Hirtuleius caudatus Chopard, 1911

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 : 80-82

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5444.1.1
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scientific name	Hirtuleius caudatus Chopard, 1911
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Hirtuleius caudatus Chopard, 1911 View in CoL

( Figs. 29A–D View FIGURE 29 , 30D, 30H–N View FIGURE 30 , 83C View FIGURE 83 , 90C View FIGURE 90 )

Hirtuleius caudatus Chopard, 1911: 346 View in CoL , fig. (♀).

Lelong, 1993: 12.

Otte & Brock, 2005: 161.

Delfosse, Cliquennois, Depraetere & Robillard, 2019: 194.

Conle, Henneman, Bellanger, Lelong, Jourdan & Valero, 2020: 20.

Brock & Büscher, 2022: 546.

Further material examined [1 ♀ nymph, 3 ♂♂]:

1 ♀ (penultimate instar): Novembre ; Guyane Française, St-Laurent du Maroni, Collection Le Moult [ MNHN] ; 1 ♂: Französisch Guyana, Commune de Roura, Montagne des Chevaux, RN2 PK22, 4°44’56’’N - 52°26’28’’W, 75 m, SEAG Lichtfang, leg. Stéphane Brulé 12.10.2013 [OC, No. 0273–1] GoogleMaps ; 1 ♂: Französisch Guyana, Commune de Roura, Montagne des Chevaux, RN2 PK22, 4°44’56’’N - 52°26’28’’W, 75 m, SEAG Lichtfang, leg. Stéphane Brulé 12.10.2013 [OC, No. 0273–2] GoogleMaps ; 1 ♂: 10 septembre 1997, PK 7,5 Rte de St. Jean , St. Laurent du Maroni, Th. Rosant (Guy. Fr.); Rosant Th. N ° 3971 [TR]

Diagnosis. This species readily differs from the type-species H. laeviceps Stål, 1875 by the smaller size, stockier body and legs. Females may also be separated by the very prominent conical pair of median protuberances on the mesonotum ( Fig. 29A View FIGURE 29 ) and lack of posterolateral lobes of abdominal terga V and VI ( Fig. 30J View FIGURE 30 ). Males are easily distinguished from those of H. gracilis Conle et al., 2020 by the relatively much larger and much more globose head which has the vertex almost hemispherical ( Fig. 30D View FIGURE 30 ); less convex and with a pair of very shallow rounded swellings in gracilis ), shorter and more obtuse cerci that hardly project beyond the anal segment ( Figs. 30M–N View FIGURE 30 ), presence of a distinct triangular pre-median expansion of the two outer ventral carinae of the mesofemora ( Fig. 30D View FIGURE 30 ) and having the apical lobes of the meso- and metafemora and tibiae notably more developed.

Description. ♂♂ ( Figs. 29C–D View FIGURE 29 ): Small (body length 74.0– 76.7 mm) and fairly stocky for the genus with a large, strongly, globose and smooth head and a smooth mesothorax. General colour drab with irregular and faint darker brown pale greyish mottling, the head with a slight ochre hue and a very faint orange marking on frons. Abdominal terga II–IV with a washed blackish brown marking at each posterolateral corner, the corresponding stera black posteriorly and terga VIII–X with some irregular black maculations. Tegmina and costal region of alae with the inner portion dark brown and the median portion pale ochre; anterior margin of tegmina pale cream and of alae with some washed dark brown markings. Carinae of mid and hind legs black.

Head ( Fig. 30D View FIGURE 30 ): Large, strongly globose with vertex almost hemispherical and entirely smooth; just slightly longer than wide. Frons with two shallow humps and a small C–shaped impression in front. Eyes large, circular in outline, projecting hemispherical and their diameter contained only about 1.3x in length of genae. Antennae reaching half way along abdominal segment IV, scapus rectangular in dorsal aspect and about 1.4x longer than wide. Pedicellus cylindrical and slightly shorter.

Thorax: Pronotum shorter and just a little more than half as wide as head, basically rectangular in outline with a small narrowing pre-medially and the posterior margin rounded. Transverse median sulcus somewhat displaced towards the anterior, distinct, gently curved and almost expanding entire width of segment; otherwise surface smooth. Mesothorax of moderate length, 5.3x longer than pronotum and uniform in width; mesonotum entirely smooth except for an obtuse medio-longitudinal keel on mesonotum. Mesosternum with three longitudinal parallel carinae, the medio-longitudinal keel somewhat more obtuse than the two lateral carinae ( Fig. 83E View FIGURE 83 ). Metasternum only with an indistinct medio-longitudinal carina. Meso- and metapleurae smooth. Tegmina basically oval in shape with the anterior portion comparatively more narrowed, the central elevation shallow and obtusely rounded. Alae reaching to posterior margin of abdominal segment V.

