Phyllium (Phyllium) geryon Gray, 1843

Hennemann, Frank H., Conle, Oskar V., Gottardo, Marco & Bresseel, Joachim, 2009, On certain species of the genus Phyllium Illiger, 1798, with proposals for an intra-generic systematization and the descriptions of five new species from the Philippines and Palawan (Phasmatodea: Phylliidae: Phylliinae: Phylliini) 2322, Zootaxa 2322 (1), pp. 1-83 : 45-46

Phyllium (Phyllium) geryon Gray, 1843

Phyllium geryon, Gray, 1843: 120 , fig. A (profemur of ♀). HT, ♀: Holotype; 42. 72 Phil. Isl. ; Philippine Islands; Geryon, G.R.Gray, Cumings ; Phyllium geryon G.R.Gray , Philippine Islds.; BMNH(E) #845232 (BMNH).

Westwood, 1859: 174.

Kirby, 1904: 423.

Redtenbacher, 1906: 177 (in part – all Javanese records relate to Ph. (Ph.) jacobsoni Rehn & Rehn, 1933 ).

Bruner, 1915: 231.

Klante, 1976: 54.

Grösser, 2001: 76, fig. 98 (in part – records from Java relate to Ph. (Ph.) jacobsoni Rehn & Rehn, 1933 ).

Otte & Brock, 2005: 273.

Grösser, 2008: 116, fig. 139 (in part – records from Java relate to Ph. (Ph.) jacobsoni Rehn & Rehn, 1933 ).

[Not: Phyllium geryon, Griffini, 1898a: 2 , figs. A, B (♂, ♀) Misidentification, Javanese records relate to Ph. (Ph.) jacobsoni Rehn & Rehn, 1933 ]

[Not: Phyllium geryon, Tepper, 1903: 287 Misidentification, Record from New Caledonia surely relates to a species of Chitoniscus Stål, 1875 ]

[Not: Phyllium geryon, Giglio-Tos, 1910: 16 Misidentification, Javanese record relates to Ph. (Ph.) jacobsoni Rehn & Rehn, 1933 ]

[Not: Phyllium geryon, Rehn, 1912: 126 Misidentification , specimens from Java (Nongkodjadjar) subsequently described as Phyllium jacobsoni Rehn & Rehn, 1933: 419 ]

[Not: Phyllium geryon, Caudell, 1927: 19 Misidentification, Javanese records relate to Ph. (Ph.) jacobsoni Rehn & Rehn, 1933 ]

Comments: Careful examination of the unique ♀ HT of Ph. geryon from “ Philippine Islands ” in BMNH shows it has been frequently confused with Javanese material of Ph. (Ph.) jacobsoni Rehn & Rehn, 1933 by several authors, including Griffini (1898b), Redtenbacher (1906), Giglio-Tos (1910) and Caudell (1927). The occurrence of the same species on Java and the Philippine Islands is rather unlikely, and indeed all subsequent records from Java are not Ph. geryon but entirely relate to the very variable Ph. (Ph.) jacobsoni . There appear to be no confirmed subsequent records of Ph. geryon which therefore remains only known from the inexact type-locality. The unique and much incomplete HT in BMNH lacks many of the taxonomically important features and lacks the antennae, both front and mid legs as well as the right hind leg. The specimen is furthermore strongly discoloured with the head and great parts of the abdomen dark brown. Detailed photos of the HT in BMNH are available online at the Phasmida Species File http://phasmida.speciesfile.org (author: Paul D. Brock).

Based on the HT ♀ this small and slender species differs from Ph. jacobsoni by: the shorter tegmina which merely reach half way along abdominal segment IV; large and blunt, wart-like tubercles of the mesopraescutum; five prominent spiniform lateral tubercles of the mesopleurae; broadly rounded anal segment which is slightly wider than long and much shorter subgenital plate which hardly projects over the posterior margin of abdominal segment IX. Furthermore, the abdomen is more slender than in all Ph. jacobsoni examined, but this feature is in this species seen to underlie considerable variation. Body length 62.0 mm.

Distribution: Philippines.