Pharnacia palawanica, Hennemann & Conle, 2008

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 : 110-111

Pharnacia palawanica spec. nov.

( Figs. 91, 149–150, 209, 375)

HT, ♀: Philippines, Palawan, Brooks Point , 7.10.1974, R. Rodriguez, BM 1975-193 ( BMNH) .

PT, ♀ (subadult nymph): Philippines, Palawan, Brooks Point , 7.10.1974, R. Rodriguez, BM 1975-193 ( BMNH) .

PT, 2 ♀♀: Philippines, SE-Palawan, Brook’s Point , 1998 (coll. FH, No’s 0455-1 & 2) .

PT, 1 egg: Philippines, SE-Palawan, Brook’s Point , 1998, ex ovipositor FH 0455-1 (coll. FH, No. 0455-E) .

PT, ♀: Philippines, Palawan, IV.1985, leg. C. Finetti (coll. MG) .

PT, female: Philippinen, Nord Palawan, 20.XII.1997 (coll. OC) .

Diagnosis: Closely related to the type species Ph. ponderosa Stål, 1877 but at once distinguished by: the more slender body and legs; relatively longer body segments; much smaller posterolateral lobes of abdominal tergite VII; shape of the anal segment; less punctured surface of the egg capsule; shape of the micropylar plate and smaller dimensions of the eggs.

Etymology: The name refers to the type locality of this new species, which is the so far only known representative of Pharnacia Stål, 1877 in Palawan.

Description: ♀♀ ( Fig. 91): Long (body length 191.5–195.0 mm) and moderately slender for the genus (maximum width 9.0–10.0 mm). General colouration of body and femora plain pale to dark brown (abdomen darkened due to preservation in all specimens at hand), tibiae and carinae of femora greenish mid brown. Mesonotum with a broad longitudinal band of irregular black speckles along lateral margins. Vertex with a slightly darker brown coronal-line and four fine sub-parallel longitudinal lines dorso-laterally. Antennae dark brown with the two basal segments slightly paler brown and the ventral surfaces black. Eyes reddish brown.

Head: Large and oval, 1.6x longer than wide, vertex gently convex. Between the bases of the antennae with a small sickle-shaped, transverse impression. Eyes of moderate size, conspicuously convex and with the anterior margin slightly angled; length contained about 3x in that of cheek. Antennae at least reaching half the way along mesonotum (broken in all specimens at hand), antennomeres increasing in length towards apices of antennae. Scapus dorsoventrally flattened, very slightly outcurving, 2.5x longer than wide. Pedicellus less than half the length of scapus, 1.5x longer than wide, cylindrical. Third antennomere very indistinctly longer than pedicellus.

Thorax: Pronotum, 1.4x longer than wide, considerably shorter and narrower than head, lateral margins gently concave and posterior margin a little broader than anterior margin. Anterior margin slightly raised, median transverse depression short, {-shaped and not reaching lateral margins of segment. Mesonotum very slightly widened towards the posterior, about 2.2x longer than head and pronotum combined. Metanotum parallel-sided, a little more than 2x longer than wide, less than half the length of mesonotum. Meso- and metasternum smooth.

Abdomen: Median segment a little more than 2/3 the length of metanotum, 1.5x longer than wide, parallel-sided. Segments II–III 2x, IV–VII 2.5x longer than wide. Tergite VII posterolaterally with a small, roughly triangular tooth. VIII narrower than previous, strongly convex, parallel-sided, 2.5x longer than wide. IX half the length of VIII, indistinctly longer than wide, strongly convex. Anal segment slightly longer than IX, with a very faint, slightly impressed median line. Posterior margin with a broad concave median excavation, the outer angles rounded. Supraanal plate small, rounded and not extending to apex of anal segment. Cerci small, elongate, round in cross-section and slightly tapered towards the apex. Gonapophyses elongate, slender, upcurving and just reaching to posterior margin of anal segment. Subgenital plate distinctly keeled, boat shaped and slightly projecting over apex of abdomen (Fig. 209).

Legs: All rather long and slender with all carinae very minutely dentate (more sparingly on dorsal carinae). Profemora slightly longer than pro-, and mesonotum combined, mesofemora shorter than mesonotum, metafemora reaching 1/3 the way along abdominal segment V and hind tarsi slightly projecting over tip of abdomen. Anterodorsal carina of profemora with 16–18 well decided serrations. Medioventral carina of meso- and metafemora indistinct and set with 7–10 minute spines. Basitarsi as long as following three tarsomeres combined, all carinae very minutely serrate.

Eggs (Figs. 149–150): Medium-sized, capsule slightly laterally compressed, oval in cross-section, longer than high. Seen laterally the polar-area has a distinct dorso-polar depression. Capsule surrounded by an indistinct blunt dorsoventral bulg, beginning and ending at operculum. General colouration of capsule and operculum creamish mid brown, capitulum black, micropylar plate greyish brown. Complete capsule surface very minutely granulated and leather-like. Micropylar plate gently raised from capsule and with a broad, dark brown outer margin. Shaped like a bold inverted “Y”, with all three extensions of moderate length. Anterior extension rounded, the two posterior extensions slightly truncate apically. Median line projecting distinctly over posterior margin of plate. Micropylar cup small, cup-like and placed in centre of the posteromedian gap of the plate. Operculum flat and oval with a large, irregularly cone-shaped capitulum in the centre.

Measurements [mm]: length including capitulum 5.1, length 4.4, width 3.1, height 4.0, length of micropylar plate 2.7.

Comments: The ♀ penultimate instar nymph (PT) in BMNH measures a body length of 140.0 mm. ♂♂ unknown.

Distribution (Fig. 375): Palawan (Brooks Point).

Number of specimens examined: 6