Pygirhynchus Audinet-Serville, 1838: 260

Ghirotto, Victor Morais, Engelking, Phillip Watzke & Crispino, Edgar Blois, 2023, Revision of the Neotropical stick insect genus Ocnophila (Phasmatodea: Diapheromeridae) with a new species from Colombia, Zootaxa 5296 (2), pp. 179-209 : 206-207

Genus Pygirhynchus Audinet-Serville, 1838: 260

See Brock et al. (2023) for a complete reference list

This genus occurs in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. The locality of the transferred species is either known to be the Atlantic Forest or is simply “ Brazil ” but highly likely to be from the Atlantic Forest as well. The genus now contains 11 species. Ocnophila brevifemur syn. nov. has its types lost and was described from the same locality and in the same work as Ocnophila armata syn. nov., right after it, and both are here synonymized under Pygirhynchus bispinosus (Redtenbacher, 1906) . Furthermore, with the transfer of Pygirhynchus fortior comb. nov., the species Pygirhynchus carioca Piza, 1944 syn. nov. is synonymized under the former. Characteristics contained by the transferred species that allowed generic assignment are the following: large head, rugose and with strong vertex in female, smooth in male; tectiform and robust body; legs somewhat thick without spiniform strong setae in the carinae of tibia; similar morphology of teminalia, especially tergum X of the female declined and projected posteriorly, subgenital plate of the female projected, thorn pads of the male with dozens of small thorns.

Ocnophila armata Brunner, 1907: 314 syn. nov. = Pygirhynchus bispinosus (Redtenbacher, 1906: 59)

>> Holotype ( O. armata ), ♀ (NMW): Espirito-Santo, Brasil. ex coll. Fruhstorfer; Collectio Br.v.W,; det. Br.v.W. Ocnophila armata ; Ocnophila armata w.; 24.486 [examined] .

Ocnophila brevifemur Brunner, 1907: 314 syn. nov. = Pygirhynchus bispinosus (Redtenbacher, 1906: 59)

>> Unspecified primary types ( O. brevifemur ), ♀ ( NMW): Espírito Santo, Brasil; [not examined, not traced, presumably lost] .

Ocnophila fortior Brunner, 1907: 315 = Pygirhynchus fortior ( Brunner, 1907) comb. nov.

>> Syntypes, J ( NMW): Mus. Caes. Vind. Rio de Janeiro, Kammerlacher; det. Br. v.W. Ocnophila fortior ? [examined]; J ( MNHN): Rio de Janeiro, Orgues Mtns; 500–900 meters; E. R. Wagner [not examined, studied through original description] .

Pygirhynchus carioca Piza, 1944: 48 syn. nov. = Pygirhynchus fortior comb. nov.

>> Syntypes, J ( ESALQ) : Rio de Janeiro, Corcovado ; Pygirhynchus carioca Piza 1944 ♁, tipo; MZLQ-I0007 ; ESALQENT 000376 [examined] ; J (ESALQ): Rio de Janeiro; Pygirhynchus carioca Piza 1944 ♁, tipo; MZLQ-I0007 ; ESALQENT 000375 [examined].

Acanthoderus oryx Westwood, 1859: 56 (transferred to Ocnophila by Zompro, 2001, as the homonym Acanthoderus scabrosus Burmeister, 1838: 569 ) = Pygirhynchus oryx ( Westwood, 1859) comb. nov.

>> Syntypes J (MNHU): scabrosus Burm. *, oryx Westw. , Brasil, v. Lgsdf.; 785; MfN URI http://coll.mfn-berlin.de/u/8064c2 [examined] ; ♀ (MNHU): Brasil; MfN URI http://coll.mfn-berlin.de/u/7e358a [examined].

Acanthoderus scops Kaup, 1871: 32 (transferred to Ocnophila by Zompro, 2001) = Pygirhynchus scops (Kaup, 1871) comb. nov.

>> Holotype ♀ ( SMFD): Brasil. [not examined, studied through original description].