Decidia blapoides Redtenbacher 1906, n. comb.
Creators: name: Conle, Oskar V.
name: Hennemann, Frank H.
name: Ramírez-Mora, Manuel A.
name: Quiróz, John A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Phasmida
Pseudophasmatidae
Decidia
Decidia blapoides

description: Decidia blapoides (Redtenbacher, 1906) n. comb.   
 (Figs. 1 – 2, 11 – 12)   
 Autolyca blapoides Redtenbacher, 1906: 95. HT, Ƥ: Loja, Ecuador, Simon; Holotipo; Autolyca blapoides Redt.; MNCN, Cat. Tipos N° 7559 (MNCN).   
Conle & Hennemann, 2002: 95, pl. 4: 30 & 10: 101 (Ƥ). Zompro, 2004: 152.  
Otte & Brock, 2005: 57  
 Material examined [2 Ƥ, 2 33]: 1 Ƥ, 2 33: Loja, Equateur, Père A. David Dedit; coll. A. Finot (MNHN, coll. Finot); 1 Ƥ: Ecuador, Tal bei Loja, b. d. Stadt 2200 m, 8.1905, Dr. F. Ohaus leg., vend 15.7.1907 (ZMUH).   
 Distribution: South Ecuador (Azuay Province: Loja).   
 Diagnosis: Close to D. doylei (Caudell, 1906) from Colombia and N-Ecuador with which it shares the small size (Ƥ <50.0 mm, 33 <40.0 mm) and lack of tegmina and alae. It however differs from D. doylei by the plain dark brown head and dull orange antennae of both sexes. 33 clearly differ by the conspicuously hook-like cerci (Fig. 11), which are strongly constricted sub-apically and have the apex pointed and angled towards the anterior, as well as the very short posteromedian extensions of the anal segment. Ƥ may furthermore be distinguished by the slightly more slender body and relatively longer body segments, longer subgenital plate which slightly extends over the apex of the anal segment, and more slender, club-like cerci (Fig. 12).   
 Description: The description of the Ƥ is based solely on the HT in MNCN, that of the previously unknown 3 on specimens in MNHN. Hence, the colouration is described from dried specimens.   
 Ƥ (Fig. 1): Small (body length 40.0 mm) and moderately robust species for the genus; apterous. Body surface and extremities densely covered with yellowish to pale orange hairs.   
 Colouration: General colour of body black dorsally and dark brown ventrally. Posterior portion of mesonotum as well as great parts of the dorsal surface of the metanotum, median segment and abdominal tergites II – VII yellowish brown; almost plain yellowish in the centre and increasingly furnished with black speckles towards the lateral margins. Posterior and lateral margins of abdominal tergites black. Entire body, but ventral surface and subgenital plate in particular, densely hirsute; setae distinctly yellowish to pale orange. Cerci dark reddish brown. Antennae dull orange, scapus and pedicellus black. Eyes dark creamish brown. Legs black, tarsi dark brown; all densely hirsute.   
Head: Vertex gently rounded. An oval, gently convex area between the bases of the antennae. Ocelli rudimentary. Antennomere III merely as long as pedicellus.  
Thorax: Mesonotum distinctly trapezoidal in dorsal aspect with posterior margin about 2x broader than anterior margin; almost 1.5x longer than pronotum.  
 Abdomen: Median segment a little shorter than metanotum. II distinctly shorter than following segments and about 2.8x wider than long. Lateral margins of tergites III – IX gently rounded. Anal segment with a shallow concave posteromedian excavation. Cerci round in cross-section and slightly club-like apically. Subgenital plate slightly projecting over apex of anal segment (Fig. 12).   
Legs: Profemora slightly longer than pro- and mesonotum combined. Mesofemora slightly longer than mesonotum. Metafemora reaching to posterior margin of abdominal segment VII. Tarsi a little more than half the length of corresponding tibiae, basitarsus roughly 2.5x longer than 2nd tarsomere.  
 33 (Fig. 2): Small for the genus (body length 34.0 mm) with very characteristic cerci; apterous. Body surface and extremities densely covered with yellowish to pale orange hairs.   
Colouration: General colour of body and legs plain black. Tarsi brown. Entire body, but ventral surface and poculum in particular, densely hirsute; setae pale orange. Legs and antennae as in Ƥ.  
Head: As in Ƥ.  
Thorax: Mesonotum about 1.7x longer than pronotum.  
Abdomen: Median segment as in Ƥ. Lateral surfaces of tergite IX convex. Anal segment rounded and broader than previous segments, lateral surfaces roundly convex and the posterior margin with a wide, concave excavation; outer angles of excavation with a small, rounded projection. Lateral margins with a minute medial tooth. Cerci strongly enlarged and more than 1.5x the length of anal segment; constricted medially and the apical portion, broadened, truncate and conspicuously hook-like with the apex directed towards the anterior. Poculum very bulgy, slightly angular in lateral aspect and roughly reaching to posterior margin of anal segment (Fig. 11).  
Legs: Profemora roughly equal in length to head, pro- and mesonotum combined. Mesofemora slightly longer than combined length of pro- and mesonotum. Metafemora slightly projecting over posterior margin of abdominal segment VII. Tarsi as in Ƥ.  
 Comments: A Ƥ from the type-locality in ZMUH is creamish mid brown and has the antennae pale straw, but otherwise corresponds perfectly with the HT in MNCN. The pale colouration is believed to have been caused by a provisional preservation in ethanol.
description: Published as part of Conle, Oskar V., Hennemann, Frank H., Ramírez-Mora, Manuel A. & Quiróz, John A., 2009, Studies on neotropical Phasmatodea VIII: Revision of the genus Decidia Stål, 1875 with the description of a new species from Colombia (Phasmatodea: Pseudophasmatidae: Pseudophasmatinae: Anisomorphini), pp. 33-51 in Zootaxa 2089 on pages 38-40, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.187440