Phanocles remphan ( Westwood, 1859 ), 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 : 203-205

Phanocles remphan ( Westwood, 1859)

Bacteria remphan Westwood, 1859: 22 , pl. 23: 4 (♀)

Kirby, 1904: 355.

Redtenbacher, 1908: 417.

Shelford, 1913: 62.

Otte & Brock, 2005: 62.

Phanocles remphan, Conle, Hennemann & Gutiérrez, 2011: 60 . Brock & Büscher, 2022: 514.

Further material examined [1 ♂, 1 ♀]:

COLOMBIA: 1 ♂: Colombia, Valle Buena ventura, Enero 1965, bosque Raúl Vélez; MEFLG N.C. 14524 [ MEFLG] ; 1 ♀: 10–11–1011, Cuchuilla del salado, Manizales, Caldas. 2153 m.s.n.m., Hospedero: suelo. Colector: Pérez, Zamora [ UCA] .

Diagnosis. This sizeable and slender species is well recognised by the unusually slender and elongate-ovoid head with a fairly flattened vertex that only bears two minute, but acute spines on the vertex behind the eyes. Both sexes are similar to the Ecuadorian Ph. ecuadoricus sp. n. but can in addition to the shape of the head be separated by a number of features. Females differ by the slenderer body and proportionally longer body segments and slenderer limbs, distinctly light cream to grey lower portion of the genae, less distinct posterolateral lobe of abdominal tergum IX; simple and wholly slender meso- and metafemora, as well as the much more flat-angled dorsal lobe of the basitarsi. Males can be distinguished from those of Ph. ecuadoricus sp. n. by the slenderer and delicate overall shape, somewhat longer alae that reach about half the way along abdominal segment IV (only to posterior margin of III on ecuadoricus ), distinct posteromedian tubercle on abdominal terga V and VI, more elongate and posteromedially notched anal segment (rounded in ecuadoricus ) and differently shaped vomer.

Description. ♂♂: The unique specimen in UCA lacks both protarsi, the left hind leg and the tip of the left antenna.

Medium-sized (body length 112.5 mm) and very slender for the genus with well-developed alae, that reach about half way along abdominal segment IV (45.0 mm), an elongate-ovoid, minutely bi-spinose head and a distinct posteromedian tubercle on abdominal terga V and VI. General colour of the unique dried example at hand greyish drab with the thoracic segments irregularly marbled and sparsely dotted with white; the abdomen darker and the four terminal abdominal segments with more ochre tones. Head dotted with white dorsally, with a fairly distinct blackish brown postocular streak and the genae creamish white. Eyes dark ochre and irregularly flecked with dark brown. Tegmina and alae greyish drab, the anterior margin of the tegmina wholly white and that of the alae only white in the basal portion and with some irregularly whitish regions throughout the remainder of its length; tegmina with the central raised portion slightly blackish. Anal segment with most of the median portion white and poculum with the central angular portion irregularly flecked with white. All legs irregularly but distinctly annulated with ochre (femora) or pale grey (tibiae), the basal portion of all femora ochre. Antennae except for the scapus and pedicellus drab and gradually becoming darker and of a more reddish hue towards the apex.

Head: Elongate-ovoid, broadest at the eyes and distinctly narrowing towards the posterior, 1.4x longer than wide. Vertex rather flattened and with a pair of minute, conical spines just behind the eyes. Between the eyes with two shallow swellings and frons with a two small pits between bases of antennae. Eyes large, almost circular in outline and projecting hemispherical from head capsule, their diameter contained 1.5x in length of genae. Antennae reaching to abdominal segment IV. Scapus compressed dorsoventrally and slightly narrowing towards the base with the outer lateral margin weakly convex, approximately 1.5x longer than wide. Scapus round in cross-section and some three-fifth the length of scapus. III much narrower and scarcely shorter than pedicellus.

Thorax: Pronotum shorter and considerably narrower than head, rectangular in dorsal aspect with the lateral margins weakly concave medially; roughly 1.7x longer than wide. Surface smooth and with a somewhat impressed longitudinal median line; the transverse median sulcus fairly distinct, straight and almost reaching to lateral margins. Mesothorax 7.5x longer than prothorax and uniform in diameter except for a slight widening posteriorly. Mesonotum, meso- and metapleurae basically smooth but mesonotum with a very fine medio-longitudinal line and an obtuse, minutely granulose longitudinal keel parallel to lateral margins. Mesosternum with a fairly distinct longitudinal median keel, metasternum with the medio-longitudinal carina less pronounced. Tegmina elongate, oval and gradually narrowing towards the base in the anterior portion; central protuberance fairly distinct and obtusely angular to bluntly conical. Alae reaching about half the way along abdominal tergum IV.

Abdomen: Segments II–VII uniform in diameter, II and III almost equal in length, IV–VII gradually decreasing in length with VII only about two-thirds the length of II–III; II and III about 5.5x longer than wide, VII only 3.5x longer than wide and gradually widening in the posterior half with posterior margin notably wider than anterior margin. Sterna II–VII with a weakly indicated medio-longitudinal line. Tergum VIII slightly more than half the length of VII, gradually widening towards the posterior, trapezoidal in dorsal aspect and the posterior margin 1.25x wider than anterior margin. IX about scarcely longer than VIII, constricted post-medially and with the anterior portion slightly deflexed; lateral margins straight but slightly deflexed towards the posterior. VIII and IX both with an obtuse longitudinal bulge laterally. Anal segment some three-quarters the length of IX, roundly angular in dorsal aspect with the posterior half increasingly narrowing; the posterior margin notched medially and with the outer portions obtusely angular; the entire lateral margins somewhat inflated. Outer portions of ventral surface of posterior margin set with several small dark brown denticles. Cerci of moderate length, slender, and with the apical portion gently incurved; roughly reaching to apex of anal segment. Vomer moderately elongate, basically triangular in outline and gradually narrowed towards a single, acute and upcurved terminal hook; the outer margins strongly inflated, the medio-basal portion distinctly bulgy and surrounded by a V-shaped furrow. Poculum large, bulgy, strongly convex, rectangular and cup-shaped in lateral aspect, carinate medio-longitudinally and the posterior margin rounded and roughly reaching to posterior margin of tergum IX; the angle obtusely protruded.

Legs: All long and slender, wholly unarmed except for a shallow tooth-like expansion about one-third of the base on the two outer ventral carinae of the mesofemora. Profemora about as long as pro- and mesothorax taken together, mesofemora equal in length to mesonotum, metafemora reaching half the way along abdominal segment V and metatibiae projecting considerably beyond apex of abdomen. Meso- and metabasitarsi elongate, slender and about 1.2x longer than the remaining tarsomeres combined.

Comments. The previously unknown ♂ is here described and illustrated for the first time. A very accurate illustration of the ♀ holotype in OUMNH was provided by Westwood (1859, pl. 23: 4, 4a), hence no description is provided here. A ♀ from Caldas in the collection of UCA differs from the holotype in the lighter colouration, being plain drab with two weakly indicated yellowish ochre longitudinal parallel streaks along most of the dorsal body surface and with the legs more distinctly annulated. The posteromedian tubercle of abdominal terga V and VI is much more developed than in the holotype and that on VI even forms a bifid scale-like process. The eggs are unknown but the UCA specimen has an egg in its gonapophyses which appears to be rather typical in shape and sculpturing for the genus, being grey in colour with a distinctly pitted capsule surface and an indented polar-area .

Table 45: Measurements of Phanocles remphan ( Westwood, 1859) comb. n.