Annotated catalogue of Pakistani Acrididae (Orthoptera: Caelifera: Acridoidea)
Author
Sultana, Riffat
Department of Zoology, University of Sindh-Pakistan. & Department of Entomology, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX 77843 - 2475 USA.
Author
Song, Hojun
Department of Entomology, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX 77843 - 2475 USA.
text
Zootaxa
2024
2024-07-24
5486
1
1
47
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5486.1.1
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.5486.1.1
1175-5326
13209743
2FEEF471-EF3C-4CF1-84B1-462AE89F9A16
Spathosterninae
(
Fig.7
)
Geographical Distribution:
Pakistan
(
Moeed 1966
;
Ahmed 1980
;
Hashmi 1994
;
Yousuf 1996
; Wagan 1990;
Wagan & Baloch1997
;
Wagan & Sultana 2013
;
Suhail
et al
. 2000
;
Sultana
et al
. 2013
;
Sultana & Wagan 2015
;
Kumar
et al
. 2022
;
Lal
et al
. 2019
;
Nawab
et al
. 2022
;
Prince
et al
. 2022
)
Comments
Spathosterninae
is one of the smallest subfamilies within the
Acrididae
, consisting of 12 valid species within a single tribe and three genera: two species of
Spathosternum
(
S. prasiniferum
and
S. venulosum
) are found in
Pakistan
. These species are characterized by their common occurrence, wide distribution, and typical habitat preferences in damp grassy areas. They are commonly found in habitats associated with the margins of seasonal and more permanent marshes, as well as along riverine swamplands and drawdown areas. Several members of the genus seem to exhibit the same infraspecific wing polymorphism as
Hieroglyphus daganesis
. It is worth noting that both genera are associated with similar marshy habitats (
Rowell & Hemp 2017
).
Spathosterninae
are widely distributed in West and Central Africa and are well known in South Asia and
Australia
(
Dirsh, 1975
,
Mestre, 1988
,
Mestre & Chiffaud 2006
,
Seino 1989
). It was observed that
S. prasiniferum
and
S. venulosum
are common species, but the latter was not reported from Sindh. Neither of these species was encountered in Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. The present study suggests that more surveys should be planned in northern areas.