Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics

Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics

A new species of the genus Xistra Bolívar, 1887 (Orthoptera, Tetrigidae) from Negros Island, the Philippines

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Center for Biodiversity Research and Extension in Mindanao; 2 Animal Biology Division, Institute of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Central Mindanao University, Musuan, Maramag, Bukidnon 8710, Philippines
2 Evolution Laboratory, Division of Zoology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb Horvatovac 102a, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
3 Plant Biology Division, Institute of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Central Mindanao University, Musuan, Maramag, Bukidnon 8710, Philippines
4 Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička cesta 54, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
10.48311/jibs.12.01.67
Abstract
A new species of genus Xistra Bolívar, 1887, subgenus Xistra, from Negros Island, Visayas (the Philippines) is described here—Xistra balinsasayaoensis sp. nov. (Balinsasayao’s horned pygmy grasshopper). It was first documented in May 2017 by an amateur photographer and was finally collected in October 2023. The species belongs to the subgenus Xistra due to its smooth pronotum with a low median carina and moderately high horns. There are now a total of six species of Xistra, three of which are members of the subgenus Xistra. The photographic records of living specimens and their microhabitats, including their bryophyte associates, are provided as well.

Graphical Abstract

A new species of the genus Xistra Bolívar, 1887 (Orthoptera, Tetrigidae) from Negros Island, the Philippines
Keywords

Aureo, W.A., Reyes Jr., T.D., Mutia, F.C.U., Tandang, D.N. & Jose, R.P. (2021) Floristic composition and community structure along the elevational gradient of Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park in Negros Oriental, Philippines. One Ecosystem, 6, e56536. https://doi.org/10.3897/oneeco.5.e56536
Bolívar, I. (1887) Essai sur les acridiens de la tribu des Tettigidae. Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique, 31, 175–313.
Cigliano, M.M., Braun, H., Eades, D.C. & Otte, D. (2025) Orthoptera Species File. Version 5.0/5.0. Available from: https://Orthoptera.SpeciesFile.org/ [Accessed May 14, 2025]
Hancock, J.L. (1913) Studies of Tetriginae (Acrydinae) from Sarawak Museum, Borneo. The Sarawak Museum Journal, 1 (3), 39–54.
Mendez, N.P., Coritico, F.P., Guiang, M.M.M., Acma, F.M., Salolog, M.C.S. & Amoroso, V.B. (2025) Species Composition of Understory Flowering Plants in the Permanent Plot of Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park, Negros Oriental, the Philippines. Philippine Journal of Science, 154 (1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.56899/154.01.01
Muhammad, A.A., Tan, M.K., Abdullah, N.A., Azirun, M.S., Bhaskar, D. & Skejo, J. (2018) An annotated catalogue of the pygmy grasshoppers of the tribe Scelimenini Bolívar, 1887 (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae) with two new Scelimena species from the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. Zootaxa, 4485 (1), 1–70. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4485.1.1
Patano Jr., R.R., Mohagan, A.B., Tumbrinck, J., Amoroso, V.B., and Skejo, J. (2021) Horned and spiky: Tegotettix derijei sp. n. (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae) is a peculiar new pygmy grasshopper species from Mindanao. Zootaxa, 4933 (2), 198–210. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4933.2.2
Patano, R.R.Jr., Kasalo, N., Amoroso, V.B., Guiang, M.M.M., Coritico, F.P. & Mohagan, A.B. (2024) New distribution record for Paraspartolus curiosus Günther, 1939 (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae) with notes on taxonomy and biogeography. Philippine Journal of Science, 152 (6B), 2463–2468. https://doi.org/10.56899/152.6B.20
Skejo, J., Kasalo, N., Patano Jr., R.R., Storozhenko, S.Y., Tumbrinck, J., Domazet-Lošo, T., Amoroso, V.B., Yap, S.A., and Škorput, J. (2025) Taxonomic revision of pygmy devil genera Almacris, Ginixistra, Tegotettix, and Xistra, with comments on Xistrella (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae). Taxonomy, 5 (60), 1–47. https://doi.org/10.3390/taxonomy5040060
Tan, M.K., Salvador, J.A.G., Bahoy, D.C.M., Sabang, A.M.M., Grumo, K.C., Gono III, Rivera, R.R., Daguplo, J., Mondejar, E.P., Nuñeza, O.M., Patano, R.R.Jr., Baroga-Barbecho, J.B., and Yap, S.A. (2025) 110 years after Bruner (1915): An updated checklist of Orthoptera of the Philippines. Zootaxa, 5643 (1), 001–065.    https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5643.1.1
Tumbrinck, J. (2014) Taxonomic revision of the Cladonotinae (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae) from the islands of South-East Asia and from Australia, with general remarks to the classification and morphology of the Tetrigidae and descriptions of new genera and species from New Guinea and New Caledonia. In: Telnov, D. (ed.) Biodiversity, Biogeography and Nature Conservation in Wallacea and New Guinea. Vol. 2. Latvian Entomological Society, Riga, pp. 345–396.