Latest Articles from Journal of Orthoptera Research Latest 17 Articles from Journal of Orthoptera Research https://jor.pensoft.net/ Thu, 28 Mar 2024 20:44:39 +0200 Pensoft FeedCreator https://jor.pensoft.net/i/logo.jpg Latest Articles from Journal of Orthoptera Research https://jor.pensoft.net/ Factors related to sound production by the Chinese grasshopper Acrida cinerea during escape https://jor.pensoft.net/article/100865/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 33(1): 13-19

DOI: 10.3897/jor.33.100865

Authors: Tatsuru Kuga, Eiiti Kasuya

Abstract: Many grasshopper species produce conspicuous sounds while escaping from approaching predators; however, they occasionally escape without producing sounds. The Chinese grasshopper, Acrida cinerea, often exhibits noisy escape behavior. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted using A. cinerea to identify factors related to the production of sound during escape. This study utilized a predator model with an investigator approaching A. cinerea three times. We examined the relationship between the production of sound during escape and the following factors: ambient temperature and relative humidity as environmental factors; sex, body length, body weight, and limb autotomy as prey traits; and the repeated approach as a predator trait. The relationships between noisy escape and flight initiation distance (i.e., predator-prey distance when the prey initiates the escape), distance fled (i.e., distance the prey covered during the escape), and the mode of locomotion during escape (i.e., flying or jumping) were also examined. Noisy escape was observed only in males that escaped by flying, whereas the females and males that escaped by jumping invariably escaped silently. Among males that flew, noisy escape was related to ambient temperature, limb autotomy, and distance fled. The proportion that produced sound increased in parallel with the ambient temperature and distance fled. This proportion was lower among individuals that had autotomized one of their hind legs. These results indicate that noisy escape behavior is most frequent in healthy male A. cinerea under warm conditions.

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Research Article Tue, 9 Jan 2024 10:59:27 +0200
A new Floritettix (Orthoptera, Acrididae, Melanoplinae) from the Bombing Range Ridge, Florida, U.S.A. https://jor.pensoft.net/article/94990/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 32(2): 133-142

DOI: 10.3897/jor.32.94990

Authors: JoVonn G. Hill

Abstract: Floritettix are endemic to the North American Coastal Plain. Here I describe a new species, Floritettix phlox sp. nov., from the Bombing Range Ridge in central Florida. This species appears to be restricted to the heavily burned scrub habitat on this small ridge. This species is described based on morphological and biogeographical evidence.

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Research Article Thu, 10 Aug 2023 16:12:12 +0300
A new species of Neoleva (Caelifera, Acridoidea, Acrididae, Gomphocerinae) from Central Tanzania https://jor.pensoft.net/article/91581/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 32(2): 127-131

DOI: 10.3897/jor.32.91581

Authors: Claudia Hemp

Abstract: A new species of Neoleva Jago, N. magna sp. nov. is described from Central Tanzania. A key to all species of Neoleva is presented.

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Research Article Mon, 31 Jul 2023 15:18:18 +0300
Hillside lagomorph grazing and its influence on Orthoptera https://jor.pensoft.net/article/78462/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 31(2): 157-162

DOI: 10.3897/jor.31.78462

Authors: Tim Gardiner

Abstract: The effects of lagomorph grazing on the Orthoptera of a small hill in Mistley (southeast England) were studied during the summer of 2020. Transect counts of Orthoptera revealed low sward height with abundant bare earth due to high wild rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus grazing on the high slopes. This intensive grazing led to only field grasshopper Chorthippus brunneus (Thunberg, 1815) adults being found in any number on the high slopes, perhaps utilizing the short swards and bare earth as basking and egg-laying habitat. Aspect was also important, with significantly more grasshopper nymphs and C. brunneus adults on the south-facing slope than on the northern slope. Soil slippage areas seem like valuable micro-habitats on the south-facing slope, with these ‘sun traps’ providing excellent basking habitat for nymphs and C. brunneus. This study confirms that lagomorph grazing alters hill summit habitats for Orthoptera, benefiting C. brunneus and, to a lesser extent, the meadow grasshopper Pseudochorthippus parallelus (Zetterstedt, 1821). However, overgrazing of higher hill slopes can exclude tall grass species, such as long-winged conehead Conocephalus fuscus (Fabricius, 1793), and reduce assemblage diversity.

