Tirachoidea Brunner

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 : 217-219

6.5 Genus Tirachoidea Brunner v. Wattenwyl, 1893 stat. rev.

Type species: Phibalosoma cantori Westwood, 1859: 74 , pl. 37: 1, 1a–b & pl. 38: 1, 1a–b by subsequent designation of Kirby, 1904a: 359.

Tirachoidea Brunner v. Wattenwyl, 1893: 83 (in part).

Kirby, 1904a: 359 (in part—only species No’s 1–2).

Karny, 1923: 240 (in part).

Günther, 1953: 555.

Qi & Liu, 1992: 250.

Eucarcharus Brunner v. Wattenwyl, 1907: 186 (in part). (Type species: Lonchodes feruloides Westwood, 1859: 45 , pl. 6: 5, 5a–b, by subsequent designation of Günther, 1935b: 138; see comments below)

Otte & Brock, 2005: 136 (in part).

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

Pharnacia, Redtenbacher, 1908: 449 (in part).

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

Brock, 1995: 95 (in part).

Brock, 1996: 27 (in part).

Seow-Choen, 1998c: 184.

Brock, 1999: 132 & 181 (in part).

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

Bragg, 2001: 398.

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

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

Wood-Mason, 1875: 216.

Wood-Mason, 1877a: 161 (in part).

Wood-Mason, 1877b: 347, pl. 3: 1.

Description (ď, º): Moderately slender to very robust Pharnaciini (♀♀ in particular) with strong sexual dimorphism. Head indistinctly longer than wide, vertex strongly convex, either rounded and almost spherical or conical. Usually armed with a pair of (sometimes several) ± distinct tubercles, blunt spines or humps; the right one being larger than the left. Antennae shorter than mesonotum (♀♀) or about as long as head and complete thorax combined (♂♂). Mesothorax of moderate length, 2.0–2.4x longer than head and pronotum combined, in ♀♀ constricted anteriorly. Mesosternum of ♂♂ with a more or less distinct median carina. Alae of ♂♂ fully developed and at least reaching tergite IV. Tegmina ovate or scale-like, slightly conical and narrowed basally, at best 2x longer than wide. Abdomen including median segment considerably longer than combined length of head and complete thorax. Median segment equal in length or slightly longer than metanotum in ♀♀, distinctly longer than metanotum in ♂♂. Abdominal segments II and III of ♀♀ often ± swollen. Tergite VII dilated into a rounded or truncate lobe posterolaterally; more distinct in ♀♀. Praeopercular organ of ♀♀ very indistinct and formed by two short carinae or ridges close to posterior margin of abdominal sternum VII. Tergite VIII of ♀♀ at least as long as IX and X combined . Semi-tergites of anal segment of ♂♂ with apex ± conspicuously elongated and finger-like. Cerci obtuse, oval or cylindrical in cross-section; ± distinctly in-curving in ♂♂. Subgenital plate of ♀♀ strongly keeled, boat-shaped and at best slightly projecting over apex of anal segment; never lanceolate. Poculum of ♂♂ convex and with a ± acute conical hump or spine at the angle. Legs of moderate length, femora ± broadened. All carinae ± prominently spinose or serrate; occasionally with single enlarged teeth and lobes. Anterodorsal carina of profemora ± serrate. Mesofemora of ♀♀ ± strongly broadened, especially towards the base. Medioventral carina of meso- and metafemora distinct and armed with a several prominent spines (♀♀ in particular). Mesofemora distinctly longer than metanotum and median segment combined. Probasitarsus of ♀♀ at best as long as remaining tarsomeres. Meso- and metabasitarsus about as long as following three tarsomeres combined. All carinae elevated, either smooth or dentate; the dorsal carina of the meso- and metabasitarsus ± strongly raised and rounded.

Eggs (Figs. 157–166): Medium-sized to large. Capsule ± spherical or slightly longer than wide, circular in cross-section and lacking any depressions or keels. Capsule surface almost smooth, strongly shiny and with a conspicuous and large dark lateroventral marking. Polar-area with a minute blunt spine or tubercle and a bold blackish spot. External micropylar plate covering more than 2/3 of capsule length and shaped like an inverted “Y”. Apices of posterior arms of plate parallel-sided and rounded. Operculum slightly convex, circular and with an irregularly shaped hat- or knob-like capitulum on a distinct stalk.

