Phanocles rehni, Hennemann & Conle, 2024

Hennemann, Frank H. & Conle, Oskar V., 2024, Studies on Neotropical Phasmatodea XXVI: Taxonomic review of Cladomorformia tax. n., a lineage of Diapheromerinae stick insects, with the descriptions of seven new genera and 41 new species (Phasmatodea: Occidophasmata: Diapheromerinae), Zootaxa 5444 (1), pp. 1-454 : 201-203

Phanocles rehni sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D42CC459-1B03-4E3F-92F1-A587BB26D575

( Figs. 50D , 62D–F , 99H )

HT, ♀: Lancetilla , Near Tela, Dept. Atlantica, Hond., Elev. 75–110 feet.; VIII, 29, 1930, Honduras Exped. [ ANSP] .

PT, 1 egg (extracted from terminalia of holotype): Lancetilla , Near Tela, Dept. Atlantica, Hond., Elev. 75–110 feet.; VIII, 29, 1930, Honduras Exped. [ ANSP] .

Diagnosis. Females (the only sex known) of this species are similar to those of other Central American representatives of the genus, including Ph. ploiaria ( Westwood, 1859) , Ph. spectabilis sp. n. and Ph. subvolans ( Redtenbacher, 1908) . They can however be readily separated from all of these species by the presence of a large pair of obtusely conical horns on the head, having the median segment slightly shorter than the metanotum (longer in all three mentioned species), much larger posterolateral lobes of abdominal tergum VII and the praeopercular organ exhibiting an obtuse-peg-like, posteriorly bi-nodose posteromedian protuberance (no such protuberance in the three abovementioned species). In general shape and cephalic armature ♀♀ of Ph. rehni n. sp. also resemble those of the Mexican type-species of the genus Ph. burkartii Saussure, 1868 . This species however also lacks the posteromedian protuberance of the praeopercular organ, has the meso- and metathorax more unevenly and prominently tubercular (densely and rather evenly granulose in rehni ) and has two small lobes or teeth on the posterodorsal carina of the meso- and metatibiae.

Etymology. This large new species is named in honour of James Abram Garfield Rehn (1881–1965), a well-known American entomologist at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANSP), who was specialised on the New World Orthoptera and also contributed considerably to our knowledge of the phasmatodean diversity by describing a good number of new species not only from the New World but also from the Oriental and Afrotropical regions. Although no collector is given on the data label of the holotype, it is most likely to have been collected by Rehn himself, who is known to have conducted an expedition to Honduras in 1930.

Description. ♀ ( Fig. 50D ): Large (body length including subgenital plate 184.0 mm) and fairly stocky, with a globose, bi-cornute head, a minutely and rather sparsely tubercular thorax and a short elongate subgenital plate, that projects beyond the tip of the abdomen by less than the length of the anal segment. General colour of the unique holotype a mixture of dark greyish brown and buff with the limbs somewhat lighter in colour and with a greyish wash. Granules and tubercles of the thorax dark ochre. Eyes dark reddish brown. Antennae reddish mid brown basally and gradually becoming darker towards the apex.

Head: Globose with the vertex roundly convex, broadest at the eyes and the genae gently narrowing towards the posterior; about 1.2x longer than wide. Just behind the eyes with a pair of moderately prominent and very obtuse, somewhat forward directed horns, that are sub-oval in diameter and only have the anterior portion weakly carinate with the posterior and dorsal portions almost semi-circular in lateral aspect. Vertex very minutely and sparsely granulose and with an indistinct coronal line. Frons with a shallow transverse furrow that has four obtuse granules along the posterior margin. Eyes moderately convex, circular in outline and their diameter contained 1.9x in length of genae. Antennae slightly projecting over posterior margin of abdominal segment III. Scapus strongly compressed dorsoventrally, rectangular in dorsal aspect and about 1.5x longer than wide. Pedicellus round in cross-section, much narrower and roughly half the length of scapus.