Abdomen: Segments II–VII of uniform diameter, II–IV slightly increasing and V–VII decreasing in length with VII shortest; IV longest and 4.4x longer than wide. Terga smooth except for a very fine longitudinal lateral carina close to lateral margin and sterna very weakly tectate longitudinally. Segments VIII–X broader than all preceding and combined some 1.3x longer than VII. VIII trapezoidal, IX rectangular and just slightly shorter than VIII. Anal segment somewhat widened medially and narrowed posteriorly with the posterior margin roundly indented medially and the outer portions obtusely swollen ( Fig. 30N View FIGURE 30 ) and minutely denticulate ventrally. Epiproct shield, shaped, broadly rounded and with a median keel. Cerci round in cross-section with the apical portion slightly narrowed and gently in-curved; very little projecting beyond anal segment. Vomer very large and broad with two widely spaced and strong posteriad directed terminal points. Poculum large, bulgy, rounded in lateral aspect and reaching about half way along anal segment ( Fig. 30M View FIGURE 30 ); notably higher than tergum IX.

Legs:All moderately long and robust, profemora longer than head, pro- and mesothorax combined, mesofemora longer than mesothorax and metafemora reaching two thirds along abdominal segment V with metatibiae projecting over apex of abdomen. Mesofemora with an obtuse but fairly distinct triangular tooth one-third off the base on anteroventral carina; the posterodorsal carina of meso and metafemora with a distinct, triangular black apical lobe ( Fig. 30D View FIGURE 30 ).All three carinae of meso- and metatibiae roundly deflexed apically. Basitarsi almost as long as remaining tarsomeres combined with the dorsal carinae moderately rounded.

Comments. Subsequent to its description the holotype in the collection of MNHN has suffered from some damage. Most of the subgenital plate, the right front leg and left hind leg are broken off and missing. In addition to the holotype, the collection in MNHN contains a penultimate instar ♀ from the same locality ( Fig. 29B View FIGURE 29 ), which was however not recorded by Chopard (1911: 346). Eggs unknown. Measurements in table 11.

Table 11: Measurements [mm] of Hirtuleius spp.

......Continued on the next page

Table 11: (continued)

* According to Chopard (1911: 346)

5.12. Genus Jeremia Redtenbacher, 1908

( Figs. 31 View FIGURE 31 , 89G View FIGURE 89 , 94F–G View FIGURE 94 , 98K View FIGURE 98 , 102E View FIGURE 102 , 120E View FIGURE 120 )

Type species: Jeremia grossedentata Redtenbacher, 1908: 425 View in CoL , pl. 19: 4, by monotypy.

Jeremia Redtenbacher, 1908: 425 View in CoL , pl. 19: 4.

Günther, 1930: 568, fig. 10.

Bragg, 2001: 635.

Zompro, 2004a: 312.

Otte & Brock, 2005: 165.

Hennemann & Conle, 2010: 106.

Brock & Büscher, 2022: 546.

Lima et al., 2024: 434.

Differentiation. Distinguished from all other genera by the prominently dentate medioventral carina of the mid and hind legs of both sexes, as well as the spinose meso- and metasternum of ♀♀. The genital morphology of ♂♂ shows striking similarity to Jeremiodes and confirms the close relation between these two genera already suggested by Hennemann & Conle (2007a & 2010) and emphasized by the generic name.

Comments. A detailed and sufficient diagnosis of the genus was presented by Hennemann & Conle (2010: 106). Lima et al. (2024) have provided information on the natural habitat of a newly described species from the state of Roraima, NE-Brazil, which has notably extemded the geographic range of the genus to the east. Body length: ♂♂ 90.0- 111.5 mm, ♀♀ incl. subgenital plate 126.1-168.0 mm.

Distribution ( Fig. 102E View FIGURE 102 ). Tropical regions of Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador east of the Andes and below 1000 m as well as NE-Brazil (Roraima). According to Morrone (2006) all known records fall into the biogeographical Provinces Napo and Ucayali, Roraima to the northeast, western portions of the Varzea Province as well as the Yungas Province towards the south.

Species included: