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

• Main Authors: Ana Catia Santos da Silva, Lorena Andrade Nunes, Wanessa de Lima Batista, Marcos Gonçalves Lhano
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Pensoft Publishers 2018-12-01
• Series: Journal of Orthoptera Research
• Online Access: https://jor.pensoft.net/article/21203/

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.