Diponthus dispar 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 : 77-78

Diponthus dispar Gerstaecker, 1873

Redescription. Large insects ( Fig. 3g, h ). Male: integument of head slightly rugose; fastigium not excavated with apex straight. Wide interocular distance, wider than the apex of the fastigium. Eyes small and oblong, not reaching the level of vertex in lateral view. Frons straight or slightly rounded; union frons-fastigium rounded. Pronotum with mid-dorsal longitudinal carina obsolete in the prozona, slightly marked in metazona, cut by the main transverse sulcus, shallow; metazona longer than prozona. Disc of pronotum with anterior margin straight, posterior margin obtuse-angular. Integument of prozona impresso-punctuate dorsally; slightly impresso-punctuate laterally; metazona finely rugose. Meso and metapleurae rugose to faveolated. Prosternal tubercle directed backwards, with slightly rounded apex. Tegmina and wings exceeding the end of abdomen, with slightly truncated apex; tegmina with transverse veins delimiting small irregular cells. Anterior and middle legs with femora and tibiae robust. Tarsi with conspicuous arolium. Cerci very long, reaching the end of subgenital plate, finger-shaped, slightly curved inwards. Epiproct oval, with rounded lateral margins, with small tubercles near the posterior margin; furculae with acute tips. Phallic complex ( Figs. 10g , 11g , and 12a, b ): dorsal valves of aedeagus hook-shaped. Valves of cingulum hammer-shaped. Epiphallus with lophi placed parallel to the bridge, not reaching the posterior processes of the lateral plates; rounded apex and oblique edges.

Chromatic characters. Body color olive green with yellow-ocher ( Fig. 3g, h ). Head olive green with a yellow-ocher mid-dorsal band. Antennae yellow to light brown. Pronotum olive green with three dorsal longitudinal bands and an oblique band on the lower margin of the lateral lobes yellow or cream colored. Meso and metapleurae dark green with light yellow bands. Prosternal tubercle light yellow. Tegmina with green background and yellow transverse veins delimiting small irregular cells of the same color as the background. Hind wings green. Anterior and middle legs tan colored. Hind femur light brown, with a longitudinal dark green band on outer face; upper part of knee dark green; hind tibiae tan to reddish, spines yellow with black tips. Abdomen greenish-yellow; subgenital plate light cream colored; epiproct light yellow with tips of furculae and tubercles black.

Females. Similar to males, but more robust. Ovipositor valves light cream colored with black tips.

Material examined. URUGUAY: 8 males and 4 females, Artigas, Sepulturas , 20-28/12/1957, C.S.Carbonell leg., MLP ; 1 female, Treinta y Tres, C.M. Uriarte leg., MLP ; 1 male and 1 female, “ Banda Oriental ”, MLP ; 4 males, Artigas, Sepulturas , 19/12/1957, C.S.Carbonell leg., MZSP . ARGENTINA: 5 males and 3 females, Buenos Aires, Tornquist, Pileta de los Tres Picos , 20-23/01/1947, Rossi leg., IFML ; 2 males and 2 females, Buenos Aires, Tornquist , 19/01/1947, Rossi leg., IFML ; 2 females, Buenos Aires, Tornquist , Sierra de la Ventana, 08/02/1947, Rossi leg., IFML ; 1 male, Buenos Aires, Sierra de la Ventana, 27/1/1973, A. Mesa & E. Corbella leg., MZSP ; 1 male, Misiones , 17/12/1910, Jorgensen leg., MLP .

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 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.