Melanoplus trachodes Barrientos-Lozano & Rocha-Sanchez, n. sp.
Creators: name: Barrientos-Lozano, Ludivina
name: Rocha-Sánchez, Aurora Y.
name: Horta-Vega, Jorge V.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Orthoptera
Baissogryllidae
Melanoplus
Melanoplus trachodes

description: Melanoplus trachodes Barrientos-Lozano & Rocha-Sánchez n. sp.
(Figs. 15–23)
Type material.— Holotype 3 and allotype Ƥ. Mexico, Tamaulipas: Ejido (Ej.) La Gloria, Miquihuana. 3000 m. Lat. 23°42.336’N, Long. 99°43.436’W, 06.II.2012, Sánchez-González A.
Paratypes, Tamaulipas.— 1 Ƥ, same data as holotype, coll. L. Barrientos-Lozano-ITCV. 1 Ƥ and 2 3, Prior to Ej., El Aserradero, Miquihuana, 3044 m, Lat. 23°41.465’N, Long. 99°43.871’W, 31.III.2012, Barrientos-Lozano L. coll. L. Barrientos-Lozano-ITCV. 1 Ƥ and 1 3, Ej. La Gloria, Miquihuana, 3244m, Lat. 23°42.336’N, Long. 99°43.436’W, 01.IV.2012, Barrientos-Lozano L., coll. L. Barrientos-Lozano-ITCV. 1 3 and 1 Ƥ, Ej. La Joya, Miquihuana, 2000 m, Lat. 23°41.707’N, Long. 98°43.672’W, 17.VIII.2012. Barrientos-Lozano L., Rocha-Sánchez A. Y. & Sánchez-González A., coll. L. Barrientos-Lozano-ITCV.
Diagnosis. In general appearance and body color pattern M. trachodes n. sp., is most similar to M. reflexus Scudder, 1897. However, it may be easily distinguished from M. reflexus by the male cerci, supra-anal plate, furculae and internal genitalia, as shown in Figs. 15 c–f; 16 a–c; 17 a–e; 18 a–c vs. Figs. 24 c–f; 25 a–c.
Description of male.— Small size-average 15 mm, general body color brown, head medium size, face whitishcream, antennae brownish, eyes large and moderately prominent, interocular space wide, fastigium of vertex gently descending, enlarging apically. Pronotum (Figs. 15 a, b; 20) compressed, brownish dorsally, moderately punctate, widening posteriorly very gently, anterior margin slightly emarginated, posterior margin rounded and weakly emarginated, median carina prominent-dark brown, postocular band dark brown-blackish extending on to metazona, mesoepimeron and anterior portion of metapleuron dark brown-blackish, a white stripe along metaepimeron, lower portion of lateral lobes whitish-cream with this color extending on to mesopleuron’s lower portion, tegmina short, ovate, brownish, darker on lower half, slightly overlapping dorsally, veins cream-colored. Pro, meso and metathoracic femora brownish, tumescent, inner lower portion of metathoracic femur reddish, hind tibiae bluish-green. Abdomen bearing a dark brown band on each side-absent on the last abdominal tergites, extremity of the abdomen subconical with a medium size tubercle. Supra-anal plate (Figs. 15 d; 16 a) subtriangular, broader than long, side margins slightly sinuous, medio-longitudinal sulcus about mid length, shallow, proximally very broad, furculae inconspicuous, short, subquadrate. Cerci (Figs. 15 c, d; 16 b, c) spatulate, incurved and narrowing about mid portion, the widest distal portion about twice as wide as the narrowest, the distal half exhibits two triangular projections, the superior process being in a different plane than the inferior one, which is more prominent; the apex forming a subtriangular projection, area between projections and apex concave. Epiphallus (Figs. 15 e; 17 d, e) with medium size ancorae, distally-pointed and projecting inwards, anterior process welldeveloped, bridge narrow, lophi large and prominent, posterior process short and stout; phallic complex as shown in Figs. 15 f; 17 a, b, c. Aedeagal valves (Figs. 17 a–c; 18 a–c): Dorsal valvae expanded about mid portion, then tapers and bends outwards, slightly expanded and rounded apex; ventral valvae moderately broad proximally, tapering gradually towards the pointed apex.
