Desert diversification: revision of Agroecotettix Bruner, 1908 (Orthoptera, Acrididae, Melanoplinae) with descriptions of sixteen new species from the United States and Mexico.

Abstract

In this study, a morphological revision was conducted of Agroecotettix Bruner, a group of grasshoppers inhabiting open xeric desert scrub, shrublands, and plains, spanning central Texas to central Mexico. The genus was originally described by Bruner in 1908, with two taxa added by Hebard in 1922. Agroecotettix has remained unrevised despite numerous collections. This exploration, spurred by a novel discovery of significant male genitalia variation in Agroecotettixaristusaristus, suggests undescribed species. Through morphological specimen comparisons, sixteen new species are described from biologically rich regions of the South Texas Plains, Chihuahuan Desert, and Sierra Madre Oriental. The new taxa described here are A.silverheelsi sp. nov., A.xiphophorus sp. nov., A.glochinos sp. nov., A.texmex sp. nov., A.cumbres sp. nov., A.burtoni sp. nov., A.moorei sp. nov., A.chiantiensis sp. nov., A.dorni sp. nov., A.chisosensis sp. nov., A.turneri sp. nov., A.quitmanensis sp. nov., A.vaquero sp. nov., A.forcipatus sp. nov., A.idic sp. nov., and A.kahloae sp. nov. This discovery sheds light on desert biodiversity and hints at a Pleistocene radiation akin to other melanoplines, urging further exploration to enrich our understanding of this fascinating lineage and unravel the biogeographic history within these arid landscapes.