Diponthus nigroconspersus (Stål, 1861)

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 : 74

Diponthus nigroconspersus (Stål, 1861) stat. resurr.

Redescription. Large size insects ( Fig. 3a, b ). Male: integument of head impresso-punctate, except in postgenae. Fastigium not excavated, with straight apex. Interocular distance wide, wider than the width of fastigium apex. Eyes rather small and oblong, not surpassing the level of vertex in lateral view.Frons straight, union frons-fastigium slightly angulated. Median dorsal carina of pronotum marked on metazona, cut by the main transverse sulcus; transverse sulci very deep, marked on dorsum and laterally. Metazona longer and wider than prozona. Anterior pronotal margin rounded; posterior margin of disk obtuse-angulated. Integument of prozona impresso-punctate, slightly foveolate on dorsum; integument of metazona rugose. Prosternal tubercle straight with pointed apex. Tegmina and wings with rounded apices widely surpassing the tip of the abdomen. Tegmina with transverse veins delimiting irregular cells. Cerci long, distal third down-curved with acute apex, surpassing the tip of epiproct. Epiproct cuadrangular; furculae prominent with rounded tips, tubercles prominent along the median longitudinal groove. Phallic complex ( Figs. 10a , 11a , and 12a, b ): dorsal valves of aedeagus with apex down-curved; valves of cingulum subrectangular, posterior margin of apex rounded in lateral view; sclerified part of cingulum V-shaped. Epiphallus with lophi placed parallel to the bridge in dorsal view, extended towards the posterior process of lateral plates, rectangular and wide with superior margin oblique, in frontal view.

Chromatic characters. Body color tan, dark brown to black and yellow ocher, fully black mottled ( Fig. 3a, b ). Head yellow ocher, with two longitudinal lines of black mottles extending from occiput to frontal costa. Postocular area and parts of genae dark brown to black. Antennae yellow-ocher, with distal portion brown. Pronotum with a longitudinal median dorsal ocher-yellow band, wider in prozona, thinner in metazona; prozona dark brown to black with two oblique bands and lower area of lateral lobes ocher-yellow; metazona tan colored, with dark brown to black colored mottles, rounded in lateral lobes, elongated in metazoan. Tegmina with longitudinal veins light brown, transverse veins cream colored delimiting irregular cells with central smoky spots. Wings light orange; remigium area and upper part of the vannus with dark brown veins. Front and middle legs yellow-ocher, dark brown mottled. Hind femora ocher, fully mottled, with a basal spot in outer and inner faces, two transverse bands, and tips black colored; hind tibiae yellow-ocher with black spines, and mottles in outer face; basal and apical tips black; hind tarsi brown. Abdomen ocher with anterior edge of each segment dark brown. Cerci yellow-ocher with black tips. Epiproct brown with dark brown tubercles.

Females: similar to males but more robust.

Material examined. ARGENTINA: 1 female, Buenos Aires, Puente Alsina , 29/12/1919, MLP ; 2 males and 1 female, Buenos Aires, Tornquist , 07/02/1947, Rossi leg., IFML ; 1 male and 2 females, Buenos Aires, Tornquist, Pileta de los tres picos, 20/01/1947, Rossi leg., IFML . URUGUAY: 3 males and 1 female, Tacuarembó, Estación Pampa , 23/12/1957, C.S.Carbonell leg., MLP ; 1 male and 1 female, Cuchilla Belén , Artigas, 29/12/1953, C.S.Carbonell leg., MLP ; 1 female, Banda Oriental , 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.