Aglaothorax poecilonotum Cole, Weissman, and Lightfoot, 2025

Aglaothorax poecilonotum Cole, Weissman, and Lightfoot , sp. nov.

Fig. 28 View FIGURE 28 (distribution), Fig. 34 View FIGURE 34 (male and female habitus, calling song, male and female terminalia, karyotype), Plate 6 (male terminalia), Plate 9 (female subgenital plate), Plate 13 (male titillators), Plate 15 (male calling song).

Common name. Santa Ynez Shieldback.

History of recognition. None.

Type material. HOLOTYPE MALE: USA, California, Santa Barbara County, Upper Oso Campground, Los Padres National Forest , 34.55469N, 119.76960W, 349 m, 10-VIII-2021, DB & DW Weissman, S 21-22, R22-8 , F1 [reared], deposited in CAS, Entomology type #20379 GoogleMaps . PARATOPOTYPES (n=45) USA, CA, Santa Barbara Co., same data as holotype GoogleMaps , CAS, 6♂, 21♀; Upper Oso Campground, Los Padres National Forest, 22 miles northwest of Santa Barbara off SR154 ( Paradise Rd. ), 34.5544, -119.7683, 376 m, 11-12-VI-2008, JA Cole GoogleMaps , LACM, 10♂; same data except 7-8-VI-2002, JA Cole GoogleMaps , AMNH, 2♂; same data except GoogleMaps LACM, 5♂, 1♀ .

Measurements. (mm, ♂ n=6, ♀ n=5) Hind femur ♂ 12.13–14.43, ♀ 13.65–16.55, pronotum total length ♂ 6.85– 8.59, ♀ 6.47–8.38, prozona length ♂ 3.15–4.20, ♀ 3.26–4.79, metazona dorsal length ♂ 3.55–5.05, ♀ 2.60–4.18, pronotum constriction width ♂ 2.36–2.80, ♀ 2.50–3.40, metazona dorsal width ♂ 5.10–6.11, ♀ 4.60–6.15, head width ♂ 3.41–3.90, ♀ 3.77–4.41, ovipositor length ♀ 10.34–11.83.

Distribution. Santa Ynez Mountains of Santa Barbara County, California.

Habitat. Oak woodland understory and riparian. On Ceanothus spp. , Scrub Oak, and Sage ( Salvia spp. ).

Seasonal occurrence. Adult activity from late spring (7-VI-2002, JA Cole, LACM) through summer (10-VIII-2021, DB Weissman, CAS). A captive reared nymph matured on 30-IV, which may be earlier than during a typical season in nature.

Stridulatory file. (n=5) length 2.9–3.5 mm, 88–103 teeth, tooth density 30.3±4.2 (25.7–35.5) teeth/mm.

Song. (n=5) Common song type of small Aglaothorax . Pulse trains of length 40 ms are repeated at a rate of 4.42± 0.45 s- 1. Mean peak frequency is 18.74±3.02 kHz; high frequency recording equipment places the peak frequency within the ultrasonic at 22.80 kHz. Echemes are variable in length and contain 11–40 (mean 26±11) pulse trains. Silent intervals between echemes are brief at 8±4 s (range 5– 12.5 s). At the type locality males were first heard singing at 2100 h and peak acoustical activity began after 2330 h.

Karyotype. (n=3) 2n ♂ =24 (22t +XtYt) paratype T21-18 (S21-22).

Recognition. Morphology, geography. The male paraproct process has an apical mesal tooth unlike the generally subapical tooth of most Morsei Group species. The male titillator is long and bowed, unlike the short slightly curved titillator arm of A. constrictans and the morse Group. The strong lateral curve to the titillator and lack of a basal constriction on the titillator arms together eliminate A. oreibates from consideration, which has less lateral curvature and a basal constriciton. The A. poecilonotum female subgenital plate has digitiform lateral processes that are broad at base and rather blunt at the apex, unlike the long, narrow, and sharp processes of A. dactyla . The A. poecilonotum subgenital plate lateral processes round onto the caudal margin of the plate unlike the right angle observed in female A. diminutiva . Female A. poecilonotum may be morphologically indistinguishable from those of A. acrolophitus and A. oreibates . The range of A. poecilonotum is restricted to the Santa Ynez Mountains.

Etymology. Gr. poecilo variegated, many colored + notum the back. Descriptive of the variable color patterns exhibited among individuals, of which one of the color patterns is also variegated.

Notes. There was little singing when the type series was collected on 10-VIII-2021 (S21-22), but many adult females and two adult males were attracted to a long oatmeal trail. Five field-collected adult females were housed together at room temperature as described on p. 6 starting on 10-VIII-2021. On 28-IX-2021, the sand was examined for eggs and a total of 30 were harvested. All eggs were kept at room temperature (between 15–25ºC) and natural photoperiod until hatching commenced on 4-I-2022. Between 4-I-2022 and 30-I-2022, a total of 17 eggs hatched. The 13 unhatched eggs were continued at room temperature until they were chilled at 3ºC from 3-IX-2022 to 6- III-2023, before being returned to room temperature and natural photoperiod. Between 6-III-2023 and 25-III-2023, another eight eggs hatched, for a total of 25 out of 30 eggs successfully hatched.

Material examined. See Type Material above.

Diminutiva Group populations that need further study. A single male with full metadata from Pico Canyon, Newhall Ranch, Los Angeles County, California, has long bowed titillaors consistent with the Diminutiva Group, sings with the standard 5 s-1 pulse train rate, and exhibits mitonuclear conflict: nDNA groups this individual with A. longipennis + A. amathitis while mtDNA falls outside of both small Aglaothorax clades. An expanded sample size is required to arrive at a diagnosis given the character conflict in this population. The population may have hybrid characteristics as in the nearby Santa Monica Mountains.A collection of malaise trap samples from the Santa Suzana Mountains is morphologically a member of the Diminutiva Group and occupies a locality in the vicinity of both A. acrolophitus and A. dactyla . Without song or DNA data, we withhold placing this population to species.

Material examined. (n=12) USA, CA, Los Angeles Co., Pico Canyon, 2 miles west of Newhall , 34.37740, -118.58448, 438 m, 11-XI-2023, J Bailey GoogleMaps , LACM, 1♂ ; same data except 34.384720, -118.566078, 26-VI-1969, J Lyon GoogleMaps , LACM, 1♂ ; Santa Susana Mountains, dry tributary of Browns Canyon , 34.289, -118.594, 390 m, 12-V-2- VI-2022, RW Cohen, malaise trap GoogleMaps , CSUN, 1♂, 1♀ ; same data except 19-IV-12-V-2022, 2♂, 1♀ ; same data except 2-23-VI-2022, 1♀ ; same data except 23-VI-19-VII-2022, 1♂ ; same data except 24-V-28-VI-2023, 1♀ ; same data except 7-VIII-14-IX-2023, 2♂ .