Phasmotaenia sanchezi Bolivar 1897
Creators: name: Hennemann, Frank H.
name: Conle, Oskar V.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Phasmida
Phasmatidae
Phasmotaenia
Phasmotaenia sanchezi

description: Phasmotaenia sanchezi (Bolívar, 1897)
[Figs. 31–32]
Taeniosoma sanchezi Bolívar, 1897: 31, fig. HT, Ƥ: Balili, Filipinas VII-1896 Domingo Sanchez; Taeniosoma sanchezi I. Bol. Tipo; Holotipo; MNCN Cat. Tipos No. 1604 (MNCN). Kirby, 1904: 361.
Redtenbacher, 1908: 442.
Paris, 1993: 172.
Phasmotaenia sanchezi, Otte & Brock, 2005: 266.
Lit & Eusebio, 2008: 193, fig. 1 (3).
Phasmotaenia elongata Zompro & Eusebio, 2000: 61, figs. 1–4. HT, Ƥ + 1 egg ex abdomen: Baguio City, 8.IX.64, J.F. Cruz (UPPC, No. PHA 00235); PT, Ƥ + 1 egg ex ovipositor: Baguio City, 19.IV.1967, J. Ancheta (coll. O. Zompro, Nr. Z 275-1, ex coll. UPPC); PT, 2 ƤƤ: Baguio, Luzon (SMTD); PT, Ƥ: Philippines, Bagio (sic.), leg. Huenderts, 4.VII.1967 (coll. FH, No. 0370-1); PT, Ƥ: Philippines, Luzon, Manila (ZMUH) [doubtful]; PT, Ƥ, 1 egg ex Abdomen: Baguio, 16.V.98, I.L. Lit Jr. (UPPC, No. PHA 00307); PT, 3 ƤƤ: Baguio City, 14.III.67, Alcachupas, N. (UPPC, No. PHA 00284-00286); PT, 2 ƤƤ: Baguio City, 19.IV.1967, J. Ancheta (UPPC, No. PHA 0 0 231 & 00232); PT, Ƥ: Batingil, Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, 22.II.1932, T.A. Araneta (UPPC, No. PHA 00226) [doubtful]; PT, Ƥ: Col. Nr. 382, Loc. Baguio, Date 7-12-84, Coll. R. Yumol (UPPC, No. PHA 00227); PT, Ƥ: Baguio City, 8.IX.67, J.C.F. Cruz (UPPC, No. PHA 00228); PT, Ƥ, 1 Ƥ nymph (n5): Philippines, La Trinidad, Benguet, 26.VI.1974, L.P. Molitas (UPPC, No. PHA 0 0 229 & 00234); PT, Ƥ: Loc.: Mansion, Baguio City, Date: 12- 8-85 (UPPC, No. PHA 00230); PT, Ƥ: Forestry, FI, 3.IX.67, Alcachupas (UPPC, No. PHA 00135); PT, Ƥ nymph (n5): Host: Pine tree, Baguio, 16.V.98, I.L. Lit Jr. (UPPC, No. PHA 00306); PT, Ƥ nymph (n4): Baguio, Pr. D. Lobo, Liberty, I.A. Perez (UPPC, No. PHA 00142); PT, Ƥ nymph (n4): Baguio City, 14.X.1983, C.W. (UPPC, No. PHA 00143); PT, Ƥ: no data (UPPC, No. PHA 00316). New synonym
Eusebio, Lit & Vörkel, 2004: 193, fig. 1 (3).
Otte & Brock, 2005: 266.
Pharnacia ponderosa, Kirby, 1896: 451. [Misidentification]
[Not: Phasmotaenia sanchezi, Eusebio, Lit & Vörkel, 2004: 192; Ƥ from Mount Makiling is a distinct species]
Further material exmined [2 3, 17 ƤƤ].
N-LUZON: 2 ƤƤ: N-Luzon, Coll. Whitehead, 95-60 (BMNH); 3 ƤƤ: Luzon, Philippines; Phasmotaenionema sanchezi K. Günther det. (BMNH); 1 Ƥ, 1 3: Bagio, Luzon (MHNG); 1 Ƥ: Philippinen, Bagio, Luzon, det. K. Günther (RMNH); 1 Ƥ: Philippines, Bagio, Luzon, ex Coll. J. Muller (ISNB); 1 Ƥ: Luzon, Philippines (W. Boettcher), V.1914 (ANSP); 7 ƤƤ, 1 3: Baguio, Benguet, Luzon, Philippines (W. Boettcher), V.1914 (ANSP).
