Geometric Morphometric Study of Wing Shape in Leva indica (Acrididae: Gomphocerinae) from Different Environmental Sites of Coimbatore, India

A landmark based geometric morphometric study was carried out to describe the variation in wing of male and female Leva indica from different environmental sites of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. A total of 60 male and 60 female forewings were used in this study. To demonstrate the variation in wing shape, landmark data of each individual was examined through the morphometric softwares namely tps-Util, tps-Dig, tps-Relw, tps-Small and integrated software PAST. In total, 19 landmarks were identified in both male and female wings of L. indica. Based on the landmark coordinates, the first two relative warp analysis showed significant variation within and between the male and female wing shape from different sites. Procrustes vs. tangent space distance showed that the distances were similar within males and females but significant differences appeared between the male and female wings of L. indica. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) between the male and female wings scatter plots also showed clear distinction from the result. The obtained results indicate that each sex of L. indica from different regions displays morphological differences in wing shape. These morphological changes could have occurred as a result of phenotypic plasticity.