Description of female.— Similar to the males (Figs. 22, 23), general body color brown-grayish. The head medium size, face and genae whitish cream, eyes medium size and moderately prominent, interocular space wider than in males, antennae brownish. Pronotum dorsally brownish-grayish, widening posteriorly more conspicuously than in males, median carina prominent, dark brown, posterior margin weakly emarginated, lower portion of pronotal lateral lobes and mesopleuron whitish cream, metapleuron dark brown, metaepimeron with a white stripe. The postocular band dark brown extending on to metazona, tegmina short, ovate, attingent, lower half dark-brown. Pro, meso and metathoracic femora light brown-grayish, hind femora with black apices, exposed dorsal surface and outer face dark brown, inner lower area reddish, hind tibiae bluish-green. Cerci and ovipositor’ valves as shown in Fig. 19 a. Fig. 26 shows cerci and ovipositor’ valves of M. reflexus for analogy.
Measurements (mm). Males.— Body length from vertex to end of hind femur: 15.0 (15.0–16.0). Pronotum length: 3.2 (3.0–3.4). Tegmina length: 3.2 (2.9–3.5). Hind femora length: 8.1 (7.8–8.6). Females: Body length: 18.0 (17.0–19.0). Pronotum length: 3.7 (3.4–3.9). Tegmina length: 3.8 (3.5–4.2). Hind femur length: 9.8 (9.3–10.5).
Distribution..— This species is known only from the type locality. It has been collected at an altitudinal range between 2000 to 3250 m (Fig. 19 b).
Habitat.— Miquihuana is located in southwest Tamaulipas and is set in the highlands of the Eastern Sierra Madre (ESM). This municipality is endowed with the second highest peak in northeastern Mexico, “Cerro Peña Nevada" (3,650 m). Climate in the area is temperate semiarid, with mid-summer rainfall and in winter the rainfall rate is less than 18%. Its mean annual temperature is 17.3°C while its mean annual precipitation is estimated to be 468 mm. Soils are a lithosol of limestone origin with moderate to steep slopes. The area is characterized by xeric or scrub rosette vegetation (Rzedowski 2006, González-Medrano 2003). The most abundant and common species are as follows: Euphorbia antisyphilitica Zucc. (Euphorbiaceae), Chrysactinia mexicana Gray (Asteraceae), Dasylirion miquihuanense Bogler (Nolinaceae), Agave lechuguilla Torr., A. striata Zucc., A. montana Villarreal (Agavaceae). The forest is dominated by Pinus nelsonii Shaw, P. c e m b ro i d e s Zucc. (Pinaceae), and dwarf oaks, Quercus miquihuanensis Nixon & C. H. Muller (Fagaceae). Among the most common herbaceous plants we identified are Gochnatia hypoleuca (DC.) A. Gray (Asteraceae), Malosma laurina (Nutt.) (Anacardiaceae), Anisacanthus sp., (Acanthaceae), Asphodelus sp., (Liliaceae), Aster sp., (Asteraceae). M. trachodes n. sp., lives on these herbaceous plants, most commonly on G. hypoleuca (Fig. 21).
Etymology.— The specific name trachodes refers to the rough and extreme climatic conditions that characterizes the area where this species lives.
description: Published as part of Barrientos-Lozano, Ludivina, Rocha-Sánchez, Aurora Y. & Horta-Vega, Jorge V., 2013, Two new species of Melanoplus Stål, 1873 (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Melanoplinae) from northeastern Mexico, pp. 261-286 in Zootaxa 3669 (3) on pages 269-274, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3669.3.4, http://zenodo.org/record/247560