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Diversification of Agroecotettix: Grasshoppers of Aridland Scrub in the United States and Mexico

16 new species of Agroecotettix were identified from the United States and Mexico.

Guest blog post by JoVonn Hill

Back in 2018, I began conducting fieldwork on grasshoppers in Texas. Among the specimens I collected that year, I noticed something intriguing—what appeared to be a new species of Agroecotettix. That initial discovery set the stage for years of research, stretching through 2024. During this time, I continued to collect Agroecotettix specimens and studied collections from several institutions, including the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Brigham Young University, and the Mississippi Entomological Museum.

By analyzing these specimens, I identified 16 new species of Agroecotettix from the United States and Mexico. Interestingly, most of these species are associated with mountainous of Texas and Mexico. Some also inhabit the South Texas Plains ecoregion and the Edwards Plateau.

Habitat and Behavior of Agroecotettix

Agroecotettix grasshoppers are often found on thorny, leguminous shrubs such as Acacia and Vachella. Mesquite is typically not a host. In the Big Bend region of Texas, I often found them on Sotol—sometimes consuming pollen, other times seeking shade beneath the leaves during the heat of the day.

Individuals of Agroecotettix dorni roosting during the heat of the day on Dasylirion leaves

One sweltering day in Big Bend National Park, it was 113°F, and I was trudging through Boquillas Canyon, searching for grasshoppers. After two hours of seeing a couple grasshoppers, I was ready to leave. Then, glancing up, I spotted 40 or 50 grasshoppers clustered on the undersides of Sotol leaves, sheltering from the mid-day sun. Many of them were Agroecotettix, alongside other flightless desert grasshoppers like Phaulotettix and Netrosoma. It was just like picking fruit off a tree—no net needed.

Much of what we now know about Agroecotettix species stems from the work of Dr. Theodore Cohn. During the 1950s and 1960s, he conducted extensive fieldwork in Mexico, often in areas that are now too dangerous to access. His collections were invaluable for identifying several of the new species, highlighting the enduring importance of historical specimens and natural history collections.

Naming these species offered a unique opportunity to honor individuals and ideas that have influenced me such as:

Image of LeVar Burton courtesy of Super Festivals under a CC BY 2.0 license

LeVar Burton: One species is named after this the Reading Rainbow and Star Trek icon. Burton is an American treasure who has inspired a love of reading in millions, including me. As a child, I grew up watching Reading Rainbow and later found myself reading those same books to my own kids during school events.

Image of Ted Turner courtesy of by Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license

Ted Turner: Another species honors Ted Turner, the entrepreneur and conservationist. Turner’s efforts to preserve vast swaths of the western U.S. have will have a lasting impact on biodiversity.

Image of Michael Dorn courtesy of Supercon Conventions under a CC BY 2.0 license

Michael Dorn: Known for playing Worf on Star Trek, Dorn inspired another species name. Work was always my favorite character. A portion of this species anatomy resembled a Klingon weapon, making the connection apt.

IDIC: One species is named after the Vulcan philosophy of “Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.” This Star Trek principle seemed a fitting name for a species in this group of cryptic species.

Jay Silverheels: another species honors Silverheels’ cultural impact and the Texas landscapes where the series was set. A Native American athlete and actorwho most famously portrayed the fictional character Tonto in “The Lone Ranger” television series from 1949-1957, Silverheels was one of the first Native American actors to portray a major Indigenous character on a television series. Throughout his career, Silverheels advocated for more inclusion of Indigenous people in media and founded the Indian Actors Workshop in Los Angeles during the 1960’s.

Image of Clayton Moore courtesy of twm1340 under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license

Clayton Moore: Known for playing the Lone Ranger, “moorei” honors Clayton Moore for his portrayal of this fictional Texas Ranger that embodied justice, bravery, and connection to the American West.

Frida Kahlo: The species name kahloae patronym the iconic Mexican painter known for her vivid and symbolic artwork. Her enduring connection to Mexican culture makes her an apt figure to be commemorated through this species, which is endemic to Mexico.

Exploring the Agroecotettix genus has been a journey into the unexpected. What began as a few curious specimens turned into the discovery of 16 species (and counting). The biodiversity of this group, particularly in Mexico, is likely even greater than we currently realize.

The natural world never ceases to amaze. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you look a little closer using new techniques or tools—and suddenly, there’s a universe of diversity waiting to be discovered.