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Short Communication Fri, 30 Sep 2022 15:26:15 +0300
Relationships among body size components of three flightless New Zealand grasshopper species (Orthoptera, Acrididae) and their ecological applications https://jor.pensoft.net/article/79819/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 31(1): 91-103

DOI: 10.3897/jor.31.79819

Authors: Fabio Leonardo Meza-Joya, Mary Morgan-Richards, Steven A. Trewick

Abstract: Body size is perhaps the most fundamental property of an organism and is central to ecology at multiple scales, yet obtaining accurate estimates of ecologically meaningful size metrics, such as body mass, is often impractical. Allometric scaling and mass-to-mass relationships have been used as alternative approaches to model the expected body mass of many species. However, models for predicting body size in key herbivorous insects, such as grasshoppers, exist only at the family level. To address this data gap, we collected empirical body size data (hind femur length and width, pronotum length, live fresh mass, ethanol-preserved mass, and dry mass) from 368 adult grasshoppers of three flightless species at Hamilton Peak, Southern Alps, New Zealand. We examined the relationships among body size components across all species using linear and non-linear regression models. Femur length and preserved mass were robust predictors of both fresh mass and dry mass across all species; however, regressions using preserved mass as a predictor always showed higher predictive power than those using femur length. Based on our results, we developed species-specific statistical linear mixed-effects models to estimate the fresh and dry masses of individual grasshoppers from their preserved mass and femur length. Including sex as an additional co-variate increased model fit in some cases but did not produce better estimates than traditional mass-to-mass and allometric scaling regressions. Overall, our results showed that two easy-to-measure, unambiguous, highly repeatable, and non-destructive size measures (i.e., preserved mass and femur length) can predict, to an informative level of accuracy, fresh and dry body mass across three flightless grasshopper species. Knowledge about the relationships between body dimensions and body mass estimates in these grasshoppers has several important ecological applications, which are discussed.

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Research Article Thu, 16 Jun 2022 09:10:11 +0300
A new species of Burttia Dirsh (Caelifera, Acridoidea, Acrididae, Catantopinae) from the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania https://jor.pensoft.net/article/70565/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 31(1): 1-7

DOI: 10.3897/jor.31.70565

Authors: Claudia Hemp, C.H.F. Rowell

Abstract: A new species of Burttia Dirsh, B. caerulea sp. nov., is described from the Nguru Mountains of Tanzania. It is the second species in the genus, both being restricted to Tanzanian localities. Both B. sylvatica, known only from the Uluguru Mountains, and B. caerulea sp. nov. are morphologically very similar in habitus and outer morphology, suggesting a recent speciation.

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Research Article Wed, 26 Jan 2022 18:05:08 +0200
Establishing the nutritional landscape and macronutrient preferences of a major United States rangeland pest, Melanoplus sanguinipes, in field and lab populations https://jor.pensoft.net/article/61605/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 30(2): 163-172

DOI: 10.3897/jor.30.61605

Authors: Deanna Zembrzuski, Derek A. Woller, Larry Jech, Lonnie R. Black, K. Chris Reuter, Rick Overson, Arianne Cease

