Pharmacus perfidus, Hegg & Morgan-Richards & Trewick, 2022

Hegg, Danilo, Morgan-Richards, Mary & Trewick, Steven A., 2022, High alpine sorcerers: revision of the cave wētā genus Pharmacus Pictet & de Saussure (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae: Macropathinae), with the description of six new species and three new subspecies, European Journal of Taxonomy 808 (1), pp. 1-58 : 44-45

Pharmacus perfidus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9AB3A946-049F-42B6-8EBE-D57ED33CB3E0

Figs 1–2 , 6 , 8J , 9H , 11G–I , 13G–I , 15E , 17C , 18G

Diagnosis

A mid-sized cave wētā known only from the alpine regions of the Takitimu Mountains in Southland. It is among the smallest of all Pharmacus species. Body colour is brown, with a distinctive dark brown or black frons.

The species shares the habitat with Talitropsis chopardi . The latter is larger, has fewer, larger spines on the hind tibiae, has unarmed hind tarsi, and generally shows a prominent dorsal yellow stripe or diamond on the abdomen in the Takitimu Mountains population.

Etymology

‘ Perfĭdus ’ (noun) is Latin for ‘criminal’, ‘crook’. Pharmacus perfidus means ‘criminal sorcerer’. Try scrambling on the jagged, crumbly ridgelines of the Takitimu Mountains at night and you will know why. It is also banished to an isolated mountain range, a great distance away from all other Pharmacus species (see Fig. 6 ).

Material examined (see also Supp. file 1: Table S10)

Holotype NEW ZEALAND • ♂, adult; Southland (SL), Spence Peak, Takitimu Mountains ; 45.70540° S, 167.85058° E; 1450 m a.s.l.; 30 Mar. 2019; D. Hegg leg.; on rocky ridge; night search + insect net; NMNZ AI.052300 (prev. MPN CW4497).

Paratype NEW ZEALAND • 1 ♀, adult; same collection data as for holotype; NMNZ AI.052301 (prev. MPN CW4488) .

Other material

NEW ZEALAND – Southland (SL) • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; GenBank: OM293724 ; MPN CW4490 • 5 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, 3 nymphs; same collection data as for holotype; MPN CW4487 , CW4489 , CW4494 to CW4496 , CW4498 , CW4499 , CW4553 to CW4555 • 1 ♀; Clare Peak, Takitimu Mountains ; 45.63303° S, 167.94057° E; 1300 m a.s.l.; 23 May 2020; D. Hegg leg.; on rock bluffs; night search + insect net; GenBank: OM293729 ; MPN CW4877 • 3 ♂♂, 1 nymph; same collection data as for preceding; MPN CW4878 to CW4881 • 1 ♂ [dead]; Clare Peak, Takitimu Mountains ; 45.63516° S, 167.91564° E; 1340 m a.s.l.; 6 Jun. 2021; D. Hegg leg.; on snow slope; casual find while climbing; MPN CW5257 .

Description

MEASUREMENTS. See Table 1.

HEAD. As per generic description. Eyes grey/brown. Antennae brown. Frons dark brown or black; darker than body.

THORAX. As per generic description.

LEGS. Variegated colour, mostly brown; hind tibiae dark above. Hind tibiae approximately as long as body in males, 10% shorter than body in females. Fore femora armed with one prolateral spine at the apex in four out of five females and seven out of nine males examined. Mid femora armed with one retrolateral spine at the apex; prolateral apical spine absent. The first hind tarsus segment is armed with a variable number of linear spines above (up to seven); the second hind tarsus segment is only rarely armed with dorsal linear spines.

ABDOMEN. Tergites tomentose; colour chequered light/dark brown ( Figs 8J , 15E ). A thin, pale median line along the whole length of the insect is generally present.

MALE TERMINALIA. Nearly identical to the male terminalia of Pharmacus concinnus sp. nov. Subgenital plate deep when seen from the side; shaped like a spoon when seen from above, broader at the vertex and less constricted at the neck compared to the subgenital plate of Pharmacus cochleatus comb. nov. Paraprocts large and swollen, bristled on the inside, glabrous on the outside ( Fig. 11G–I ).

