Phanocloidea submutica Hennemann & Conle 2024, comb. n.
Creators: name: Hennemann, Frank H.
name: Conle, Oskar V.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Phasmida
Diapheromeridae
Phanocloidea
Phanocloidea submutica

description: Phanocloidea submutica (Redtenbacher, 1908) comb. n.   
(Figs. 70F–G, 72E, 74 O-Q, 75G–J, 87J)  
 Bostra submutica Redtenbacher, 1908: 409.   
Brock, 1998: 61.  
Otte & Brock, 2005: 73.  
Brock & Büscher, 2022: 511.  
 Further material examined [1 ♀, 1 ♂]:   
VENEZUELA: 1 ♂: N-Venezuela, Aragua, Pico Geremba, leg. Rouche 5.XI.1994 [FH, No. 0208–1]; 1 ♀: Venezuela: Maracay-Choroni, ca. 5km S of pass, 1200 m, forest, 5–10 vii 1981, Otte, Roberts, no. 4 [ANSP].  
 Diagnosis. Females of this species (Fig. 70F) are very similar to those of P. turgida (Westwood, 1859) but may be separated by the less globose head, which has the cephalad horns much less pronounced, slightly shorter median segment, less pronounced and more sparse spines of the meso- and metapleurae and sterna, more deeply excavated posterior margin of the anal segment, that has a small median projection, and praeopercular organ that is represented only by a transverse ridge near posterior margin of abdominal sternum VII (two longitudinal ridges in turgida). Males (Fig. 70G) strongly resemble the Brazilian P. serricauda (Bates, 1865) comb. n. in most aspects but differ by the presence of sub-apical teeth on the medioventral carinae of the meso- and metafemora, shorter median segment, that is notably shorter than the metanotum (longer than the metanotum in serricauda), less globose head and much shorter, broader cerci.   
 Description. ♀♀ (Fig. 70F): Small (body length including subgenital plate 124.5 mm), moderately stocky for the genus with a median segment that is notably shorter than the metanotum, sparsely spinose meso- and metapleurae and meso- and metasternum, and a subgenital plate that projects notably beyond the apex of the abdomen. Body surface mostly smooth. Colour of the unique specimen at hand variable reddish mid brown and lichenose with most portions of the body irregularly flecked with white and pale grey and a few irregularly dispersed darker brown markings. Mediolateral portions of abdominal terga II–VI with a washed black marking and I–VII with a small black marking posteromedially. Legs with irregularly defined greyish annulae. Thoracic armature ochre with black points. Antennae buff with the scapus and pedicellus coloured like head and the ventral surface distinctly black basally.   
Head (Fig. 72E): Sub-globose, about 1.3x longer than wide, widest at the eyes and distinctly narrowing towards the posterior; vertex flattened with a slightly impressed coronal line and behind the eyes with a pair of obtusely conical humps. Frons with a very distinct, oval impression between bases of antennae and area in front of the cephalic tubercles transversely impressed. Eyes fairly small, circular in outline and moderately projecting, their diameter contained 2.1x in length of genae. Antennae roughly reaching half way along median segment. Scapus strongly compressed dorsoventrally and carinate laterally, outer lateral carina weakly rounded in dorsal aspect; about 1.5x longer than wide. Pedicellus round in cross-section, weakly inflated and about half the length of scapus. III notably longer than pedicellus and gradually constricted towards the apex.  
Thorax: Pronotum about as long but notably narrower than head, basically rectangular, 1.75x longer than wide with the anterior margin concave, the anterior portion widened and the lateral margins weakly emarginate medially; anterior margin somewhat raised and with two median granules. Transverse median sulcus distinctly impressed, weakly curved and expanding over entire width of segment; supplied with a few minute granules anteriorly and along lateral margins. Mesothorax 6.2x longer than prothorax and very weakly widened posteriorly. Mesonotum with a fine medio-longitudinal carina and with a somewhat more pronounced and obtuse longitudinal carina parallel to lateral margins. Metanotum smooth with a weakly indicated medio-longitudinal carina, slightly more than one-third the length of mesonotum, rectangular and 3.7x longer than wide. Meso- and metapleurae set with rather short, obtuse conical to spines, that are arranged in a longitudinal row (ca. 15 on mesopleurae and eight on metapleurae). Meso- and metasternum supplied with a few diagonally paired spines similar in size to those of the pleurae (Fig. 87J).  
Abdomen: Median segment about three-quarters the length of metanotum, 2.7x longer than wide and with lateral margins gently concave; the medio-longitudinal carina weakly indicated. Segment II about equal in length to median segment, II–V gradually increasing in length, VI as long as V and VII about as long as II; Ii about 2x and V–VI 2.5x longer than wide. II–VI roughly uniform in width, VII somewhat narrower than all preceding segments. Terga II–VII with a granulose longitudinal lateral carina parallel to lateral margins. Sterna II–VII very weakly tectate longitudinally and sparsely set with minute granules. Praeopercular organ formed by a transverse ridge close to posterior margin (Fig. 74Q). Tergum VIII about half the length of VIII, strongly constricted medially with posterior margin notably wider than anterior margin. IX scarcely shorter than VII, rectangular and almost 1.2x longer than wide. Anal segment notably longer than IX, carinate medio-longitudinally, about 1.7x longer than wide and with a conspicuous narrowing pre-posteriorly; the posterior margin deeply emarginate with a point medially and the lateral angles somewhat deflexed and obtusely rounded; the lateral margin with and excavation posteriorly (Fig. 74P). Epiproct very small and hidden under anal segment. Cerci small, round in cross-section, obtuse and scarcely projecting over apex of anal segment. Gonapophyses VIII elongate, slender, gently upcurved and slightly projecting beyond tip of abdomen. Subgenital plate narrowly naviculate, the lower margin straight in lateral aspect (Fig. 74O), with the apical portion somewhat widened and the tip rounded and projecting beyond apex of abdomen by almost the combined length of two terminal abdominal terga (Figs. 74O–Q).  
Legs: Moderately long and slender, profemora shorter than mesothorax, mesofemora about as long as metathorax, metafemora reaching to posterior margin of abdominal segment IV and metatibiae reaching to abdominal segment VIII. Meso- and metafemora with 3–5 blunt apical spines on medio-ventral carina, otherwise unarmed. Basitarsi slender with dorsal carina uniform in height and slightly longer than following three tarsomeres combined.  
 Comments. Eggs unknown, but the ♀ in the collection of ANSP (Fig. 70F) has an egg in its ovipositor which however was not extracted. Brief examination has shown it to look basically very similar to that of Ph. turgida (Westwood, 1859), having similar fimbriate appendages of the capsule (Fig. 74O).   
 Table 63: Measurements of Phanocloidea submutica (Redtenbacher, 1908) comb. n.
description: Published as part of Hennemann, Frank H. & Conle, Oskar V., 2024, Studies on Neotropical Phasmatodea XXVI: Taxonomic review of Cladomorformia tax. n., a lineage of Diapheromerinae stick insects, with the descriptions of seven new genera and 41 new species (Phasmatodea: Occidophasmata: Diapheromerinae), pp. 1-454 in Zootaxa 5444 (1) on pages 265-266, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5444.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/11071464