Abstract: When given a choice, most animals will self-select an optimal blend of nutrients that maximizes growth and reproduction (termed “intake target” or IT). For example, several grasshopper and locust species select a carbohydrate-biased IT, consuming up to double the amount of carbohydrate relative to protein, thereby increasing growth, survival, and migratory capacity. ITs are not static, and there is some evidence they can change through ontogeny, with activity, and in response to environmental factors. However, little research has investigated how these factors influence the relative need for different nutrients and how subsequent shifts in ITs affect the capacity of animals to acquire an optimal diet in nature. In this study, we determined the ITs of 5th instar (final juvenile stage) Melanoplus sanguinipes (Fabricius, 1798), a prevalent crop and rangeland grasshopper pest in the United States, using two wild populations and one lab colony. We simultaneously collected host plants to determine the nutritional landscapes available to the wild populations and measured the performance of the lab colony on restricted diets. Overall, we found that the diet of the wild populations was more carbohydrate-biased than their lab counterparts, as has been found in other grasshopper species, and that their ITs closely matched their nutritional landscape. However, we also found that M. sanguinipes had the lowest performance metrics when feeding on the highest carbohydrate diets, whereas more balanced diets or protein-rich diets had higher performance metrics. This research may open avenues for studying how management strategies coincide with nutritional physiology to develop low-dose treatments specific to the nutritional landscape for the pest of interest.

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Research Article Tue, 14 Dec 2021 23:55:19 +0200
Aspects of the life history and ecology of two wingless grasshoppers, Eremidium armstrongi and Eremidium browni (Lentulidae), at the Doreen Clark Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa https://jor.pensoft.net/article/59153/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 30(1): 73-80

DOI: 10.3897/jor.30.59153

Authors: Reshmee Brijlal, Akeel Rajak, Adrian J. Armstrong

Abstract: Most grasshopper species have simple and similar life cycles and histories; however, different environmental and ecological factors have different effects on their distribution, sexes, and developmental stages, with effects varying among species. If we are to conserve grasshoppers, we need to understand their ecology and life histories. The aim of this study was to investigate aspects of the life histories and ecology of two recently described co-occurring, congeneric species of wingless grasshoppers, Eremidium armstrongi (Brown, 2012) and Eremidium browni Otte & Armstrong, 2017, at the Doreen Clark Nature Reserve near Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. These two species have limited extents of occurrence, only being known from an endangered forest type in parts of the midland area of KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, and therefore may need conservation action to ensure their long-term survival. No significant differences in the abundances of the two Eremidium grasshoppers were found, but their phenologies differed, with the adults of E. armstrongi being present before the adults of E. browni, with some overlap in presence over time. The Eremidium grasshoppers were only found in the forest and were more abundant in the forest margin. The Eremidium grasshoppers fed on soft plants from several families. Information on dietary differences between the species is required to determine whether there is potential competition between them. An adult E. browni female kept in an ex situ terrarium laid eggs in the soil, and nymphs took approximately two months to hatch.

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Research Article Wed, 12 May 2021 02:47:22 +0300
Mopla guttata (Acrididae: Catantopinae) rediscovered in the Western Ghats, Kerala, India https://jor.pensoft.net/article/35664/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 29(1): 17-23

DOI: 10.3897/jor.29.35664

Authors: Dhaneesh Bhaskar, P.S. Easa, C.H.F. Rowell

Abstract: The endemic Catantopinae genus Mopla was described by Henry in 1940 from the Malabar region of South India. Henry described two species under this genus, M. guttata and M. rubra. The female type specimens of Mopla are deposited in the Natural History Museum, London, UK. There have been no further records of these two species since their description. Seventy-six years later, the first male specimen of the genus Mopla was discovered in the Western Ghats, Kerala, India, in 2016. This paper describes the specimen, thought to be of Mopla guttata, and reconsiders its systematic placement.

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Research Article Fri, 10 Jan 2020 02:05:42 +0200
A review of the Acridinae s. str. (Orthoptera: Acridoidea: Acrididae) of eastern Africa with taxonomic changes and description of new taxa https://jor.pensoft.net/article/29312/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 28(1): 37-105

DOI: 10.3897/jor.28.29312

Authors: George B. Popov, Lincoln D. C. Fishpool, Hugh Rowell

Abstract: The Acridinae of eastern Africa are reviewed and recognized as comprising 42 core genera, belonging to five different tribes, together with Xerophlaeoba and Dorsthippus, which are unclassified but appear to be related to some extra-limital genera. Keys are given to tribes and genus groups as well as to genera and, where necessary, species within each genus. The following new taxa are described: Anacteana gen. n.: A. hollisi sp. n. and A. neavei burtti subsp. n.; Brachybothrus gen. n.: B. phyllopterus sp. n. and B. hola sp. n.; Coryphosima stenoptera colorata subsp. n.; Duronia chloronota phippsi subsp. n.; Oxyduronia gen. n.: O. anablepioides sp. n.; Sumba exilis sp. n. Nine new synonyms are recognized: Sumba longicornis Ramme, 1929 = S. roseipennis I. Bolívar, 1912, syn. n.; Orthochirista variegata Sjöstedt, 1931 = Gymnobothrus linea alba I. Bolívar, 1889, syn. n.; Orthochirista elgonensis Sjöstedt, 1931 = Gymnobothrus linea alba I. Bolívar, 1889, syn. n.; Gymnobothrus gracilis (Ramme, 1931) = Gymnobothrus anchietae I. Bolívar, 1889, syn. n.; Gymnobothrus subcarinatus (I. Bolívar, 1922) = Gymnobothrus flexuosus (Schulthess, 1898), syn. n.; Gymnobothroides montanus Kevan, 1950 = Gymnobothrus levipes levipes (Karsch, 1896), syn. n.; Gymnobothroides keniensis Johnston, 1937 = Gymnobothrus levipes abbreviatus (Chopard, 1921), syn. n.; Gymnobothroides Karny, 1915 = Gymnobothrus I. Bolívar, 1889, syn. n.; Phloeochopardia Dirsh, 1958 = Gymnobothrus I. Bolívar, 1889, syn. n. The following 24 new or restored combinations, or new or restored states, are erected for previously described taxa: Chokwea backlundi res. comb. (formerly Chromochokwea backlundi (Uvarov, 1953)); Chokwea eucteana comb. n. (formerly Platyverticula eucteana Jago, 1983); Sumba callosa comb. n. (formerly Rhabdoplea callosa Uvarov, 1953); Anacteana neavei comb. n. (formerly Acteana neavei I. Bolívar, 1912); Anacteana neavei neavei stat. n.; Duronia chloronota curta Uvarov, 1953, stat. n. et comb. (formerly Duronia curta Uvarov, 1953); Coryphosima abyssinica (Uvarov, 1934), res. stat. (formerly synonymized with C. elgonensis by Dirsh, 1966 (though this was ignored by Otte 1995)); Coryphosima amplificata (Johnston, 1937), res. stat. et comb. n. (formerly Rastafaria amplificata amplificata (Johnston, 1937)); Coryphosima morotoensis (Jago, 1968), stat. n. et comb. n. (formerly Rastafaria amplificata morotoensis (Jago, 1968)); Coryphosima triangularis (Bouvy, 1982), comb. n. (formerly Rastafaria triangularis Bouvy, 1982); Gymnobothrus longicornis longicornis stat. n.; Gymnobothrus longicornis ephippinotus Jago, 1966, stat. n. et comb. n. (formerly Gymnobothrus ephippinotus Jago, 1966); Gymnobothrus longicornis sellatus Uvarov, 1953, stat. n. et comb. n. (formerly Gymnobothrus sellatus Uvarov, 1953); Gymnobothrus anchietae anchietae stat. n.; Gymnobothrus anchietae bounites Jago, 1970, stat. n. et comb. n. (formerly Gymnobothrus bounites Jago, 1970); Gymnobothrus anchietae flaviventris Uvarov, 1953, stat. n. et comb. n. (formerly Gymnobothrus flaviventris Uvarov, 1953). Gymnobothrus anchietae inflexus Uvarov, 1934, stat. n. et comb. n. (formerly Gymnobothrus inflexus Uvarov, 1934); Gymnobothrus levipes (Karsch, 1896), comb. n.; Gymnobothrus levipes levipes (Karsch, 1896), stat. n. et comb. n. (formerly Gymnobothroides levipes (Karsch, 1896)); Gymnobothrus levipes abbreviatus (Chopard, 1921), stat. n. et comb. n. (formerly Phloeochopardia abbreviata (Chopard, 1921)); Gymnobothrus pullus (Karny, 1915), comb. n.; Gymnobothrus pullus pullus (Karny, 1915), stat. n. et comb. n. (formerly Gymnobothroides pullus Karny, 1915); Gymnobothrus pullus minutus (Ramme, 1929), stat. n. et comb. n., nom. res. (formerly Gymnobothroides minutus Ramme, 1929); Gymnobothrus pullus hemipterus (Miller, 1932), stat. n. et comb. n. (formerly Gymnobothroides hemipterus Miller, 1932).