Thorax: Pronotum scarcely shorter but distinctly narrower than head, 1.6x longer than wide and roundly rectangular in dorsal aspect with the lateral margins gently concave. Anterior margin strongly raised and with a median pair of obtuse swellings; a shallow pair of median tubercles just in front of the median sulcus and four somewhat enlarged granules close to posterior margin; otherwise surface minutely and sparsely granulose.Transverse median sulcus moderately impressed, arched and expanding over entire width of segment. Mesothorax 7x longer than prothorax, very gently constricted anteriorly and the posterior portion slightly expanded. Metanotum less than one-third the length of mesonotum, 2.7x longer than wide and roughly rectangular. Meso- and metanotum with a fine medio-longitudinal carina and a distinct granulose to nodulose longitudinal lateral carina parallel to lateral margins; otherwise sparsely and unevenly supplied with granules and small, rounded tubercles of variable sizes (the tubercles most pronounced in the anterior one-third of mesonotum). Meso- and metapleurae with a marginal row of fairly distinct node-like tubercles and otherwise densely (mesopleurae) or sparsely (metapleurae) granulose. Meso- and metasternum with granules and node-like tubercles in the median portion and with a distinct, granulose carina close to lateral margins.

Abdomen: Median segment about four-fifth the length of metanotum, gently constricted medially and 2.2x longer than width of anterior margin; surface sparsely and minutely granulose. Following segments set only with a very few scattered granules that become less in number towards the apex of abdomen and II–VI with a distinct, granulose longitudinal carina close to lateral margins, that is most pronounced and II and becomes gradually less obvious towards VI. Segment II about as long as median segment and almost 2x longer than wide. II–V slightly increasing and VI–VII decreasing in length; V longest and about 2.4x longer than wide. II–V basically uniform in diameter but all slightly swollen medially, VI and VII somewhat narrowing. Tergum VII slightly widening towards the posterior and with lateral margins in the posterior half deflexed to form a roundly angular lobe that laterally extends by almost one-third the width of tergum ( Figs. 62D–F ). Sterna II–VII sparsely and minutely granulose and with a fairly obtuse longitudinal lateral carina. Praeopercular organ formed by a single obtuse-peg-like, posteriorly bi-nodose posteromedian protuberance on sternum VII ( Fig. 62F ). Terga VIII–X roughly uniform in width and noticeably narrower than all preceding, all with a shallow longitudinal lateral bulge; VIII slightly more than half the length of VII, 1.5x longer than wide and gently widened anteriorly; IX about three-fifth the length of VIII and roundly rectangular in dorsal aspect. VIII and IX both with a weakly indicated medio-longitudinal carina and the lateral margins moderately deflexed. Anal segment very scarcely longer than IX, 1.3x longer than wide, carinate medio-longitudinally and rectangular, the posterior margin with a very shallow median emargination and the outer angles broadly rounded ( Fig. 62E ). Epiproct very small, triangular and almost fully concealed under anal segment. Cerci very small, obtuse and gradually narrowing towards the apex. Gonapophyses VIII moderately elongated, upcurved and not projecting over posterior margin of anal segment; apex fairly pointed ( Fig. 62D ). Subgenital plate obtusely keeled longitudinally with the apex broad, obtusely and roundly triangular and projecting beyond tip of abdomen by notably less than length of anal segment ( Figs. 62D–E ); basal half with a longitudinal carina laterally.

Legs:All fairly short and moderately stocky, profemora somewhat shorter than mesothorax, mesofemora notably longer metathorax, metafemora reaching to posterior margin of abdominal segment IV and metatibiae roughly reaching to tip of abdomen. Two lower outer carinae of meso- and metafemora weakly expanded and indistinctly undulate in the basal portion. Dorsal carina of all basitarsi with a large, roundly triangular lobe. Probasitarsus as long as remaining tarsomeres except claw; meso- and metabasitarsus a little longer than combined length of following three tarsomeres.

Eggs ( Fig. 99H ). One egg could be extracted from the terminalia of the holotype and serves for the following description.

Rather small and although generally typical for the genus of a fairly distinctive shape. Capsule angular and scarcely longer than high with the polar-area flattened and slightly impressed and the dorsal egg surface prominently convex and rectangular in the anterior portion; oval in cross-section. Whole capsule surface deeply and densely punctured, the pits fairly large and sharply defined but inhomogeneous. Micropylar plate elongate, slightly expanded in the posterior half, about three-fifths the length of capsule and roughly 4x longer than width in the median portion; sculptured like capsule but the pits comparatively smaller and with the central portion obtusely keeled longitudinally. Micropylar cup a small node and a cup-like protuberance at polar end of plate. Median line distinctly impressed, short and reaching to outer margin of impressed portion of polar area. Operculum oval and with a fairly evenly shaped convex, hollow excrescence that is formed by the outer margin; this with a few large, uneven impressions in upper portion. Colour of capsule plain and light greyish ochre, the micropylar plate somewhat darker grey with the outer margin drab. Impressed portion of polar area dark brown. Operculum excrescence dull orange.

