nov. 49. Walking posture. 50. Defending a frontal attack. 51. Abdomen and fore-legs raised when poked on thorax. 52. Initiation of digging. Images not to scale. |
Oryctopterus yeshwanthi sp. nov.
Etymology: This species is named after H.M. Yeshwanth, University of Agricultural Sciences, who collected the single known specimen.
S.R. Hiremath and K.D. Prathapan. 2021. Two New Species of the Genus Oryctopterus (Orthoptera: Stenopelmatidae: Oryctopinae) from India, with Some Notes on Biology. European Journal of Taxonomy. 748(1); 108–137. DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2021.748.1349
