New species of Locustopsidae (Orthoptera: Caelifera) from the Crato Formation including the new subfamily Pseudoacridinae subfam. nov.

Three new species, a new genus, and a new subfamily of Locustopsidae Handlirsch, 1906 are described from the Early Cretaceous Crato Formation of Brazil. Pseudoacrida eumastacoimima sp. nov. represents the third global record of the genus and the second species named from the Crato Formation, following P. sennlaubi Nel & Jouault, 2022. The head morphology of P. eumastacoimima sp. nov. resembles that of members of Eumastacoidea.

A newly discovered specimen of P. sennlaubi is also presented herein, providing additional morphological data beyond the two previously known forewings, including preserved body structures that enhance our understanding of the species. A new genus, Auroralocusta gen. nov., is described from the formation. Auroralocusta restituta gen et sp. nov. shares with Pseudoacrida the diagnostic feature of the CuA + CuPaα branch that continues beyond its fusion with CuPaβ.

However, it differs by possessing only two branches of M, whereas Pseudoacrida has three. Based on these differences and shared features, a new subfamily, Pseudoacridinae subfam. nov., is proposed to house Pseudoacrida and Auroralocusta. Lastly, a new species of Mesolocustopsis Hong & Wang, 1990 is described as Mesolocustopsis levis sp. nov., further expanding the locustopsid diversity of the Crato Formation.

With the inclusion of these new taxa, the known diversity of Locustopsidae from the formation now comprises 26 species distributed across eleven genera. A comparative analysis of Locustopsidae diversity from the Crato Formation, the Lower Jurassic of Germany, and the Lower Cretaceous of UK suggests that the Crato Formation represents a major hotspot of locustopsid evolution, with a greater number of taxa recorded than from any other locality worldwide.