Spinocloidea tumescens, Hennemann & Conle, 2024

Hennemann, Frank H. & Conle, Oskar V., 2024, Studies on Neotropical Phasmatodea XXVI: Taxonomic review of Cladomorformia tax. n., a lineage of Diapheromerinae stick insects, with the descriptions of seven new genera and 41 new species (Phasmatodea: Occidophasmata: Diapheromerinae), Zootaxa 5444 (1), pp. 1-454 : 282-286

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5444.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:5DE4A9DD-99F7-4E23-AD50-58DC491BB75E
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/976272FB-706E-4C0B-9224-2A2D7471F66F
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:976272FB-706E-4C0B-9224-2A2D7471F66F
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Spinocloidea tumescens
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Spinocloidea tumescens sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:976272FB-706E-4C0B-9224-2A2D7471F66F

( Figs. 77E View FIGURE 77 , 78F–J View FIGURE 78 )

HT, ♀: La Emilia, near Guápiles, Costa Rica, 1000 ft. (R.), VIII.24.1923 [ ANSP] .

Diagnosis. Females (the only sex known) of this distinctive new species are readily separated from all other known species of the genus by the swollen and roundly raised abdominal tergum VII ( Fig. 78G View FIGURE 78 ) and short, obtuse subgenital plate, that projects beyond the apex of the abdomen by notably less than the length of the anal segment ( Figs. 78 View FIGURE 78 GJ).

Etymology. The name (tumescere lat. = to swell, to belly sth.) refers to the distinctively tumescent abdominal tergum VII of this new species.

Description. ♀♀ ( Fig. 77E View FIGURE 77 ): Of moderate size (body length incl. subgenital plate 159.0 mm) and rather stocky for the genus with a strongly spinose mesonotum, meso- and metapleurae, a dorsally swollen abdominal tergum VII, a short subgenital plate that scarcely projects beyond the apex of the abdomen and entirely unarmed legs. General colour ochreous mid brown, the legs with a slight greenish wash and some faint brown annulations and markings. Spines of the mesonotum dark orange and tipped with black, those of the pleurae ochre with the apex dark brown. Eyes dull orange with brown speckles. Scapus greenish ochre, rest of antennae dark brown dorsally and black ventrally.

Head ( Fig. 78F View FIGURE 78 ): Ovoid, 1.2x longer than wide and broadest behind the eyes, vertex gently rounded and smooth; a very slightly impressed coronal line. Eyes fairly prominent, circular in outline, projecting hemispherical and their diameter contained a little more than 2x in length of genae. Antennae reaching to posterior margin of abdominal segment V. Scapus strongly compressed dorsoventrally, 1.5x longer than wide, carinate laterally and the lateral margins very gently rounded. Pedicellus round in cross-section, slightly tapered towards the apex and a little more than half the length of scapus. III a little longer than pedicellus, IV much shorter than III.

Thorax: Pronotum longer than head, about 1.5x longer than wide and roughly rectangular; near anterior margin with two round impressions. Median line slightly impressed in anterior half and the transverse median sulcus curved, short and not reaching lateral margins of segment ( Fig. 78F View FIGURE 78 ). Mesothorax 7.4x longer than prothorax and almost wholly uniform in diameter with only a slight widening posteriorly. Mesonotum with a very indistinct medio-longitudinal line and except for the very posterior portion armed with about twelve very prominent and pointed but unequal spines; a few minute spinules close to anterior margin ( Fig. 78F View FIGURE 78 ). Mesopleurae armed with about 14 prominent, roughly equal spines and several much smaller spines particularly along the anterior margin. Mesosternum smooth except for a few minute granules. Metapleurae with about five fairly distinct spines, otherwise as mesopleurae.

