Cladomorphus aborigenus ( Giglio-Tos, 1910 ) 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 : 48

Cladomorphus aborigenus ( Giglio-Tos, 1910) comb. n.

( Figs. 16A , 17C–D , 18H–J )

Bacteria aborigena Giglio-Tos, 1910: 40 .

Passerin d’Entreves, 1981: 57.

Brock, 1998c: 306

Otte & Brock, 2005: 61.

Brock & Büscher, 2022: 510.

= Phibalosoma rochai Piza, 1938b: 1 , fig. 2 (♀). syn. n.

Piza, 1946: 156.

Zompro, 2005: 258. (As synonym of C. phyllinus Gray, 1835 in error)

Otte & Brock, 2005: 95. (As synonym of C. phyllinus Gray, 1835 )

Araújo & Garraffoni, 2012b: 236. (As synonym of C. phyllinus Gray, 1835 ) Brock & Büscher, 2022: 546. (As synonym of C. phyllinus Gray, 1835 )

= Phibalosoma marcelloi Piza, 1974: 68 . syn. n.

Brock & Büscher, 2022: 546.

Further material examined (1 ♀, 3 ♂♂):

♀: F. Sousa Ramalho AneiA–Saraiha, 1968; Phibalosoma marcelloi Piza ♀ Tipo ; MZLQ-IO143, E. S.A. “Luiz de Queiroz”— U.S. P. Zoologia Piracicaba — S.P. Brasil [ ESALQ] ; 2 ♂♂: Colecào Campos Seabra ; Natal, R.G. Norte Brasil, XI.1951, M. Alvarenga Coll. [ UFRJ —lost in fire] ; ♂: Colecào Campos Seabra ; Macaiba, R.G. Norte Brasil, VIII.1951, M. Alvarenga [ UFRJ —lost in fire] .

Diagnosis. Similar to the type-species C. phyllinus Gray, 1835 . Females ( Fig. 16A ) also resemble the more southward distributed C. tuberculatus ( Piza, 1936) . From C. phyllinus ♀♀ differ by the bifid praeopercular organ ( Fig. 18J ; trifid in phyllinus ) and having the two outer ventral carinae of the mesofemora with an obtuse sub-basal lobe (a spine in phyllinus ) and from C. tuberculatus they can be distinguished by being averaging smaller (body length including subgenital plate less than 220.0 mm) and somewhat stockier in shape, having the thorax more evenly sculptured and the carinae of the protibiae smooth instead of undulate as in tuberculatus . Males differ from those of C. phyllinus by the notably less numerous granules of the mesonotum, which are dull yellow basally with only the tip black (entirely black in phyllinus ), less pronounced posteromedian swelling of abdominal tergum V and broadly white posterior margin of the tegmina ( Fig. 17D ).

Three ♂♂ in the collection of UFRJ ( Figs. 17C–D ) were examined from pictures kindly taken by Yeisson Gutiérrez ( Colombia), but sadly were lost during a fire in September 2018.Very similar to the type-species C. phyllinus but on average smaller and with shorter alae, which at best reach to posterior margin of abdominal segment IV. They may furthermore be differentiated from that species by the less pronounced tubercles of the vertex, dull yellow tubercles of the mesonotum, which are only black at the tips (entirely black in phyllinus ), broadly and contrasting white anterior margin of the tegmina and relatively shorter tarsi which have the dorsal carina of the basitarsi more distinctly rounded.

Comments. Examination of the ♀ holotype of Bacteria aborigena in the collection of MIZT ( Fig. 16A ) clearly shows this species to be a typical Cladomorphus , which is very close to the type-species C. phyllinus (comb. n.). C. aborigena however differs from C. phyllinus by having the somewhat slenderer habitus, having the two outer ventral carinae of the mesofemora only with a roundly triangular sub-basal lobe (a prominent pointed spine in phyllinus ) and having the praeopercular organ on abdominal sternum VII with only two tooth-like lobes (prominently tridentate in phyllinus ). Although Piza (1938b: 1) definitely stated the praeopercular organ of his Phibalosoma rochai was bidentate “ Segmentum VII ventrale postice bidentatum ”, Zompro & Domenico (2005: 258) erroneously synonymised it with C. phyllinus Gray, 1835 , whose main key feature of ♀♀ is the tridentate praeopercular organ. The holotype of P. rochai is not traced in ESALQ and must be presumed lost. The holotype ♀ of Phibalosoma marcelloi Piza, 1974 however matches perfectly with the description of P. rochai , e. g. in having a small blunt sub-basal tooth on the posterodorsal and two small, roundly triangular teeth on the posteroventral carina of the mesofemora, hence is undoubtedly the same species. Since marcelloi is a synonym of aborigena (syn. n.) and rochai is undoubtedly conspecific with marcelloi , also rochai needs to be synonymised with C. aborigenus (syn. n.). Apparently, C. aborigenus is restricted to the northeastern portion of Brazil.

