Diponthus paranaensis, Pocco & Lange & Cigliano, 2023

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 : 53-57

Diponthus paranaensis sp. nov. Pocco, Cigliano & Lange

( Figs. 2i, j , 5e, f , 7a, b , 8l , 9a, b , 10j , 11j , 12a, b , and 13 ).

Type material. Holotype male, Argentina, Misiones , between San Javier and Panambí, bridgeArroyoAlipio(27°45’18.0” S, 55°05’26.4” W), 6/12/2010, Cigliano & Lange leg., deposited in MLP. ( Fig. 2i, j ) . Paratype: one female, Argentina, Misiones , Campus UNaM (27°26’12.4” S, 55°53’34.8” W), 100 m, 12/11/2009, Marti D. leg., IBS .

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to Parana Forest, the biogeographic province in which Misiones is included, where the new species occurs.

Diagnosis. Similar to D. paraguayensis , from which it differs by the following characters: tegmina with blackish background, with prominent longitudinal yellow veins, and transverse veins of the same color as the background, delimiting small irregular cells ( Figs. 2i, j , 5e, f , and 8l ); valves of cingulum with upper edge straight ( Fig. 10j ); zygoma of cingulum narrower ( Fig. 11j ); male cerci wider at the base ( Fig. 9a ); epiproct with more angulate edges, furculae smaller and acute ( Fig. 9b ); general body coloration red or reddish-orange with dark bluish-gray, black mottled ( Figs. 2i, j , and 5e, f ).

Description. Medium-sized insects. Male: integument of head smooth except in fastigium and vertex which is impresso-punctuate; fastigium excavated, apex of fastigum concave in dorsal view. Interocular distance narrower than fastigium apex. Frons slightly rounded; union frons-fastigium rounded. Eyes prominent and oval, reaching the level of the vertex in lateral view. Pronotum short; mid-dorsal longitudinal carina slightly marked in metazona, obsolete in prozona, cut by the main transverse sulcus. Transverse sulci weakly marked, one joins the main sulcus in the midline. Metazona slightly longer and slightly wider than prozona. Anterior margin of pronotum straight; posterior margin slightly angulate, almost straight. Integument of pronotum impresso-punctuate, except in the lateral lobes of prozona, smooth and shiny. Prosternal tubercle laterally compressed with rounded apex. Tegmina surpassing the end of the abdomen, apex with angulate distal margin and basal margin rounded; with very prominent longitudinal and transverse veins, delimiting small irregular cells. Cerci wide at the base, distal third slightly curved downwards with truncated apex, surpassing the end of epiproct. Epiproct with lateral margins straight, distal margin angulate, tubercles on posterior margin, furculae prominent with acute tips. Phallic complex ( Figs. 10j , 11j , and 12a, b ): dorsal valves of aedeagus rather short, curved downwards, with acute apex. Valves of cingulum subtriangular, with posterior apex prominent, with upper margin straight. Cingulum V-shaped; zygoma thin, with angulate edges. Epiphallus with lophi placed perpendicular to the bridge, with rounded apex, narrow, not expanded towards the posterior processes of the lateral plates.

Chromatic characters. Body color reddish-orange with dark bluish-gray, black mottled ( Figs. 2i, j , and 5e, f ). Head reddish-orange, antennal grooves, mouthparts and edges of fastigium dark gray; vertex black mottled. Antennae black, scape and pedicel orange. Pronotum dark bluish-gray with a line on the mid-dorsal carina, two oblique bands in the prozona that surpass the main sulcus, lower margin of lateral lobes of prozona, and metazona reddish-orange; metazona with elongated black spots. Meso and metapleurae dark bluish-gray, with reddish-orange bands. Tegmina with blackish background with prominent longitudinal veins yellow and transverse veins of the same color as the background. Anterior and middle femora reddish-orange, black-mottled. Hind femur reddish-orange with a basal spot and two transverse bands dark bluish-gray, completely black-mottled; knee reddish-orange. Hind tibiae reddish-orange, black-mottled, with the apical tip black. Abdomen bluish-gray, black-mottled, with orange areas. Cerci yellow-ocher with black apex. Subgenital plate blueish-gray. Epiproct yellow-ocher with tips of furculae and tubercles black.

Females. Similar to males, but more robust ( Fig. 5f ).

Measurements (in mm). Body length: male: 29; female: 36.5. Hind femur length: male: 12; female: 16. Tegmina length: male: 24; female: 27.

Distribution. This species is distributed in Argentina, Misiones ( Fig. 13 ).

Figures

FIGURE 2. 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 5. Diponthus new species. a–d, Diponthus colorbellus sp. nov., male (c, d) and females (a: color morph brown, b: color morph dark green). e. f, Diponthus paranaensis sp. nov. male (e), female (f). g, Diponthus dilatatus sp. nov, female. h, Diponthus salvadorii sp. nov., female

FIGURE 7. Head and pronotum, in lateral views (a) and dorsal views (b). Diponthus species as indicated. Numbers indicate characters and states used in the cladistics analysis.

FIGURE 8. Tegmina, color pattern of venation. Diponthus species, as indicated. Numbers indicate characters and states used in the cladistics analysis.

FIGURE 9. Male abdominal terminalia, in lateral views (a) and dorsal views (b). Diponthus species as indicated. 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.

FIGURE 13. Distribution map of Diponthus species.