Abdomen: Median segment slightly widened towards the posterior and about 1.5x wider than long; less than one-fifth the length of metanotum. Segment II more than 3x longer than median segment and about 2.3x longer than wide. II–VI rectangular, of uniform width and gradually increasing in length, VI longest and some 3.2x longer than wide. Tergum VII strongly swollen, convex and roundly broadened in the median portion ( Fig. 78G View FIGURE 78 ); shorter than all previous segments. Sterna II–VII smooth with a distinct, ledge-like carina laterally. Praeopercular organ indistinct and formed by a small median tubercle some distance off the posterior margin, which is extended into a fine carina towards the posterior ( Fig. 78J View FIGURE 78 ). Tergum VIII less than half the length of VII and about 2x longer than wide, IX a little shorter than VIII and very slightly widened towards the posterior. Anal segment with a fine longitudinal median carina, the lateral margins gently expanded and roundly angular, the posterior margin with a small median notch ( Fig. 78H View FIGURE 78 ). Epiproct very small and fully concealed under anal segment. Gonapophyses VIII elongated and almost reaching apex of subgenital plate, apex broadened and triangular ( Fig. 78G View FIGURE 78 ). Subgenital plate projecting over apex of abdomen by less than half the length of anal segment, distinctly tri-carinate basally, indistinctly keeled medially and with an acute keel in apical portion ( Fig. 78G View FIGURE 78 ); apex rounded ( Figs. 78H–J View FIGURE 78 ).

Legs: Fairly stocky and distinctly carinated; wholly unarmed. Profemora about as long as mesothorax, mesofemora slightly shorter than mesothorax, metafemora almost reaching to posterior margin of abdominal segment V and metatibiae projecting considerably beyond apex of abdomen. Two outer ventral carinae of meso- and metafemora very weakly widened and rounded sub-basally. Probasitarsus as long as remaining tarsomeres except claw taken together, meso- and metabasitarsus slightly shorter.

Comments. Males and eggs unknown

Table 68: Measurements of Spinocloidea tumescens sp. n.

5.24. Genus Trychopeplus Shelford, 1909

( Figs. 79–80 View FIGURE 79 View FIGURE 80 , 84H–J View FIGURE 84 , 96L View FIGURE 96 , 100D View FIGURE 100 , 104E View FIGURE 104 , 122–124 View FIGURE 122 View FIGURE 123 View FIGURE 124 )

Type-species: Pericentrus multilobatus Redtenbacher, 1908: 352 (= Ceroys laciniatus Westwood, 1874: 174 ), by present designation.

Trychopeplus Brunner v. Wattenwyl , in litt.

Shelford, 1909: 354, 356 & pl. 6: 5 (♂).

Hebard, 1923: 358, pl. 15: 5 & 6 (♀ & egg).

Hebard, 1924: 148, pl. 6: 8 & 9 (♀).

Campos, 1926: 15 & plate (♀).

Zompro, 2001: 230.

Otte & Brock, 2005: 338.

Conle, Hennemann & Gutierréz, 2011: 56.

Brock & Büscher, 2022: 515.

Ceroys, Westwood, 1874: 174 View in CoL , pl. 32: 4 (♀).

Parobrimus, Kirby, 1904: 344 View in CoL .

Pericentrus Redtenbacher, 1908: 352 View in CoL (in part).

Shelford, 1909: 356.

Trichopeplus, Bradley & Galil, 1977: 180 . [Misspelling]

