Ocnophila Brunner, 1907

Ghirotto, Victor Morais, Engelking, Phillip Watzke & Crispino, Edgar Blois, 2023, Revision of the Neotropical stick insect genus Ocnophila (Phasmatodea: Diapheromeridae) with a new species from Colombia, Zootaxa 5296 (2), pp. 179-209 : 181

Genus Ocnophila Brunner, 1907

( Figs 1–13 )

Ocnophila Brunner, 1907: 309 . Type species Ocnophila integra Brunner, 1907 , by subsequent designation of Hebard (1919).

= Parapygirhynchus Brunner, 1907: 316 . Type species Parapygirhynchus catenatus Brunner, 1907 , by subsequent designation of Zompro (2001). Synonymized by Zompro (2001): 233. See Brock et al. (2023) for a complete reference list

Remarks. Ocnophila integra was described based on both sexes but the females were proven to belong to a different genus ( Zompro 2001) and its true female was proposed to be the lectotype of the junior synonym Parapygirhynchus catenatus Brunner, 1907 , from the same locality as the male lectotype of O. integra . However, the occurrence of a closely related species nearby, O. iphicla , described from both sexes, could put into question which male belongs to which female. We confirmed the matching of sexes by the significant difference in robustness of both pairs and further by records of a mating pair of O. iphicla from the citizen-science online platform iNaturalist ( Maleno 2019) ( Fig. 11 ).

Diagnosis. Apterous. Head short in dorsal view, eyes small and projecting less than hemispherical. Thorax with granules, including along the length of mesoepisternum and metepisternum. Median segment very short. Legs relatively thin, with strong swelling at the base of the metafemur. Male. Abdomen relatively short; tergum X short in relation to anterior terga, wider than long, elevated in lateral view; cerci short and slightly incurved. Sterna V and VI with circular dense tuft of setae near posterior margin.Poculum well developed, round, with anterior region of sternum IX well developed and wide. Thorn pads with one or two prominent incurved sclerotized spines each. Phallic organ with dorsal sclerite in “b” shape, i.e., a subquadrate anteriormost area with a thin, somewhat straight prolongation at right side towards posterior, and with a curled claw-shaped basal sclerite with flat base. Female. Praeopercular organ a rugose swelling. Tergum VIII longer than VII, tergum IX with dorsal posterior region elevated. Tergum X poorly elevated, short in height, with posterior margin strongly developed, dorsoventrally compressed, lanceolate to conical, duck-bill shaped. Subgenital plate short, with round posterior margin, barely reaching epiproct.

Figures

FIGURE 1. A–D. Ocnophila integra, male lectotype, habitus and body: A. Body, dorsal view; B. Habitus, dorsal view; C. Habitus, lateral view (mirrored); D. Mesothorax, laterodorsal view (mirrored). Copyright NMW. Scale bars: 2 mm.

FIGURE 2. A–C. Ocnophila integra, male lectotype, head and thorax: A. Dorsal view; B. Lateral view; C. Ventral view. Copyright NMW. Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIGURE 3. A–G. Ocnophila integra, male lectotype, thorax and abdomen: A. Mesothorax, dorsal view; B. Terminalia (apex of abdomen), dorsal view; C. Terminalia, lateral view (mirrored); D. Detail of thorn pad, anteroventral view; E. Terminalia, ventral view; F. Tergum X, posteroventral view; G. Abdomen, ventral view showing tufts of setae. Copyright NMW. Scale bars: A–C, E–G = 1 mm; D = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 4. A–E. Ocnophila integra, male holotype of Ocnophila signatior: A. Habitus, dorsal view; B. Body, dorsal view; C. Head and thorax, dorsal view; D. Terminalia, lateral view (mirrored); E. Tergum X, posteroventral view. Copyright NMW. Scale bars: 2 mm.

FIGURE 5. A–F. Ocnophila integra, male NMW632 from San Esteban, Venezuela: A. Habitus, dorsal view; B. Metathorax, lateral view; C. Head and thorax, dorsal view; D. Head and thorax, lateral view; E. Terminalia, dorsal view; F. Terminalia, lateral view (mirrored). Copyright NMW. Image not to scale.

FIGURE 6. A–I. Ocnophila integra, female NMW632 from Porto Cabello: A. Habitus, dorsal view; B. Habitus, lateral view (mirrored); C. Head and thorax, dorsal view; D. Head and thorax, lateral view (mirrored); E. Mesothorax, dorsal view; F. Terminalia, dorsal view G. Terminalia, lateral view (mirrored); H. Terminalia, ventrolateral view; I. Abdomen, ventral view showing tufts of setae (mirrored). Copyright NMW. Image not to scale.

FIGURE 7. A–F. Ocnophila integra, phallic organ treated with KOH, male holotype of Ocnophila signatior (A–C) and male NMW632 (D–F): A, D. Dorsal view; B. Lateral view, right side; C. Lateral view, left side; E. Ventrolateral view, right side; F. Detail of anterior portion of dorsal lobe showing setae, lateral view, left side. Copyright NMW. Scale bars: A–E = 0.5 mm; F = 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 8. Ocnophila cf. integra, live female from Caracas, Venezuela, photo courtesy of Javier Uzcátegui, utilised with permission. Image not to scale.

FIGURE 9. A–E. Ocnophila iphicla, male lectotype: A. Habitus, lateral view; B. Habitus, dorsal view; C. Terminalia, dorsal view; D. Terminalia, lateral view; E. Terminalia, ventral view. Photos courtesy of Paul D. Brock/Phasmida Species File, copyright NHMUK. Scale bars: 2 mm.

FIGURE 10. A–E. Ocnophila iphicla, female paralectotype: A. Habitus, lateral view; B. Habitus, dorsal view; C. Terminalia, dorsal view; D. Terminalia, lateral view; E. Terminalia, ventral view. Photos courtesy of Paul D. Brock/Phasmida Species File, copyright NHMUK. Scale bars: 2 mm.

FIGURE 11. A–D. Ocnophila iphicla, live insects from Caracas, Venezuela.A–B. Mating pair, lateral (A) and dorsal view (B), photo courtesy of Pedro Cabello Maleno; C. Adult female, lateral view, photo courtesy of Javier Uzcátegui; D. Adult female, dorsal view, photo courtesy of Christopher J Sharpe. All images utilised with permission. Images not to scale.

FIGURE 12. A–F. Ocnophila serrata sp. nov., female holotype:A. Habitus, dorsal view; B. Habitus, lateral view; C.Terminalia, dorsal view; D. Terminalia, lateral view; E. Terminalia, ventral view; F. Head and thorax, lateral view (mirrored). Photos courtesy of Paul D. Brock/Phasmida Species File, copyright NHMUK. Scale bars: 2 mm.

FIGURE 13. Comparison of Ocnophila iphicla, female paralectotype (A) and Ocnophila serrata sp. nov., female holotype (B) in dorsal view, at the same scale. Scale bar: 2 mm.