Abstract
A new species of mole cricket,
Gryllotalpa xinjiangica
Gu & Miao,
sp. nov
., is described from Xinjiang, northwestern China, based on morphological characters and molecular data. The new species belongs to the
G. gryllotalpa
species complex and represents the second confirmed species of this complex known from East Asia. It can be distinguished from related species by the absence of inner subapical spurs on the hind tibiae, tegminal venation, and the structure of the male phallic complex. The complete mitochondrial genome of
G. xinjiangica
Gu & Miao,
sp. nov
. was sequenced, revealing a novel tRNA gene rearrangement (
trnE-trnN-trnS1
). Phylogenetic analyses based on the mitochondrial
cox1
gene support the distinctiveness of the new species and recover it as sister to the
G. gryllotalpa
+
G. vineae
clade. An identification key to the known Chinese species of Gryllotalpidae is provided.