Pygmy Devils, Discotettiginae, are small members of the Tetrigidae (Dwarf Grasshoppers) from South and East Asia. They are generally terrestrial, feeding on Algae and Bryophytes (Non-vascular Plants), though some species are semi-aquatic and feed on aquatic Algae and Plants.
In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 22 January 2016, Josep Skejo of the Special Interest Group Tetrigidae of the Biology Students Association at the Department of Biology at University of Zagreb and Joy Caballero of the Department of Biology at Central Mindanao University describe a new species of Pygmy Devil from Mindanao Island in the Philippines.
The new species was first recognized by Josep Skejo from a photograph posted on the Orthoptera Facebook group, with specimens later found for sale on the LesColeopteres webpage. The species was subsequently located in the wild by a team led by Alma Mohagan of the Central Mindanao University. It is placed in the genus Arulenus, and given the specific name miae, in honour of Miae Jurić, a student of Fashion and Textile Design at the Faculty of Textile Technology at the University of Zagreb, and friend of Josep Skejo.
Original Facebook image of the first specimen of Arulenus maiae. Leif Gabrielsen in Skejo & Caballero (2016).
The species is large for a Pygmy Devil, with the largest specimens reaching about 13 mm in length. Its body has a generally smooth texture, covered in small granulations. They are predominantly black in colour, with a black or dark brown head, with yellow eyes and a number of yellow tubercles and dorsal spines with red tips.
Skejo and Caballero further note that social media present a great deal of potential for natural historians in general and entomologists in particular, with images being shared on a variety of platforms, such as EBay and Flikr, and in particular Facebook, where there are a number of specialist groups for entomologists and orthopterists, such as Entomology, Insect Identification, InsectIndia, Orthoptera, The Orthopterists Society and Orthotera of Thailand.
See also...
A new species of Pygmy Grasshopper from Miocene Dominican amber. Pygmy Grasshoppers (Tetrigidae) are small Orthopteran Insects related to
True Grasshoppers, Crickets and Katydids, found across much of the
globe but most numerous and diverse in the tropics...
A new species of Cockroach Wasp from Thailand. Cockroach Wasps (Ampulicidae) are a group of Digger Wasps (Aculeata)
which specialize in the hunting of Cockroach prey. Some of these Wasps
are...
A new species of Green Lacewing discovered on Flikr®. Green Lacewings (Chrysopidae) are a globally distributed group of
carnivorous flying Insects, ranging from 6 to 65 mm in length (though
the larger...
Skejo and Caballero further note that social media present a great deal of potential for natural historians in general and entomologists in particular, with images being shared on a variety of platforms, such as EBay and Flikr, and in particular Facebook, where there are a number of specialist groups for entomologists and orthopterists, such as Entomology, Insect Identification, InsectIndia, Orthoptera, The Orthopterists Society and Orthotera of Thailand.
See also...
A new species of Pygmy Grasshopper from Miocene Dominican amber. Pygmy Grasshoppers (Tetrigidae) are small Orthopteran Insects related to
True Grasshoppers, Crickets and Katydids, found across much of the
globe but most numerous and diverse in the tropics...A new species of Cockroach Wasp from Thailand. Cockroach Wasps (Ampulicidae) are a group of Digger Wasps (Aculeata)
which specialize in the hunting of Cockroach prey. Some of these Wasps
are...A new species of Green Lacewing discovered on Flikr®. Green Lacewings (Chrysopidae) are a globally distributed group of
carnivorous flying Insects, ranging from 6 to 65 mm in length (though
the larger...
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