Revision of the systematics of the genus Calliptamus Serville 1831, (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Calliptaminae) in Algeria using morphological, chemical, and genetic data

International audienceSummary. The genus Calliptamus contains swarming orthopterans that cause serious damage in Algerian agricultural systems. However, it remains difficult to identify species within this genus; a thorough understanding of the group’s systematics and the utilization of novel taxonomic criteria are needed. We used morphological analysis along with two other methods of species identification – chemotaxonomy with cuticular compounds and DNA barcoding involving the COI gene – to classify 81 individual grasshoppers collected at two different sites in the Sétif region (northeastern Algeria). The chemotaxonomic analyses yielded ambiguous results, but DNA barcoding allowed us to differentiate two Calliptamus species found in Algeria: Calliptamus barbarus (Costa 1836), and Calliptamus wattenwylianus (Pantel 1896). Several morphological criteria used in identification keys appear to reflect differences among morphotypes rather than differences between species, and their taxonomic specificity is not supported by the barcoding data. The number of spines on the hind tibia is the only morphological criterion that reflected genetic differences between species; it is thus considered to be a taxonomically useful feature for identifying species in this genus