Morphometric Variations in the Grasshopper,Chromacris speciosafrom Two Localities of Pernambuco in Northeastern Brazil

Abstract

The present study describes morphometric variations in the grasshopper, Chromacris speciosa (Thunberg, 1824) (Orthoptera: Acridoidea: Romaleidae) from two locations in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. The distance between the sites chosen for collections (Recife and São Lourenço da Mata) is approximately 16 km. The investigation was based on a comparative study of external morphological characteristics of the grasshoppers. Morphometric measurements took into account the different body parts and appendages. Statistical analysis of the measurements revealed significant differences in the size of the specimens between the two locations. Homogeneity tests of the covariance and equality matrices between mean vectors of the results revealed that the grasshopper populations in Recife and São Lourenço da Mata are distinctly different. These findings provide morphological evidence for intraspecific variation in morphological characteristics of the C. speciosa populations from the two locations.

Morphometric variation among males of Orphulella punctata (De Geer, 1773) (Acrididae: Gomphocerinae) from different biomes in Brazil

“…In addition to the structures suggested by Otte (1979) as diagnostic characters for identification of O. punctata, the present study showed that the head also presented intraspecific variation, reinforcing the needs for other structures to be used in the identification of this species. Intraspecific variations in the morphological characters, such as head, pronotum, femur, body, and wings, have also been reported in studies conducted on the populations of Chromacris speciosa (Thunberg) collected from two locations in Pernambuco, Brazil (Cisneiros et al 2012). Also, analyses of the body size and the wings of Trilophidia annulata (Thunberg) (Orthoptera: Oedipodinae) demonstrated significant differences among the populations collected from different kinds of environments in China (Bai et al 2016), which corroborates the occurrence of variations in individuals of the same species living in different biomes.…”

“…Although geometric morphometrics has been demonstrated to be effective in analyzing morphological variation in insects, this methodology has been underused in studies of Orthoptera (Song and Wenzel 2008, Song 2009, Bidau et al 2012, Cisneiros et al 2012.…”

Within-season variability of fighting behaviour in an Australian alpine grasshopper

“…After each trial, males were placed in a freezer (-20°C) for 48h and preserved in 70% ethyl alcohol. Following [ 58 ] we measured femur and pronotum length using Vertex™ Vernier digital callipers (England, UK) to the nearest 0.01 mm. Femur length was taken from the trochanter to the beginning of the femur-tibia joint.…”

New Record of Grasshopper (Orthoptera: Acrididae & Romaleidae) Defoliators and Population Dynamics of Insects on Crops ofHeliconiaspp in the Amazon

“…Grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae and Romaleidae) inflict serious damage to plants throughout their development (Franc & Luong-Skovmand 2009). These harmful species are polyphagous and feed voraciously on leaves of several agricultural important crops (coconut, açaí tree, cotton, sugarcane, pastures, etc.)…”