Nanophyllium species (male)

Cumming, Royce T., Tirant, Stephane Le, Teemsma, Sierra N., Hennemann, Frank H., Willemse, Luc & Buescher, Thies H., 2020, Lost lovers linked at long last: elusive female Nanophyllium mystery solved after a century of being placed in a different genus (Phasmatodea, Phylliidae), ZooKeys 969, pp. 43-84 : 43

Nanophyllium species (male) Figure 22B

Observational collection data.

One male, observed by Achmad Rian Dietra (Indonesia) in May of 2017. Indonesia: West Papua Province, Kaimana Regency, Aiduma Island.

Discussion. This is only known from photographs of a live individual taken by Achmad Rian Dietra (Indonesia). Based on pro- and mesofemoral lobes being strongly angular and not smoothly arcing from end to end, this individual belongs to the pygmaeum species group. This species group only has males known for six species: N. pygmaeum Redtenbacher, 1906, N. asekiense ( Größer, 2002), comb. nov., N. adisi Zompro & Größer, 2003, N. rentzi Brock & Größer, 2008, N. hasenpuschi Brock & Größer, 2008, and N. australianum Cumming, Le Tirant & Teemsma, 2018.

Based on the profemoral exterior lobe that is wider than the shaft width and not larger than the interior lobe, that rules out N. australianum (exterior lobe of profemora same width as shaft width; Fig. 11D ) and N. adisi (exterior lobe of profemora larger than interior lobe; Fig. 11H ). Nanophyllium rentzi (Fig. 18 ) and N. asekiense ( Größer, 2002), comb. nov. (Fig. 17E, F ), can also be ruled out as possible identifications, as their entire body coloration is green and the alae are completely transparent, in contrast this specimen from Aiduma Island has a brown body and dark tegmina and alae. The two remaining identification possibilities are N. pygmaeum and N. hasenpuschi which can easily be morphologically separated by the coloration of the alae, solid brown in N. pygmaeum or alae with a large transparent patch in N. hasenpuschi . Unfortunately, this individual has its wings closed so the interior color is impossible to see. A definitive identification is unfortunately not possible at this time. Geographically this individual is located near collection sites of both N. hasenpuschi and N. pygmaeum so no inference can be drawn from locality (Fig. 4 ). This is however a unique opportunity to share photos of a live individual and to add a new distribution checkpoint to the map of Nanophyllium collection/observation localities (Fig. 15 ). It is also possible that this individual represents an undescribed species on its own, or the male for an undescribed species based on one of the below females illustrated.

Figures

Figure 4. Distribution map showing localities for the known and herein described species.

Figure 11. Front legs and lobes of males of the stellae species group (A-C) and the pygmaeum species group (D-H) A Nanophyllium stellae B Nanophyllium miyashitai sp. nov. C Nanophyllium larssoni D Nanophyllium australianum E Nanophyllium asekiense comb. nov. F Nanophyllium rentzi Coll SLT G Nanophyllium hasenpuschi H Nanophyllium adisi line drawing based on holotype.

Figure 15. Distribution map showing the undetermined Nanophyllium specimens with mappable localities.

Figure 17. Nanophyllium asekiense (Groesser, 2002), comb. nov. males and females, all originating from Papua New Guinea, Morobe Province. Note the variation in the male abdominal shape and the female abdominal, color, and femoral lobe variability A yellow form female, Morobe Province, Aseki, Oiwa Village, July, 2016, Coll RC 16 - 268 B green form female, Papua New Guinea, Morobe, Aseki (Oiwa), Nov. 2000, Coll SLT C brown form female, Morobe Province, Aseki, Oiwa Village, July, 2016, Coll RC 16 - 264 D red / brown form female, Papua New Guinea, Morobe, Aseki (Oiwa), Nov. 2000, Coll SLT E serrate abdominal male bred by the Montreal Insectarium, IMQC F spade shaped male bred by the Montreal Insectarium, Coll RC 19 - 055.

Figure 18. Nanophyllium rentzi males dorsal, note the variation in abdominal shape A holotype in the NHMUK (copyright NHMUK 2020 online Data Portal; https: // data. nhm. ac. uk / object / b 03 f 481 f- 1 a 1 c- 4 ccd- 8558 - 505668 fc 78 f 3 / 1591228800000) B male from Fak Fak, Indonesia, Coll SLT.

Figure 22. Live observations of unidentifiable male Nanophyllium A individual observed by Mike Wild in Mokndoma, Indonesia B individual observed by Achmad Rian Dietra, May, 2017 on Aiduma Island, Indonesia.