New frog-like insects leap into the science books

(Press-News.org) Seven new species of a distinctive frog-like insect have been discovered by a scientist from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in Cambridge, England.

Belonging to the genus Batracomorphus, the seven previously unknown species of leafhopper were found by Dr Alvin Helden during fieldwork in the tropical rainforest of Uganda.

The name Batracomorphus derives from the Greek for “frog-shaped”, and these leafhoppers are mostly green, possess large eyes and jump using their long hind legs, which are tucked alongside their bodies like frogs.

The details of Dr Helden’s discoveries have been published in the journal Zootaxa and they are the first new species of Batracomorphus to be recorded in Africa since 1981.

Until now, only 375 species of Batracomorphus were known worldwide, with just two recorded in the UK, and the seven species were all discovered using light traps in rainforest above 1,500m altitude in Uganda’s Kibale National Park.

One of the biggest challenges faced by Dr Helden was confirming that the species were new to science. Leafhoppers of this genus look almost identical and the only reliable way to distinguish species is by examining their genitalia.

Leafhoppers follow the “lock and key” mechanism of reproduction, where the male genitalia, the key, is uniquely shaped and only the male and female genitalia of the same species will fit each other.

These complex structures, made out of the same tough material as their exoskeleton, mean that successful mating can only occur between leafhoppers of the same species, preventing hybridisation.

Dr Helden, an entomologist and a member of the Ecology, Evolution and Environment Research Centre at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said: “Leafhoppers are beautiful, endearing creatures. Although some can be pests, and are associated with crops such as maize and rice, overall leafhoppers are a really undervalued group of herbivores.

“They are an important source of food for birds and other insects, and their presence is a sign of a healthy ecosystem.

“Finding these new species has taken a lot of painstaking fieldwork in the rainforest, dealing with heat and humidity, but it is incredibly satisfying to find species previously unknown to science – it makes all the hard work worthwhile.

“I’ve named six of the leafhoppers, in Greek, after their distinctive features or where they were found. One, Batracomorphus ruthae, carries a very personal meaning. It honours my mother, Ruth, who I lost in 2022.

“Ruth was a scientist, who worked in a hospital laboratory. She bought me my first microscope, which I still have, and encouraged my love of science from the very beginning, so naming a species after her feels like the most fitting tribute I could give.”

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