Measurements [mm]: Length including operculum 3.8, length 3.0, width 2.3, height 2.9, length of micropylar plate 2.2.

Comments. Males unknown.

Table 44: Measurements of Phanocles rehni sp. n.

Figures

FIGURE 50. Phanocles Stål, 1875 habitus (in scale): A. P. maximus sp. n. ♀ HT (Panamá, Prov Panamá, Chagres N.P., Cerro Azul), dorsolateral view [MIUP]; B. P. subvolans (Redtenbacher, 1908) ♀ (Costa Rica) dorsolateral view [ANSP]; C. P. saussurei (Redtenbacher, 1908) ♀ (Mexico, Veracruz, Puerto Escondido), dorsolateral view [coll. FH No. 0650–1]; D. P. rehni sp. n. ♀ HT (Honduras, Dept.Atlantida, Lancetilla), dorsolateral view [ANSP]; E. P. cuzcoense sp. n. ♀ HT (Peru, Dept. Cuzco, Quince Mil), dorsolateral view [ANSP].

FIGURE 62. Phanocles Stål, 1875 terminalia of ♀♀: A. P. maximus sp. n. ♀ PT, lateral view [coll. FH]; B. P. maximus sp. n. ♀ PT, dorsal view [coll. FH]; C. P. maximus sp. n. ♀ PT, ventral view [coll. FH]; D. P. rehni sp. n. ♀ HT, lateral view [ANSP]; E. P. rehni sp. n. ♀ HT, dorsal view [ANSP]; F. P. rehni sp. n. ♀ HT, ventral view [ANSP]; G. P. subvolans (Redtenbacher, 1908), lateral view [ANSP]; H. P. subvolans (Redtenbacher, 1908), dorsal view [ANSP]; J. P. subvolans (Redtenbacher, 1908), ventral view [ANSP]; K. P. ploiaria (Westwood, 1859), lateral view [coll. FH]; L. P. ploiaria (Westwood, 1859), dorsal view [coll. FH]; M. P. ploiaria (Westwood, 1859), ventral view [coll. FH]; N. P. spectabilis sp. n. ♀ PT, lateral view [coll. FH]; O. P. spectabilis sp. n. ♀ PT, dorsal view [coll. FH]; P. P. spectabilis sp. n. ♀ PT, ventral view [coll. FH]; Q. P. virgulatus (Redtenbacher, 1908), lateral view [coll. FH]; R. P. virgulatus (Redtenbacher, 1908), dorsal view [coll. FH]; S. P. virgulatus (Redtenbacher, 1908), ventral view [coll. FH].

FIGURE 99. Eggs (in scale): A. Phanocles aequatorialis (Redtenbacher, 1908) [coll. FH]; B. Phanocles costaricensis Hennemann, 2002; C. Phanocles cuzcoense sp. n. ex ovipositor HT [ANSP]; D. Phanocles ecuadoricus sp. n. PT [coll. FH]; E. Phanocles maximus sp. n. [coll. FH]; F. Phanocles mutica (Brunner v. Wattenwyl, 1907) [coll. FH]; G. Phanocles ploiaria (Westwood, 1859) Panamá, Prov. Coclé, Valle de Antón [coll. FH]; H. Phanocles rehni sp. n. ex ovipositor HT [ANSP]; J. Phanocles spectabilis sp. n. PT [coll. FH]; K. Phanocles vosseleri (Redtenbacher, 1908) [coll. FH]; L. Phanocles virgulatus (Redtenbacher, 1908) [coll. FH]; M. Phanocles keratosqueleton (Olivier, 1792) Martinique [coll. FH]; N. Phanocles keratosqueleton (Olivier, 1792) St. Vincent [coll. FH]; O. Phanocles chaperi (Redtenbacher, 1908) [coll. FH]; P. Phanocles falcatus sp. n. PT [coll. FH]. [Scale = 1 mm]