Desert diversification: revision of Agroecotettix Bruner, 1908 (Orthoptera, Acrididae, Melanoplinae) with descriptions of sixteen new species from the United States and Mexico

In this study, a morphological revision was conducted of <i>Agroecotettix</i> Bruner, a group of grasshoppers inhabiting open xeric desert scrub, shrublands, and plains, spanning central Texas to central Mexico. The genus was originally described by Bruner in 1908, with two taxa added by Hebard in 1922. <i>Agroecotettix</i> has remained unrevised despite numerous collections. This exploration, spurred by a novel discovery of significant male genitalia variation in <i>Agroecotettixaristusaristus</i>, suggests undescribed species. Through morphological specimen comparisons, sixteen new species are described from biologically rich regions of the South Texas Plains, Chihuahuan Desert, and Sierra Madre Oriental. The new taxa described here are <i>A.silverheelsi</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>, <i>A.xiphophorus</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>, <i>A.glochinos</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>, <i>A.texmex</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>, <i>A.cumbres</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>, <i>A.burtoni</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>, <i>A.moorei</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>, <i>A.chiantiensis</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>, <i>A.dorni</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>, <i>A.chisosensis</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>, <i>A.turneri</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>, <i>A.quitmanensis</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>, <i>A.vaquero</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>, <i>A.forcipatus</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>, <i>A.idic</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>, and <i>A.kahloae</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> This discovery sheds light on desert biodiversity and hints at a Pleistocene radiation akin to other melanoplines, urging further exploration to enrich our understanding of this fascinating lineage and unravel the biogeographic history within these arid landscapes.