Figures

FIGURE 16. Cladomorphus Gray, 1835: A. C. aborigenus (Giglio-Tos, 1910) ♀ HT (Brazil), habitus lateral view [MRSN]; B. C. pleuracanthus sp. n. ♀ HT (Brazil, Est. Bahia, Bana da Varzinha), habitus dorsal view [CEIOC]; C. C. phyllinus Gray, 1835 ♀, head and prothorax in lateral view [MNRJ]; D. C. phyllinus Gray, 1835 ♀, head and prothorax in lateral view [MNHU]; E. C. rubus (Saussure, 1861) ♀, head and prothorax in dorsolateral view [MNHU]; F. C. phyllinus Gray, 1835 ♂, head and pronotum and anterior portion of mesonotum in dorsal view [ZMUH]; G. C. phyllinus Gray, 1835 ♂, head and prothorax in dorsolateral view [coll. FH]; H. C. tuberculatus (Piza, 1936) ♀, head and prothorax in lateral view [MHNG].

FIGURE 17. Cladomorphus Gray, 1835: A. C.phyllinus Gray,1835 ♂ (Brazil,Santa Catharina,San Bento do Sul, RioVermelho), habitus dorsolateral view [coll. FH, No. 0184–5]; B. C. tuberculatus (Piza, 1936) ♂ (Brazil, Minas Gerais, Pirapora), habitus dorsolateral view [MNHN] (Arrows indicate the diagnostic characters, i. e. the dorsal crest of probasitarsus, cephalic horns, dorso-apicla lobe of meso- and metafemora and distinct medio-dorsaö lobe of mesotibiae); C. C. aborigenus (Giglio-Tos, 1910) ♂ (Brazil, R. G. Norie, Natal), habitus lateral view [MNRJ]; D. C. aborigenus (Giglio-Tos, 1910) ♂ (Brazil, R. G. Norie, Natal), habitus dorsal view [MNRJ]; E. C. tuberculatus (Piza, 1936) ♂, terminalia in lateral view [MNHN]; F. C. tuberculatus (Piza, 1936) ♂, terminalia in dorsal view [MNHN]; G. C. phyllinus Gray, 1835 ♂, terminalia in lateral view [ZMUH]; H. C. phyllinus Gray, 1835 ♂, terminalia in dorsal view [coll. FH]; J. C. phyllinus Gray, 1835 ♂, terminalia in ventral view [MNHU].

FIGURE 18. Cladomorphus Gray, 1835, terminalia of ♀♀: A. C. phyllinus Gray, 1835, lateral view [coll. FH]; B. C. phyllinus Gray, 1835, dorsal view [MNHU]; C. C. phyllinus Gray, 1835, dorsal view [FIOCRZ]; D. C. phyllinus Gray, 1835, ventral view [MNHU]; E. C. rubus (Saussure, 1861), lateral view [ANSP]; F. C. rubus (Saussure, 1861), dorsal view [ANSP]; G. C. rubus (Saussure, 1861), ventral view [ANSP]; H. C. aborigenus (Giglio-Tos, 1910) HT of C. marcelloi Piza in litt., lateral view [ESALQ]; J. C. aborigenus (Giglio-Tos, 1910) HT of C. marcelloi Piza in litt., ventral view [ESALQ]; K. C. tuberculatus (Piza, 1936), lateral view [USNM]; L. C. tuberculatus (Piza, 1936), dorsal view [USNM]; M. C. pleuracanthus sp. n. HT, lateral view [CEIOC] (Arrow and dotted line indicated the broken off gonapophyses VIII); N. C. pleuracanthus sp. n. HT, dorsal view [CEIOC]; O. C. pleuracanthus sp. n. HT, ventral view [CEIOC]. Arrows and dotted circles indicate the characterstic praeopercular organ thau is useful for species distinction.