Melanoplus oaxacae, Fontana, Paolo, Buzzetti, Filippo Maria & Mariño-Pérez, Ricardo, 2011

Fontana, Paolo, Buzzetti, Filippo Maria & Mariño-Pérez, Ricardo, 2011, New Acrididae from Oaxaca State in Mexico (Orthoptera: Caelifera: Acrididae Ommatolampinae, Melanoplinae), Zootaxa 2862, pp. 39-55 : 46-47

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.206593
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6184871
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/039087E8-FFCB-5244-0C8F-832FFEB039D0
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Melanoplus oaxacae
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Melanoplus oaxacae n. sp.

Diagnosis. M. oaxacae n. sp. belongs to the “ Melanoplus reflexus group” as defined in Fontana & Buzzetti (2007) in being small sized, having short wide ovate tegmina posteriorly emarginated and hind tibiae bluish. It differs from other congeneric species for the male terminalia and internal genitalia.

Male description. Body colour dark brown ( Figs. 8–9 View FIGURES 8 – 9 , 17 View FIGURES 16 – 18 ). Dorsal surface of head, pronotal disc and abdominal dorsal surface brown. Black stripes behind the eyes ( Fig. 24 View FIGURES 20 – 25 ). Lateral lobes of pronotum black in the upper half, white in the lower half. White oblique stripe on metathoracic episternum. Tegmina dark brown, darker in the basal lower portion. Sides of abdomen black. Limbs brown, ventral surfaces of hind femora reddish brown, hind genicular lobes black and hind tibiae bluish with basal tip black.

Pronotum with fore margin straight, hind margin convex. Metazona rugulose. Median longitudinal carina from fore margin of pronotal disc to the end of abdomen, cut by one sulcus. Tegmina ovate with hind margin emarginated, extending beyond the hind margin of abdominal segment I and covering the tympana. Furculae very small, rounded ( Fig. 38 View FIGURES 34 – 40 ). Supragenital plate triangular, with median longitudinal groove on basal half ( Fig. 38 View FIGURES 34 – 40 ). Cerci spatulated, tapering toward the rounded spoon-shaped apex and curved inward ( Figs. 31 View FIGURES 26 – 33 , 38 View FIGURES 34 – 40 , 45 View FIGURES 41 – 47 ). Subgenital plate produced in tubercle on distal margin ( Figs. 17 View FIGURES 16 – 18 , 31 View FIGURES 26 – 33 ). Phallic complex: epiphallus, extremely peculiar, small, well sclerotized, bridge convex, thin, anterior process in a very short, downwards directed tooth, lophi almost longitudinal, thick, sinuate ( Fig. 52 View FIGURES 48 – 54 ); dorsal valvae well sclerotized, smooth, blackish, extremely short, strongly frontward curved, with rounded apex; ventral valvae bigger and longer than dorsal, longitudinally flattened, semicircular in a lateral view, frontward curved with acute blackish apex ( Figs. 63–64 View FIGURES 55 – 68 ).

Female description ( Fig. 9 View FIGURES 8 – 9 ). Similar to male. Supragenital plate triangular, basally impressed in the middle. Cerci small, conical. Ovipositor valvae very short and stout with blunt apex.

Male measurements (5). Body length 14.4–15.2 (14.82; 0.28); pronotum length 2.6–2.8 (2.70; 0.10); prozona length 1.6–1.7 (1.62; 0.04); metazona length 1.0–1.2 (1.08; 0.08) and hind femur length 7.7–8.1 (7.78; 0.28).

Female measurements (5). Body length 18.7–20.7 (19.56; 0.77); pronotum length 3.6–3.9 (3.72; 0.13); prozona length 2.0–2.2 (2.10; 0.07); metazona length 1.5–1.7 (1.62; 0.08) and hind femur length 10.4–11.2 (10.7; 0.31).

Type material. Male Holotype: Mexico, Oaxaca, Carr. # 175 Oaxaca-Puerto Ángel, km 53, 1496 m (16°37’07,7’’ N; 96°44’18,6’’W), 28.X.2007, Legit P. Fontana, F.M. Buzzetti and R. Mariño-Pérez; same data, female Allotyope and 6 paratypes (4 males and 2 females);. Mexico, Oaxaca, Carr. # 190 Huajuapan de León-Oaxaca, km 117, Santa Rosa, 2072 m (17°18’50,8’’ N; 97°06’32,4’’W), 24.X.2007, legit P. Fontana, F.M. Buzzetti and R. Mariño-Pérez. 1 male and 2 female paratypes; Mexico, Oaxaca, Monte Albán, 1848 m (17°03’03,7’’ N; 96°45’49,8’’W), 20.XI.2008, 1 male and 1 female paratypes; same locality, 25.X.2007, 1 male and 6 female paratypes.

Type depository. male Holotype, female Allotype and 2 paratypes (1 male and 1 female), CNIN; 3 male and 5 female paratypes, CPF; 3 male and 5 female paratypes, CFMB.

Etymology. the specific name oaxacae derives from the state of Oaxaca, southern Mexico where the species was discovered.