Ocnophila iphicla ( Westwood, 1859 )

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 : 191-195

Ocnophila iphicla ( Westwood, 1859)

( Figs 9–11 )

Pygirhynchus iphiclus Westwood, 1859: 58 .

Caulonia iphiclus , Bolívar 1890: 138; Kirby 1904: 344.

Parapygirhynchus iphiclus, Brunner 1907: 316 .

Ocnophila iphicla, Zompro 2001: 234 ; Otte & Brock 2005: 229; Conle et al. 2011: 62; Brock et al. 2016: 178; Brock & Büscher 2022: 515.

>> Lectotype (here designated), J ( NHMUK): Pygirhynchus iphiclus J Westw. ; Iphiclus J; SYNTYPE; Venezuela, 47 24; BMNH ( E) #844573 ( Fig. 9 ) .

>> Paralectotype, ♀ ( NHMUK): Pygirhynchus Serv ; Pygirhynchus Iphiclus Westw Columbia & Venezuela; Iphiclus West; SYNTYPE; Venezuela, 47 24; BMNH (E) #844574 ( Figs 10 , 13A ); Paralectotype, ♀ juvenile ( NHMUK): SYNTYPE; Venezuela, 47 26; BMNH (E) #844576 .

Diagnosis. Ocnophila iphicla can be differentiated from O. integra by its robust, thicker body (mesothorax around 3x in females and 6x in males longer than wide or less; 5x in females and 13x in males of O. integra ), the shorter legs, and in males the more rugose surface of the body, femora with granulations and longer tergum X. Females of O. iphicla can be differentiated from females of O. serrata sp. nov. by the much less serrated legs, less scalloped abdomen, slightly slenderer thorax, and terga VIII–IX shorter in height.

Remarks. One of the specimens from the original syntype series, from Colombia, is described beneath as Ocnophila serrata sp. nov. Lectotype was designated for O. iphicla in order to fix the status of this species, especially as one of the former syntypes is a juvenile specimen and the series contained more than one species.

Notes on records of live specimens. A mating pair and three females of stick insects perfectly matching O. iphicla were recorded on iNaturalist (iNaturalist, 2023), some of the photographs, taken by Pedro Cabello Maleno, Christopher J Sharpe and Javier Uzcátegui, are presented in Fig. 11 .

Redescription.

Male ( Fig. 9 ).

Colour ( Fig. 9 ). Entirely dark brown, with scattered lighter stains.

Head ( Fig. 9A–B ). Subrectangular, vertex flat, bearing small granules. Frontal convexity developed. Eyes large, hemispherical. Antennae filiform, broken. Scapus dorsoventrally compressed, wide. Pedicel more than half the length of scapus, longer than wide.

Thorax ( Fig. 9A–B ). Rugose surface. Pronotum slightly longer than wide, rugose. Mesothorax ca. 4.5x longer than prothorax; mesonotum, metanotum, mesepisternum and metepisternum with irregular small granules along its length. Mesothorax around 1.6x longer than metathorax. Metanotum around 3.3x the length of median segment.

Legs ( Fig. 9A–B ). Hindlegs, mid tibiae and tarsi, and front tarsi totally lacking. Front and mid femur and front tibiae bearing small granules or serrations in the carinae along its length.

Abdomen ( Fig. 9A–E ). Surface rugose, bearing granules and carinae. Median segment well marked by a sulcus, around 0.3x the length of the metanotum. Terga II–IV, VII and IX longer than wide, V–VI as long as wide, VIII and X wider than long. Terga II–X and sterna II–VIII with a pair of paramedial longitudinal carinae, only faint until VI and well marked in terga VII–X and sterna VII–VIII; tergum X further with a medial carina, strong, raised ( Fig. 9C ). Sterna IV–VI probably with dense tuft of setae near posterior margin, hidden by dirt ( Fig. 9D–E ; this is present in the female and in both sexes of O. integra ). Posterior margin of tergum X elevated and with a round and wide emargination forming two round prominent lobes bearing thorn pads at the ventral surface. Tergum X about the same size as VIII and both slightly shorter than IX. Tergum VIII gently widening towards posterior and IX tapering towards posterior; X wider centrally with convex lateral prominences ( Fig. 9C ). Poculum well developed, round. Poculum with posterior margin round and labellate, i.e., continuing shortly towards posterior at an angle of around 90º ( Fig. 9D ). Anterior part of sternum IX long, almost as long as poculum. Cerci short ( Fig. 9E ).