FEMALE TERMINALIA. Subgenital plate bilobed, the two lobes narrow and elongated ( Fig. 13G ), very similar to the subgenital plate of Pharmacus montanus . Ovipositor longer in proportion to body size than in any other Pharmacus species; approximately 80% of body length; lower valve with 6 to 8 teeth below at the apex ( Fig. 13H–I ).

Figures

Fig. 1. A. Genetic relationships of cave wētā support monophyly of the genus Pharmacus Pictet & de Saussure, 1893. Gene tree from mtDNA sequences (~1500 bp of COI) using Maximum Likelihood with 1000 bootstraps and Macropathus filifer Walker, 1869 to root the tree. B. Map of South Island of New Zealand, showing locations of Pharmacus specimens used in phylogenetic analyses (Figs 1A, 2). Colours correspond to different species. Two letter codes indicate the New Zealand entomological regions (Crosby et al. 1998). These codes are reported in the Material examined section for each species.

Fig. 2. Gene tree for the eight morphologically identified species of Pharmacus Pictet & de Saussure, 1893 using Maximum Likelihood analysis of ~850 bp of mtDNA (COI) from 60 specimens ofPharmacus.

Fig. 6. Known distribution of cave wētā in the genus Pharmacus Pictet & de Saussure, 1893 in the south of the South Island, New Zealand.

Fig. 8. Dorsal views of adult ♂ cave wētā in the genus Pharmacus Pictet & de Saussure, 1893. Notice loss of natural pigmentation of pale body parts due to preservation in ethanol. A–B. Pharmacus montanus Pictet & de Saussure, 1893 A. Mt Annette, Sealy Range, Mt Cook (MPN CW3302). B. Lake Anna, Mt Franklin, Arthur’s Pass (MPN CW3989). C. Pharmacus senex sp. nov., Old Woman Range, Central Otago (MPN CW4387). D. Pharmacus cochleatus cochleatus (Karny, 1935) comb. nov., Topheavy, Mt Brewster, Haast Pass (MPN CW3324). E. Pharmacus cochleatus rawhiti subsp. nov., Mt Tūwhakarōria, Hector Mountains (NMNZ AI.052290). F. Pharmacus cristatus sp. nov., Skippers Range, South Westland (MPN CW4562). G. Pharmacus vallestris sp. nov., Matukituki River West Branch (MPN CW3700). H. Pharmacus notabilis sp. nov., Remarkables ski-field access road (NMNZ AI.052296). I. Pharmacus concinnus sp. nov., Eyre Peak, Eyre Mountains (MPN CW4482). J. Pharmacus perfidus sp. nov., Spence Peak, Takitimu Mountains (MPN CW4494). Scale bar = 10 mm.

Fig. 9. Left hind tibia of adult ♂ cave wētā in the genus Pharmacus Pictet & de Saussure, 1893, dorsal view. A. Pharmacus montanus Pictet & de Saussure, 1893, Lake Anna, Mt Franklin, Arthur’s Pass (MPN CW3989). B. Pharmacus cochleatus cochleatus (Karny, 1935) comb. nov., Gertrude Saddle, Darran Mountains (MPN CW3413). C. Pharmacus cochleatus rawhiti subsp. nov., Mt Tūwhakarōria, Hector Mountains (MPN CW4431). D. Pharmacus cristatus sp. nov., Skippers Range, South Westland (NMNZ AI.052292). E. Pharmacus notabilis sp. nov., Remarkables ski-field access road (NMNZ AI.052296). F. Pharmacus senex sp. nov., Obelisk, Old Man Range (NMNZ AI.052294). G. Pharmacus concinnus sp. nov., Eyre Peak, Eyre Mountains (MPN CW4480). H. Pharmacus perfidus sp. nov., Spence Peak, Takitimu Mountains (NMNZ AI.052300). I. Pharmacus vallestris sp. nov., Matukituki River West Branch (MPN CW3700). Scale bar = 5 mm.

