Pharnacia Stål, 1877

Hennemann, Frank H. & Conle, Oskar V., 2008, Revision of Oriental Phasmatodea: The tribe Pharnaciini Günther, 1953, including the description of the world's longest insect, and a survey of the family Phasmatidae Gray, 1835 with keys to the subfamilies and tribes (Phasmatodea: " Anareolatae ": Phasmatidae), Zootaxa 1906, pp. 1-316 : 94-96

6.2 Genus Pharnacia Stål, 1877

Type species: Pharnacia ponderosa Stål, 1877a: 40 , by subsequent designation of Kirby, 1904a: 359.

Pharnacia Stål, 1877a: 40 .

Kirby, 1904a: 359 (in part—only species No. 3).

Redtenbacher, 1908: 449 (in part).

Giglio-Tos, 1910: 43 (in part).

Karny, 1923: 240 (in part).

Weidner, 1966: 231.

Brock, 1996: 27 (in part).

Brock, 1998a: 53.

Brock, 1999: 132, figs. 24 & 26 (in part).

Seow-Choen, 2000: 35 (in part).

Otte & Brock, 2005: 264 (in part).

Baculolonga, Bragg, 2001: 377 (in part).

Bacteria, Burmeister, 1838: 563 (in part).

Cladoxerus, Gray, 1835: 42 (in part).

De Haan, 1842: 131 (in part).

Clitumnus Brunner v. Wattenwyl, 1907: 187 (in part).

Lobophasma, Günther, 1935b: 138 (in part).

Phibalosoma, Westwood, 1859: 71 (in part).

Stål, 1875: 63 (in part).

Wood-Mason, 1877: 161.

Phobaeticus Brunner v. Wattenwyl, 1907: 183 (in part).

Brock, 1996: 28 (in part).

Otte & Brock, 2005: 268 (in part).

Tirachoidea, Kirby, 1904a: 359 (in part—only species No. 1a). [Not: Pharnacia, Chen & He, 2007: 349 , figs. 316-317 = Tirachoidea Brunner v. Wattenwyl, 1893]

Description (ď, º): Moderately robust to very massive Pharnaciini (♀♀ in particular) with strong sexual dimorphism. Head at least 1.5x longer than wide, oval with the vertex flat or gently rounded, unarmed. Antennae of ♀♀ shorter than mesonotum, in ♂♂ as long as or longer than head and thorax combined; antennomeres elongate. Pronotum considerably shorter and narrower than head. Mesothorax moderately elongate, 1.7–2.4x longer than head and pronotum combined, in ♀♀ ± decidedly constricted anteriorly. Mesonotum smooth or more rarely set with a few minute granules. Mesosternum of ♂♂ occasionally with a ± distinct longitudinal median carina; simple in ♀♀. Alae of ♂♂ well developed, at least reaching to posterior margin of abdominal tergite V. Tegmina ovate or scale-like, at best 2x longer than wide. Median segment of ♀♀ at least 2/3 the length of metanotum, usually of ± equal length but never longer; conspicuously longer than metanotum in ♂♂. Lateral margins of abdominal tergite VII dilated in posterior portion, forming a ± prominent, rounded or truncate lateral lobe. No obvious praeopercular organ on sternum VII of ♀♀. Tergite VIII of ♀♀ shorter than XI and X combined . Semi-tergites of anal segment of ♂♂ at best slightly longer than tergite IX, rather broad and often ± triangular with the apex broadly rounded, roundly truncate or triangular. Cerci short, oval to almost round in cross-section, occasionally distinctly compressed laterally and sickle-shaped. Subgenital plate of ♀♀ strongly keeled, boat-shaped and at best slightly projecting over apex of anal segment; never lanceolate. Poculum of ♂♂ strongly convex and cup-like with posterior margin ± truncate; centre rounded and without a distinct spine or spine-like process at the angle. Legs of moderate length, femora of ♀♀ ± broadened towards the base and broader than corresponding tibiae. All carinae ± strongly dentate, serrate and/or armed with single conspicuously enlarged spines or lobe-like teeth. Anterodorsal carina of profemora ± serrate. Mesofemora distinctly longer than metanotum and median segment combined. Medioventral carina of meso- and metafemora distinct and ± prominently spinose (♀♀ in particular). Probasitarsus of ♀♀ at best as long as remaining tarsomeres combined usually shorter; of ♂♂ as long as or slightly longer than remaining tarsomeres. Meso- and metabasitarsus about as long as following three tarsomeres combined with all carinae minutely serrate; dorsal carina not conspicuously raised.

Eggs (Figs. 145–156): Large. Capsule globose slightly longer than wide, sub-cylindrical in cross-section, with flat impressions and surrounded by a very faint dorsoventral bulge. Capsule surface rough, punctated or granulated, not shiny. Polar-area smooth or with a slight dorso-polar depression. External micropylar plate covering more than 2/3 of the capsule length, shaped like a bold inverted Y. Apices of posterior arms of plate broadened and ± truncate. Operculum slightly convex, oval to almost circular and with an irregularly shaped hat- or knob-like capitulum on a distinct stalk.

