Pylaemenes pui

Wai-Chun, George Ho, 2013, Contribution to the knowledge of Chinese Phasmatodea II: Review of the Dataminae Rehn & Rehn, 1939 (Phasmatodea: Heteropterygidae) of China, with descriptions of one new genus and four new species, Zootaxa 3669 (3), pp. 201-222 : 215-217

Pylaemenes pui Ho spec. nov.

( Figs. 27–28 )

Type. Holotype: Ƥ, Caiyanghe Nature Reserve, Puer Country, Yunnan Province, China, 29.VII.2007, Jia Feng- Long, En-382564 (SYSBM).

Diagnosis. Related to Pylaemenes guangxiensis (Bi & Li, 1994), but differs by its smaller size, egg-shaped eyes and mesonotum elevated with a cluster of tubercles antero-medially.

Description. Female ( Figs. 27–28 ). General colour of body and legs light brown to brown. Smallest Chinese Pylaemenes . Body robust and rough, with tubercles of irregular size. Head and legs densely covered with brownish setae, but less distinct on thorax and abdomen.

Head: Oval. Occiput strongly projecting posteriorly, cone-like, deep v-shaped in dorsal view, lateral surface punctulate, with a shallow notch apically. Vertex with a pair of pointed horns placed behind the bases of antennae. Eyes small, egg-shaped. Antennae broken, only 15 segments remained, covered with short setae, longer than profemora. The basal two segments dark brown, light brown from third to apical segments, all segments with dark brown median line. The first segment very broad, with distinct carina, longer than third segment, with two tubercles on outer edge, the anterior one placed near the apex and the posterior one placed at the middle of the segment. Second segment cylindrical and flattened, with one tubercle near the apex. Third segment slightly longer than the second segment. The remaining fourth to fifteenth segments roughly about the same length, shorter than the second segment, disc-like.

Thorax: Pronotum short, trapezoid, about one-third length of mesonotum, anterior margin curved inward, with three pair of tubercles along longitudinal sulcus, lateral margins with two short tubercles. Mesonotum longer than the combined length of pronotum and metanotum, median line indistinct. Anterior apex with a cluster of five short and blunt tubercles. Posterior margin with four short tubercles medially. Antero-lateral angles with a fin-like tubercle. Lateral margins with two to three short tubercles before middle. Postero-lateral region strongly elevated laterally, with a short tubercles on the elevated margin. Metanotum 3 x length of median segment, median carina distinct, posterior apex of the carina forked; hind part of the metanotum strongly elevated laterally as in the mesonotum, with a fin-like tubercle and two to three short tubercles on the elevated margin. Mesosternum and metasternum sparsely covered with small granules, with distinct median carina. Mesopleura with three to four small tubercles on the lateral margin. Metapleura with a fin-like tubercle and two short tubercles.

Abdomen: Median segment narrow, about 4 x broader than long, elevated with an x-shaped carina medially. Second to fourth terga broadened posteriorly, narrowing strongly from fifth to sixth terga. Fourth tergum broadest. Sixth tergum to anal segment roughly about the same width. From second to seventh terga with short carina laterally. Fourth to seventh terga with x-shaped elevations medio-posteriorly. Eighth tergum longer than ninth tergum with two elevations medio-posteriorly. Eighth and ninth terga slightly flanged postero-laterally. Ninth tergum with crest-like structure posteriorly. Anal segment shorter than ninth tergum, with distinct median carina, posterior margin apparently emarginate medially. Subgenital plate boat-shaped, not surpassing the end of the anal segment, with distinct median and lateral carinae. Cerci slightly exposed, very short and flattened, apices rounded.

Legs: Light brown with blackish mottling. Dorsal surface of all femora with small pits. Profemora slightly curved basally, antero-dorsal carina armed with three small elevations, all roughly equal in size; postero-dorsal carina with four to five small elevations. Antero-dorsal and postero-dorsal carinae of meso- and metafemora roughly protruded into three fin-like lamellae, anterior ones larger than others. Antero-ventral and postero-ventral carinae of mesofemora with a small spine-like serration subapically. Antero-ventral and postero-ventral carinae of metafemora with two spine-like serrations subapically. Antero-dorsal and postero-dorsal carinae of meso- and metatibiae with two fin-like lamellae. Antero-ventral and postero-ventral carinae of meso- and metatibiae with two indistinct elevations. The lamellae on postero-dorsal carina of meta- and metatibiae distinctly larger than the lamellae on antero-dorsal carina.

Male. Unknown.

Measurements in Table 5.

Lengths (mm.) Female (HT) Body 38.5 Head 3.5 Antennae 10.0 Pronotum 2.5 Mesonotum 8.0 Metanotum 4.5 Median segment 1.5 Profemora 7.0 Mesofemora 7.0 Metafemora 8.0 Protibiae 7.0 Mesotibiae 6.5 Metatibiae 8.0

Distribution. Yunnan (Caiyanghe), China.

Etymology. This new species is named in honour and memory of Professor Pu Zhelong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Zhongshan University, Guangzhou for his huge contributions to the entomology of China.

Figures

FIGURES 27 – 28. Pylaemenes pui Ho spec. nov. [scale bar 10 mm]. 27. HT female, lateral view. 28. HT female, dorsal view.