Description. ♀, ♂ ( Figs. 79–80 View FIGURE 79 View FIGURE 80 ): Small (body length: ♀♀ 75.0–119.0 mm, ♂♂ 63.0– 68.7 mm), very distinctive Cladomorphini with strong moss-like adaptions. Entire head, body and extremities all over furnished with spiniform or foliaceous appendages, lobes and excrescences (more developed in ♀♀). Sexual dimorphism distinct; ♂♂ slender and stick-like with small, squamiform tegmina and well-developed alae ( Figs. 79 View FIGURE 79 K-L) and ♀♀ apterous, stocky with mesothorax arched, swollen and gibbose medially and abdominal segments II–VI swollen ( Figs. 79A–B View FIGURE 79 , 80A–B View FIGURE 80 ). Colouration moss-like and/or lichenose, comprising various shades of green, straw, ochre and brown; with a variable degree of pale and blackish speckles and maculations. Head slightly prognathous, strongly convex and conical (♀♀ in particular) and indistinctly longer than wide, vertex multi-tuberculate and armed with a large pair of foliaceous auriform lobes ( Figs. 79C–D View FIGURE 79 , 80E View FIGURE 80 ). No ocelli ( Fig. 80E View FIGURE 80 ). Eyes circular and projecting hemispherical. Antennae slender and reaching abdominal segment V in ♂♂; notably shortened and hardly longer than profemora in ♀♀. Scapus flattened dorsoventrally, rounded rectangular and indistinctly longer than wide; pedicellus sub-spherical and notably shorter than scapus. Antennomere III>2x longer than pedicellus, IV very short in ♀♀ and succeeding ones gradually increasing in length with the apical eight or so antennomeres shortened. In ♀♀ all, except for the basal three antennomeres club-like with the apex thickened. Pronotum much narrower than the head, roughly rectangular and longer than wide; unarmed or with a few pairs of spiniform tubercles. Mesothorax at least>4x longer than pronotum; in ♂♂ as wide as prothorax, elongate and slender; in ♀♀ arched, narrowed anteriorly and strongly swollen and gibbose medially. Mesonotum in both sexes with a distinct medio-longitudinal carina; in ♂♂ with a few paired multi-spinose projections in median portion ( Fig. 79D View FIGURE 79 ); in ♀♀ prominently armed with obtuse spiniform, or peg-like protuberances or large irregularly foliaceous ± crest-like lobes and excrescences ( Figs. 79C View FIGURE 79 , 80C–D View FIGURE 80 ). Metanotum of ♀♀ less than half the length of mesonotum, rectangular; dorsal surface with a fine medio-longitudinal carina and to a variable degree granulose, spinose or set with peg-like appendages. Meso- and metapleurae of ♀♀ with ± distinct and irregular, slender foliaceous appendages ( Fig. 80D View FIGURE 80 ); only with a few obtuse spiniform tubercles in ♂♂. Meso- and metasternum set with irregular tubercles or leaf-like appendages in ♀♀ ( Fig. 84H View FIGURE 84 ); minutely and sparsely tubercular in ♂♂ ( Fig. 84J View FIGURE 84 ); in both sexes with an obtuse medio-longitudinal bulge (♀♀) or keel (♂♂). Tegmina of ♂♂ squamiform with a moderately developed blunt central hump. Alae well-developed and at least reaching half way along abdominal tergum V. Median segment slightly (♀♀) or distinctly longer than metanotum (♂♂). Abdominal segments II–VII roughly uniform in length and about as long as median segment. In ♂♂ abdomen slender and uniform in width and segments II–VI at