ERRONEOUS DATA: 1 Ƥ: A.N.S.P. China Material, V.1914 (ANSP).
Diagnosis: ƤƤ of this, the type-species of Phasmotaenia, are well distinguished from all other representatives of the genus by: the very elongate and slender body; slender just very slightly swollen mesothorax which is as much as 6.5– 7 x longer than the pronotum and long, lanceolate subgenital plate which extends beyond the apex of the abdomen by more than the combined length of tergites VIII–X. The anal region of the alae is black with a bluish gloss, a feature shared only with P. v i rg e a n. sp. from the Solomon Islands and P. laeviceps (Hennemann & Conle, 2006) from New Guinea. In being apterous 3 resemble those of the Taiwanese P. lanyuhensis Huang & Brock, 2001 but differ by: the much more elongate and slender body and legs; longer mesothorax which is 7x longer than the pronotum, and filiform antennae which are longer than the head, pro- and mesothorax combined.
* according to Zompro & Eusebio (2000: 62)
** according to Eusebio, Lit & Vörkel (2004: 194)
Variation: ƤƤ of this species shows a great deal of variation in particular concerning to the size, colouration, degree of leg spination and length of the tegmina. The nine ƤƤ in ANSP measure 153.0–165.0 mm including the subgenital plate and are considerably smaller than all other specimens examined (Table 6). The true range of the body length in P. sanchezi hence is 153.0–178.0 mm. The colouration ranges from dull green over straw and pale brown to dark brown. Often specimens are prettily mottled with pale grey, white or dark brown. The leg spination shows some variation in the length of the spines, these being long and slender in the HT of P. sanchezi but considerably shorter in some of the specimens in ANSP. Variation in the length of the tegmina is well demonstrated by three ƤƤ in the BMNH, one of which is plain ochracous brown, one dull green and the third dark brown with pale greyish and whitish mottling. The tegmina range from very small, vestigial and less than ½ the length of the alae in the mottled specimen, to quite well developed, squamiform and about half as long as the alae in the brown specimen. The HT of P. sanchezi has the tegmina, although present, very strongly reduced and even less than ¼ the length of the alae, merely measuring 1.4 mm (Fig. 32). Most specimens of the type-series of P. elongata Zompro & Eusebio, 2000 have the alae moderately developed, squamiform and roughly half as long as the alae.
Comments: Examination of the Ƥ holotypes of P. sanchezi (Fig. 31) and P. elongata Zompro & Eusebio, 2000 and taking intraspecific variation into account leaves no doubt these are the same species, hence the latter falls as a junior synonym (new synonym). Zompro & Eusebio (2000: 61) distinguished their P. elongata from P. sanchezi merely by having a much slender body. However, the authors had not examined the HT of P.
sanchezi in MNCN and the figure of the HT provided by Bolívar (1897) is confusing due to the specimen appears more robust than it actually is. Furthermore, Bolívar (1897: 30) stated there were no tegmina, but examination has shown very small, scale-like tegmina (1.4 mm) to be obviously present. Both these facts obviously supported to the false recognition of P. sanchezi and description of the junior synonym P. elongata.
Eusebio, Lit & Vörkel (2004: 192) stated P. sanchezi was restricted to Mount Makiling in Southern Luzon. This record however is based on a misidentified Ƥ in the collection of O. Zompro (Kiel, Germany, No. OZ 274-1), which was examined by the first author. This specimen indeed represents a second but still undescribed Philippine species, which can be distinguished from P. sanchezi by the much smaller size, more robust body and legs, shorter tarsi, swollen mesothorax and shorter subgenital plate as well as the larger, differently shaped eggs (see “ Phasmotaenia sp.I” below).
A description and illustration of the 3 was provided by Eusebio, Lit & Vörkel (2008) who stated this species to feed on pine (Pinus insularis, Pinaceae) and Casuarina equisitifolia (Casuarinaceae).
Distribution (Fig. 59): Philippines, Northern Luzon Id. (Benguet Province, 1500–2500 m). The distribution with high probability extends to the entire Northern Luzon highlands which still inherit considerably large areas of natural or replanted pine forests (Eusebio, Lit & Vörkel, 2004: 192).
description: Published as part of Hennemann, Frank H. & Conle, Oskar V., 2009, Studies on the genus Phasmotaenia Navás, 1907, with the descriptions of five new species from the Solomon Islands, a revised key to the species and notes on its geographic distribution (Phasmatodea: " Anareolatae ": Phasmatidae s. l.: Stephanacridini), pp. 1-46 in Zootaxa 2011 on pages 26-29, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.185796