Korinnis gracilis, Gottardo, 2008

Gottardo, Marco, 2008, A new species of Korinnis Günther from the Philippines (Phasmatodea: Prisopodidae: Korinninae), Zootaxa 1917 (1), pp. 61-64 : 61-63

Korinnis gracilis n. sp. ( Figures 1–6 )

Type material. Holotype, female; paratypes, 4 eggs ex abdomen: Philippines, Mindanao Island, Surigao del Sur, Tandag, 12–20.IV.2008, leg. R. Cabale ( MSNG).

Description. Main lengths (in mm). Body: 49.4; antennae: 25.5; head: 3.5; pronotum: 2.1; mesonotum: 4.9; metano-

tum: 6.2; median segment: 2.6; tegmina: 3.0; hind wing: 35.0; cercus: 1.7; fore femur: 9.3; fore tibia: 7.3; fore tarsus: 5.9; mid femur: 7.0; mid tibia: 5.3; mid tarsus: 4.4; hind femur: 10.3; hind tibia: 8.1; hind tarsus: 6.1.

Medium-sized, slender Korinnis species ; habitus as in Figure 1 . General body colour light brown; integument of head, thorax, tegminae, costal region of hind wings, legs and abdomen (except surfaces covered by wings) distinctly setose. Head ( Figures 1–2 ): flattened dorso-ventrally, 1.40 times as long as maximum width; anterior with v-shaped incision between antennae, posterior half with 8 irregular rows of yellow granules. Antennae brown with darker annulation, densely setose, composed of 48 segments: scapus rectangular, 1.50 times longer than wide, almost of uniform height from base to apex; pedicellus 0.83 times as long as scapus, oval in cross-section; III as long as scapus; IV 0.50 times as long as III; remainder of various lengths. Eyes oblong, dark brown, strongly projecting from capsule. Thorax ( Figures 1– 2 ): Pronotum narrower and shorter than head, 1.31 times longer than wide, with scattered granules; front margin with two raised spine-shaped tubercles; glandular openings well developed, semicircular; anterior third with strongly incised transversal sulcus; posterior margin smooth, rounded. Mesothorax regularly widening towards the posterior, 0.88 times as long as head and pronotum combined; mesonotum 2.33 times length of pronotum, posterior 1.38 times as wide as anterior, surface densely covered with yellowish granules, with a faint median line, and smooth sublateral impressions. Metathorax elongate, parallel-sided; metanotum 1.27 times length of mesonotum, structurally smooth and glossy. Meso- and metapleurae granulose. Mesosternum granulose, metasternum smooth. Wings ( Figure 1 ): Tegmina rounded, with prominent net-like venation and black hump-like shoulder; anterior half mainly mid brown, yellowish ochre in costal area, remainder dark green. Hind wing moderately projecting over abdominal segment VIII; costal region largely green, anterior half of costal area light brown; anal region translucent pale orange. Legs ( Figures 1–2 ): slender and unarmed; hind legs reaching to anterior of abdominal tergite VIII. Fore femora strongly compressed and incurved basally; mid femora shorter than combined length of metanotum and median segment; hind femora slightly projecting beyond abdom- inal tergite III. Tibiae broadened distally, area apicalis well impressed. Tarsi with segment I longer than II–IV combined. Abdomen ( Figures 3–4 ): almost parallel-sided, narrowing very moderately from segments II–X. Median segment 0.42 times as long as metanotum. Tergite II 1.81 times length of median segment, III–IV equal in lengh and shorther than II, V–VI equal in lengh and shorther than IV, VII shorther than VI; tergites II–VII about 1.62 times longer than wide (min = 1.55, max = 1.73). Tergite VIII 0.65 times as long as VII; IX 0.68 times as long as VIII; X 0.80 times as long as IX, posterior margin rounded; supra-anal plate shorter than tergite X, median carina present, posterior margin acutely pointed. Cercus strikingly flattened dorso-ventrally, projecting beyond supra-anal plate, longer than tergite IX; inner margin evenly straight, outer margin incurving and progressively tapering in distal third, apex acutely pointed. Subgenital plate deeply notched medioposteriorly. Gonapophyses not extending beyond subgenital plate.

Egg. Four eggs were extracted from the abdomen of the holotype. All are only partially developed, but the following basic features are recognizable ( Figures 5–6 ): capsule almost cone-shaped; anterior of dorsal surface circular and flat, posterior increasingly tapering; ventral surface flat, presumably adhesive; operculum circular, close to the anterior margin of dorsal surface; opercular angle about + 25°. Capsule length 2.9 mm, width 1.3 mm, height 1.3 mm.

Male. Unknown.

Etymology. The epithet “ gracilis ” (from Latin, slender) refers to the structure of the mesothoracic segment.

Distribution. The new species is known only from a single specimen, the holotype female, collected in the mountainous areas of Tandag, Surigao del Sur province, Mindanao Island, Philippines.

Discussion. K. gracilis n. sp. lacks the apomorphic, strongly globose head that characterizes K. orlyeusebioi Zompro, 2005 , the only other Philippine representative of the genus. Both species are known only from their type localities in Surigao del Sur, a province located at the Northeastern coast of Mindanao Island, suggesting possible overlapping geographical ranges. Among known members of Korinnis , the new species is apparently most similar to K. errans Günther, 1938 from Borneo; it differs significantly in the structure of mesothorax, proportions of the thoracic nota, and morphology of the cerci. Additionally, K. gracilis n. sp. has antennae with distinct dark bands (in errans dark bands weakly developed), and a pale orange anal region of the hind wings (in errans indistinctly pinkish). Updated distinguishing features for all species of the genus are fully summarised in the Identification key to species of Korinnis (see below).

Figures

FIGURES 1–2. Korinnis gracilis n. sp.: 1. habitus in dorsal view; 2. head, pro- and mesothoracic segments in lateral view.

FIGURES 3–6. Korinnis gracilis n. sp.: 3. female apex of abdomen in dorsal view; 4. female apex of abdomen in ventral view; 5. egg in dorsal view, to show: A = operculum, B = anterior portion of dorsal surface, C = posterior end; 6. egg in lateral view, to show: D = flattened ventral surface. Scale bar: 1 mm.