title: Studies in Mexican Grasshoppers: Liladownsia fraile, a new genus and species of Dactylotini (Acrididae: Melanoplinae) and an updated molecular phylogeny of Melanoplinae.
abstract: Liladownsia fraile gen. nov. sp. nov. Fontana, Mariño-Pérez, Woller & Song (Lila Downs' friar grasshopper) of the tribe Dactylotini (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Melanoplinae) is described from the pine-oak forest of the Sierra Madre del Sur Mountain Range in Oaxaca, Mexico. Taxonomic placement of this new genus is justified based on morphological characters as well as a molecular phylogeny. Information about the probable host plant, phenology, and known localities is also presented. We also present an updated molecular phylogeny of Melanoplinae, which includes representatives of five of the seven recognized tribes. The monophyly of the subfamily and the included tribes is tested and we find Dactylotini to be paraphyletic because of the placement of Hesperotettix Scudder, 1876. We also recover strong close relationships between the new genus and Perixerus Gerstaecker, 1873 and Dactylotum Charpentier, 1845.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, FL 32816-2368, U.S.A.; Email: asilid@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Derek A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Woller
authors.affiliation: Fondazione Edmund Mach - Centro Trasferimento Tecnologico - Protezione delle piante e biodiversità agroforestale, Via della Val, 2 - Loc. Costa di Casalino, I-38057 Pergine Valsugana, Italy; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fontana
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, FL 32816-2368, U.S.A.; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mariño-Pérez
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, FL 32816-2368, U.S.A.; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Hojun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Song
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006110:Grasshoppers / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D010802:Phylogeny; D013045:Species Specificity