Diagnosis ( Table 2): Very closely related to Tirachoidea Brunner v. Wattenwyl, 1893 but easily distinguished by the following characters: vertex of both sexes flat or at best slightly convex and unarmed; tergite VIII of ♀♀ shorter than IX and X combined ; dorsal carina of meso- and metabasitarsus of ♂♂ at best slightly raised but never prominently rounded and serrate. Furthermore, the eggs are distinguished by: the sub-cylindrical cross-section of the capsule, which exhibits a very faint dorsoventral bulge and more or less distinct depressions near the operculum and polar-area; rough and punctated not shiny capsule surface; broadened apices of the posterior arms of the micropylar plate; lack of a blunt central spine or tubercle at the polar-area and the plain colouration of the capsule which lacks a conspicuous dark lateroventral marking.

Certain species may at first glance show striking similarity to some of the more massive taxa of Phobaeticus Brunner v. Wattenwyl, 1907. From this genus it is however easily distinguished by: the lack of a praeopercular organ of ♀♀; shorter antennae of ♀♀ which are shorter than the mesonotum; much shorter, broader and triangular lobes of the anal segment and less elongate, obtuse cerci of ♂♂. Furthermore, the subgenital plate of ♀♀ is never strikingly elongated or lanceolate as in certain species of Phobaeticus and does never project considerably over the anal segment, and the median segment of ♀♀ is at least 2/3 the length of the metanotum (as short as half the length of metanotum in certain ♀♀ of Phobaeticus ). The eggs differ obviously from those of Phobaeticus by being globose, not prominently keeled or lens-shaped and having the micropylar plate shaped like an inverted Y.

Comments: Stål (1877a: 40) originally established Pharnacia for his new Philippine species Pharnacia ponderosa Stål and Phibalosoma hypharpax Westwood, 1859 from Sri Lanka. Kirby (1904a: 359) selected Stål’s species as the type of Pharnacia Stål, 1877 . Brunner v. Wattenwyl (1893: 83) split the genus and transferred Phibalosoma hypharpax Westwood, 1859 and three further species ( Phibalosoma cantori Westwood, 1859 , Phibalosoma tirachus Westwood, 1859 and Cyphocrania tamyris Westwood, 1859 ) to his new genus Tirachoidea . The latter species, C. tamyris Westwood , is not closely related and has subsequently been selected as the type species of Diesbachia Redtenbacher, 1908 , a genus of the subfamily Necrosciinae ( Brock, 1995) . From the remaining Kirby (1904a: 359) designated Phibalosoma cantori Westwood as the type species of Tirachoidea Brunner v. Wattenwyl, 1893.

Redtenbacher (1908: 449) synonymised Tirachoidea Brunner v. Wattenwyl with Pharnacia Stål and listed 16 species in the genus. The distinguishing key for Pharnacia Stål however listed the type species P. ponderosa Stål as “speciae incertae”, most certainly because Redtenbacher had not examined Stål’s type specimens. Karny (1923: 240) recognized Pharnacia sensu Redtenbacher to be polyphyletic and re-established Tirachoidea Brunner v. Wattenwyl, transferring the first four more massive species in Redtenbacher’s key, which have a distinctly swollen or conical head, to Tirachoidea Brunner v. Wattenwyl. This included the type species of Tirachoidea , T. cantori ( Westwood, 1859) .

Brock (1996: 25) recognized the erroneous placement of Phobaeticus Brunner v. Wattenwyl, 1907 and transferred it from Baculini Bradley & Galil, 1977 (= Clitumnini ) to Pharnaciini . The author proposed a new arrangement of the genera Pharnacia , Tirachoidea and Phobaeticus , and in contrast to Karny (1923: 240) confirmed Redtenbacher’s synonymy of Pharnacia Stål and Tirachoidea Brunner v. Wattenwyl, synonymizing Tirachoidea yet again. Brock (1996: 25) stated “ Tirachoidea to be a synonym of Pharnacia on the basis that T. cantori belongs to the same genus as Pharnacia ponderosa Stål , the type species of Pharnacia .” and mainly based the synonymy on ♂♂ of both species having fully developed alae. Furthermore, his key states Pharnacia ponderosa Stål to show the same strongly rounded or elevated head seen in Ph. cantori (Westwood) “Back of head rounded or elevated; often with two swollen tubercles. (1996: 26)”, which is not the case; it is actually just gently rounded and entirely smooth in Ph. ponderosa Stål (Fig. 290). Thus, the strongly convex or conical and bi-tuberculate head (Figs. 296–304) is not a typical character of Pharnacia Stål , but one of the key features that distinguish Tirachoidea Brunner v. Wattenwyl from Pharnacia Stål. Consequently , all those taxa placed in Pharnacia by Brock (1996), which have a distinctly convex and bi-tuberculate head like the type species T. cantori (Westwood) , actually belong in Tirachoidea Brunner v. Wattenwyl. Pharnacia Stål has the vertex smooth, completely destitute of spines or tubercles and at best gently rounded. Apart from the shape of the head, there are several other obvious characters of the insects and eggs which clearly distinguish Pharnacia and Tirachoidea (→ Table 1 & comments on Tirachoidea ). As a result, Kirby’s and Karny’s treatment of the genera is here confirmed and Tirachoidea Brunner v. Wattenwyl re-established as a valid genus (stat. rev.).

Based on egg-morphology and features of the genitalia two species are here removed from Phobaeticus Brunner v. Wattenwyl, 1907 and re-transferred to Pharnacia : Pharnacia heros Redtenbacher, 1908 and Phibalosoma tirachus Westwood, 1859 (stat. rev.).

Distribution ( Fig. 83): Complete Sundaland (Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Borneo & Palawan) and Philippine Islands.