Dasyscirtus monicae, Fontana & Mariño-Pérez & Sanabria-Urbán & Woller, 2017

Fontana, Paolo, Mariño-Pérez, Ricardo, Sanabria-Urbán, Salomón & Woller, Derek A., 2017, Studies in Mexican Grasshoppers: Three new species of Dactylotini (Acrididae: Melanoplinae) from Mexico and a review of existing conspecifics with comments on their geographical distributions, Zootaxa 4337 (3), pp. 301-343 : 316-320

Dasyscirtus monicae sp. nov.

( Figs. 14–18 & 35 )

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Orthoptera .speciesfile.org:TaxonName:498234

Diagnosis. Differs from congeneric species due to the following: a different color pattern: in particular, the hind tibiae are blackish on the inner surface; male cerci similar to D. hirsutus , but with apices rounded dorsally and pointed ventrally; phallic complex similar to D. hirsutus , but ventral valves of aedeagus curving gently upwards with rounded apices that do not curve outwards. Described from three males and three females.

Coloration. General color yellowish with darker pronotal sulci, portions of abdominal tergites, and sparse spots and bands on legs. Lower margin of hind femora bright red as in all congeneric species ( Figs. 14 & 17 ).

Head and Body. Fastigium somewhat stouter than in D. hirsutus and D. olivaceus . Eyes very prominent. Antennae with first 4–5 joints brown and other blackish. Body heavily pubescent ( Figs. 14 & 17 ).

Pronotum and Tegmina. Sculpture in prozona constituted by bigger and deeper indentations than in metazona. Tegmina subrhomboidal, reaching the middle of the 1 st abdominal tergite; densely reticulated with darker background ( Figs. 14 & 17 ).

Terminalia: Male, external. Furculae absent. Supra-anal plate subtriangular with rounded apex; lateral sides barely sinuous and almost plain with reduced keels and shallow, median groove that extends apically for approximately ½ the total length. Cerci similar to D. hirsutus , but more robust overall: wider at base and narrowing in middle, but slightly expanding apically; apices are rounded dorsally and pointed ventrally; gently curving inwards beginning around midway point. Subgenital plate hemiconical in lateral view, slightly more pointed at apex than in D. olivaceus , and with hemielliptical inner margin in dorsal view ( Fig. 15A,B ). Internal phallic complex: overall, typical for a melanopline, with the following unique characters, many of which are shared by D. hirsutus (the ventral valves of aedeagus being the most unique structures: Fig. 35 ): Epiphallus: ancorae relatively elongate, subtriangular, bent slightly ventrally, and curve slightly inwards; lophi prominent, subrectangular, and typically bent slightly anteriorly; post-epiphallic lobe moderately wrinkled compared to conspecifics and covered in raised microstructures ( Figs. 15C,D & 16A,B ). Ectophallus: rami prominent, extending posteriorly at about a 45° angle, and also extending well below valves of aedeagus. Sheath of aedeagus fairly narrow and taking the form of two halves that do not meet, with each containing three folds of lobes that extend from apex of rami and are covered in raised microstructures resembling those on the post-epiphallic lobe; first and second folds of approximately equal size with third smaller and more prominent than in D. hirsutus and also extending a bit posteriorly along non-curving portion of dorsal valves of aedeagus ( Figs. 15C,D & 16A, C–D ). Endophallus: arch of aedeagus well-developed. Dorsal valves of aedeagus do not meet flexures, are about ½ the length of ventral valves, and with basal ½ wide and connected; apical ½ is narrowly y-shaped and terminates in thin structures that are enveloped in thin lobes that extend along the ventral valves until just before their apices. Ventral valves of aedeagus meet flexures, are twice as long as the dorsal valves, and are narrowly v-shaped overall with apices curving gently upwards and ending in broadly rounded regions that do not curve outwards (as in D. hirsutus : Fig. 35 ) and resemble the hull of a boat when viewed laterally; apical ½ with ventral, lightly sclerotized, shovel-like lobes that typically curve upwards along same trajectory as upper curved apices and for approximately the same distance posteriorly ( Figs. 15C,D & 16A, C–D ). Female, external: as in D. olivaceus and D. hirsutus : supra-anal plate subtriangular, cerci relatively small and subconical, and dorsal valves of ovipositor with teeth along majority of dorsal margin ( Fig. 18 ).

