# Two New Species of the Genus Caryanda Stål, 1878 (Orthoptera: Acrididae) from Yunnan, China Identified Based on Morphological and Molecular Data †

## TL;DR

Two new flightless grasshopper species from Yunnan, China, were identified using physical traits and genetic data, highlighting biodiversity and conservation concerns.

## Contribution

The paper introduces two new Caryanda species using integrated morphological and molecular methods.

## Key findings

- Two new Caryanda species were described from Gengma County, Yunnan.
- Mitochondrial genome data provided a valuable reference for species identification.
- Population decline due to habitat loss and pesticide use threatens Caryanda species.

## Abstract

Species of Caryanda are small-sized, flightless grasshoppers with residual wings, commonly found in the semi-shaded, moist grasses under broad-leaved forests in Yunnan. They primarily feed on Gramineae plants, exhibit highly diverse coloration, and are narrowly distributed in isolated habitats. However, populations have seriously declined in recent years because of the substitution of original vegetation and the extensive use of pesticide and are now restricted to only certain areas. This population decline has disrupted the original ecological network and may even lead to species extinction. Since the late 1990s, our team has collected locust samples nearly a hundred times in various counties and villages in Yunnan Province, trying to understand the diversity and biology of this group. Based on morphology, morphometry, and mitochondrial genome data, two new species of Caryanda collected from Gengma County, Yunnan Province were described. The mitochondrial genome information given by this study provides an important and valuable reference for the identification of Caryanda species in the future.

Caryanda is a group of morphologically diverse, non-flying locusts. In November 2024, we first discovered two unknown species of the genus in Nangonghe Nature Reserve, Yunnan Province. In this study, the effectiveness of these two new species was verified by integrating morphological, morphometric, and mitochondrial genomic methods. Finally, two new species, Caryanda gengmaensis Mao et Li sp. nov. and Caryanda analbomaculata Mao et Li sp. nov., were proposed and described in detail, and two similar species color plates were attached: C. cyanonota Mao & Li, 2015 and C. albomaculata Mao, Ren & Ou, 2007.