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Research Article Tue, 18 Jun 2019 02:43:03 +0300
Morphometric variation among males of Orphulella punctata (De Geer, 1773) (Acrididae: Gomphocerinae) from different biomes in Brazil https://jor.pensoft.net/article/21203/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 27(2): 163-171

DOI: 10.3897/jor.27.21203

Authors: Ana Catia Santos da Silva, Lorena Andrade Nunes, Wanessa de Lima Batista, Marcos Gonçalves Lhano

Abstract: The objective of the present study was to examine variation in the shape and size of pronotum, hind femur, and head in the males of Orphulella punctata (De Geer, 1773) from three different Brazilian biomes: the Cerrado, the Atlantic Forest, and the Pantanal. A total of 150 specimens were analyzed from three populations. The results of MANOVA indicated significant differences (p<0.01) in the shape of the analyzed structures of O. punctata from the different biomes. The results of ANOVA demonstrated significant differences (p<0.05) in the size of all analyzed structures. Pearson’s correlation analyses among the different structures and the environmental variables revealed that the shape of pronotum, hind femur, and head (dorsal view), as well as the size of pronotum and head (dorsal and lateral views) varied with the geographic longitude, while the shape of hind femur and head (dorsal view) showed a significant negative correlation with size. Results indicated that the shape and size of the analyzed structures, in general, were influenced by the geographical variables.

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Research Article Wed, 5 Dec 2018 23:04:38 +0200
Fine-scale interactions between habitat quality and genetic variation suggest an impact of grazing on the critically endangered Crau Plain grasshopper (Pamphagidae: Prionotropis rhodanica) https://jor.pensoft.net/article/15036/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 27(1): 61-73

DOI: 10.3897/jor.27.15036

Authors: Sylvain Piry, Karine Berthier, Réjane Streiff, Sandrine Cros-Arteil, Antoine Foucart, Laurent Tatin, Linda Bröder, Axel Hochkirch, Marie-Pierre Chapuis

Abstract: The Crau Plain grasshopper, Prionotropis rhodanica Uvarov, 1923 (Orthoptera: Pamphagidae: Thrinchinae), is a rare grasshopper species endemic to the Crau Plain, a steppic habitat in France with unique floristic and faunistic communities. During recent decades, the area covered by these steppic grasslands has been highly reduced and fragmented due to the development of irrigation-based agriculture, roads, as well as industrial and military complexes. The restricted distribution, low population density and poor dispersal ability of P. rhodanica, combined with the destruction of its habitat, has led to the classification of this species as critically endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Decreases in habitat quality due to intensive grazing in the remnant grassland patches constitute an additional threat for P. rhodanica that can impact population dynamics at a relatively small-scale. In this work, we focused on a small area of about 3 km2 occupied by one of the largest subpopulations observed in 2000–2001. We conducted a single-time snapshot intensive survey of grasshopper density and genetic variation at 11 microsatellite markers. We used a recent method, MAPI, to visualize the spatial genetic structure as a continuous surface and to determine, with the simultaneous use of spatial cross-correlograms, whether the normalized difference vegetation index, which informs on the balance between vegetation productivity and grazing intensity, can explain grasshopper population structure at such a fine scale. We found that both population density and gene flow were strongly and positively correlated to habitat quality (higher productivity of grasslands and/or lower sheep grazing). The spatial scales of interaction between these variables were estimated to be highly similar, in the range of 812–880 meters. This result suggests that P. rhodanica is very sensitive to the quality of the grasslands it inhabits.

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Research Article Tue, 12 Jun 2018 16:44:16 +0300
The lesser mottled grasshopper, Stenobothrus stigmaticus: lessons from habitat management at its only site in the British Isles https://jor.pensoft.net/article/15123/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 27(1): 83-89

DOI: 10.3897/jor.27.15123

Authors: Richard G. Selman, Andrew J. Cherrill

Abstract: The lesser mottled grasshopper, Stenobothrus stigmaticus, occurs at a single site in the British Isles. This paper describes the history of site protection and management over 30 years including the introduction of conservation grazing management. Successes have been limited, but this has been due largely to issues around recreational access and stakeholder engagement rather than lack of ecological understanding. Despite severe challenges, sufficient experience has been gained to be confident that grazing by sheep can assist in re-establishing the grasshopper over areas of a protected site from which it is now absent or present in only scattered colonies. The grasshopper requires a short, open grassland and pockets of such vegetation occur naturally because of rabbit-grazing and thin, nutrient poor, free-draining soils around rocky outcrops. These small areas have proved to be critical to the species persistence and provide a nucleus from which spread can occur. Grazing management has involved complex negotiations with multiple stakeholders, including landowners, their agents, the landowners’ tenants, and the tenants’ graziers. Public access, cases of dogs worrying grazing livestock, and objections over the introduction of fencing in a once open landscape have made negotiations more difficult. Future success requires that these issues be addressed. Observations on a golf course within the site, with a remnant population of the grasshopper, suggest that winter-cutting of grassland may be a useful supplement to grazing management while such difficulties remain.

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Research Article Tue, 12 Jun 2018 05:25:12 +0300
Locusta migratoria (Orthoptera: Acrididae) embryos monitor neighboring eggs for hatching synchrony https://jor.pensoft.net/article/20935/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 26(2): 103-115

DOI: 10.3897/jor.26.20935

Authors: Seiji Tanaka

Abstract: The mechanism for controlling hatching from egg masses has received little attention in insects. In this study, both the pattern of hatching and factors influencing hatching were examined for the egg mass of the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria, under continuous illumination at 30°C. The eggs hatched simultaneously from the egg pods with a mean hatching period of 2.4 h. When the eggs were kept in different-sized masses, they tended to hatch earlier and across a shorter period as the mass size increased. However, the eggs in each mass hatched in synchrony, irrespective of the mass size. The eggs separated from the pods, and kept singly in moist sand, hatched later and across a longer period than those kept in the pods. Egg separation performed at various times revealed that hatching time and synchrony were determined on the day prior to hatching. The same conclusion was drawn when the eggs separated on day 10 were grouped as either egg masses or pairs at various times before hatching. Two eggs from different pods, incubated in physical contact with each other, hatched in synchrony if they were similar ages. In this case, the hatching was advanced or delayed depending on whether eggs were paired with older or younger counterparts. These results suggest that the L. migratoria eggs adjust the timing of hatching based on the information obtained from neighboring eggs, although the actual stimuli involved remain unknown.

