Phanocles pleurospinosus 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 pleurospinosus

description: Phanocles pleurospinosus sp. n.   
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: F19F54B9-0F10-4D11-BEB9-F037607BC554  
(Figs. 53A–B, 59D, 63G–J, 109)  
 HT, ♀: Costa Rica, Prov. Cartago, M.N. Guayabo, Send. Arqueológico, 1100–1200m, 12 JUL 2003, Ivan Cruz, Manual, L N 217513 570054 #74105; INB0003723290, MNCR-ACRI COSTA RICA [MNCR-A].   
 PT, ♀: Costa Rica, Limón, San Juan de Pococi, 25–VII–1994, Co. A. F. Rojas [MNCR-A].   
 Diagnosis. Females of this new species (the only sex known) are readily recognised and differentiated from all other known members of the genus by the strong, conical spines of the metapleurae.   
 Etymology. The name refers to the very distinctive and strong, conical spines of the metapleurae of ♀♀ of this new species. Masculine.   
 Description. ♀ (Fig. 53A–B): The following description is based on the unique holotype, which lacks the right mid leg and more than half of both antennae.   
Large (body length including subgenital plate 190.0 mm) and fairly stocky, with a globose but unarmed head, a sparsely tubercular thorax, massive conical spines on the metapleurae (Fig. 59D) and a short, rather scoop-shaped subgenital plate, that scarcely projects beyond the tip of the abdomen. General colour of the holotype greyish ochre with the abdomen somewhat darker (most certainly due to preservation), the meso- and metapleurae and sterna with a slight greenish wash. Paratype a mixture of buff and greyish brown with irregular white mottling on meso- and metathorax and abdominal terga II and VI. Pronotum with a weakly indicated, faint brown medio-longitudinal stripe and a very faint, washed green medio-longitudinal line on mesonotum. Tubercles of the thoracic nota dark orange, the metapleural spines dark reddish brown. Eyes dark orange and unevenly flecked with dark brown. Antennae greyish buff dorsally but darker brown ventrally and towards the base.All legs faintly and irregularly annulated with grey.  
Head: Globose with the vertex roundly convex and smooth, broadest at the eyes and the genae gently narrowing towards the posterior; about 1.2x longer than wide. Between the eyes with a pair of obtuse and shallow swellings and between the bases of the antennae with a distinct transverse impression. Eyes moderately convex, circular in outline and their diameter contained 2.2x in length of genae. Antennae incomplete in the holotype and broken with more than the apical half missing. Scapus strongly compressed dorsoventrally, almost rectangular in dorsal aspect and almost 2x longer than wide. Pedicellus round in cross-section, much narrower and roughly half the length of scapus. III notably longer than pedicellus.  
Thorax: Pronotum shorter and much narrower than head, 1.4x longer than wide and roundly rectangular in dorsal aspect with the lateral margins gently concave and with a small narrowing medially. Anterior margin strongly raised and with a median pair of granules, the surface smooth. Transverse median sulcus moderately impressed, arched and expanding almost over entire width of segment. Mesothorax 7.2x longer than prothorax, constricted anteriorly and with fairly distinct widening in anterior one third, the posterior portion slightly expanded. Metanotum less than one-third the length of mesonotum, 2.4x longer than wide and roughly rectangular. Meso- and metanotum with a very weakly indicated medio-longitudinal carina and unevenly supplied with some node-like tubercles; both with a fine, granulose longitudinal lateral carina close to lateral margins. Mesopleurae with a fine medio-longitudinal carina and a longitudinal row of small tubercles, that slightly increase in size towards the posterior of segment. Metapleurae armed with a medio-longitudinal row of 7–8 large and strong, conical spines, the median four or five of which are largest and laterally extend by as much as one quarter the width of the metathorax (Fig. 59D). Meso- and metasternum with a few scattered granules and small node-like tubercles.  
Abdomen: Median segment about 1.5x longer than metanotum, notably constricted medially and 3.4x longer than width of anterior margin; surface unevenly supplied with scattered nodes. Following segments set only with a very few scattered granules that become less in number towards the apex of abdomen and II–VI; terga III–VII with an obtuse, transverse, ridge-like posteromedian swelling that is most pronounced on V and VI. Segment II about three-quarters the length of median segment and 2.2x longer than wide. III–IV noticeably increasing in length with 2.6x longer than wide and V–VII gradually decreasing length with VII only about two-thirds the length of IV. Tergum VII with lateral margins gradually widening towards the posterior to form a prominent, rounded lobe that extends by about half the width of the segment. Sterna II–VII sparsely and minutely granulose and with a fairly obtuse longitudinal lateral carina. Praeopercular organ represented by two oval lobes each of which is formed by one of the two lateral carinae of sternum VII, which projects considerably beyond the posterior margin of the segment. Terga VIII–X roughly uniform in width and noticeably narrower than all preceding, all with a shallow longitudinal lateral bulge and a fine medio-longitudinal carina which is most acute on X. VIII about three-fifths the length of VII, 1.6 longer than wide and gently widened anteriorly; IX about three-fifth the length of VIII and roundly rectangular in dorsal aspect. VIII and IX both with the lateral margins moderately deflexed and rounded in posterior half. Anal segment slightly longer than IX, 1.3x longer than wide, roundly rectangular and the posterior margin with a very shallow median indention and the outer angles broadly rounded. Epiproct very small, triangular and wholly concealed under anal segment. Cerci small, obtuse and gradually tapering towards the apex. Gonapophyses VIII moderately elongated, straight and just scarcely projecting over posterior margin of anal segment; apex somewhat club-like. Subgenital plate weakly keeled longitudinally with the apex obtusely rounded and projecting beyond tip of abdomen by notably less than half length of anal segment; basal half with a distinct longitudinal bulge laterally.  
Legs: All moderately long, stocky and distinctly carinated with most of the carinae ± lamellate. Profemora about as long as mesothorax, mesofemora somewhat longer metathorax, metafemora reaching to posterior margin of abdominal segment IV and metatibiae roughly reaching one-third the way along abdominal segment VII. Two lower outer carinae of meso- and metafemora weakly expanded and forming an obtusely triangular lobe sub-basally (very indistinct on metafemora although). Dorsal carina of all basitarsi with a moderately large, roundly triangular lobe. Probasitarsus almost as long as remaining tarsomeres except claw; meso- and metabasitarsus a little longer than combined length of following three tarsomeres.  
 Variability. A life ♀ examined from pictures taken by Kenji Nishida (Monteverde, Costa Rica) at Sarapiqui, Heredia Province shows slight differences from the dried holotype. The general colour is plain greenish drab with the meso- and metapleurae pale green and there is a distinct dark brown medio-longitudinal stripe along the whole length of the pronotum. The eyes are creamy yellow and irregularly flecked with brown. The metapleurae bear nine spines instead to the 7–8 seen in the holotype, but these are comparatively smaller in size.   
 Comments. Males and eggs unknown.   
 Table 42: Measurements of Phanocles pleurospinosus 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 196-197, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5444.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/11071464