Abstract
The identification of Eumastacidae is normally based on the study of phallic complex. However, the genus Zeromastax possesses additional characters that easily differentiate it from other eumastacids. These are ten antenomeres, spines located ventrally on the posterior femur, spur in the distal part of hind tibiae, micropterous condition and the phallic complex with subepiphallic sclerite. Two new species are described, Z. aris and Z. malavasei from the Andean region of Colombia, which show differences in external anatomy including the pronotum, shape of tegmina and coloration pattern, as well as several differences in the phallic complex.References
Crump, M.L. & Scott, N.J. (1994) Standard techniques for inventory and monitoring; pp. 77–171. In: R.W. Heyer, M.A. Donnelly, R.W. McDiarmid, L.C. Hayek & M.S. Foster (Eds.). Measuring and Monitoring Biological Diversity. Standard Methods for Amphibians. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C.
Descamps, M. (1973) Diagnoses et signalisations d´Eumastaciodea (Orth). IV Amérique. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France, 9 (4), 943–974.
Flook, P.K. & Rowell, C.H.F. (1997) The phylogeny of the Caelifera (Insecta, Orthoptera) as deduced from mtrRNA gene sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution, 8, 89–103.
Flook, P.K., Klee S. & Rowell, C.H.F. (1999) A combined molecular phylogenetic analysis of the Orthoptera and its implications for their higher systematics. Systematic Biology, 48, 233–253.
Holdridge, L.R. (1967) Life zone ecology. Tropical Science Center. San Jose, Costa Rica. 226 pp.
Matt, S. (1998) Approaching a classification of the Eumastacoidea (Orthoptera, Insecta) with molecular data. Diplomarbeit, Zoologisches Institut der Universität Basel, Switzerland. 136 pp.
Porras, M. (2007) Del carnaval al estereoscopio: Zeromastax (Orthoptera: Eumastacidae), un nuevo género de saltamontes payaso. Revista Colombiana de Entomología, 33 (1), 70–73.
Rangel-CH, O.J., Lowy, P.D. & Aguilar, M. (1998) Distribución de los tipos de vegetación en lasregiones naturales de Colombia. In: Rangel-Chm O.J, Lowy, P.D. & M. Aguilar (Eds). Colombia Diversidad Biótica II: Tipos de Vegetación en Colombia. Bogotá, Colombia. pp 383–402.
Rowell, C.H.F. & Flook, P.K. (1998) Phylogeny of the Caelifera and the Orthoptera as derived from ribosomal RNA gene sequences. Journal of Orthoptera Research, 7, 31–36.
Rowell, C.H.F. (1997) Episactidae: Las Familias de insectos de Costa Rica. Available from:http://www.inbio.ac.cr/papers/insectoscrTexto34.html. (4 August 2010).
Sharov, A.G. (1971) Phylogeny of the Orthopteroidea (translated from the Russian). Israel Program for scientific translations, Jerusalem: Keter Press. Translated from AkademiyaNauk SSSR, Trudy palaeontologicheskogoInstituta; Vol. 118.
Rowell, C.H.F. &Bentos-Pereira, A. (2001) Review of genus Homeomastax (Eumastacinae, Eumastacidae, Eumastacoidea, Orthoptera) with a new species. Journal of Orthoptera Research, 10, 209–254.
Van derHammen, T. (1995) Global change, biodiversity and conservation of neotropical montane forests. In: Churchill, S.P., Balslev, H., Forero, E. & Luteyn, J.L. (Eds), Biodiversity and Conservation of Neotropical Montane Forests: The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York.pp. 603–607.