The variability of Heteracris adspersa (Redtenbacher, 1889) re-examined (Orthoptera: Acrididae, Eyprepocnemidinae)

Abstract

A new subspecies of Heteracris adspersa was described in 1978 on the basis of morphometrics and structure configuration of the male subgenital plate from specimens collected in Sardinia. The present study examines specimens (n=175) from a broad suite of localities, ranging from the Middle East across to the western Mediterranean. Statistical analyses are subsequently carried out on a revised dataset comprising 94♂♂ and 55♀♀. Microscopic examination of the subgenital plate is also conducted on specimens from Sardinia, Sicily, Malta and Yemen and compared with those published in the original description. Findings demonstrate that the subspecies massai is practically an artefact of unintended consequence, essentially a case of taxonomic inflation, in view of evident intra and interpopulation variability across a wide geographic area; consequently, H. a. massai is synonymised.