Hemiplasta styligera ( Bates, 1865 ), 1934

Hennemann, Frank H., 2021, Stick insects of Sulawesi, Peleng and the Sula Islands, Indonesia- a review including checklists of species and descriptions of new taxa (Insecta: Phasmatodea), Zootaxa 5073 (1), pp. 1-189 : 145-149

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5073.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:AA3269D1-CA2F-4528-BC9D-3A4C75D05BD9
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03DB87EE-FF61-9DC3-FF40-5AC7FBCDF676
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Hemiplasta styligera ( Bates, 1865 )
status

Treatment

Hemiplasta styligera ( Bates, 1865)

( Figs. 58–59 View FIGURE 58 View FIGURE 59 )

Necroscia styligera, Bates, 1865: 354 , pl. 45: 1. HT, ♀: Sula; Necroscia styligera Bates ♀; E. coll. (1830-73) W.W. Saunders, Purchased and pres ‘73 by Mrs. F.W. Hope [OXUM, No. 669].

Kirby, 1904: 377.

Sipyloidea (Hemiplasta) styligera, Redtenbacher, 1908: 550 .

Sipyloidea styligera, Bruner, 1915: 238 .

Hemiplasta styligera, Günther, 1934: 86 (in part—erroneous synonymy of H. rostrata Redtenbacher, 1908 ). Hennemann, 1998: 113, 121, Figs. 18 View FIGURE 18 & 19 View FIGURE 19 (in part—only the ♀).

Otte & Brock, 2005: 153.

Sipyloidea (Hemiplasta) rostrata Redtenbacher, 1908: 550 (in part—only PLT, ♀: Sula Mangoli, Oct.–Novbr. Doherty, ex coll. H. Fruhstorfer ; det. Redtenb. Sipyloidea rostrata ; Sipyloidea rostrata R.; 22505 [NHMW, No. 1090])

Further material: PELENG: 5 ♀♀, 1 ♂: Indonesien, Banggai Ids. , W-Peleng Island, Buko District , btw. Tatendeng village and Eben village 400–550 m, IX .2011 [coll. FH, No’s 0298-2 to 7]; 3 ♀♀: Indonesien, Banggai Ids. , WPeleng Island , Buko District , btw. Tatendeng village and Eben village 400–550 m, IX.2011 [ IMQC] . SULAWESI: 1 ♀: Indonesien, S-Sulawesi, Tana Toraja , Rantepao, ca. 800 m, leg. Tajuddin X.1995 [coll. FH, No. 0298-1] .

Differential diagnosis: From the very similar H. rostrata Redtenbacher, 1908 rev. stat. ♀♀ differ by the larger size, more slender habitus and the short cerci, that are notably shorter than the anal segment ( Figs. 58D–G View FIGURE 58 ; much longer than anal segment and filiform in rostrata ). The short cerci of ♀♀ are shared with H. aptera Günther, 1938 and H. sarasinorum Günther, 1938 ( Fig. 50A View FIGURE 50 ), but this species are readily separated from both these species by the fully developed alae that at least reach to abdominal tergum VI and distinct but fine, black postocular stripe. From H. aptera it may furthermore be distinguished by the much larger size, much more slender shape and proportionally more elongate body segments and limbs. Males differ from all other known ♂♂ of the genus by the much more delicate shape, proportionally longer body segments and limbs, distinct black postocular stripes and black coronal line of the head, just sparsely and weakly granulose mesonotum (densely granulose in all other known species) and much less bulgy, rather scoop-shaped poculum.