least 2x longer than wide. In ♀♀ abdomen swollen medially with segments II–IV gradually widening and V–VII gradually narrowing; V–VI indistinctly longer than wide. Terga II–IX each with the lateral margins posteriorly deflexed into a lobe; fairly small and rounded in ♂♂ but very large, irregularly foliaceous and/or dentate and laterally projecting by as much as more than the body width in ♀♀; these appendages largest on IV–VI. Dorsal surface of terga to variable degree set with tuberculiform or spiniform appendages in ♀♀. Sterna II–VII ± prominently set with spiniform protuberances or lobe-like appendages in ♀♀; at best with a frew paired spiniform projections on the basal sterna in ♂♂. Praeopercular organ on sternum VII of ♀♀ moderate and formed by a pair of carinae or teeth at posterior margin ( Fig. 79G View FIGURE 79 ). Terminalia of ♀♀ ( Figs. 79E–G View FIGURE 79 , 80F View FIGURE 80 ): Terga VIII–X notable narrower than preceding and roughly uniform in width.Anal segment moderately tectate and the only tergum with distinct lateral appendages. Epiproct very small. Cerci slender, elongate and notably longer than anal segment; cylindrical at the base with apex flattened and either thickened or slender. Gonapophyses VIII strongly elongated, filiform and ± reaching to apex of subgenital plate. Gonapophysis IX elongated but shorter than gonapophyses VIII and roughly equal in length to gonoplacs. Gonoplacs enlarged, compressed laterally and slightly spatulate. Subgenital plate keeled longitudinally projecting considerably beyond apex of abdomen and gradually narrowed towards a fairly pointed tip. Terminalia of ♂♂ ( Figs. 79H–J View FIGURE 79 , 96L View FIGURE 96 ): Tergum VIII widened towards the posterior and as long as X, IX longer. Anal segment slightly tectate longitudinally with the apical portion strongly narrowed, the ventral surfaces slightly facing each other, somewhat swollen and labiate and armed with a few small denticles ( Fig. 96L View FIGURE 96 ). Cerci long, slender, somewhat longer than anal segment, gently incurved and strongly flattened in the apical portion. Vomer elonagte and gradually tapering towards a moderately pointed soewhat upcurved terminal hook ( Fig. 96L View FIGURE 96 ). Poculum large, bulgy with an obtuse spiniform projecting at the angle and almost reaching to apex of anal segment ( Fig. 79H View FIGURE 79 ); the posterior portion keeled medially and the upper margin somewhat labiate and triangularly extended medially. Legs all long and slender and to a variable degree furnished with ± prominent, leaf-like and occasionally irregularly dentate teeth, appendages and lobes. All femora ± strongly curved (more distinct in ♀♀). Profemora and mesofemora longer than mesothorax, hind legs projecting considerably beyond apex of abdomen. Profemora triangular in cross-section, with the anterodorsal carina distinctly raised; very weakly compressed and curved basally. Meso- and metafemora and all tibiae distinctly trapezoidal in cross-section with the two dorsal carinae nearing each other; medioventral carina of femora distinct but unarmed. Tarsi very elongate; basitarsi strongly elongated and at least as long as, or longer, than remaining tarsomeres combined; often with a ± distinct, rounded or triangular medio-dorsal lobe.

