Spinosipyloidea doddi Hasenpusch & Brock, 2007

Brock, Paul D. & Hasenpusch, Jack, 2007, Studies on the Australian stick insects (Phasmida), including a checklist of species and bibliography, Zootaxa 1570 (1), pp. 1-81 : 43-47

Spinosipyloidea doddi Hasenpusch & Brock , spec. nov. [Dodd’s Spiny Stick-insect]

( Figs. 76–87 )

Description Female (holotype) ( Figs. 76–82 ): Stocky, long-winged brown insect, with spiny mesonotum.

Legs banded. Body length 88 mm.

Head: Almost as wide as long, eyes small. Bold black central longitudinal stripe, with dark brown central patches between eyes and stripe. Other indentations present at back of head. Antennae with over 80 indistinct segments, longer than fore legs; first two segments slightly broader.

Thorax: Bold central black stripe continuing along thorax. Pronotum slightly longer than head, with dark lines either side on the posterior half, sloping outwards towards almost lateral, black lines reaching just over half length of mesonotum. Mesonotum twice times length of pronotum, with a cluster of bold, paired spines, particularly slanting forwards anteriorly. Laterally with several short spines, ventrally with a series of central tubercles. Metanotum almost as long as mesonotum.

Wings: Fore wings large, subtruncate at tip. Hind wings whitish and black tessellated; pre-anal part mottled with greenish and dark brown spots and blotches.

Abdomen: Anal segment much shorter than 9 th abdominal segment, rounded at tip and deeply incised in centre. Two deep ridges either side of centre; operculum long, pointed at tip, almost reaching end of anal segment. Cerci short, rounded at tip.

Legs: Banded dark brown and whitish / lighter brown, apex of fore femora slightly broader and darker brown. Femora with short apical spines.

Paratype females (6).

Same as holotype except for minor size differences (body length 78–82 mm).

Paratype males (5) ( Figs. 83–86 ).

Small, otherwise similar to the female, except much slenderer. Mesonotum with tubercles only. Fore wings green, hind wings whitish; pre-anal part mottled brown and whitish. Anal segment broad with two rounded lobes and bold ridges. Body length 43–44 mm.

Egg ( Fig. 87 ). Oval, dark brown capsule, extremely hairy, hence the small, almost central micropylar plate may be partly obscured. Capsule length 2.5 mm, width 1.5 mm, height 1.6 mm. The unusual eggs, can stick to surfaces, including other eggs, fully justifying a new genus for this species.

Holotype ♀, Australia: north Queensland, Polly Creek, Garradunga, nr. Innisfail , 2.xii.1999, J. Hasenpusch ( QMBA) . Paratypes (all Queensland, Australia): 3♂, ♀, same data except dates (2.ix.1998, 7.xii.1998 & 20.xi.1991 pair) ( QMBA), ♀, same data, except 17.x.2006, J. Hasenpusch (P.D. Brock coll.), 3♀, same data, except 15.i.2006, 15.xii.2006, 10.i.2007, 2♂, data, except 26.ii.2006, 15.xii.2006 (all J. Hasenpusch coll.), ♀, Queensland, F.P. Dodd, acquisition no. 1907-129 ( BMNH). Eggs (not paratypes) have also been deposited in all collections mentioned above .

Distribution

So far found in only in rainforest in north Queensland, yet another ‘jewel’ from Garradunga, proven to be rich in insect life, with many rarities discovered.

Notes

This species is easily distinguished by its thoracic spines in the female, which also has tessellated wings. Males are reluctant to stray far from females, whilst rearing this species adult males even remain by the side of moulting females. When adult they remain mated and fly together. A mating pair has been observed flying as well as a bird. This appears to be a specialised feeder on Alstonia muelleriana (Apocynaceae) , a common rainforest pioneer growing very tall. The hairy eggs are extremely unusual in appearance and attach themselves to the hairy host-plant leaves. Few insects have been observed feeding on this tree, as it exudes a milky sap from any part of the tree that has been eaten, or damaged. This species probably lives mostly in the canopy so has been infrequently encountered at Garradunga in the last 20 years. However, since Cyclone Larry destroyed much of the rainforest canopy, numerous nymphs have been observed low down on their food plant.

Derivation of name

Named after the well known insect collector, Frederick Parkhurst Dodd (1861–1937), the ‘Butterfly Man of Kuranda’. Dodd sold insects to many museums, but no other examples of this species have been traced in Australian collections, only one in the Natural History Museum, London (which has several phasmids purchased from Dodd in 1907).

Figures

FIGURE 76. Spinosipyloidea doddi holotype female (QMBA), 88 mm.

FIGURES 77–79. Spinosipyloidea doddi holotype female. 77. head and thorax, dorsal view. 78. head and thorax, lateral view. 79. end of abdomen, dorsal view.

FIGURE 80. Spinosipyloidea doddi end of abdomen in holotype female, lateral view. 81. Spinosipyloidea doddi end of abdomen in holotype female, ventral view.

FIGURE 83. Spinosipyloidea doddi male paratype (QMBA) 44 mm.

FIGURES 84–86. Spinosipyloidea doddi male paratype. 84. end of abdomen, dorsal view. 85. end of abdomen, lateral view. 86. end of abdomen, ventral view.

FIGURE 87. Spinosipyloidea doddi egg a) dorsal, b) lateral (scale bar, 1 mm).