Description: ♂ ( Fig. 59A View FIGURE 59 ). Large for the genus (body length 62.3 mm), shape very slender with well developed alae (32.0 mm) a weakly granulose mesonotum and a small, scoop-shaped poculum ( Fig. 59C View FIGURE 59 ). General colour a micture of ochraceous mid brown and dark brown portions, the thoracic segments in particular with blackish markings. Head with a distnct black postocular streak and a black coronal line, the latter of which is continued over entire length of pronotum. Anterolateral portions of pronotum pale green, most of prothoracic epimerum black ( Fig. 59B View FIGURE 59 ). The mesonotum with an irregularly defined black lateral streak, the medio-longitudinal carina green and the granules yellow; posterior portion increasingly darkened. Tegmina and alae with the radial vein marked by pale green; the costal region of the alae with some washed light grey markings and most veins slightly greenish, the anal fan transparent grey with brown veins. Most of lower portion of abdomen blackish. Profemora weakly marbled with dark brown and straw basally, the meso- and metafemora rather plain with a slight orangey wash and flecked with dark brown in the apical portion. Protibiae mostly dotted with black, the meso and metatibiae with a slight greenish wash and the apex blackish. Three basal antennomeres black ventrally, rest of antennae ochre and weakly annulated with darker brown. Eyes greyish in the dried specimen.

Head ( Fig. 59B View FIGURE 59 ): Roundly rectangular, scarcely longer than wide, rather flattened and with the genae somewhat convex; vertex smooth, flat and with a fine coronal line. No ocelli. Frons with a distinct C-shaped impression between bases of antennae. Eyes very large, slightly oval in outline and their length more than that of genae. Antennae notably longer than body. Scapus somewhat flattened, rectangular in outline and 1.25x longer than wide. Pedicellus round in cross-section and slightly shorter than scapus, antennomere III roughly equal in length and progressively constricted towards apex.

Thorax: Pronotum slightly narrower but longer than head ( Fig. 59B View FIGURE 59 ), the anterior portion somewhat deflexed and the angles with a semi-circular excavation, the lateral margins distinctly concave; roughly 1.8x longer than width in posterior portion. Surface smooth except for a few scattered and very low granules in the posterolateral portions, the medio-longitudinal line somewhat impressed and the transverse median sulcus moderately prominent almost straight and expanding over entire width of segment. Mesothorax slender, constricted medially, widened in the posterior one third and at anterior margin; 4.3x longer than pronotum. Mesonotum with a distinct and acute medio-longitudinal carina, the surface otherwise with several irregularly dispersed, low granules, two pairs of which are somewhat enlarged and positioned close to anterior margin. Mesopeurae very weakly and sparsely set with low granules, mesosternum, metapleurae and metasternum smooth. Tegmina roundly angular, scale-like and with the pre-median hump weakly pronounced and obtusely rounded. Alae reaching to posterior margin of abdominal tergum V.

Abdomen: Median segment considerabyl longer than metanotum. Segments II–V roughly uniform in length and width and about 6x longer than wide. VI–VII notably decreasing in length with VII just slightly more than half the length of V. Tergum VII about 4.2x longer than width at anterior margin, the lateral margins very slightly but gradually widening towards the posterior. Tergum VIII about three-quarters the length of VII, almost parallel-sided and roughy 3x longer than wide; the posterior portion with a rather disitinct membrane. Tergum IX scarcely shorter than VIII, somewhat deflexed anteriorly and narrowed in the posterior half. Anal segment distinctly tectinate, about four-fifths the length of IX with lateral surfaces slightly convex; the posterior margin with a distinct triangular excavation and the outer angles obtusely angular and somewhat swollen with the intero-ventral surface set with minute denticles; entire posterior margin densely set with rather long setae. Epiproct very small, triangular and almost wholly concealed under anal segment. Vomer black, elongate-triangular in shape, with a short but strongly up-curving terminal hook; the apical portion somewhat keeled medio.longitudinally and the basal portion with the lateral portions strongly inflated and the central portion indented and furrowed. Cerci oval in cross-section, mderately slender and noticeably shorter than anal segment and with the apex swollen and club-shaped. Phallus rather short, just slightly projecting over dorsal margin of poculum, digitiform and pale yellow. Sternum IX fairly bulgy with the posterior margin labiate and somewhat expanded towards the posterior in the median portion. Poculum scoopshaped, in ventral aspect roundly triangular in outline and scarcely reaching to posterior margin of tergum IX; the dorsal margin somewhat undulate ( Fig. 59C View FIGURE 59 ).

