Acrida indica Dirsh, 1954

Kumar, Hirdesh, Usmani, Mohd. Kamil & Chand, D. Suresh, 2023, Redescription and distribution of Acrida indica Dirsh, 1954 (Orthoptera: Acrididae), Records of the Zoological Survey of India 123 (1), pp. 27-32 : 27-32

Acrida indica Dirsh, 1954

Acrida indica Dirsh, 1954: 122, 151 (Holotype – Male; India, Maharashtra, Nasik; Paratype – Female; India, Maharashtra, Mumbai; deposited in Natural History Museum, London ) .

Redescription

Male ( Figure 1A ): Large-sized body, robust. Antennae ( Figure 2E ) 17 segmented, as long as or slightly shorter than head and pronotum together. Head ( Figures 2A, D ) robust, strongly broadened at basal part, longer than pronotum. Frons ( Figure 2D ) oblique, in profile weakly incurved. Fastigium of vertex ( Figure 2A ) moderately long, slightly narrowing towards apex, longer than wide, apex obtuse angular, shorter than eye length in top view. Width of vertex between the anterior margins of eyes more than 5.5 times wider than the frontal ridge between the antennal sockets. Eyes elongated oval, maximum diameter of an eye more than 2.6 times longer than the vertex between the anterior margins of eyes. Frontal ridge ( Figure 2B ) very narrow and deeply sulcated with high lateral carina reaching up to the clypeus. Lateral carinae of pronotum ( Figure 2A ) straight and almost parallel in its whole length, transverse sulcus beyond the middle of pronotal disc, posterior margin of pronotum acute angular and pointed. Mesosternal lobes ( Figure 2C ) rounded, slightly wider than long, interspace narrow, 1.6 times longer than wide; metasternal pits separated. Elytra slightly surpassing the apex of hind knee, broad, with short little narrowed apical part, apex subacute. Wing shorter than elytra, broad. Lateral lobe of hind knee ( Figure 2I ) short and acute, upper lobe broader than lower one; upper internal lobe ( Figure 2H ) very slightly longer than the external, median projection weak. Hind tibiae shorter than the hind femur with 28 spines on both outer and inner margins, inner spur on inner side of hind tibia ( Figure 2J ) almost two times longer than external one; arolium medium ( Figure 2K ).

Terminalia: Supra-anal plate ( Figures 2F , 3A ) broadly angular with median apical bulb, slightly longer than wide, apex obtuse; cerci cylindrical, extended beyond the apex of supra-anal plate, more than three times as long as wide, apex obtusely rounded. Subgenital plate ( Figures 2G , 3B ) broad, moderately long, apex acute; in profile with large obtuse projection basally ( Figures 2L , 3B ). Epiphallus ( Figure 3C ) with moderately broad median bridge; lophi bilobed, inner lophi oval and outer lophi rounded; ancorae large, peglike, apex obtuse. Aedeagus ( Figure 2D ) flexured, apical valve narrow, broad medially, curved, apex rounded, longer than basal valve, connected with basal valve with flexure; basal valve narrow, gonopore process narrowing towards its obtuse apex.

Female ( Figure 1B ): Body longer and more robust than male. Head more robust, and more strongly broadened at basal part; frons in profile less incurved. Lateral carinae of pronotum slightly converge in prozona. Wing distinctly shorter than elytra.

Terminalia: Supra-anal plate ( Figures 2M , 3E ) obtuse angular, wider than long with obtusely rounded apex; cercus conical, shorter than supra-anal plate, less than two times as long as wide, with obtuse apex. Subgenital plate ( Figures 2N , 3F ) long, posterior margin trilobate median lobe as long as lateral lobes, posterior margin setose; eggguide broad and long, apex obtuse. Spermatheca ( Figure 3G ) with both apical and preapical diverticulum long and tubular, preapical diverticulum longer than apical diverticulum. Ovipositor ( Figures 2O , 3H ), dorsal valve much broader, much shorter than lateral apodeme, more than two and a half times longer than wide, apical tip curved and blunt; ventral valve broad, apical tip curved and obtuse; mesial valve dilated apically with obtuse apex.

Acknowledgements

The authors are highly thankful to the Director, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, for providing the necessary facilities and encouragement. We wish to extend our gratitude to the Ministry of the Environment Forest and Climate Change, New Delhi, for providing financial assistance during the tenure of a major research project (Ref. No. 23/14/2010 – RE; Dt: 23.01. 2012) being carried out on “Diversity of Acridoidea ( Orthoptera ) in different parts of Western Ghats of India ”.

Materials examined: 2 females: India, Himachal Pradesh, District Solan, Rabaun , 30.895165N, 77.115365E , 03.x.1981, coll. Jagdish; 1 female: Happy Valley, 30.907012N, 77.078449E, 14.x.1981, coll. Jagdish; 1 male: District Mandi, Rewalsar, 31.632035N, 76.834098E, 23.x.1981, coll. Jagdish; 1 male, 1 female: Maharashtra, District Nashik, Anjaneri, 19.953302N, 73.587965E, 20- x-2012, on grasses, coll. H. Kumar.

Measurements (in mm)

Male: Length of body: 42.0-44.0; length of pronotum: 7.0- 8.0; length of tegmina: 34.0-37.0; length of hind femur: 27.0-30.0.

Female: Length of body: 60.0-83.0; length of pronotum: 10.5-15.0; length of tegmina: 55.0-69.0; length of hind femur: 35.5-49.0.

