Desafiando a lacuna lineana: descrição de novas espécies e primeiros registros de Aracambiae (Orthoptera: Phalangopsidae) em cavernas do Brasil

Abstract

The Aracambiae group (Orthoptera: Phalangopsidae) comprises sete genera known from the leaf litter of forested environments in central-western, southeastern, and northeastern Brazil. Until now, no representatives of this group had been recorded from subterranean habitats. Through detailed morphological analyses of external structures and male genitalia, the present study contributes to understanding the group’s diversity by describing nine new species belonging to the genera Izecksohniella de Mello, 1992, Marcgraviella Souza-Dias & Desutter- Grandcolas, 2014, and Marliella Mews & Mól, 2009 collected in caves. Marliella, previously monotypic and known only from a single locality in Mato Grosso state, Cerrado of central Brazil, is redefined and expanded with the description of four new species distributed across the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Minas Gerais. An updated diagnosis and a redescription of the type species are provided, including a detailed description of the phallic complex and an identification key for all known species. Marcgraviella, formerly represented by only two species from Pernambuco and Alagoas states, Atlantic Forest of northeastern Brazil, is here expanded with the description of three new species from Alagoas, Bahia and Sergipe. The known distribution of M. christianae is also extended to a new locality, PEA-0692 cave, in northern Pernambuco, and ecological observations are presented for the newly described taxa, together with an updated identification key. Finally, for Izecksohniella, one of the most speciose genera within Aracambiae, with three described from the Atlantic Forest, two new species from Bahia and Minas Gerais are described. One of these represents the first record of the genus in the Caatinga biome, underscoring the potential role of caves as refugia for forest-adapted taxa in semiarid regions. This work advances the taxonomic and biogeographical knowledge of the Aracambiae group, helping to reduce the Linnean shortfall and providing a foundation for future ecological studies and conservation planning in subterranean ecosystems.