Phyllium (Walaphyllium) zomproi Grö sser , 2001

Cumming, Royce T., Thurman, Jessa H., Youngdale, Sam & Tirant, Stephane Le, 2020, Walaphyllium subgen. nov., the dancing leaf insects from Australia and Papua New Guinea with description of a new species (Phasmatodea, Phylliidae), ZooKeys 939, pp. 1-28 : 1

Phyllium (Walaphyllium) zomproi Grö sser, 2001 Figs 3A, B , 5A-C , 6A-D , 7A-E , 11A-D

Distribution.

Papua New Guinea: Morobe Province, Aseki (Winduwe) (NHMUK & Coll RC); Aseki (Wingia) (Holotype: SDEI & Coll RC); Gulf Province (Kaintiba) (Coll RC).

Discussion.

Despite being a rarer species in private and museum collections, this is a widespread species, with records from two Papua New Guinea provinces (Morobe and Gulf, Fig. 4 ). In the original description by Grö ßer (2001) the female and egg were illustrated as well as a subadult male. Since this original description, the adult male has been identified within the NHMUK and within the authors collections. The previously unknown adult male morphology is here described for the first time to help better understand this rarely encountered species.

Body size; females: 80.0-86.0 mm; males: 79.0 mm.

Description.

Male. Coloration. Coloration description based on the limited male specimens from within the authors collections and the NHMUK collection, not on live material. All specimens examined however were with uniform coloration, with little variation between individuals. Overall coloration pale green throughout most of the body. Head through thorax in the preserved specimens is yellow, but this is in all likelihood due to the drying of the specimen and was probably green in life. Compound eyes rusty brown to dark brown color. Antennae pale green or tan, with the terminal segments darker brown. Protibial interior lobe, profemoral interior lobe, and mesofemoral exterior lobe with variable brown patches interrupting the green base color. Tegmina with variable patches of light brown on the green base color, the majority of the tegmina is green. Sclerotized section of the alae can have small patches of brown along the veins, but these are fainter than the brown patches on the tegmina. Abdominal segments V and VI with a small faintly formed clear eyespot of similar width on both the segments. Abdominal segment IX with moderate brown markings on the green, with approximately one third to one half of the segment with brown coloration.

