Remarks on the genus Tachycines Adelung, 1902 (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae: Aemodogryllinae) with description of eight new species from caves in southern China

Abstract

This paper describes eight new cave-dwelling species of the genus Tachycines from Guizhou, Hunan, Guangxi and Sichuan, i.e. Tachycines (Gymnaeta) liboensis sp. nov., Tachycines (Gymnaeta) bifolius sp. nov., Tachycines (Gymnaeta) tuberus sp. nov., Tachycines (Gymnaeta) paradoxus sp. nov., Tachycines (Gymnaeta) umbellus sp. nov., Tachycines (Gymnaeta) nulliscleritus sp. nov., Tachycines (Gymnaeta) taenus sp. nov. and Tachycines (Gymnaeta) latiliconcavus sp. nov. The females of T. (G.) ferecaecus (Gorochov, Rampini & Di Russo, 2006) and T. (G.) proximus (Gorochov, Rampini & Di Russo, 2006) are first recorded. Moreover, we consider T. (G.) aspes (Rampini & Di Russo, 2008) as a valid species instead of a synonym of T. (G.) proximus (Gorochov, Rampini & Di Russo, 2006) according to obviously different reduction of fastigium verticis and eyes, higher number of spines on the hind tibia and the shape of male genitalia. Furthermore, Eutachycines crenatus (Gorochov, Rampini & Di Russo, 2006) should be retransferred to the subgenus Tachycines (Gymnaeta) due to the diagnosis of genus Eutachycines: dorsal sclerite of male genitalia with a protuberance in the upper part. Therefore, it should still belong to the subgenus Tachycines (Gymnaeta). In addition, morphological photographs of the eight new species and five known species are provided, including eyeless species.