Venupherodes, Frank H. Hennemann, Oskar V. Conle & Daniel E. Perez-Gelabert, 2016

Frank H. Hennemann, Oskar V. Conle & Daniel E. Perez-Gelabert, 2016, Studies on Neotropical Phasmatodea XVI: Revision of Haplopodini Günther, 1953 (rev. stat.), with notes on the subfamily Cladomorphinae Bradley & Galil, 1977 and the descriptions of a new tribe, four new genera and nine new species (Phasmatodea: “ Anareolatae ”: Phasmatidae: Cladomorphinae), Zootaxa 4128 (1), pp. 1-211 : 165-166

5.8. Genus Venupherodes n. gen.

Type-species: Platycrana venustula Audinet-Serville, 1838: 242 , by present designation.

Platycrana, Audinet-Serville, 1838: 242 . Diapherodes, Saussure, 1872: 185 . Redtenbacher, 1908: 434 (in part). Westwood, 1859: 84 (in part).

Otte & Brock, 2005: 120 (in part).

Diapherodes (?), Kirby, 1904a: 362.

Haplopus, Redtenbacher, 1908: 429 (in part).

Otte & Brock, 2005: 150 (in part).

Phasma, Westwood, 1859: 34 , pl. 22: 7.

Description: ♀♀, ♂♂ ( Figs. 322–325 ). Small Haplopodini (body length <80 mm) with general appearance similar to Diapherodes Gray, 1835 ; ♂♂ indistinctly shorter than ♀♀. ♂♂ slender with scale-like tegmina and welldeveloped alae. ♀♀ apterous and rather broad insects with the body distinctly oval in cross-section and the thorax and abdomen conspicuously broadened. ♀♀ usually bright green but sometimes with washed blackish-brown portions, ♂♂ a mixture of mid green, dull green, creamish brown and white. Head of ♂♂ with a conspicuous white streak along the cheeks. Head globose, indistinctly longer than wide. Vertex roundly convex and indistinctly bicornute; sinistral tubercle often lacking. Antennae slender and as long as (♀♀), or considerably longer than head and thorax combined (♂♂). Scapus dorsoventrally flattened, longer than pedicellus. Pronotum with a ± prominent pair of blunt spines or spiniform tubercles in anterior half. Mesothorax of ♀♀ strongly broadened towards the posterior and constricted towards the anterior ; roughly 1.5x the combined length of head and pronotum. Mesonotum conspicuously lyriform, being strongly broadened towards about 2/3 of its length and gently constricted in the posterior portion, laterally overlapping mesopleurae. Dorsal surface of mesonotum with a distinct, longitudinal median keel and anterior margin with a small pair of spiniform tubercles. Meso- and metapleurae granulose in ♀♀, unarmed in ♂♂. Mesosternum very minutely granulose in ♀♀ and smooth in ♂♂, metasternum smooth in both sexes. Abdomen of ♀♀ hardly longer than head and thorax combined and swollen medially; segment II–II increasing and V–X decreasing in width, IV widest segment. Segments II–VI wider than long. All tergites of ♀♀ finely multi-carinate, VII parallel-sided. Abdomen of ♂♂ slender and cylindrical with the terminal three segments just very slightly broader than previous. Praeopercular organ of ♀♀ formed by three small, wart-like tubercles which are arranged in a triangle close to posterior margin of sternum VII. Cerci very small (♀♀ in particular) and laterally compressed; almost straight. Epiproct very small and mostly hidden under anal segment. Subgenital plate of ♀♀ moderately, longitudinally keeled and tapered towards an acute apex; projecting over apex of abdomen by hardly more than the length of the anal segment. Vomer of ♂♂ very broad and roughly triangular, poculum moderately convex and with a blunt central spine. Legs of both sexes moderately slender and rather short in ♀♀, profemora about as long as (♂♂) or shorter than mesothorax (♀♀), hind legs not reaching apex of abdomen. All carinae of legs unarmed, except for spines on the medioventral carina and 1–2 small, sub-apical spines on the two outer ventral carinae of the meso- and metafemora. Basitarsi short, about as long as following two tarsomeres combined.

