Diponthus electus (Serville, 1838)

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 : 78

Diponthus electus (Serville, 1838)

Redescription. Medium-sized insects ( Fig. 3i, j ). Male: integument of head smooth. Fastigium with rounded apex. Interocular distance very wide, wider than the apex of fastigium. Frons convex; union frons-fastigium rounded. Eyes small, not exceeding the level of vertex in lateral view. Frontal costa wide. Mid-dorsal longitudinal carina obsolete in prozona, slightly marked in metazona, only cut by the main transverse sulci, weakly marked. Prozona longer than metazona. Anterior margin of pronotum rounded; posterior margin obtuse-angular. Integument of prozona impresso-punctuate, more noticeable on dorsum; metazona delicately rugose. Integument of meso and metapleurae rugose to faveolated. Prosternal tubercle directed backwards, broad and with rounded apex. Tegmina and hind wings exceeding the end of abdomen; tegmina with transverse veins delimiting semiregular cells. Cerci short, barely reaching the end of epiproct, tapering distally, with the apex curved downwards. Epiproct elongated, with tubercles on posterior margin; furculae small, slightly pointed, placed apart from the midline. Phallic complex ( Figs. 10h , 11h , and 12a, b ): dorsal valves of aedeagus curved downwards only at their apical end; expanded apex. Valves of cingulum hook-shaped. Cingulum wide V-shaped; zygoma thin. Epiphallus with lophi parallel to the bridge, extended but without reaching the posterior processes of the lateral plates.

Chromatic characters. Body coloration light olive green and light brown ( Fig. 3i, j ). Head light olive-green with a mid-dorsal band cream color. Antennae light brown. Pronotum olive-green with three dorsal longitudinal reddish- brown bands and an oblique band cream color on the lower margin of lateral lobes of prozona. Meso and metapleurae green with reddish-brown on the epimerum and episternum. Prosternal tubercle cream color. Tegmina with discal area greenish-yellow, medial area hyaline, anal area green. Hind wings burgundy color. Front and middle legs reddish-brown. Hind femur reddish-brown with three dark brown spots on outer face and two on inner face; upper part of knee area dark brown; hind tibiae reddish-brown, apical tip and tarsi light brown, spines with black tips. Abdomen cream color, with green or brown tints. Subgenital plate and epiproct cream color, tips of furculae and tubercles black; cerci yellow with apex black.

Females. Similar to males, but more robust. Ovipositor valves reddish-brown with brown tips.

Material examined. URUGUAY: 2 males and 4 females, Rivera, Masoller , 18/11/1955, C.S.Carbonell leg., MLP ; 2 females, Cuchilla Negra (near Masoller , Rivera), 14/11/1955, C.S.Carbonell leg., MLP ; 3 males and 1 female, Tacuarembó, Puntas Ao. Laureles ( Vassoura ), 26/11/1959, C.S.Carbonell & A. Mesa leg., MLP ; 2 males, Paysandú, Puerto Pepeají , 01/12/1959, A. Mesa y C.S.Carbonell leg., MLP ; 1 female, Tacuarembó, Estación Pampa , 15/12/1957, C.S.Carbonell leg., MLP ; 1 male, Tacuarembó, Puntas Ao. Laureles ( Vassoura ), 26/11/1959, Carbonell C., Mesa A. & San Martín P. leg., MZSP .

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.