Diagnosis ( Table 2): Well characterized amongst Pharnaciini by the strongly convex and armed vertex and ± spherical, smooth and strongly shiny egg capsule (Fig. 415). Very closely related to Pharnacia Stål, 1877 but distinguished by: the strongly convex, either conically raised or almost spherical vertex and rounded dorsal carina of the basitarsi of both sexes which bears a pair of (or more) tubercles, blunt spines or rounded humps, curved cerci of ♂♂ and tergite VIII of ♀♀ being at least as long as but usually longer than IX and X combined . Furthermore, the eggs differ by: the capsule being almost spherical or slightly elongate and circular in cross-section, lacking depressions or a dorsoventral keel; smooth and strongly shiny capsule surface; parallel-sided and rounded apices of posterior arms of the micropylar plate (broadened and truncate in Pharnacia ); minute blunt spine and bold blackish spot of the polar-area and large lateroventral marking of the capsule.

Comments: Brunner v. Wattenwyl (1893: 83) originally established Tirachoidea for Phibalosoma cantori Westwood, 1859 , Phibalosoma hypharpax Westwood 1859 , Phibalosoma tirachus Westwood, 1859 and Cyphocrana tamyris Westwood, 1859 . The latter species 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) .

Tirachoidea was first misinterpreted by Kirby (1904a: 359) who designated Phibalosoma cantori Westwood as the type species. Although Brunner v. Wattenwyl did not make any ranking among the species that he listed as belonging to Tirachoidea , the generic name obviously indicates that Brunner v. Wattenwyl originally based it on Phibalosoma tirachus Westwood. There are several other cases in which Brunner v. Wattenwyl based new generic names on already described specific names and the concerned species were then always included in the genus. Examples include Marmessoidea Brunner v. Wattenwyl, 1893 and Necroscia marmessus Westwood, 1859 or Sipyloidea Brunner v. Wattenwyl, 1893 and Necroscia sipylus Westwood, 1859 .

Apart from selecting a type species, Kirby (1904a: 359) included one further recently described species in Tirachoidea , Phibalosoma westwoodii Wood-Mason, 1875 . Redtenbacher (1908: 449) synonymised Tirachoidea with Pharnacia Stål, 1877 but omitted Kirby’s catalogue (1904a), hence not being aware of the typedesignations established in that publication. Karny (1923: 240) re-established Tirachoidea and transferred the first four more robust species of Redtenbacher’s key to Pharnacia , which have a swollen, convex and bituberculate head, to Tirachoidea .

Brock (1996: 25) confirmed Redtenbacher’s synonymy of Tirachoidea and Pharnacia and synonymised Tirachoidea yet again, mainly based on ♂♂ of both type species having fully developed alae. Brock (1996: 25) stated “ Tirachoidea is 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 commented Karny (1923) to have not identified “the link between P. cantori Westwood and P. ponderosa Stål ”. 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. ( Brock, 1996: 26)”, which is not the case; it is actually just gently rounded and entirely smooth in Ph. ponderosa Stål. Thus , the strongly convex or conical and bi-tuberculate head is not a typical character of Pharnacia Stål , but one of the key features that distinguish Tirachoidea from Pharnacia . Consequently, all those taxa placed in Pharnacia by Brock (1996) and which have a distinctly convex and bi-tuberculate head like the type species T. cantori (Westwood) , actually belong in Tirachoidea Brunner v. Wattenwyl (→ 6.2). Careful examination of all concerned taxa and comparison with Pharnacia have, in addition to the shape of the head, revealed several further features of the insects and eggs that clearly distinguish Tirachoidea from Pharnacia (see Table 2 and differentiation above). Consequently, Karny’s treatment of the two genera is confirmed and Tirachoidea here re-established as a valid genus (stat. rev.).

Otte & Brock (2005: 136) erroneously stated that Günther (1935b: 138) had subsequently designated Eucarcharus inversus Brunner v. Wattenwyl, 1907 as the type species of Eucarcharus Brunner v. Wattenwyl, 1907, which would place Eucarcharus as a junior synonym of Tirachoidea . In fact however, Günther (1935b: 138) designated Lonchodes feruloides Westwood, 1859 as the type species and moreover stated the two Bornean Pharnacia annulata Redtenbacher, 1908 and Pharnacia nigricornis Redtenbacher, 1908 to be congeneric. Due to E. feruloides ( Westwood, 1859) has a rather indistinct medioventral carina midways on the ventral surface of the profemora, not split anal segment and produced vomer in ♂♂, as well as a closed internal micropylar plate in the eggs, Eucarcharus Brunner v. Wattenwyl is here removed from the tribe Pharnaciini and transferred to Stephanacridini (→ 4.7.2).

Distribution ( Fig. 86): So far recorded from NE-India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, South China, Peninsular Malaysia, and N-Borneo ( Sarawak & Brunei) as well as the Greater and Lesser Sunda Islands (Sumatra, Java & Lombok).