Legs: All very long and delicate, moderately carinated and wholly unarmed. Profemora notably longer than head, pro- and mesothorax combined with the base strongly constricted and distinctly curved. Mesofemora somewhat longer than pro- and mesothorax combined and metafemora slightly projecting over posterior margin of abdominal segment V; medioventral carina indistinct. All basitarsi very elongate, slender and longer than remaining tarsomeres taken together.

Variability: The Pelengese ♀♀ at hand show some chromatic variability concerning to the number and inten-sity of the dark markings iof the thoracic segments, tegmina and costal region of the alae. One specimen (coll. FH 0298-5) has most of the the apical half of the tegmina creamish white and in another one (coll. FH 0298-2) the three portions between the radial sector vein, anterior and posterior medial vein are pale green. The latter specimen also has the meso- and metasternum and subgenital plate wholly dotted with black.

Comments: The previously unknown ♂ is here described for the first time and he series of specimens in the author’s collection and the collection of IMQC represent the first record of H. styligera from the island of Peleng. The supposed ♂ described by Hennemann (1998: 113, pl. 3: 6–7, fig. 19) has proven to be a distinct species that is here described as Necroscia malleoformia n. sp. that is very characteristic for the morphology of the terminalia and significantly differs from all other previously unknown ♂♂ of the genus. Redtenbacher’s Hemiplasta rostrata is here removed from synonymy with H. styligera and re-established as a valid species because the two ♀ syntypes represent two distinct species. Only the paralectotype from Pulau Mangole , Sula Islands in NHMW is a specimen of this species. The egg still remains unknown .

Distribution: Sula Islands (Pulau Mangole); Peleng Island (Buko District, btw. Tantendeng village & Eben village, 400–550 m); Central Sulawesi, Prov. Sulawesi Selatan (Tana Toraja: Rantepao 700–800 m); Talaud Islands (Karakelang Island: Lobo).

Genus Necroscia Serville, 1838

( Fig. 60 View FIGURE 60 )

Type-species: Necroscia roseipennis Serville, 1838: 252 (= Necroscia prasina Burmeister, 1838: 586 ), by subsequent designation of Kirby, 1904: 436.

Comments: This very speciose genus has a wide distributional range and is distributed throughout almost the complete Oriental region and also has representatives on New Guinea and surrounding islands. The highest diversity of species is however found in the subregion defined as Sundaland, principally comprising Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Java and Borneo. Only two species have so far become known from Sulawesi, one of which is here described as new but is of somewhat questionable affiliation. The other species, N. aruana ( Westwood, 1859) , is the type-species of the synonymic genus Aruanoidea Redtenbacher, 1908 ( Hennemann, 1998: 121) .

As defined currently, Necroscia is still a polyphyletic composition although numerous taxonomic changes have already been conducted by Seow-Choen (2016, 2017, 2018). Females of Necroscia are characterized by the specialized morphology of the genitalia, having an apically narrowed, somewhat tube-like and forked subgenital plate, that might be slightly elongated to project beyond the tip of the abdomen, and usually have more or less elongated often club-like cerci, that considerably project beyond the anal segment. Males exhibit various specializations of the terminalia but the anal segment in particular, which are too numerous to be summarized at this point. The eggs are elongate, tube-like and bullet or okra-shaped with an acutely pointed, bi- or tri-carinate polar end, which serves for the eggs being pierced into substrates like moss, lichens or gaps in tree bark. The morphology of the ♀ terminalia and eggs is shared with various other genera of Necrosciinae including e.g. Eurynecroscia Dohrn, 1910 , Notaspinus Seow-Choen, 2017, Orthonecroscia Kirby, 1904 and Paranecroscia Redtenbacher, 1908 .