Diponthus puelchus Pictet & Saussure, 1887

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 : 73-74

Diponthus puelchus Pictet & Saussure, 1887

Redescription. Robust insects ( Fig. 2e, f ). Male: fastigium excavated, with concave apex. Interocular distance subequal to the width of the fastigium apex. Eyes prominent and subcircular, not reaching the level of vertex in lateral view. Frons straight, union frons-fastigium rounded. Median dorsal carina of pronotum slightly marked on metazona, cut by two transverse sulci; transverse sulci deep on dorsum and laterally. Metazona slightly longer than prozona. Anterior pronotal margin straight or notched; posterior margin of disk angulated with pointed apex. Integument of prozona slightly foveolate on dorsum; slightly impresso-punctuate in lateral lobes, integument of metazona rugose. Prosternal tubercle prominent with rounded apex. Tegmina and wings surpassing the tip of the abdomen, with rounded apices. Tegmina with prominent and irregular transverse veins. Hind femur robust. Cerci down-curved with blunt/truncate apex, wide at base, distal third with upper margin rounded and lower margin slightly concave, surpassing the tip of epiproct. Epiproct sub-triangular with pointed apex, median groove deep, tubercles on posterior half, furculae prominent, with subacute tips. Phallic complex: dorsal valves of aedeagus short, strongly down-curved. Valves of cingulum subtriangular, with anterior margin of apex prominent and posterior margin slightly concave in lateral view. Epiphallus with lophi placed perpendicular to the bridge, subtriangular with wide base and rounded apex, in frontal view.

Chromatic characters. Body color light yellow to cream, black and red ( Figs. 2e, f , and 6h ). Head red, with parts of genae, postgenae and labial and maxillary palpi yellow; parts of frons, part of genae, a postocular stripe and two spots on vertex black. Antennae black with distal edge of each segment yellow. Pronotum black with three dorsal longitudinal bands, one short oblique and irregular band in the upper part of lateral lobe of prozona, and one wide oblique band in the lower margin of the lateral lobe of prozona. Caudal margin of pronotal disk red colored. Meso and metapleurae black with yellow spots. Tegmina dark brown or black, with brown longitudinal veins and yellow transverse veins; with conspicuous light-yellow spots on the transverse veins. Wings dark pink, with hyaline apex. Fore and middle legs yellow and black. Hind femora yellow with three transverse bands and a basal spot black; knee red; tibiae yellow with black markings, basal area red; spines yellow with black tips. Abdomen black with posterior edge of each segment yellow and red tinges. Cerci yellow with black tips. Subgenital plate yellow and black. Epiproct black with the borders of the median groove yellow; furculae black.

Females: similar to males but more robust. Ovipositor valves yellow and black.

Material examined. ARGENTINA: 4 males and 1 female, Córdoba, Carlos Paz , 08/02/1942, Maldonado leg., MLP ; 1 male and 1 female, Córdoba, La Cumbre, 11/1942, Rosas Costa J.A. leg., MLP ; 1 female, Córdoba, Capilla del Monte , 17/12/1942, Argemí leg., MLP ; 1 female, Córdoba, 14/11/1940, Birabén leg., MLP ; 2 males, Córdoba, La Falda, 21/02/1942, Maldonado leg., MLP ; 1 male, Córdoba, La Falda, 21/02/1942, MLP ; 1 males, Córdoba, La Falda, 21/11/1942, MLP ; 1 male and 1 female, Córdoba, Carlos Paz , 11/02/1942, Birabén leg., MLP ; 4 males and 1 female, Córdoba, Carlos Paz , 08/02/1942, Maldonado leg., MLP ; 2 males and 16 females, Córdoba, Carlos Paz , 10/11/1942, Maldonado leg., MLP ; 2 males and 4 females, Córdoba, Carlos Paz , 10/02/1942, Maldonado leg., MLP ; 6 males, Salta, Vespucio , 02/1946, Birabén leg., MLP ; 1 male, Córdoba, Tanti , 02/1968, Bulla-Grosso leg., MLP ; 2 males, Córdoba, Sierra de Córdoba, 09/01/1927, J. Muhn leg., MLP ; 1 female, Córdoba, MLP ; 1 female, Catamarca, Cuesta del Portezuelo , 05/03/1962, Torres-Ferreyra leg., MLP ; 1 male, San Luis, Carolina , 01/1950, Sguadioni, S. leg., MLP ; 4 males and 3 females, Buenos Aires, Tornquist, Pileta de los tres picos, 20/01/1947, Rossi leg., IFML ; 1 male and 2 females, Córdoba, Río Primero , 04/02/1955, F. Monrós leg., IFML ; 1 female, Tucumán, IFML ; 3 males, IFML ; 1 female, San Luis, Merlo , 24/01/1958, Willink A. & Tomsic Z. leg., IFML ; 1 female, Córdoba, Villa María , 08/03/1938, M. Parko leg., MLP ; 1 female, Córdoba, R . Cortado , 15/03/1939, Biraben leg., MLP ; 1 male, Córdoba, MLP ; 2 females, Córdoba, to Yacanto from La Cumbrecita (32º01'14,4'' S 64º42'36,1'' W), 1028 m, 11/02/2013, Cigliano & Lange leg., MLP ; 8 males and 4 females, Córdoba, Reserva Natural Ongamira (30º46'22,3'' S 64º24'38,8'' W), 1185 m, 09/02/2013, Cigliano & Lange leg., MLP ; 5 males, 3 females and 1 nymph, Córdoba, Los Terrones, Capilla del Monte (30º47'19,5'' S 64º28'29,0'' W), 1181 m, 09/02/2013, Cigliano & Lange leg., MLP .

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 6. a–c, Diponthus argentinus: male and female, color morph green (a), female (b), male (c); d, D. paraguayensis, male; e, f, D. pycnostictus: e, yellow and gray color morph; f, red and gray color morph, male; g, D. festivus, male (photo credits: Elio Castillo); h, D. puelchus, male; i, D. crassus, male and female