Platycranini Brunner
Creators: name: Hennemann, Frank H.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Phasmida
Phasmatidae

description: Tribe Platycranini Brunner v. Wattenwyl, 1893
(Figs. 6D, 9-10, 12 J-K)
Type-genus: Platycrana Gray, 1835: 36.
Platycraniae Brunner v. Wattenwyl, 1893: 97
Otte & Brock, 2005: 13. [First use as Platycranini - noted that technically not needed]
Seow-Choen, 2018: 449.
Diagnosis (♂, ♀): Moderately sized (body length ♂♂ 80.0–90.0 mm, ♀♀ incl. subgenital plate 125.0–155.0 mm), very stocky and massive (♀♀ in particular) bright green Platycraninae (Fig. 9). Both sexes with fully developed alae that cover more than half of abdomen; anal fan plain transparent pink. Head strongly globose with vertex rounded and smooth. Pronotum quadrate (♂♂) or transverse (♀♀). Mesothorax short and less than 3.5x longer than prothorax. Mesonotum smooth in ♀♀ with the lateral margins strongly deflexed, rounded and overlapping mesopleurae; in ♂♂ slender and prominently tuberculose or spinose (Fig. 10G). Mesopleurae simple (minutely tuberculose in ♂♂). Median segment longer than metanotum. Abdominal tergites II–VII of ♀♀ with lateral margins noticeably deflexed; II-VI wider than long. Subgenital plate of ♀♀ strongly keeled longitudinally, boat-shaped and projecting over apex of abdomen by considerably more than length of anal segment (Fig. 10A). Vomer of ♂♂ with a ridge-like to conical basal swelling (Figs. 6D, 10D, 10F).
Eggs (Figs. 12 J–K): Large and ovoid; colour plain pale to mid brown. Entire capsule surface deeply and densely punctured; otherwise with some obtuse bulges. Micropylar plate very large, almost as long as capsule and of a complex shape with two large, hook-like lateral expansions and the polar portion very narrow and almost reaching to posterior pole; entire plate slightly lowered. Outer margin distinctly marked by dark brown, the inner portion sculptured like capsule. Micropylar cup small and just above narrow posterior portion of plate. Internal micropylar plate with a very long and slender posterior extension. Chorion very thick (ca. 0.7-0.8 mm), comb-like and consisting of tube-like, radially directed hollow compartments. Operculum dark reddish brown, almost circular and with a slightly swollen, somewhat granulose circular bulge some distance off the outer margin; the central portion impressed. Capitulum small, mushroom-like in shape; orange. Measurements [mm]: overall length 6.3-6.5, capsule length 5.9-6.1, width 4.0-4.2, height 4.3-4.7, length of micropylar plate 4.9-5.1, width of micropylar plate 3.6-3.7.
Comments: This tribe only contains the monotypical type-genus Platycrana Gray, 1835, that is widely distributed throughout Wallacea and some of the more southern Philippine Islands. Although P. viridana (Olivier, 1792) appears to be fairly abundant in certain localities, almost nothing is currently known about the habits and natural food plants. Morphologically the massive, bright green ♀♀ resemble winged version of certain species of Macrophasma Hennemann & Conle, 2006 (tribe Stephanacridini), e.g. M. oreitrephes (Günther, 1929). Since the egg has not yet been formally described, a detailed description and measurements are here presented. The description is based on two examples from the Philippine Island of Panay in the authors collection (coll. FH, No. 0173-E).
A questionable Wallacean species attributed to the Mascarene Megacraniinae genus Xenomaches Kirby, 1896 (+ see above) by Redtenbacher (1908: 379) and since retained in that genus by subsequent authors is not a member of Xenomaches nor the subfamily Megacraniinae subfam. nov.. Examination of the holotype ♂ of Xenomaches moderata (Kirby, 1884) from the island of Ambon in Natural History Museum, London, U.K. (NHMUK) has recovered this to be a strongly discoloured specimen of Platycrana viridana (Olivier, 1792). The pale yellow colour was obviously caused by long-term storage in ethanol. This species is here synonymised with P. viridana (syn. nov.).
Distribution: Wallacea and Philippines.
description: Published as part of Hennemann, Frank H., 2020, Megacraniinae-The Palm Stick Insects: A new subfamily of Old World Phasmatodea and a redefinition of Platycraninae Brunner v. Wattenwyl, 1893 (Phasmatodea: " Anareolatae "), pp. 151-179 in Zootaxa 4896 (2) on page 169, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4896.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4381376