Dinophasma maalon, Gottardo, Marco, 2007

Gottardo, Marco, 2007, First record of the genus Dinophasma Uvarov from the Philippines (Phasmatodea: Aschiphasmatidae), Zootaxa 1530, pp. 33-36 : 33-36

Dinophasma maalon n. sp.

Figs. 1-3 , 5-9

Type material. Holotype male: Philippines, Panay Island, Antique, Mt. Madja-as , 1000 m, VIII. 2005, leg. R. Cabale ( MSNG ).

Comparative material. Dinophasma braggi ( Zompro, 2004) : holotype male, Brunei, Borneo, Staudinger ( NMW); paratype female, Bukit Belalong, Brunei, Nov. 1996 I. Abercrombie, Bill Fleming ( FSCC) (photograph examined). Dinophasma guttigerum (Westwood, 1859) : 2 males, Borneo ( NMW). Dinophasma ruficornis (Redtenbacher, 1906) : paralectotype male, Kinabalu, Borneo, Staudinger ( NMW). Dinophasma saginata (Redtenbacher, 1906) : lectotype male, Kinabalu, Borneo, Staudinger ( NMW); 2 males and 2 females, Borneo, reared by M. Gottardo (MGC). Dinophasma viridis Bragg, 2005 : holotype female and paratype male, Sabah, Kinabalu N. P., Silau Silau trail, P. E. Bragg, 03-08-2001 ( BMNH) (photographs examined).

Description. Main lengths (in mm). Body: 36.5; antennae: 15.8; head: 2.8; pronotum: 3.4; mesonotum: 4.3; metanotum: 1.6; median segment: 2.7; hind wing: 11.4; cercus: 2.1; fore femur: 5.7; fore tibia: 4.5; fore tarsus: 3.6; middle femur: 4.3; middle tibia: 4.3; middle tarsus: 3.0; hind femur: 7.9; hind tibia: 7.3; hind tarsus: 4.5.

Small Dinophasma species, habitus as in Fig. 1 . General body colour of preserved holotype mid-brown, integument slightly glossy.

Head. About as long as wide, strongly flattened dorsoventrally. Dorsal surface granulose, with a rounded, flat, mainly pale brown tubercle anteriorly ( Fig. 3 ). Eyes projecting more than hemispherically. Antennae incomplete, right antenna composed of 19 segments ( Fig. 2 ). Antennal segments I-II dark brown with lighter speckles, III-XII alternatively mid-brown and light-brown, remainder almost uniformly dark brown. Antennal segment I about 1.70 times longer than wide, thickened and moderately widened from base to apex, flat dorsally and almost semicircular in cross-section. Antennal segment II shorter than I, almost as long as wide and oval in cross-section. Antennal segment III narrower and slightly shorter than II.

Thorax. Dorsal and lateral surfaces granulose, with numerous mid-brown and dark brown speckles; ventral margins with some whitish setae. Pronotum ( Fig. 3 ) longer than wide, front margin slightly indented. Dorsum of pronotum with anterior half moderately raised and a cross-shaped shallow impression medially; a minute mound is present at the posterior margin. Lateral lobe of pronotum strongly constricted in anterior half. Mesonotum about 1.30 times length of pronotum, with a minute triangular tubercle medioposteriorly. Metanotum wider than long, with a medium-sized tubercle medioposteriorly.

Wings. Tegminae lacking. Hind wings reaching half length of abdominal segment IV. Costal region dark brown, with some lighter blotches and a large light-brown stripe on the posterior half; lighter areas occupying altogether about 40 % of the region. Base of costal region spine-like, acutely pointed. Anal region almost uniformly translucent light-brown, exterior margin darkening very moderately.

Legs. Broad and short, mottled from yellowish brown to dark brown, with some tufts of whitish setae ( Figs. 5-7 ). Hind legs reaching to half of abdominal segment IX. Femora laterally compressed and very wavy ventrally; dorsal surface rounded. Fore femora moderately incurving at base; ventral undulating lamina composed of four expansions, from base to apex: I-II broad and of uniform size, III-IV progressively shortened. Mid femora straight, with less developed ventral undulating lamina, lacking distinct expansions III-IV. Hind femora straight, ventral undulating lamina with expansions I-III broad, IV shortened. Fore tibiae and hind tibiae irregular, with broad expansions; mid tibiae almost regular. Tarsi short: tarsal segment I shorter than II-IV; tarsal segments I-IV progressively shorter; tarsal segment V as long as II-IV, regularly widened from base to apex. Tarsal claws pectination indistinct.