Eggs ( Fig. 100D View FIGURE 100 ). Medium-sized (overall length 5.0– 5.4 mm), capsule ovoid and slightly longer than high and wide. Capsule surface smooth and covered by a honeycombed structure of strongly raised ridges, which are densely covered with long hair-like fringes. Opercular collar distinctly raised. Micropylar plate pear-shaped about half the length of capsule and notably displaced towards polar area; sculptured like capsule. Operculum almost circular and with a prominently raised outer margin that produces a hollow crown-like structure; this structure about half as long as capsule.

Differentiation. This very distinctive moss-mimicking genus is readily separated from all other genera of the Cladomorphini by the large and numerous appendages and excrescences of the conically raised head and mesothorax (which is arched and strongly gibbose medially in ♀♀), large lateral lobes of the abdominal terga and huge, irregularly foliaceous lobes and teeth of the extremities. Further characteristic features are the very long and slender basitarsi, which are as long as, or longer, than the combined length of the succeeding tarsomeres and bear a rounded dorsal lobe medially as well as the long and slender cerci of both sexes, which project considerably beyond the apex of the anal segment. The eggs resemble those of Phanoclocrania gen. n. and certain species of Phanocloidea Zompro, 2001 but differ by having the capsule covered with long hair-like fringes.

Comments. The generic name Trychopeplus was originally suggested by Brunner v. Wattenwyl in his unpublished notes to contain the neotropical species of Pericentrus Redtenbacher, 1908 . In establishing Pericentrus however, Redtenbacher (1908: 351) did not accepted Brunner v. Wattenwyl’s name and listed the two newly described Neotropical species P. multilobatus and P. spinoso-lobatus along with Oriental and Melanesian taxa. Shelford (1909: 356, pl. 6: 5) recognised the polyphyly of Redtenbacher’s Pericentrus and introduced Trychopeplus to contain the Neotropical species included in Pericentrus by Redtenbacher, except P. restrictus Redtenbacher from Puerto Rico. Shelford (1909: 356) listed two species as to belong to Trychopeplus , this is multilobatus Redtenbacher, 1908 , which he synonymised with Westwood’s Ceroys laciniatus , and spinosolobatus Redtenbacher, 1908 . Although Hebard (1923: 359) stated multilobatus to be the genotype, no type-species has yet been technically designated. Therefore, Redtenacher’s multilobatus is here formally selected as the type-species of Trychopeplus to provide stability for Shelford’s generic name.

Although Westwood (1874) provided a beautiful illustration of his Ceroys laciniatus from Nicaragua, Brunner & Redtenbacher (1906 – 1908) omitted this species in their well-known monograph. Pericentrus multilobatus Redtenbacher, 1908 is the type-species of Trychopeplus by monotypy and was synonymised with C. laciniatus Westwood, 1874 by Shelford (1909: 356). Hebard (1923: 359) accepted Shelford’s treatment of Trychopeplus and designated the Indian Pericentrus moewisi Redtenbacher, 1908 (= P. bicoronatus (Westwood, 1848)) as the type-species of Pericentrus Redtenbacher, 1908 . A re-description and detailed discussion of Pericentrus was presented by Hennemann et al. (2008: 52). Zompro (2001a: 230) provided a diagnosis and list of species included in Trychopeplus and placed it in his “ Clonistria group” of Diapheromeridae : Diapheromerinae .

The amazing morphological specialisations of the insects and eggs of Trychopeplus are adaptions to their natural environment. The insects are exclusively found in very moist and mossy lowland and mountainous forests where the moss-mimicking crypsis of the insects provides impressive camouflage ( Figs. 124A–B View FIGURE 124 ). The hair-like fringes of the egg capsule expand after the eggs has been in contact with water or high humidity and in the natural environment may help to adhere the eggs to moss or lichens in order to keep them in a safe place during the embryonic development. Similar fringes are for example known in the Old-World leaf insects (family Phylliidae ). In Monteverde, Costa Rica T. laciniatus ( Westwood, 1874) is known to feed on orchids (e. g. Prosthecha campilostelix, Oincidium spp., Orchidaceae ; pers. communication Kenji Nishida; Fig. 122B View FIGURE 122 ). Captive breeding in Europe has recently been attempted using orchids ( Oncidium sp. , Orchidaceae ) but also salal ( Gaultheria shallon , Ericaceae ), Schlegelia sp. ( Schlegeliaceae ), Smilax sp. ( Smilacaceae ), hazel ( Corylus avellana , Betulaceae ) and Schefflera sp. (Areliaceae) as alternative food plants which demonstrates at least some kind of polyphagy in Trychopeplus . Maintaining a culture has however proven difficult (pers. communication Bruno Kneubühler, Switzerland). Robertson (1969) has provided information on the habits and defensive reaction of T. laciniatus in Panama. Interesting habits that are worth mentioning are the typical postures seen in nymphs of all stages and adult ♀♀, which include and arched basal portion and antrorse apex of the abdomen as well as the curled antennae ( Fig. 122C View FIGURE 122 ). These distinctive postures are already seen in newly hatched nymphs and make them easy to recognize as Trychopeplus . Males only exhibit these postures during their nymphal development and unlearn them once they are adult. Because of the well-developed wings the curling of the abdomen is anatomically not possible anymore in the adult insects.

Distribution ( Fig. 104E View FIGURE 104 ). Central America ( Nicaragua, Panama & Costa Rica), Colombia and eastern slopes of the Andes in Ecuador and Peru.

Species included: