HUBUNGAN KEKERABATAN BELALANG (ORTHOPTERA) DI AREA PERSAWAHAN KABUPATEN PARIGI MOUTONG BERDASARKAN KARAKTER MORFOLOGI

Grasshoppers are insects belonging to the order Orthoptera, which comprises a highly diverse group of species distributed across various
ecosystems, including agricultural habitats such as rice fields. This study aimed to analyze the phylogenetic relationships among
Orthopteran grasshoppers inhabiting rice field ecosystems in Parigi Moutong Regency based on morphological characters and to describe
the clustering patterns of the species identified in the area. Sampling was conducted in rice fields using an exploratory survey method with
free collection techniques. Species identification was carried out through the examination of morphological characteristics using
biodiversity references and taxonomic identification keys. Phylogenetic relationships were analyzed using the Unweighted Pair-Group
Method with Arithmetic Average (UPGMA) implemented in the PAleontological STatistics software (PAST 4.03), while Principal
Component Analysis (PCA) was performed and visualized in a biplot to support the clustering results. A total of nine grasshopper species
were identified: Phaneroptera falcata, Oxytauchira brachyptera, Scudderia texensis, Atractomorpha crenulata, Tettigonia viridissima,
Conocephalus fuscus, Phlaeoba infumata, Oxya serville, and Phlaeoba fumosa. The phylogenetic analysis grouped the species into two
major clusters with three levels of relationship. A very close relationship was observed between Phlaeoba infumata and Phlaeoba fumosa
(similarity index [SI] = 91%). A close relationship was found between the subclusters consisting of Atractomorpha crenulata, Phlaeoba
infumata, and Phlaeoba fumosa, and those consisting of Oxytauchira brachyptera and Oxya serville (SI = 62%). In contrast, a more
distant relationship was observed between Conocephalus fuscus and the group comprising Scudderia texensis, Phaneroptera falcata, and
Tettigonia viridissima (SI = 47%). These phylogenetic patterns were supported by the PCA biplot, in which P. fumosa, P. infumata, O.
serville, and O. brachyptera were positioned within the same component, whereas S. texensis, P. falcata, and T. viridissima occupied
different regions, and C. fuscus was clearly separated from the other species. This study provides scientific information on morphologybased phylogenetic relationships among grasshopper species in rice field ecosystems, which may serve as a foundation for taxonomic
studies and as a reference for biology education concerning grasshopper phylogeny.
Keywords: Grasshoppers; phylogenetic relationships; morphological characters; UPGMA.