Diponthus cribratus (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 : 75

Diponthus cribratus (Serville, 1838)

Redescription. Large insects ( Fig. 3c, d ). Males: integument of head smooth and shiny. Head and pronotum somewhat laterally compressed and elevated. Fastigium declivent, not excavated, with rounded apex; frons slightly rounded, union frons-fastigum rounded. Interocular distance wide, wider than the fastigium apex. Eyes oval, small, not exceeding the level of vertex in lateral view. Mid-dorsal longitudinal carina of pronotum marked on metazona, only cut by the main sulcus. Main transverse sulcus very deep on dorsum and sides. Metazona longer than prozona. Pronotal disk with anterior margin straight and posterior margin obtuse-angular. Integument of prozona smooth and shiny; metazona delicately rugose. Prosternal tubercle wide, laterally compressed, with apex directed backwards. Tegmina with apex obliquely truncated, surpassing the tip of abdomen. Tegmina with irregular transverse veins delimiting large cells. Cerci short, not surpassing the tip of epiproct, slightly down-curved (straight dorsally and with a slight concavity ventrally), with acute apex. Epiproct subovoidal, with tubercles on distal half; furculae short, placed far apart (from the midline), pointed tips. Phallic complex ( Figs. 10e , 11e , and 12a, b ): dorsal valves of aedeagus moderately thin, basal two thirds straight, with the apex slightly down-curved; valves of cingulum placed perpendicular to the dorsal valves of aedeagus (in dorsal view), rod-shaped. Cingulum opened U-shaped; zygoma wide, anterior margin straight with rounded antero-lateral edges. Epiphallus with lophi placed parallel to bridge, widely expanded towards the posterior processes of the lateral plates; superior edges oblique in frontal view.

Chromatic characters. General coloration black, brown and yellowish-ocher, mottled ( Fig. 3c, d ). Head yellowish ocher; occiput shiny yellow; vertex and fastigium with two thin black bands extending and fusing on frontal costa; postocular area black; bands along the genae and antennal socket that continue to the mouth parts black colored; labial and maxillary palpi yellowish-ocher. Antennae light brown, distal third dark brown, scape and pedicel dark brown. Pronotum with mid-dorsal longitudinal yellow band; prozona shiny black with two lateral oblique yellow bands extending up to the median sulcus; metazona dark brown and black mottled, posterior edge of lateral lobe light brown. Meso and metapleurae and sternum mostly black. Tegmina with transverse irregular veins yellow colored, cells with central blackish spots. Hind wings yellow, with transverse veins and areas around these veins dark brown, with black spots. Legs yellowish-ochre and dark brown, black mottled. Hind femur with four wide and complete transverse black bands, the last one at the end of femur including rotulae; tibiae with apical and basal tips black. Abdomen: segments with anterior half black and posterior half yellow, tinted with red on posterior margin. Male subgenital plate mostly black, cerci yellow with black tips, epiproct dark brown with black tubercles and median sulcus yellowish-ochre, furculae yellowish-ochre with black tips.

Females: similar to males, but more robust. Tegmina and wings not surpassing the tip of abdomen. Ovipositor valves dark brown or black.

Material examined. ARGENTINA: 1 male, Entre Ríos, Pronunciamiento , 2-3/1964, Walz leg., MLP ; 1 females, Saladillo , Buenos Aires, 15/1/1969, A. Filpo leg., MLP . URUGUAY: 8 males and 3 females, Río Negro, Rincón de Fray Bentos , 19/12/1968, F. Achaval & C.S. Carbonell leg., MLP ; 1 male, Tacuarembó, Estación Pampa , 15/12/1957, C.S. Carbonell leg., MLP ; 1 male and 1 female, Río Negro, Rincón de Fray Bentos, Estancia Morgan , 19/12/1968, C.S. Carbonell leg., MLP ; 1 female, alrededores de Castro, Flores, 18/11/1960, Alejo Mesa 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.