Morphology. Head. Head capsule slightly longer than wide, vertex is lumpy with a smooth texture, not overly granular. Frontal convexity stout with a broad point, apex marked with five to seven thin setae. The posteromedial tubercle is not prominent, only slightly raised from the posterior of the head capsule. Antennae. Antennae consist of 22-23 segments (including the scapus and pedicellus), all segments except the scapus and pedicellus and terminal six are covered in moderately dense tan setae that are as long as the antennae segment is wide. The terminal six segments are covered in tan setae that are about as dense as the setae on the other segments but much shorter (some only slightly raised above the segment surface), and the scapus and pedicellus are without setae. Compound eyes large (taking up about half of the head capsule length) but not notably protruding away from the head (Fig. 7B ). Three well-developed ocelli are between the compound eyes and slightly raised above the head capsule (Fig. 7B ). Antennal fields slightly wider than the scapus width, not notably large (Fig. 7B ). Thorax. Pronotum with an anterior margin that is clearly but not strongly concave; lateral margins that are straight for the anterior two-thirds and then clearly angled toward the posterior margin which is slightly more than half of the width of the anterior margin and slightly convex (Fig. 7B ). Anterior and lateral margins of the pronotum with distinct rims, and the posterior margin lacks a well-developed rim. Face of the pronotum has a lumpy texture and is marked by a distinct sagittal furrow and crescent shaped pit in the center (Fig. 7B ). Prosternum is moderately granulose with nodes throughout of relatively even size. Mesosternum surface mostly wrinkled, not as much granulation as the prosternum. Prescutum about as wide as long, with lateral margins slightly converging to the posterior. Lateral rims with six to seven tubercles of slightly varying size and uneven spacing, with most tubercles prominent. Prescutum crest along the sagittal plane with four or five small nodes. The surface of the prescutum is mostly wrinkled in texture and not prominently raised along the sagittal plane. Prescutum anterior margin marked with a prominent slightly recurved tubercle rising above the surface of the pronotum (Fig. 7E ). Mesopleurae narrow, nearly parallel for most of their length, only starting to more strongly diverge after about two thirds of the way through with the posterior the broadest portion (Fig. 7B ). Lateral margin with five major tubercles throughout the length, and generally two or three small minor tubercles interspersed (Fig. 7B ). Face of the mesopleurae smooth except for two distinct pits, one on the anterior third and one on the posterior third. Wings. Tegmina moderate in length, extending about one quarter of the way into abdominal segment IV. Tegmina wing venation (Fig. 5B ): the subcosta (Sc) is the first vein, running smoothly to the margin and is the first to terminate on the wing margin, about two fifths of the way through the overall tegmina length. The radius (R) spans the entire length of the tegmina with the first radius (R1) branching approximately one third through the length, then a second radius (R2) branches approximately two thirds of the way through the length, and the radial sector (Rs) terminates at the wing apex. The media (M) also spans the entire length of the tegmina (as the media anterior MA, terminating at the wing apex). There are two posterior media veins, the first posterior media (MP1) branches near the middle and meets the cubitus at the wing margin and terminates. The second posterior media (MP2) branches after the first posterior media at about the midline and meets with the cubitus near the wing margin. The cubitus (Cu) runs along most of the tegmina margin and terminates past the midline upon meeting the second media posterior. The first anal (1A) vein terminates upon reaching the cubitus proximal to the midline. Alae well developed in an oval fan configuration, long, almost reaching to the posterior margin of abdominal segment VIII. Alae wing venation (Fig. 5C ): the costa (C) is present throughout the entire foremargin giving stability to the wing. The subcosta (Sc) spans approximately three quarters of the wing length running alongside the costa vein the entire length. The radius (R) spans nearly the entire wing length and branches approximately two fifths of the way through into the first radius (R1) and radial sector (Rs). These run gently diverging through about half of their length after which they become parallel and start to bend toward the media vein. Instead of terminating at the wing apex or meeting the media vein, they simply thin out and end individually just shy of the apex. The media (M) branches almost immediately into the media anterior (MA) and the media posterior (MP) which run parallel or subparallel with each other throughout their entire lengths. Neither the media anterior or posterior terminate at the wing apex and like the radial veins the media veins simply thin out and terminate just shy of the apex near where the radial veins terminated. The cubitus (Cu) runs unbranched and terminates at the wing apex bending towards the terminated radial and media veins but not fusing with any. Of the anterior anals, the first anterior anal (1AA) fuses with the cubitus at the wing base and does not diverge from the cubitus until three quarters of the way through the wing length where it diverges away from the curving cubitus until the first anterior anal terminates at the wing margin. The anterior anals two through seven (2AA-7AA) have a common origin and run unbranched in a folding fan pattern of relatively uniform spacing to the wing margin. The posterior anals (1PA-5PA) share a common origin separate from the anterior anals and run unbranched to the wing margin with slightly narrower spacing between them than the anterior anals. Abdomen. Abdominal segments II through III only slightly diverging, IV through VII about half as long as wide and with parallel margins giving the abdomen a long boxy appearance. Segments VIII and IX with smoothly rounded margins converging to segment X which is about half as wide as segment IX and with margins that converge more strongly to the apex. Genitalia. Poculum starting two thirds of the way through abdominal segment VIII, broad with rounded margins, and ending in an apex that slightly passes the anterior margin of segment X and has a distinct cleft in the center (Fig. 6D ). Cerci long and slender with at least half of their length protruding from under the terminal abdominal segment, margins slightly cupped, surface covered throughout in thin setae and a granular surface. Vomer not particularly broad, with nearly straight sides evenly converging to the single apical point that hooks upwards into the paraproct (Fig. 6D ). Legs. Profemoral exterior lobe smoothly arcing evenly end to end and at its widest is only slightly thinner than the interior lobe. Profemoral exterior lobe margin lacking teeth but does have a slightly granular surface with minimal short setae throughout (Fig. 6B ). Profemoral interior lobe rounded without a strong angle and marked with three to four prominent serrate teeth with wide looping gaps between each tooth, the gap in the center is only slightly wider than the gaps on each side (Fig. 6B ). Mesofemoral exterior lobe arcs end to end with a distinct bend on the distal third which marks the widest portion of the lobe, no teeth present on the exterior lobe. Mesofemoral interior lobe thinner than the exterior lobe, smoothly arcing from end to end without a distinct bend and with six serrate teeth on the distal half only. Metafemoral exterior lobe without serrate teeth and not broad, straight along the metafemoral shaft. Metafemoral interior lobe wider than the exterior, gently arcing with ten to eleven small serrate teeth throughout the distal three quarters of the length. Protibiae lacking exterior lobe, interior lobe reaching end to end in a rounded scalene triangle, broadest on the distal end (Fig. 6B ). Meso- and metatibiae simple, lacking lobes completely.

Figures

Figure 3. Dorsal view of the known species within the Phyllium (Walaphyllium), scaled to relative size to show the size differences between species A Phyllium zomproi female, Coll SLT B Phyllium zomproi male, Coll RC 17 - 336 C Phyllium monteithi female dorsal, Coll RC 16 - 067 D Phyllium monteithi male dorsal, Coll SLT E Phyllium lelantos holotype male, NHMUK. Scale bars: 10 mm.

Figure 4. Distribution map for the known species of Phyllium (Walaphyllium) between Papua New Guinea and Australia.

Figure 5. Phyllium zomproi wing venation, showing the venation present in the Phyllium (Walaphyllium) A female tegmina, Coll RC 18 - 175 B male tegmina, Coll RC 17 - 336 C male alae, Coll RC 17 - 336.

Figure 6. Phyllium zomproi. A female, profemora and protibia, dorsal, Coll RC 18 - 277 B male, profemora and protibia, dorsal, Coll RC 17 - 336 C female, genitalia, ventral, Coll RC 18 - 277 D male, genitalia, ventral, Coll RC 17 - 336.

Figure 7. Phyllium zomproi. A female, head through thorax, dorsal, Coll RC 18 - 277 B male, head through thorax, dorsal, Coll RC 17 - 336 C female, antennae, dorsal, Coll SLT D female, lateral, head through thorax, Coll RC 18 - 277 E male, lateral, head through thorax, Coll RC 17 - 336.

Figure 11. Known eggs for the Phyllium (Walaphyllium). A-D P. zomproi, (Coll RC 19 - 161) A lateral B dorsal C ventral D opercular (anterior) E-H P. monteithi, (Coll RC 17 - 289) E lateral F dorsal G ventral H opercular (anterior).