Female ( Figs 10 , 13A ).

Colour ( Fig. 10 ). Entirely brown, with lighter to darker stains.

Head ( Fig. 10A–B ). Subrectangular, longer than wide, vertex convex; dorsally with several irregular granules and a central pair of conical rugose prominences. Frontal convexity developed. Eyes relatively small, less than hemispherical. Antennae filiform, broken, reaching at least posterior region of mesonotum. Scapus dorsoventrally compressed, wide. Pedicel more than half the length of scapus, longer than wide. Antennae with at least 15 articles.

Thorax ( Fig. 10A–B ). Rugose surface, with sparse minute setae, thick carinae and irregular granules of varying size. Pronotum slightly longer than wide, slightly constricted premedially, slightly narrower anteriorly; rugose, with several irregular granules mainly posteriorly, with a paramedial pair of large conical granules near the posterior margin. Mesothorax widening towards posterior. Mesothorax ca. 3.8x longer than prothorax; mesonotum, metanotum, mesepisternum and metepisternum with irregular round granules of varying size along the length; mesonotum bearing an asymmetrical pair of large conical granules around mid length. Mesothorax around 2x longer than metathorax. Meso and metanotum with thick, rough carinae, a longitudinal medial one and a paramedial pair which is sinuous, curving towards the centre, near posterior margin. Metanotum ca. 3.6x length of median segment.

Legs ( Fig. 10A–B ). Hindlegs slightly longer than forelegs; midlegs shortest. Hindlegs exceeding end of the abdomen. Profemur slightly longer than mesothorax. Profemur with basal curvature occupying slightly less than one third of the segment. Metafemur with a basal swelling occupying around one fifth of the length of the segment. Carinae of femora and tibiae with sparse setae between them and bearing row of short porrect spiniform setae larger and conical in the tibiae. Basitarsi short, around the same size than the respective following three tarsomeres combined.

Abdomen ( Fig. 10A–E ). Surface rugose, with several paramedial carinae. Median segment well marked by a sulcus, around 0.25x the length of the metanotum, continuing the three carinae of metanotum. Tergum II–VII and IX wider than long, VIII very slightly longer than wide, X much longer than wide. Terga II–VII slightly constricted except at anterior and posterior margins, forming a series of scallops laterally at dorsal view ( Fig. 10B ); VII only very slightly constricted. Terga II–IX with three to four conspicuous pairs of paramedial longitudinal carinae, X with two pairs and a single medial longitudinal carina. Tergum X anteriorly tectiform and sloping down, posteriorly dorsoventrally compressed and lanceolate, with round posterior margin, similar to a duck’s bill, 1.8x longer than wide ( Fig. 10C–D ); paramedial carinae short, not extending more than half length of tergum, the lateralmost shorter ( Fig. 10D ). Sterna bearing thick paramedial carinae; sterna IV–VI with dense tuft of setae near posterior margin ( Fig. 10D–E ). Praeopercular organ swollen and rugose ( Fig. 10E ). Subgenital plate convex, with round apex, reaching only less than one third length of tergum X ( Fig. 10E ). Cerci short, compressed, with slightly lanceolate apex ( Fig. 10E ).

Distribution. From the available material in collections (NHMUK) it is known only from Venezuela without more detail. Records from iNaturalist ( Fig. 11 ) indicate that this species occurs in Caracas, Capital District.

Figures

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 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.