Pharmacus vallestris Hegg & Morgan-Richards & Trewick 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Hegg, Danilo
name: Morgan-Richards, Mary
name: Trewick, Steven A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Orthoptera
Rhaphidophoridae
Pharmacus
Pharmacus vallestris

description: Pharmacus vallestris sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: FDF85976-EE24-4948-B4F1-FFCC3A7E6D89
Figs 1–2, 6, 8G, 9I, 11J–L, 13J–L, 15F, 16C, 18H
Diagnosis
A mid-sized cave wētā known only from the low to mid alpine regions at the foot of Mount Aspiring in the Southern Alps. It is one of the smaller Pharmacus species. Body colour is chequered brown. The fore femur is always armed with a prolateral apical spine.
The species is sympatric with Notoplectron brewsterense comb. nov. and with Pharmacus cochleatus cochleatus comb. nov., although it occupies lower elevations compared to the latter. Notoplectron
brewsterense has fewer, larger spines on the hind tibiae and has unarmed hind tarsi. Pharmacus cochleatus cochleatus is larger, has darker colour, and lacks the prolateral apical spine on the fore femur.
Etymology
‘ Vallestris ’ is Latin for ‘of the valley’. In contrast to sympatric species that inhabit the mountain tops.
Material examined (see also Supp. file 1: Table S11)
Holotype NEW ZEALAND • ♂, adult; Otago Lakes (OL), French Ridge, Matukituki Valley; 44.42560° S, 168.69784° E; 1650 m a.s.l.; 20 Feb. 2021; D. Hegg leg.; on rocky ridge; night search + insect net; NMNZ AI.052302 (prev. MPN CW5214).
Paratype NEW ZEALAND • 1 ♀, adult; Otago Lakes (OL), Matukituki River West Branch; 44.41637° S, 168.69130° E; 1100 m a.s.l.; 6 May 2017; D Hegg leg.; under boulder; night search; GenBank: OM293699; NMNZ AI.052303 (prev. MPN CW3430).
Other material NEW ZEALAND – Otago Lakes (OL) • 1 ♂;same collection data as for paratype; GenBank: OM293703; MPN CW3700 • 1 ♀, 1 nymph; French Ridge, Matukituki Valley; 44.42520° S, 168.69871° E; 1700 m a.s.l.; 22 Nov. 2020; D. Hegg leg.; on rocky ridge; night search + insect net; MPN CW5145, CW5146 • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; MPN CW5213, CW5215.
Description
MEASUREMENTS. See Table 1.
HEAD. As per generic description. Eyes brown/black. Antennae brown.
THORAX. As per generic description.
LEGS. Variegated colour, mostly brown. Hind tibiae of equal length as body or longer in both males and females. Fore femora armed with one prolateral spine at the apex. Mid femora armed with one retrolateral spine at the apex; prolateral apical spine absent. The first hind tarsus segment is armed with a variable number of linear spines above (up to seven); the second hind tarsus segment is only rarely armed with dorsal linear spines.
ABDOMEN. Tergites tomentose; colour chequered light/dark brown (Figs 8G, 15F). A thin, pale median line along the whole length of the insect is generally present.
MALE TERMINALIA. Subgenital plate roughly in the shape of a French wine cask, similar to but shorter than in Pharmacus cochleatus comb. nov.; very thin and translucent; the paraprocts visible through the subgenital plate from underneath (Fig. 11J–L).
FEMALE TERMINALIA. Subgenital plate bilobed, the two rounded lobes short, broad, and asymmetrical, with a wide gap in between (Fig. 13J); very similar to the subgenital plate of Pharmacus cochleatus comb. nov. Ovipositor relatively short and curved upwards; on average 65% of body length; lower valve with 6 teeth below at the apex (Fig. 13K–L).
description: Published as part of Hegg, Danilo, Morgan-Richards, Mary & Trewick, Steven A., 2022, High alpine sorcerers: revision of the cave wētā genus Pharmacus Pictet & de Saussure (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae: Macropathinae), with the description of six new species and three new subspecies, pp. 1-58 in European Journal of Taxonomy 808 (1) on pages 45-46, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2022.808.1721, http://zenodo.org/record/6419368