Fig. 11. Adult male terminalia of cave wētā in the genus Pharmacus Pictet & de Saussure, 1893. Left column: dorsal view; central column: ventral view (subgenital plate); right column: lateral view. A–C. Pharmacus senex sp. nov., The Obelisk, Old Man Range (NMNZ AI.052294). D–F. Pharmacus concinnus sp. nov., Symmetry Peaks, Eyre Mountains (NMNZ AI.052298). G–I. Pharmacus perfidus sp. nov., Spence Peak, Takitimu Mountains (NMNZ AI.052300). J–L. Pharmacus vallestris sp. nov., Matukituki River West Branch (NMNZ AI.052302). Scale bars = 1 mm.

Fig. 13. Adult female terminalia of cave wētā in the genus Pharmacus Pictet & de Saussure, 1893. Left column: subgenital plate; central and right columns: ovipositor. A–C. Pharmacus senex sp. nov., Old Woman Range (NMNZ AI.052295). D–F. Pharmacus concinnus sp. nov., Symmetry Peaks, Eyre Mountains (NMNZ AI.052299). G–I. Pharmacus perfidus sp. nov., Spence Peak, Takitimu Mountains (NMNZ AI.052301). J–L. Pharmacus vallestris sp. nov., Matukituki River West Branch (NMNZ AI.052303). Scale bars = 1 mm.

Fig. 15. Live Pharmacus Pictet & de Saussure, 1893 in their natural environments. A–B. Pharmacus senex sp. nov. A. Adult ♂, Dunstan, Dunstan Mountains, 1670 m a.s.l. B. Adult ♂ and ♀. The Obelisk, Old Man Range, 1680 m a.s.l. C. Pharmacus notabilis sp. nov. Adult ♂, Remarkables Ski-field Access Road, Wakatipu, 1200 m a.s.l. D. Pharmacus concinnus sp. nov. Adult ♂, Symmetry Peaks, Eyre Mountains, 1500 m a.s.l. E. Pharmacus perfidus sp. nov. Adult ♀ and ♂, Spence Peak, Takitimu Mountains, 1450 m a.s.l. F. Pharmacus vallestris sp. nov. Adult ♀, French Ridge, Matukituki River West Branch, 1700 m a.s.l. (MPN CW5145).

Fig. 17. Habitat of Pharmacus Pictet & de Saussure, 1893. A. Mount Dick, Eyre Mountains. a. Rock bluffs at 1550 m a.s.l., collection locality of Pharmacus concinnus sp. nov. (MPN CW4472–4475, CW4501–4504, CW4592, CW4593). B. Dunstan, Dunstan Mountains. b. Rock tors at 1670 m a.s.l. collection locality of P. senex sp. nov. (MPN CW4381–4385, CW4402–4405, CW4506–4509). C. Spence Peak, Takitimu Mountains. c. North ridge, 1450 m a.s.l., collection locality of P. perfidus sp. nov. (NMNZ AI.052300, AI.052301; MPN CW4487, CW4489, CW4490, CW4494–4496, CW4498, CW4499, CW4553–4555). D. Skippers Range High Point, South Westland. d–e. Scree and rock bluffs around lake, 1600 m a.s.l., collection locality of P. cochleatus nauclerus subsp. nov. (NMNZ AI.052289, MPN CW4363) and of P. cristatus sp. nov. (NMNZ AI.052292, AI.052293; MPN CW4365, CW4376, CW4484, CW4485, CW4562).

Fig. 18. Map of South Island, New Zealand, showing the known distribution of cave wētā in the genus Pharmacus Pictet & de Saussure, 1893. A–B. Solid shapes indicate material collected as part of this study; empty circles indicate additional locations of material examined by Richards (1972). B. Shapes represent different subspecies: dark blue circle = Pharmacus cochleatus cochleatus; light blue circle = Pharmacus cochleatus nauclerus subsp. nov.; diamond = Pharmacus cochleatus fiordensis subsp. nov.; triangle = Pharmacus cochleatus rawhiti subsp. nov.