Spinoparapachymorpha, Ho, 2021

Ho, Wai-Chun George, 2021, Contribution to the knowledge of Chinese Phasmatodea XI: New taxa and new nomenclature of Medaurini (Phasmatidae: Clitumninae) from China, Zoological Systematics 46 (3), pp. 234-239 : 238-239

3.3 Spinoparapachymorpha gen. nov.

Type species: Parapachymorpha sinica Ho, 2017: 530 , by present designation.

Diagnosis. Spinoparapachymorpha gen nov. is related to Parapachymorpha Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1893 , but can be easily separated by the distinctly spinose head and abdomen in the both sexes.

Description. Medium-sized for Clitumninae. Body slender and elongate. Apterous. Head oval, occiput convex and armed with occipital medial spines. Vertex with or lacking paired supra-antennal armature. Antennae short, distinctly segmented, not surpassing apices of profemora. Thorax spinose. Pronotum trapezoidal and moderately expanded posteriorly in female, rectangular and longer than wide in male. Mesonotum expanded posteriorly, with two to four pairs of spines. Abdomen spinose, cylindrical, seventh tergum with or lacking posterolateral expansions in female. Female with distinct praeopercular organ on posteromedian area of seventh sternum. Anal segment with emarginated posterior margin in female, dilated into two distinct semi-segments in male. Subgenital plate short and scoop-shaped. Cerci short. Legs slender and long, femora and tibiae armed with serrations or unarmed.

Distribution. China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

Remarks. This new genus consists of seven species, including S. daoyingi ( Ho, 2014) comb. nov. (type locality from Yunnan, China), S. jinpingensis ( Ho, 2017) comb. nov. (type locality from Yunnan, China), S. pseudospinosa (Ho, 2020) comb. nov. (type locality from Vietnam, not occurring in China), S. sinica ( Ho, 2017) comb. nov. (type locality from Yunnan, China), S. spinosa ( Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1893) comb. nov. (type locality from Myanmar, not occurring in China), S. tetracantha (Chen & He, 2001) comb. nov. (type locality from Yunnan, China) and S. xishuangbannanensis ( Ho, 2014) comb. nov. (type locality from Yunnan, China). All these species matched the features of Spinoparapachymorpha gen nov. and were transferred from Parapachymorpha Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1893 . A total of five species are recognised in China while other two species are known from Myanmar and Vietnam ( Ho, 2020a, b, c).

Etymology. The specific epithet of this new genus is derived from the Latin words ‘ Spino ’ (= spiny) and ‘ parapachymorpha ’ referring to the close relationship with Parapachymorpha Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1893 .

Acknowledgements I wish to thank Mr. Zhiyong Yu (Yunnan, China) for his kind assistance and the anonymous reviewers for providing valuable comments to improve the manuscript.