Research article:

Hill JG (2024) Desert diversification: revision of Agroecotettix Bruner, 1908 (Orthoptera, Acrididae, Melanoplinae) with descriptions of sixteen new species from the United States and Mexico. ZooKeys 1218: 177-230. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1218.133703

Scientists pay tribute to Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer with new species named after them

The insects are parasitoid wasps 6 mm long with black, white, and orange colour patterns, and were found in major Thai national parks.

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will go down in history as two of the greatest tennis players of our time, but their names have also been immortalized in science, as two new insect species were just named in honor of the athletes.

A team of insect scientists from the Integrative Insect Ecology Research Unit in Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University described two new wasp species named Troporhogas rogerfedereri and Troporhogas rafaelnadali in a tribute to the two tennis legends.

A specimen of Troporhogas rafaelnadali. — *Troporhogas rafaelnadali*. Photo by Marisa Loncle

“T. rogerfedereri and T. rafaelnadali are parasitoid wasps, whose larvae devour their hosts from the inside,” says Buntika Areekul Butcher, who led the study to describe the new insects. “As their names proclaim, they honour the tennis greats Roger Federer and Raphael Nadal, who although competitors on the court have been on the same doubles team too. Also, two of the authors are huge fans of both Roger and Rafa.”

*Troporhogas rogerfedereri*. Photo by Marisa Loncle

Both of the new wasps are 6 mm long, with black, white and orange colour patterns. They were found in two major Thai national parks, Khao Yai and Khao Sok, both of which are popular attractions for natural history tourists.

The scientists published their discoveries in a research article in the open-access zoology journal ZooKeys.

Research article:

Quicke DLJ, Ranjith AP, Loncle MK, Van Achterberg C, Long KD, Butcher BA (2024) Revision of Troporhogas Cameron (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Rogadinae) with six new species from India and Thailand. ZooKeys 1206: 99-136. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1206.120824

Denmark Museum Highlights UW Entomologist’s Naming of Shakira Wasp

Aleiodes shakirae is one of only 18 animal species featured in a museum exhibition in Denmark.

Nine years ago, University of Wyoming entomologist Scott Shaw and colleague Eduardo Shimbori gained a moment of fame by naming several newly discovered South American insect species for celebrities — including a wasp for singer and musician Shakira (Aleiodes shakirae).

Mummy-making wasps discovered in Ecuador: New insect species named after Shakira and Jimmy Fallon

Today, the Shakira wasp is one of only 18 animal species featured in a museum exhibition in Denmark. “From Rock Fossils to Pop Insects” at the Naturama Museum in Svendborg, Denmark, highlights species named after famous rock musicians and pop stars, including an ancient mammal for Mick Jagger (Jaggermeryx) and a deep-sea crab named for Metallica (Macrostylis metallicola).

This is the panel in an exhibition at the Naturama Museum in Svendborg, Denmark, that highlights the naming of the Shakira wasp (Aleiodes shakirae) by UW Professor Scott Shaw and colleague Eduardo Shimbori.

The exhibition was planned and created by Thomas Berg, a senior scientist and curator at the museum.

“Discover the fascinating old fossils, listen to the music and find out why scientists use rock music when naming fossils,” says a Naturama website promoting the exhibition, which is open to the public for viewing through November.

The Shakira wasp is a parasite of caterpillars, feeding and developing inside them — and causing them to bend and twist their abdomens in a distinctive way, which reminded Shaw and Shimbori of belly dancing, for which the Colombia-born singer also is famous. The Shakira wasp and other insect species were described in a 2014 volume of the international research journal ZooKeys, which is dedicated to advancing studies of the taxonomy, phylogeny, biogeography and evolution of animals.

“It’s gratifying to see our discovery included in this exhibition in such a creative and artistic way,” Shaw says. “I hope this public attention will help to draw new students to studies of tropical insects and the urgent field of tropical forest conservation.”

Berg says he chose the Shakira wasp for the exhibition because Shakira is a world-class singer and musician — and because of the researchers’ story behind the naming of the insect.

“Shaw and Shimbori’s personal story was captivating, with clear references to the parasitic wasp’s effect on its victim,” Berg says. “I’ll also admit that I’m a huge fan of Shakira, and it was such a gift to have the world’s best argument to include Aleiodes shakirae in the exhibition.”

Shakira. Image by MAURICIO MORENO under a

National Science Foundation-funded fieldwork conducted in the cloud forests of eastern Ecuador by Shaw and colleagues led to the discovery of 24 new species of Aleiodes wasps that mummify caterpillars. Some of these were named for other celebrities, including Jimmy Fallon, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Ellen DeGeneres. One of these, Aleiodes colberti — named after Colbert — was featured on the Jan. 22, 2022, segment of Colbert’s “Late Show” on CBS.

A UW faculty member since 1989, Shaw is the curator of UW’s Insect Museum in the College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources. He received that college’s Vanvig Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. He has published more than 200 scientific publications about insects as well as a book, “Planet of the Bugs: Evolution and the Rise of Insects,” which tells of dominant insect species and how they shaped life on Earth.

News piece originally by the University of Wyoming. Republished with permission.

New spider genus named after pop band ABBA

Two ABBA-mad arachnologists from Murdoch University in Perth, Australia, have described a new genus dedicated to the famous band.

Spiders of the family Araneidae are known for building vertical orbicular webs to catch upon prey. They can be easily identified by their eye pattern, the abdomen normally overlapping the carapace, and complex genitalia. The family currently has 188 genera and 3,119 species worldwide.

Two scientists from Murdoch University in Perth (Australia), Dr Pedro Castanheira and Dr Volker Framenau, described a new spider genus of Araneids following a comprehensive study of orb-weaving spiders found in Australian zoological collections. They named it after one of their favourites bands, the Swedish pop group ABBA, paying tribute to the band members Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.

The band’s “songs and subsequent musicals Mamma Mia! (2008) and Mamma Mia – Here We Go again! (2018), provided hours of entertainment for the authors,” they explain in their study, which was published in the journal Evolutionary Systematics.

Abba transversa. Photo by Volker Framenau

The new genus is composed of a relatively small single species (ca. 3-4 mm), Abba transversa (Rainbow, 1912), whose specimens are currently known from the coastal area of New South Wales and Queensland. It is differentiated from other species within the family by the presence of two dark spots in the middle of abdomen and by the thick macrosetae on the first pair of legs of the males.

The description comes after 15 years of scientific work, with the researchers looking at 12,000 records in Australian museums and overseas collections.

“Describing new taxa is vital for conservation management plans to assess biodiversity and protect forests areas across Australia,” says study author Dr Pedro Castanheira. “Currently, 80% of Australian spider species are unknown, and many of the described ones are misplaced in different genera, like Abba transversa used to be.”

Original source:

Castanheira PS, Framenau VW (2023) Abba, a new monotypic genus of orb-weaving spiders (Araneae, Araneidae) from Australia. Evolutionary Systematics 7(1): 73-81. https://doi.org/10.3897/evolsyst.7.98015

Follow Evolutionary Systematics on Facebook and Twitter.

Taylor Swift, the millipede: Scientists name a new species after the singer

Scientists described a total of 17 new species from the Appalachian Mountains—now published in the open access journal ZooKeys.

Taylor Swift, U.S. singer-songwriter known for hits such as “Shake It Off” and “You Belong With Me”, has earned a new accolade—she now has a new species of millipede named in her honor.

The twisted-claw millipede Nannaria swiftae joins 16 other new species described from the Appalachian Mountains of the United States. These little-known invertebrates have a valuable role as decomposers: breaking down leaf litter, they release their nutrients into the ecosystem. They live on the forest floor, where they feed on decaying leaves and other plant matter, and in fact, they are somewhat tricky to catch, because they tend to remain buried in the soil, sometimes staying completely beneath the surface.

Her music helped me get through the highs and lows of graduate school, so naming a new millipede species after her is my way of saying thanks.
Derek Hennen

Scientists Derek Hennen, Jackson Means, and Paul Marek, at Virginia Tech, U.S., describe the new species in a research paper published in the open access journal ZooKeys. The research was funded by a National Science Foundation Advancing Revisionary Taxonomy and Systematics grant (DEB# 1655635).

Because of their presence in museum collections, scientists long suspected that the twisted-claw millipedes included many new species, but these specimens went undescribed for decades. To fix this, the researchers began a multi-year project to collect new specimens throughout the eastern U.S. They traveled to 17 US states, checking under leaf litter, rocks, and logs to find species so that they could sequence their DNA and scientifically describe them.

Example of typical habitat for twisted-claw millipedes. Photo by Dr Derek Hennen

Looking at over 1800 specimens collected on their field study or taken from university and museum collections, the authors described 17 new species, including Nannaria marianae, which was named after Hennen’s wife. They discovered that the millipedes prefer to live in forested habitats near streams and are often found buried under the soil, exhibiting more cryptic behaviors than relatives.

The newly-described millipedes range between 18 and 38 mm long, have shiny caramel-brown to black bodies with white, red, or orange spots, and have white legs. The males have small, twisted and flattened claws on their anterior legs, which is the basis for their common name.

The lead author of the study, Derek Hennen, is a fan of Taylor Swift.

“Her music helped me get through the highs and lows of graduate school, so naming a new millipede species after her is my way of saying thanks,” he says.

Research article:

Hennen DA, Means JC, Marek PE (2022) A revision of the wilsoni species group in the millipede genus Nannaria Chamberlin, 1918 (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Xystodesmidae). ZooKeys 1096: 17-118. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1096.73485

Follow ZooKeys on Twitter and Facebook.

Trapdoor spiders named after Neil Gaiman, Peter Gabriel and Brandi Carlile among 33 new to science species

New species named after famous novelist Neil Gaiman, musician and human rights activist Peter Gabriel and singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile are among thirty-three new trapdoor spiders described from across North and South America. Following the discovery, published in the openly accessible, peer-reviewed scholarly journal ZooKeys, the known species in the genus Ummidia increased more than twice.

In a recent revision of the trapdoor spider genus Ummidia completed at the University of California, Davis, co-authors Dr. Rebecca Godwin (Piedmont University, GA) and Dr. Jason Bond (University of California, Davis, CA) described 33 new species found throughout North and South America. Their study is published in the openly accessible, peer-reviewed scholarly journal ZooKeys. A number of these species were named after popular artists, including Neil Gaiman, Peter Gabriel and Brandi Carlile.

“I think anything we can do to increase people’s interest in the diversity around them is worthwhile and giving species names that people recognize but that still have relevant meaning is one way to do that,” says Dr. Godwin.

A male *Ummidia brandicarlileae* from Yucatán, Mexico

The newly described trapdoor spider Ummidia brandicarlileae is named after singer-songwriter and activist Brandi Carlile, and occurs in Yucatán, Mexico, where Carlile’s annual Girls Just Wanna Weekend Festival is held. The event was created to counter the lack of female representation at mainstream music festivals.

A male *Ummidia neilgaimani* from Roanoke Co., Virginia, U.S.

Similarly, Ummidia neilgaimani is named after fantasy and horror writer, Neil Gaiman, author of a number of fantasy and horror books with spider-based characters, and a particular favorite of Dr. Godwin.

A male *Ummidia gabrieli* from Baja California Sur, Mexico

In addition to these pop culture references, Godwin and Bond named several species in honor of various people and places. The Pine Rockland trapdoor spider, found in southern Florida, is named after the critically endangered pine rockland habitat in which it is found. Ummidia paulacushingae is named for Dr. Paula Cushing, long-time collaborator and friend of Bond and friend, and mentor to Godwin.

With the names of the new to science species, the authors were also able to shed light on lesser-known historical figures. Ummidia bessiecolemanae is named for Bessie Coleman (1892–1926), the first African American and Native American woman to obtain her pilot’s license.

Trapdoor spiders are unique compared to most of the spiders that we are familiar with in that they don’t use silk to make a web. Instead, they live in burrows lined with silk and covered with a “trapdoor”.

Trapdoor spiders in the genus Ummidia are actually very widespread—they can be found from Maryland west to Colorado through Mexico and Caribbean as far south as Brazil. However, because they spend most of their lives underground, people rarely ever encounter a trapdoor spider. When trapdoor spiders are young, they leave their mother’s burrow and make one of their own. Females will spend their entire lives (which can be decades) in those burrows if they aren’t disturbed, but when a male spider matures (5 to 7 years of age), they emerge in search of females. This is when people are most likely to see them.

“I am continually blown away by how little we know about what is out there living on this planet with us. Most people don’t even realize they are sharing their space with these creatures literally right under their feet”
Dr. Rebecca Godwin

“Given the fact that these spiders tend to have very limited ranges and have very low dispersal, entire species can be winked out of existence without us ever knowing they were here, and I find that kind of heartbreaking. Documenting the diversity of groups like Ummidia gives us knowledge we need to appreciate and conserve the rich and diverse life that surrounds us.”

Research article:

Godwin RL, Bond JE (2021) Taxonomic revision of the New World members of the trapdoor spider genus Ummidia Thorell (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Halonoproctidae). ZooKeys 1027: 1-165. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1027.54888