Oxyartes cresphontes (Westwood, 1859)

Gao, Hao-Ran, Wang, Chen & Zhang, Hong-Rui, 2024, A remarkable new species and one newly recorded species of genus Oxyartes Stål, 1875 (Phasmida, Lonchodidae, Necrosciinae) from China, Zootaxa 5419 (3), pp. 419-429 : 422

Oxyartes cresphontes (Westwood, 1859)

( Figs. 3–4 )

Anophelepis cresphontes Westwood, 1859: 68 , pl. 3 [regarded as O. despecta ].

Oxyartes cresphontes Redtenbacher, 1908: 475 [as a valid species]; Otte & Brock, 2005: 242 [Catalogue]; Mandal & Yadav, 2010: 12 [male]; Brock et al., 2016: 166 [type data]; Singh et al., 2021: 229 [Checklist]; Brock & Büscher, 2022: 540 [Catalogue].

Diagnosis. Westwood (1859) first described O. cresphontes as a variety of small O. despectus ( Westwood, 1848) and stated that the major differences are tubercles, spines and the scale-like wings pale yellow with a black margin on each side. Fortunately, this color pattern on the wings of O. cresphontes was shown in a drwing (Westwood 1859). In all the pictures of O. despectus (including two subspecies), it will be seen that O. despectus does not have such a wing coloration pattern. This is especially clear in the colorful plates by Westwood (1848) and photos on Phasmida Species File (PSF) ( Brock et al. 2023). Combining previous descriptions of spines or tubercles on the mesonotum of O. cresphontes , there are 2 tubercles on the anterior and posterior of mesonotum, but such a feature can also be found in O. despectus ( Brock et al. 2023, Mandal & Yadav 2010, Redtenbacher 1908, Westwood 1848, 1859). Our specimen has only one pair of strong spines near the anterior margin, and posterior of mesonotum with a pair of indistinct and tiny tubercles, This is different from what is known in both species ( Fig3 A–C, G ).

By checking the photos of the holotype of O. despectus despectus ( Westwood, 1848) on the PSF ( Brock et al. 2023), and plates drawn by Retdenbacher (1908), our specimen can be separated by the fifth abdominal tergite of O. despectus despectus with a relatively large hump as well. Both O. cresphontes and O. despectus despectus are distributed over a wide area in the southern foothills of the Himalayas ( Fig. 2 ), but O. cresphontes is closer to Mêdog County (specimen locality). Combining geographic distribution, wing color patterns (Fig, 3A, C), we hereby consider the specimen we found to be O. cresphontes .

Materials. 1♀, China, XizangAutonomous Region , Nyingchi City , Mêdog County, Mêdog Town, 29°19′36.79″N, 95°19′16.99″E, 1008m, 6-VII-2023, leg. Zhi-Sheng Zhang, Lu-Yu Wang, Qian-Le Lu & Xu-Long Chen ( YNAU) .

Remarks. First record this species from China.

Distribution. China (Xizang: Mêdog); India (Assam, Meghalaya, Sikkim).

Suggested common name (Chinese). 克氏ṉ异DZ.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Distribution map of genus Oxyartes.

FIGURE 3. Oxyartes cersphontes, female. A. habitus, dorsal view; B. habitus, ventral view; C. habitus, lateral view; D. terminalia, dorsal view; E. terminalia, ventral view; F. terminalia, lateral view; G. Head, Pro- and Mesothorax, lateral view. [Scale bar 10mm]

FIGURE 4. Oxyartes cersphontes. A. female, living habitus; B. habitat. Photo credit: © Qian-Le Lu.