Male measurements (in mm) (n=3) ( Table 1): Body length 19.77–23.30 (21.46 ± 1.72); pronotum length 4.17–5.7 (4.67 ± 0.56); prozona length 2.67–3.15 (2.85 ± 0.26); metazona length 1.50–2.12 (1.83 ± 0.31); hind femur length 10.89–12.36 (11.76 ± 0.77); and tegmina length 3.60–4.54 (4.04 ± 0.47). Female measurements (in mm) (n=3) ( Table 1): Body length 26.89–27.58 (27.31 ± 0.37); pronotum length 7.04–7.10 (7.07 ± 0.03); prozona length 4.01–4.11 (4.07 ± 0.06); metazona length 2.96–3.03 (2.99 ± 0.04); hind femur length 14.70–14.82 (14.76 ± 0.06); and tegmina length 4.80–6.46 (5.87 ± 0.93).

Etymology. This species is dedicated to Mónica I. Pérez-Pérez, RMP’s mother, who has always supported and encouraged him in his biological studies. Without her support and encouragement, it is clear that RMP would not have achieved the accomplishments he has thus far. The specific name is a female noun in the genitive case.

Holotype. Male ( Figs. 14–16 ). Mexico, Estado de Mexico, Tonatico, 1,650 m.a.s.l., 24-X-1959, coll. J. Hendrichs S. On sunflowers (Sonnenblume) (CNIN-UNAM)

Additional Type Material. ANSP. 5 paratypes (2 males and 3 females): 1 male and 3 females from Mexico, Estado de Mexico, Ixtapan de la Sal, 1828 m a.s.l. (8-X-1958) Legit E.G. Matthews (determined as D. hirsutus by T.J. Cohn in 1960, determined as Dasyscirtus n. sp. by I.J. Cantrall in 1960); 1 male from Mexico, Oaxaca, Huajuapan, 1597 m a.s.l. (13-IX-1948) Legit H.O. Wagner (determined in a label as Perixerus olivaceus by I.J. Cantrall in 1951).

Geographic distribution. This species is apparently distributed in sympatry with its congeners in the eastern portion of the Balsas River Basin and the outer slope of the Mexican Volcanic Belt in elevations ranging from 1,600 to 1,841 m.a.s.l. in the Mexican states of Mexico and Oaxaca ( Fig. 36 ).

Figures

FIGURE 14. Dasyscirtus monicae sp. nov. HOLOTYPE MALE SPECIMEN: A. HABITUS, LEFT LATERAL VIEW; B. THORAX, DORSAL VIEW.

FIGURE 15. Dasyscirtus monicae sp. nov. HOLOTYPE MALE SPECIMEN: EXTERNAL GENITALIA: A. LEFT LATERAL VIEW; B. DORSAL VIEW; INTERNAL GENITALIA (DRY): C. LEFT LATERAL VIEW; D. DORSAL VIEW.

FIGURE 16. Dasyscirtus monicae sp. nov. HOLOTYPE MALE SPECIMEN: INTERNAL GENITALIA (KOH-CLEARED): A. COMPLETE PHALLIC COMPLEX, DORSAL VIEW; B. EPIPHALLUS, DORSAL VIEW; C. ECTOPHALLUS / ENDOPHALLUS, LEFT LATERAL VIEW; D. ECTOPHALLUS / ENDOPHALLUS, DORSAL VIEW.

FIGURE 17. Dasyscirtus monicae sp. nov. PARATYPE FEMALE SPECIMEN: A. HABITUS, LEFT LATERAL VIEW; B. THORAX, DORSAL VIEW.

FIGURE 18. Dasyscirtus monicae sp. nov. PARATYPE FEMALE SPECIMEN: EXTERNAL GENITALIA: A. DORSAL VIEW; B. LEFT LATERAL VIEW; C. VENTRAL VIEW.

FIGURE 35. COMPARISON OF VENTRAL VALVES OF AEDEAGUS BETWEEN Dasyscirtus monicae sp. nov. AND Dasyscirtus hirsutus, WHICH CAN LOOK SIMILAR, BUT ARE RELATIVELY UNIqUE WHEN VIEWED POSTERIORLY.

FIGURE 36. KNOWN GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTIONS OF Dasyscirtus, Perixerus AND Liladownsia SPECIES INDICATING THE MEXICAN BIOGEOGRAPHIC PROVINCES WHERE THEY ARE RESTRICTED. BRB, BALSAS RIVER BASIN; GM, GULF OF MEXICO COAST; MVB, MEXICAN VOLCANIC BELT; PC, PACIFIC COAST, SMS, SIERRA MADRE DEL SUR; SO, SIERRA DE OAXACA.