Distribution ( Figure 4 ): India: Arunachal Pradesh (Mandal et al., 2006), Himachal Pradesh ( Saini, 2021), Jammu and Kashmir ( Tandon & Shishodia, 1976), Maharashtra ( Dirsh, 1954; Kulkarni & Shishodia, 2004; Kulkarni & Shishodia, 2005) and Punjab ( Shishodia et al., 2006; Sharma et al., 2019).

References

Agarwala, S.B.D. 1952. A comparative study of the ovipositor in the Acrididae – I. Indian Journal of Entomology, II: 61-75.

Bhowmik, H.K. 1985. Outline of distribution with an index - catalogue of Indian grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae). Records of the Zoological Survey of India Volume 78 (pp. 1-51).

Chandra, K. and Gupta, S.K. 2012. Insecta: Orthoptera. State Fauna Series, 20: Fauna of Maharashtra, Part-2, Zoological Survey of India (pp. 429-436).

Cigliano, M.M., Braun, H., Eades, D.C. and Otte, D. 2023. Orthoptera Species File. Version 5.0/5.0. 0. http://Orthoptera.SpeciesFile. org

Dirsh, V.M. 1954. Revision of species of the genus Acrida Linné (Orthoptera, Acrididae). Bulletin de la Société Fouad 1er d’Entomologie, 38: 107-160.

Dirsh, V.M. 1956. The phallic complex in Acridoidea (Orthoptera) in relation to taxonomy. Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London, 108: 223-356. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2311.1956.tb02270.x

Gupta, S.K. and Chandra, K. 2018. An annotated check-list of Orthoptera (Insecta) from Jammu and Kashmir, India. Munis Entomology and Zoology, 13 (2): 632-646.

Gupta, S.K. and Chandra, K. 2019. Orthoptera diversity in Indian biogeographic zones. Records of the Zoological Survey of India Occasional Papers Volume: 399. Zoological Survey of India (pp. 1–76).

Kulkarni, P.P. and Shishodia, M.S. 2004. Orthoptera. Conservation Area Series, 20: Fauna of Pench National Park. Zoological Survey of India (pp. 207-225).

Kulkarni, P.P. and Shishodia, M.S. 2005. Insecta: Orthoptera. Conservation Area Series, 24: Fauna of Melghat Tiger Reserve. Zoological Survey of India (pp. 317-340).

MandaI, S.K., Dey, A. and Hazra, A.K. 2006. Insecta: Orthoptera: Acridoidea. State Fauna Series, 13: Fauna of Arunachal Pradesh, Part-2, Zoological Survey of India (pp. 151-173).

Saini, K. 2021. Insecta: Orthoptera: Caelifera. State Fauna Series, 26: Fauna of Himachal Pradesh, Part-1, Zoological Survey of India (pp. 259-262).

Saini, K. and Mehta, H.S. 2007. An inventory of the Orthoptera insects of Himachal Pradesh. Bionotes, 9 (3): 76-78.

Sharma, N., Kumar, H., Gupta, S.K. and Chandra, K. 2019. Insecta: Orthoptera. State Fauna Series, 23: Fauna of Punjab, Zoological Survey of India (pp. 79–118.

Shishodia, M.S. and Gupta, S.K. 2009. Check-list of Orthoptera of Himachal Pradesh. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 1 (11): 569-572. https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o1923.569-72

Shishodia, M.S., Chandra, K. and Gupta, S.K. 2010. An annotated checklist of Orthoptera (Insecta) from India. Records of the Zoological Survey of India Occasional Papers Volume: 314 (pp. 1-366).

Shishodia, M.S., Mehta, H.S. and Thakur, S.K. 2006. Order: Orthoptera: 486–501. (Jerath, Neelima, Puja & Chadha Jatinder eds), Biodiversity in the Shivalik Ecosystem of Punjab, India. Punjab State Council for Science and Technology, Chandigarh.

Slifer, E.H. 1939. The internal genetalia of female Acridinae, Oedipodinae and Pauliniinae (Orthoptera, Acrididae). Journal of Morphology, 65: 437-470. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmor.1050650304

Tandon, S.K. and Shishodia, M.S. 1976. Acridoidea (Insecta: Orthoptera) collected along the banks of River Tawi (Jammu and Kashmir) India. Newsl. Zoological Survey of India, 2 (2): 58-61.

Uvarov, B.P. 1966. Grasshoppers and locusts. A Handbook of General Acridology. Cambridge University Press, London (pp. 481).

Figures

Figure 1. A. Dorsal view of male, B. Dorsal view of female.

Figure 2: A. Dorsal view of head and pronotum of male, B. Frontal ridge of male, C. Ventral view of sternum of male, D. Lateral view of head and pronotum of male, E. Antenna of male, F.Dorsal view of male abdominal apex, G. Ventral view of male abdominal apex, H. Dorsal view of hind knee lobe of male, I. Lateral view of hind knee lobe of male, J. Dorsal view of apex of hind tibia, K. Dorsal view of hind arolium of male, L. Lateral view of male abdominal apex, M. Dorsal view of female abdominal apex, N. Ventral view of female abdominal apex, O. Lateral view of female abdominal apex.

Figure 3. A. Male supra-anal plate, B. Male subgenital plate, C. Epiphallus, D. Aedeagus, E. Female supra-anal plate, F. Female subgenital plate, G. Spermatheca, H. Ovipositor.

Figure 4. Distribution of Acrida indica Dirsh, 1954 in India.