Eggs ( Figs. 332–333 ): Fairly small, capsule about 1.6x longer than wide and with dorsal surface more convex than ventral surface; polar area slightly impressed if seen in lateral aspect. Capsule surface irregularly but very prominently and unevenly sculptured being all over covered with raised ridge-like structures, tubercles and granules; a very blunt tuberculate longitudinal keel runs from the micropylar plate towards the polar-area. Micropylar plate impressed and lower than capsule surface, less than 1/3 the length of capsule, roughly oval, shield-shaped and 1.3x wider than long. Central portion of micropylar plate granulose, micropylar cup distinct and placed in a small posteromedian gap of plate. Operculum with an outer rim of irregularly raised tubercles; centre slightly lowered. General colour mid to dark brown, sometimes with a greyish wash, micropylar plate mid brown.

Differentiation: The single Cuban representative of this new genus is easily distinguished from the closely related Diapherodes Gray, 1835 (→ Table 33 ). ♀♀ at once differ by being completely apterous, having a distinct longitudinal median keel on the mesonotum, a lyriform mesothorax which is distinctly widened laterally and overlaps the mesopleurae, and having a medially swollen and roundly expanded abdomen with IV being the widest segment. ♂♂ exhibit a very characteristic colouration, having the cheeks with a distinct white stripe and eggs are clearly distinguished by the broad and shield-shaped micropylar plate.

The absence of wings in the ♀♀ resembles the second exclusively Cuban genus Aploploides Rehn & Hebard, 1938 , which may be sympatric. This new genus however differs at first glance by: the globose and bi-cornute head, shorter cerci and armed thorax of both sexes, which is longitudinally keeled in ♀♀, as well as the more bulgy poculum of ♂♂.

Distribution ( Fig. 374 ): Cuba, endemic.

Etymology: Neuter. The generic name is a combination of “ Venu(s) ” (venus gr. = goddess of love), overtaken from the specific name “ venustula ” of the type-species, and the ending “- pherodes ” to indicate the close relation to Diapherodes Gray, 1835 .

Species included:

1. Venupherodes venustula (Audinet-Serville, 1838: 242) [ Platycrana ]. n. comb. = Phasma havaniense Westwood, 1859: 34 , pl. 22: 7, 7a, 7b (♀). = Haplopus juvenis Redtenbacher, 1908: 430 , pl. 20: 4 (♂). n. syn.

Figures

FIGURES 322 – 325. Venupherodes venustula (Audinet-Serville, 1839) n. gen., n. comb .. 322. ♀: captive reared from NW- Cuba, Pinar del Rio [coll. FH, No. 0599 - 13]; 323. ♀: captive reared from NW-Cuba, Pinar del Rio [coll. FH, No. 0599 - 3]; 324. ♀: captive reared from NW-Cuba, Pinar del Rio [coll. FH, No. 0599 - 20]; 325. ♂: captive reared from NW-Cuba, Pinar del Rio [coll. FH, No. 0599 - 1].

FIGURES 326 – 333. Venupherodes venustula (Audinet-Serville, 1839) n. gen., n. comb .. 326. Head and pronotum of ♀: captive reared from NW-Cuba, Pinar del Rio [coll. FH, No. 0599 - 6]; 327. Head and pronotum of ♂: captive reared from NW- Cuba, Pinar del Rio [coll. FH, No. 0599 - 2]; 328. Apex of ♀ abdomen: captive reared from NW-Cuba, Pinar del Rio (lateral view); 329. Apex of ♀ abdomen: captive reared from NW-Cuba, Pinar del Rio (dorsal view); 330. Apex of ♂ abdomen: captive reared from NW-Cuba, Pinar del Rio (lateral view); 331. Apex of ♂ abdomen: captive reared from NW-Cuba, Pinar del Rio (dorsal view); 332. Egg: captive reared from NW-Cuba, Pinar del Rio (dorsal view) [coll. FH, No. 0599 - E]; 333. Egg: captive reared from NW-Cuba, Pinar del Rio (lateral view) [coll. FH, No. 0599 - E].

FIGURES 373 – 374. Maps. 373. Map of the West Indies showing the principle islands; 374. Known distribution of Aploploides Rehn & Rehn, 1938 [green] and Venupherodes n. gen. [red].