Diponthus festivus Gerstaecker, 1873

Pocco, Martina E., Lange, Carlos E. & Cigliano, María Marta, 2023, Relationships and taxonomy of the genus Diponthus Stål (Orthoptera: Acridoidea Romaleidae), Zootaxa 5336 (1), pp. 33-81 : 50

Diponthus festivus Gerstaecker, 1873

( Figs. 3e, f , 6g , 7a, b , 8f , 9a, b ; 10f , 11f , 12a, b , and 13 ).

Diponthus festivus Gerstaecker, 1873: 193 (syntype, male, Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, ZMHB Berlin Mus.); Pictet and Saussure, 1887: 371; Rehn, 1913: 335; Carbonell et al. 2023; Cigliano et al. 2023.

Diagnosis. Pronotal disk black with a narrow band along the mid-longitudinal dorsal carina, two wide oblique bands in prozona surpassing the main transverse sulcus and a wide band on posterior margin yellow colored ( Fig. 7a, b ); lateral lobes with a narrow band on the inferior margin yellow ( Fig. 7a ). Tegmina light green with longitudinal and transverse veins greenish-yellow, delimiting regular cells with central spots grayish-brown ( Fig. 8f ). Hind wings bluish with the apex grayish-brown. Epiproct quadrangular; prominent tubercles on posterior half; furculae small, acute ( Fig. 9b ). Cerci short, slightly down-curved (straight dorsally and with a slight concavity ventrally) reaching the tip of epiproct ( Fig. 9a ). Phallic complex similar to D. cribratus . Dorsal valves of aedeagus moderately thin, basal two thirds straight, with the apex slightly down-curved ( Fig. 10f ); valves of cingulum placed perpendicular to the dorsal valves of aedeagus (in dorsal view), rod-shaped ( Fig. 11f ). Cingulum V-shaped; zygoma wide, anterior margin straight ( Fig. 11f ). Epiphallus with lophi placed parallel to bridge, expanded but not reaching the posterior processes of the lateral plates ( Fig. 12a ); superior edges somewhat rounded in frontal view ( Fig. 12b ).

Redescription and chromatic characters, and material examined. See Appendix 1

Measurements (in mm). Body length: male: 37; females: 47.1 (45–48.5). Hind femur length: male: 11; females: 19.3 (19–20). Tegmina length: male: 26; females: 34.3 (34–35).

Distribution. This species is found in Argentina (Misiones), Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul) y Paraguay (Itapúa) ( Fig. 13 ).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Diponthus species. Males, habitus lateral views (a, c, e, g, i, k) and dorsal views (b, d, f, h, j, l). Species as indicated. Scale bar= 1 cm. Numbers indicate characters and states used in the cladistics analysis.

FIGURE 6. a–c, Diponthus argentinus: male and female, color morph green (a), female (b), male (c); d, D. paraguayensis, male; e, f, D. pycnostictus: e, yellow and gray color morph; f, red and gray color morph, male; g, D. festivus, male (photo credits: Elio Castillo); h, D. puelchus, male; i, D. crassus, male and female

FIGURE 7. Head and pronotum, in lateral views (a) and dorsal views (b). Diponthus species as indicated. Numbers indicate characters and states used in the cladistics analysis.

FIGURE 8. Tegmina, color pattern of venation. Diponthus species, as indicated. Numbers indicate characters and states used in the cladistics analysis.

FIGURE 9. Male abdominal terminalia, in lateral views (a) and dorsal views (b). Diponthus species as indicated. Numbers indicate characters and states used in the cladistics analysis.

FIGURE 10. Distal portion of aedeagal valves, lateral view. Diponthus species, as indicated.

FIGURE 11. Distal portion of aedeagal valves, dorsal view. Diponthus species, as indicated.

FIGURE 12. Epiphallus, dorsal views (a) and frontal views (b). Diponthus species, as indicated. Numbers indicate characters and states used in the cladistics analysis.

FIGURE 13. Distribution map of Diponthus species.