Cryptophyllium yunnanense (Liu, 1993) Cumming & Bank & Bresseel & Constant & Tirant & Dong & Sonet & Bradler, 2021

Cumming, Royce T., Bank, Sarah, Bresseel, Joachim, Constant, Je ́ ro ̂ me, Tirant, Stephane Le, Dong, Zhiwei, Sonet, Gontran & Bradler, Sven, 2021, Cryptophyllium, the hidden leaf insects - descriptions of a new leaf insect genus and thirteen species from the former celebicum species group (Phasmatodea, Phylliidae), ZooKeys 1018, pp. 1-179 : 1

Cryptophyllium yunnanense (Liu, 1993) comb. nov. Figures 75 , 76 , 77

Material examined.

(3 ♀♀, 6 ♂♂): 1 ♀: "Vietnam: Lao Cai Prov. Mt.Fan-si-pan, North Side, 1,600m., 22 17'N 103 44'E, Primary Forest, 28.October-3.November 1994." (Coll RC 17-270); 1 ♀ nymph: "Lao Cai Province, Sapa mt. 1,600 m.: May 2015" (Coll RC 16-081); 1 ♀: "Yunnan China: Daweishan, Pinbian County, Honghe Prefecture, 3-VI-2017, Zhiwei Dong. (Coll ZD). Molecular sample: DZW04." (Coll ZD); 3 ♂♂: "Vietnam: Lao Cai Prov. Mt.Fan-si-pan, North Side, 1,600m., 22 17'N 103 44'E, Primary Forest, 20-30. October, 1995" (Coll RC 17-271, 17-272, 17-273); 1 ♂: "Vietnam: Lao Cai Prov. Mt.Fan-si-pan, North Side, 1,600 m., 22 17'N 103 44'E, Primary Forest, 1-7, November, 1995" (Coll RC 17-274); 1 ♂: "Yunnan Province, Xinping Country, Mt. Ailao: June 2015" (Coll RC 16-120); 1 ♂: "Vietnam: Yen Bai, Nghia Lo: June, 2017" (Coll RC 17-240).

Remarks.

This species was originally only described from a male holotype from Mongla, Yunnan Province. Liu (1993) differentiated this species from others by the profemoral shape (with an exterior lobe which is narrower than the interior lobe; Fig. 75B ) and long antennae with 28 segments. Only the narrow exterior profemoral lobe appears to be a unique feature within the Cryptophyllium gen. nov. (as Cryptophyllium gen. nov. typically have exterior profemoral lobes broader than the interior), but the 28-segmented antennae are now known to not be unique to Cryptophyllium yunnanense comb. nov. alone.

We were able to identify the female sex of Cryptophyllium yunnanense comb. nov. within our molecular analysis and illustrate the morphology for the first time (Fig. 76 ).

Differentiation.

Males are large with a broad spade-shaped abdomen, and long antennae and thus are most morphologically similar to Cryptophyllium oyae comb. nov. and Cryptophyllium limogesi sp. nov. males. From both species Cryptophyllium yunnanense comb. nov. can be differentiated by the shape of the profemoral lobes as the exterior lobe is narrower than the interior lobe (Fig. 75B ), vs. a similar width or wider on the exterior in Cryptophyllium oyae comb. nov. and Cryptophyllium limogesi sp. nov. males. Additionally, all Cryptophyllium yunnanense comb. nov. examined and the holotype illustration clearly lack small anterior exterior tibial lobes (Fig. 75B ), whereas Cryptophyllium oyae comb. nov. and Cryptophyllium limogesi sp. nov. both have distinct (but small) anterior exterior tibial lobes.

Female Cryptophyllium yunnanense comb. nov. are large with mesopleura which are marked with large spine-like tubercles (Fig. 77F, G ), and broad boxy abdomen. These features morphologically make them appear similar to Cryptophyllium tibetense comb. nov. and Cryptophyllium limogesi sp. nov. females. Cryptophyllium yunnanense comb. nov. can be differentiated from Cryptophyllium limogesi sp. nov. by the shape of abdominal segment VII which in Cryptophyllium limogesi sp. nov. is distinctly projecting and slightly recurved vs. Cryptophyllium yunnanense comb. nov. which is only gently rounded, not recurved. Additionally, the proximal margin of the exterior profemoral lobe in Cryptophyllium yunnanense comb. nov. is straight or slightly rounded (Fig. 77D ), not like in Cryptophyllium limogesi sp. nov. where it is distinctly concave, giving the profemoral lobe a slight recurved appearance (Fig. 42F ). Cryptophyllium yunnanense comb. nov. and Cryptophyllium tibetense comb. nov. females share many morphological similarities such as: femoral and tibial lobe shapes and serration on all legs; mesopleura which are marked with prominent spine-like tubercles; alae which are long, reaching abdominal segment VI; rounded boxy abdominal shape; broad gonapophyses VIII; and a long subgenital plate which exceeds the apex of the abdomen (Fig. 77E ). The only morphological feature which we have found consistent between these species is the overall shape of the mesopleura which are almost perfectly straight in Cryptophyllium yunnanense comb. nov. (Fig. 77F, G ) but in Cryptophyllium tibetense comb. nov. are slightly narrowed on the anterior, with slightly inward curved margins on the anterior ⅓ (Fig. 63C ).

Distribution.

Presently only known from southern China (Yunnan Province) and adjacent northern Vietnam (Lai Chau and Yen Bai Provinces).

Figures

Figure 42. Holotype female Cryptophyllium limogesi, photographs by Rene Limoges (IMQC) A habitus, dorsal B habitus, ventral C head and antennae dorsal D antennae detail dorsal E thorax dorsal F front leg, dorsal G terminalia, dorsal H genitalia, ventral.

Figure 63. Cryptophyllium tibetense comb. nov. live female bred and photographed by Bruno Kneubu ̈ hler (Switzerland) A dorsal, habitus B ventral genitalia, note the subgenital plate which reaches all the way to the apex of the abdomen C dorsal head, thorax, and front legs D lateral view with tegmina raised to expose the alae length.

Figure 75. Male Cryptophyllium yunnanense comb. nov. (Coll RC 16 - 120), photographed by RTC A habitus, dorsal B left front leg details C head-thorax details D genitalia details, ventral E head-thorax details, lateral.

Figure 76. Live female Cryptophyllium yunnanense comb. nov. collected and photographed in China, Yunnan, Daweishan, Pinbian County, Honghe Prefecture by Zhiwei Dong (tissue sample DZW 04 within our molecular analysis).

Figure 77. Female Cryptophyllium yunnanense comb. nov. A, C, D, F are photographs of the female used in our molecular analysis (DZW 04) (the same female in Fig. 76) collected by Zhiwei Dong in China, Yunnan, Daweishan, Pinbian County, Honghe Prefecture, photographs by Zhiwei Dong B, E, G, H of a female from Vietnam, Lao Cai Province, Mt. Fan-si-pan (Coll RC 17 - 270), photographs by RTC A habitus, dorsal B habitus, dorsal C details of antennae, dorsal D details of front leg, dorsal E genitalia, ventral F details of thorax, dorsal G details of thorax, dorsal H details of the thorax, lateral.