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

description: Phanocles superbus sp. n.   
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: DD3D6458-9861-4C22-BD63-2CBD0F02A525  
(Figs. 52D, 57K, 64A–C, 88M)  
 HT, ♀: Museum Paris, Equateur, S. Poulain rec.; Prov. Pichincha, Quito / Sto. Dom.: Tandapi 1700m, 19 II 1995 [MNHN].   
 Diagnosis. Females of this very distinctive species (the only sex known) most closely resemble Ph. decorus with which they share the large sub-basal lobe on the two outer ventral carinae of the meso- and metafemora and tibiae, distinct posterolateral lobe of abdominal tergum VII and long, lanceolate subgenital plate (Figs. 64A–C). In this new species however, the lobes of the meso- and metafemora are rounded and almost entire, while they are distinctly excavated and irregularly toothed in decorus. Moreover, Ph. superbus sp. n. is slightly slenderer in general shape with the body segments relatively longer (mesothorax only 5.5x longer than prothorax in decorus), the cephalad pair of horns is much more prominent (Fig. 57K; merely obtuse spines in decorus), the mesonotum lacks the spines seen in decorus, there is no posteromedian pair of spines on abdominal terga V–VII and the dorsal lobe of the basitarsi is much more developed.   
 Etymology. The name for this new species (superbus lat. = superb, grand, handsome) refers to the large size and distinctive leg armature. Masculine.   
 Description. ♀♀ (Fig. 52D): Large (body length including subgenital plate 204.0 mm) and fairly stocky, with a distinctly bi-cornute head, a densely granulose thorax, a very long and lanceolate subgenital plate, that projects beyond the tip of the abdomen by more than the length of the three terminal abdominal segments and distinctively lobate legs. General colour of the unique holotype greyish olive and partly with a slight ochreous hue dorsally and rather green ventrally. Abdominal tergum IV with a weakly defined, white elongate-triangular median marking. Granules of the thorax dark yellow (Fig. 57K), the largest of which are tipped with ochre or brown. Eyes dark yellowish green. Antennae buff dorsally and reddish dark brown ventrally.   
Head (Fig. 57K): Sub-globosewith the vertex roundly convex, broadest just behind the eyes and the genae gently narrowing towards the posterior; about 1.2x longer than wide. Vertex and genae supplied with a few minute scattered granules. Just behind the eyes armed with a pair of moderately prominent, somewhat laterad directed, basically conical horns that project by almost half the height of head capsule; these sub-oval in diameter and with the anterior portion carinate and irregularly dentate and the apex pointed. Frons with a shallow transverse furrow between the bases of the antennae, whose ends each terminate in a rounded impression. Eyes small, projecting almost hemispherical, circular in outline and their diameter contained 2.4x in length of genae. Antennae reaching about two-thirds the way along median segment. Scapus increasingly compressed dorsoventrally towards the base, rectangular in ventral aspect and about 1.4x longer than wide. Pedicellus slightly oval in cross-section, tapering towards the apex and roughly half the length of scapus.  
Thorax: Pronotum scarcely shorter but noticeably narrower than head, 1.5x longer than wide and roundly rectangular in dorsal aspect with the lateral margins gently concave in anterior half; surface unevenly granulose and with two slightly diverging longitudinal rows of somewhat enlarged granules in posterior half. Anterior margin somewhat raised and with a distinct and deep rounded pit at each outer angle, the posterior margin with an obtuse tubercle medially; transverse median sulcus very distinct, deeply impressed, somewhat arched and expanding almost over entire width of segment (Fig. 57K). Mesothorax 6.3x longer than prothorax, somewhat constricted anteriorly and the posterior portion slightly widened. Metanotum slightly less than one-third the length of mesonotum, about 2x longer than width at posterior margin and gently narrowing towards the posterior. Meso- and metanotum each with a shallow medio-longitudinal ridge that is marked by two closely placed, parallel longitudinal rows of very closely placed granules and a longitudinal lateral row of granules; surface otherwise densely but unevenly granulose to nodulose. Meso- and metapleurae minutely granulose and with a marginal longitudinal row of closely placed granules. Meso- and metasternum granulose and with a fine granulose longitudinal carina close to lateral margins; the mesosternum very weakly tectate medio-longitudinally.  
Abdomen: Median segment somewhat longer than metanotum, prominently constricted medially and 2.3x longer than width of anterior margin; surface like that of metanotum. Following segments just very minutely granulose but with a distinct, obtuse longitudinal carina close to lateral margins, that is most pronounced and II and becomes gradually less obvious towards VI. Segment II as long as median segment, slightly narrowing towards the posterior and 2x longer than wide. II–V increasing and VI–VII decreasing in length; V longest and about 3x longer than wide; II–VI basically uniform in diameter. Tergum VII three-quarters the length of VI, slightly widening towards the posterior and with lateral margins in the posterior half strongly deflexed to form a prominent, almost semi-circular lobe that laterally extends by almost one-third the width of tergum (Figs. 64A–C). Sterna II–VII sparsely and minutely granulose and with a fairly obtuse longitudinal lateral carina. Praeopercular organ represented by an irregularly shaped, apically angular lobe that is formed by a posterior deflexion of the two lateral carinae of sternum VII (Fig. 64C). Terga VIII–X roughly uniform in width and noticeably narrower than all preceding segments; VIII half the length of VII, 1.4x longer than wide and gently widened anteriorly; IX scarcely three-fifth the length of VIII, roundly rectangular in dorsal aspect and somewhat wider than long. VIII and IX both with an obtuse longitudinal lateral ridge IX with the lateral margins moderately deflexed and angular posteriorly. Anal segment slightly longer than IX, tectate longitudinally, as long as width at anterior margin, gradually tapering towards the posterior and the posterior margin narrowly rounded (Fig. 64B); the lateral margins with a concave emargination medially to expose the cerci (Fig. 64A). Epiproct very small, triangular and fully concealed under anal segment. Cerci very small, gently incurved and gradually narrowing towards the apex. Gonapophyses VIII strongly elongated, upcurved apically, canaliculate interiorly and projecting over apex of abdomen by more than length of two terminal terga taken together (Figs. 64A–B). Subgenital plate very long and projecting over apex of abdomen by decidedly more than combined length of three terminal terga; shape lanceolate, narrowly canaliculate and keeled medio-longitudinally with the apex fairly pointed (Figs. 64A–C); basal portion with an arched, longitudinal lateral ridge.  
Legs: All fairly short and stocky and with distinctive lobes and rounded expansions. Profemora notably shorter than mesothorax, mesofemora scarcely longer metathorax, metafemora reaching about half the way along abdominal segment IV and metatibiae roughly reaching half the way along abdominal segment VI. The two outer ventral carinae of meso- and metafemora strongly deflexed sub-basally to form a broad, somewhat undulate lobe that covers almost one-third of the length of femur and has two minute teeth in the apical half; the apex of both carinae terminating in a fairly large, triangular apical tooth. Posterodorsal carina of meso- and metafemora weakly undulate. Anteroventral and medioventral carinae of meso- and metatibiae strongly deflexed and rounded sub-basally (medioventral carinae less distinctly although); the anteroventral carinae very weakly wavy over entire length. Dorsal carina of all basitarsi with a large, roundly triangular crest; all notably longer than the three corresponding following tarsomeres taken together.  
 Comments. Males and eggs unknown.   
 Table 50: Measurements of Phanocles superbus sp. 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 218-220, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5444.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/11071464