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Research Article Wed, 22 Nov 2017 10:21:42 +0200
Phase-dependent morphometric traits of the albino strain of Schistocerca gregaria (Orthoptera: Acrididae) https://jor.pensoft.net/article/20012/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 26(2): 81-84

DOI: 10.3897/jor.26.20012

Authors: Meir Paul Pener

Abstract: Sugahara et al. (2017) reported that unlike the wild type, the albino strain of Schistocerca gregaria does not show phase-dependent shift in the morphometric ratio of F/C (= length of the hind femur/maximum width of the head [caput]). In contrast, my old, unpublished, observations clearly demonstrate that S. gregaria albinos exhibited considerable phase-dependent shift in the morphometric ratios F/C and E/F (= length of the fore-wing [elytron] divided by length of the hind femur). Considering the report of Sugahara et al. (2017), I decided to publish my old results.

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Research Article Fri, 13 Oct 2017 10:30:23 +0300
Phenotypic plasticity in color without molt in adult grasshoppers of the genus Sphingonotus (Acrididae: Oedipodinae) https://jor.pensoft.net/article/14550/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 26(1): 21-27

DOI: 10.3897/jor.26.14550

Authors: Juan Ramon Peralta-Rincon, Graciela Escudero, Pim Edelaar

Abstract: Homochromy (i.e. that individuals have a similar color as their environment) is frequent in grasshoppers, and probably functions to reduce detection by potential predators. Nymphs of several soil-perching grasshopper species are known to show color changes during development that increase homochromy, with color being determined with each molt. While this is well documented for young individuals, the only color change in response to the environment that has been recorded for adult grasshoppers of these species is an overall darkening of the individual when exposed to dark surfaces. Whether grasshoppers can also adaptively change color hue is relevant for our understanding of the evolution of locally adapted crypsis. We therefore exposed two groups of adult grasshoppers to a bluish-gray substrate or a reddish-brown substrate, and recorded their color over time. Quantitative digital image analysis showed that adult soil-perching grasshoppers remained capable of adapting to changes in the color of their surroundings through a plastic response. Compared to nymphs, the changes are not as strong and much slower. We suggest that color change in adults occurs through the ongoing deposition of melanins, with eumelanin making individuals more bluish-gray and pheomelanin making individuals more reddish-brown. The fact that color change is possible but slow supports that other mechanisms, such as habitat choice or selective predation, may also play a role in adapting local populations to substrate color. In addition, the ability of these grasshoppers to produce different melanins in response to the environment supports a previous suggestion that they might be useful in the future development of animal models to study melanin-related diseases like melanoma and Parkinson´s disease.

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Research Article Wed, 28 Jun 2017 14:30:20 +0300
Phylogenetic relationship of Japanese Podismini species (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Melanoplinae) inferred from a partial sequence of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene https://jor.pensoft.net/article/14547/ Journal of Orthoptera Research 26(1): 11-19

DOI: 10.3897/jor.26.14547

Authors: Beata Grzywacz, Haruki Tatsuta

Abstract: Members of the tribe Podismini (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Melanoplinae) are distributed mainly in Eurasia and the western and eastern regions of North America. The primary aim of this study is to explore the phylogenetic relationship of Japanese Podismini grasshoppers by comparing partial sequences of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) mitochondrial gene. Forty podismine species (including nineteen Japanese species) and thirty-seven species from other tribes of the Melanoplinae (Dactylotini, Dichroplini, Melanoplini, and Jivarini) were used in the analyses. All the Japanese Podismini, except Anapodisma, were placed in a well-supported subclade. However, our results did not correspond with the classification on the basis of morphological similarity for the status of Tonkinacridina. This group of Japanese species constituted a single clade with other species of Miramellina and Podismina, while Eurasian continental species of Tonkinacridina were placed in other separate clades. This incongruence might have resulted from historical migratory events between continent and ancient islands and subsequent convergent/parallel evolution in morphology. Some remarks on phylogenetic positions in Podismini and other tribes were also made in terms of reconstructed phylogeny.

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Research Article Wed, 28 Jun 2017 14:30:16 +0300