Abdomen. Median segment about 1.75 times length of metanotum. Abdomen ( Figs. 8-9 ) narrowing regularly from segments II-VII, then widening from VIII-IX, X of uniform width. Abdominal segments II-V increasing in lengh, VI- VIII progressively shorter, IX as long as VIII, X shorter than IX. Lateral margins of abdominal segments VII-IX moderately projecting angularly towards posterior end. Posterior of abdominal tergites V-VIII darkened. Abdominal tergites V- VII with a very small sublateral tubercle on posterior margin, VIII-IX also bearing a small lobe medioposteriorly. Posterior margin of abdominal segment X rounded. Cerci straight, interior surface flat, exterior surface convex, apices incurving very moderately. Subgenital plate flat, 1.65 times longer than wide, broad proximally, then constricted in anterior one/third and roundly dilated distally.

Female and egg. Unknown.

Etymology. The epithet “ maalon ” (from Tagalog, very wavy) refers to the distinctive shape of the femora.

Distribution. This species is until now known only from Mount Madja-as, Antique province, Panay Island, Philippines.

Taxonomic notes. Zompro (2004) established the genus Xylobistus and a new subfamily Xylobistinae ( Aschiphasmatidae ) for a puzzling new species, X. braggi Zompro, 2004 from Borneo, characterized by the presence of a strongly developed ventral undulating lamina on the femora, as well as by other morphological characters of the insect and the egg. However, this taxonomic arrangement was modified by Bragg (2005), who synonymized Xylobistus with Dinophasma , based on the hypothesis of a strict relationship between X. braggi and Dinophasma viridis Bragg, 2005 from Borneo, which shows a certain similarity with the former species.

Because of the presence of a strongly developed ventral undulating lamina on the femora, and reduced tarsal claws pectination, the new species is clearly related to D. braggi ( Zompro, 2004) from Borneo. D. maalon n. sp. can be distinguished from the mentioned species by the following set of male morphological characters: more slender body and overall size smaller; head dorsum with a flat tubercle (in braggi : two); absence of tegminae (in braggi present); hind wings: base of costal region spine-like, acutely pointed (in braggi hump-like, not acutely pointed); weakly developed tubercles and lobes on abdominal tergites (in braggi strongly developed); straight cerci (in braggi curved). Additionally, a difference is found in the length ratios of the abdominal segments, and shorter hind wings.

These two species differ significantly from all the other known members of the genus for the peculiar features of the legs, shortened antennal segment III and traits of the egg in D. braggi . More material, especially the female and egg of D. maalon n. sp., is needed to clarify the current taxonomical status of the genus Dinophasma .

Acknowledgements. I am grateful to George Beccaloni (BMNH), Phil Bragg (Nottinghamshire, England) and Oliver Zompro (Max-Planck-Institute, Plön, Germany) for providing useful information and photographic material. My sincere thanks to Ulrike Aspöck (NMW) and Roberto Poggi (MSNG) for allowing access to collections, to Orlando L. Eusebio (University of the Philippines Los Baños, Philippines) and Benjamin Z. Mabanta (Manila, Philippines) for providing the Tagalog name, and to Fausto Pesarini (Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Ferrara, Italy) for precious support. The manuscript benefited from the careful comments of Filippo M. Buzzetti (University of Padova, Italy).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Dinophasma maalon n. sp., male holotype: 1 — habitus in dorsolateral view; 2 — right antenna; 3 — head and pronotum in dorsal view. Dinophasma braggi (Zompro, 2004), male holotype: 4 — head and pronotum in dorsal view. Scale: 1 mm.

FIGURES 5 – 9. Dinophasma maalon n. sp., male holotype: 5 — right fore leg; 6 — right mid leg; 7 — right hind leg; 8 — apex of abdomen in dorsal view; 9 — apex of abdomen in ventral view. Scale: 1 mm.