Zootaxa

**Studies in Mexican Grasshoppers: Fifteen new species of Proctolabus Saussure, 1859 (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Proctolabinae)**

2026-02-18T12:12:15+13:00

In this study, a morphological revision of both unidentified and identified specimens of Proctolabus Saussure, 1859 deposited mainly at the Insect Collection of the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology and at Colección de Artrópodos de la Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala (CAFESI) was conducted. This genus is distributed from Northwestern Mexico to El Salvador in Central America, being Mexico the most diverse area with eight known species. Through morphological specimen comparisons among them and against the type material of previously described species, fifteen taxa were found to be new to science. The new taxa described here are P. merianae sp. nov., P. humboldti sp. nov., P. darwini sp. nov., P. cooki sp. nov., P. wallacei sp. nov., P. batesi sp. nov., P. mulleri sp. nov., P. linnaei sp. nov., P. lamarcki sp. nov., P. songi sp. nov., P. fontanai sp. nov., P. buzzettii sp. nov., P. hubbelli sp. nov., P. ottei sp. nov. and P. cantralli sp. nov. These species were collected in Mexico from the states of Sinaloa, Durango, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima and Michoacán. The fifteen new species are characterized by unique morphological features from external and internal male genitalia, being the cerci and the dorsal and ventral valves of the endophallus unique and highly informative.

**On nine species of the genus Bowie (Araneae: Ctenidae) from China and Malaysia**

2026-02-18T12:13:44+13:00

Nine species of the genus Bowie Jäger, 2022 are recorded from China and Malaysia, including seven new species described here. Five species are reported from Yunnan, China: Bowie achang Shang, Zhang & Wang, sp. nov. (male, female), B. dai Shang, Zhang & Wang, sp. nov. (male, female), B. lahu Shang, Zhang & Wang, sp. nov. (male), B. nangunhe Yang, Zhang & Wang, sp. nov. (male, female) and B. wa Yang, Zhang & Wang, sp. nov. (male, female). Additionally, B. tujia Shang, Zhang & Wang, sp. nov. (male) is described from Guizhou, China, and B. weiweii Shang, Zhang & Wang, sp. nov. (male, female) from Sabah, Malaysia. The previously unknown sexes of B. lishuqiang Jäger, 2012 (male, from Chongqing, Sichuan and Guangxi of China) and B. mengla Yao & Li, 2022 (female, from Yunnan of China) are described here for the first time. Photos of habitus, copulatory organs and a distribution map for all species are provided.

**Two new species of Olpium L. Koch, 1873 from Iran, with an identification key to all species of the genus (Pseudoscorpiones: Olpiidae)**

2026-02-18T12:15:43+13:00

Despite its broad distribution across arid and semi-arid regions of Africa, Asia, southern Europe, and Australia, the pseudoscorpion genus Olpium L. Koch, 1873 (Pseudoscorpiones: Olpiidae) remains taxonomically neglected in Iran and only two species (O. omanense Mahnert, 1991 and O. lindbergi Beier, 1959) have been recorded from this country to date. Following detailed morphological study of extensive field collections in Iran, we describe two new species, O. tenebris sp. nov. and O. lacustre sp. nov., that are widely distributed across the country. Comprehensive descriptions, illustrations, and comparisons with closely related species are provided. To facilitate standardized identification and character evaluation, we present an updated species-level key for the genus Olpium, constructed using DELTA software.

**Taxonomic review of the genus Phrynocaria Timberlake, 1943 (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) from China with description of a new species**

2026-02-18T12:16:38+13:00

The genus Phrynocaria Timberlake from China is reviewed. Six species of Phrynocaria are reported, described and illustrated, including one new species P. bella Zhu & Wang sp. nov. A key and a distribution map of the known species are also presented.

Breaking the mimicry mold: taxonomic notes on Scaphura Kirby (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae) with description of two new non-mimetic species from Brazil and redescription of S. conspurcata

2026-02-18T12:17:37+13:00

Katydids of the genus Scaphura Kirby, 1825 are known for their distinctive mimetic morphology and behavior that resembles wasps of the Pompilidae and Vespidae, supposedly providing protection against predators. They are distributed across South America, mainly in Brazil. Herein, two new species of Scaphura (Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae) are described from southern Brazil: Scaphura tukurauna sp. nov. and Scaphura curitibana sp. nov. Scaphura tukurauna sp. nov., collected in Iguaçu National Park, is a medium-sized, that differs from all congeners by its uniformly dark coloration. Scaphura curitibana sp. nov., found in Curitiba, is ferruginous to orange, with darkened tegminal veins and a distinctly elongate, slightly curved ovipositor. Both species are non-mimetic, contrasting with the typical wasp-mimicking pattern of the genus. In addition to these descriptions, we redescribe the long-lost type of S. conspurcata, recently rediscovered in the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien (NMW). Together, these findings expand the known morphological diversity of Scaphura and underscore the still underestimated richness of Phaneropterinae in the Atlantic Forest of southern Brazil.

**Four new species of the genus Eusterinx Förster, 1869 (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Orthocentrinae) from Burundi and Kenya**

2026-02-18T12:18:34+13:00

In this paper, four new African species of the genus Eusterinx Förster, 1869 are described: E. kibira sp. nov. from Burundi; E. elgonensis sp. nov., E. kenyaensis sp. nov., and E. pyramidalis sp. nov. from Kenya. Eusterinx africana Humala, 2024 is recorded from Kenya for the first time.

A new species of Phyllonorycter Hübner (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) associated with Genista berberidea Lange (Fabaceae), and a new species of Achrysocharoides Girault (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) associated with both, from Portugal

2026-02-18T12:19:20+13:00

Leafmines found on Genista berberidea Lange in northern Portugal led to the discovery of two new species: Phyllonorycter berberidella Nunes, Laštůvka & Laštůvka sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) and Achrysocharoides genistae Hansson sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). The moth is described based on specimens reared from the host plant, and the wasp from individuals that emerged from the moth larvae. Notes on the conservation status of the host plant at the type locality and a key to related Achrysocharoides species are presented.