Viridiphasma clanwilliamense, Picker Klaus-Dieter Klass, 2011

Picker Klaus-Dieter Klass, Monika J. B. Eberhard Mike D., 2011, Sympatry in Mantophasmatodea, with the description of a new species and phylogenetic considerations, Organisms Diversity & Evolution (New York, N. Y.) 11 (1), pp. 43-59 : 45-46

Type species Viridiphasma clanwilliamense sp. n.

Other included species None thus far.

Description and diagnosis Viridiphasma gen. n. is assigned to Austrophasmatidae based on its morphological characters and the molecular-based phylogeny of Damgaard et al. (2008). It conforms with the diagnosis of Austrophasmatidae in Klass et al. (2003b: p. 27), but there are four exceptions: (i) in males, phallic sclerite PH 2 bears, besides a ridge, also a process; (ii) a sclerite extension at the ventral base of the cercus is absent; (iii) in females, there are a few setae on the membrane between the gonapophyses of segment 9 (gp9); (iv) the height of the eye and the height of the gena are subequal. All these features are so far unique within Austrophasmatidae .

In both sexes Viridiphasma gen. n. differs from Praedatophasma and Tyrannophasma by the lack of spination in most body regions (e.g. the thoracic nota); from Karoophasma , Hemilobophasma , Namaquaphasma , and Austrophasma rawsonvillense by the striped-type colouration of the compound eyes and uniform type of its body colouration ( Fig. 1a, c ).

Male Viridiphasma gen. n. differ from those in genera of Mantophasmatidae by, e.g., the presence of sclerotized phallic hooks (phl, phs), the absence of phallic sclerites PH 5 (opposite to PH 2) and PH 8, and by the oblique rather than straight transverse course of the ridge on the vomeroid. They differ from males in all other genera of Austrophasmatidae by the presence of a process on phallic sclerite PH 2 ( Fig. 2k ) and absence of a basal sclerite extension of the cercus ( Fig. 2d ).

Female Viridiphasma gen. n. differ from those in genera of Mantophasmatidae by the short length of apodemes at8 of the subgenital plate and the lack of any vaginal sclerotization. They differ from female Karoophasma or Hemilobophasma by the near-circular shape of the spermathecal bulb, from Lobatophasma by the entirely unlobed hind margin of the subgenital plate, from Austrophasma by the much shorter subgenital plate, and from Namaquaphasma by the sclerotization of the subgenital plate continuing across the midline. In contrast to all other Austrophasmatidae , female Viridiphasma gen. n. possess some setae between the gonapophyses gp9 ( Fig. 4 ).

Figures

Fig. 1 Habitus and important colour characteristics of Viridi- phasma clanwilliamense sp. n. (a, c, e) and Karoophasma bie- douwense (b, d, f). (a, b) Re- spective males and females in copula; male on top, bending its abdomen around right side of female. (c) Head of adult male V. clanwilliamense sp. n., body colouration faded due to alcohol fixation; note eye of striped type, and absence of dark patches from maxillary palpo- meres (arrows), scapus (arrow- head) and head. (d) Head of adult male K. biedouwense; note eye of mosaic type, and dark patches on 3rd and 4th maxillary palpomeres (arrows) and on scape of antenna (arrowhead). (e) Fore femur of female V. clanwilliamense sp. n., showing setal spots (arrows), one beneath each seta. (f) Fore femur of female K. biedouwense; note circumsetal rings (arrows) and dark femoral stripes. (a, b) Photos by Stefan H. Eberhard. Scale bars: 1 mm (c, d); 0.5 mm (e, f)

Fig. 2 Elements of male post- abdomen in Viridiphasma clan- williamense sp. n. (a, c, d, g, i, k, l, o, p) and Karoophasma biedouwense (b, e, f, h, j, m, n, q, r). (a, b) Cerci in dorsal and slightly mesal view, posterior ends at top; respective bottom contour represents border of sclerotization. (c, e) Distal third of left cercus in posterolateral view that is perpendicular on widened part; dorsal side at left, posteromesal at top; transverse baseline indicates section cutoff. (d, f) Base of left cercus in posteroventral view, lateral side at left, anterior (proximal) end at bottom; narrow oval area at top indicates section cutoff. (g, h) Abdominal tergum X in dorsal view and undistorted condition, with midline portions of anterior and posterior margins on same level; bases of cerci indicated at top. (i, j) Vomeroid in dorsal view, with tips of left and right arms on same level; anterolateral corners of tergum X, articulated upon the arms, indicated sche- matically at bottom. (k, m) Phallic sclerite PH2 in dorsal (internal) view (if genitalia in- vaginated), anterior end at top. (l, n) Phallic hook phl and its sclerite PH3 in posterodorsal (external) view (if genitalia in- vaginated), anterodorsal side at top; arrow indicates position of tip of second phallic hook phs. (o, q) Phallic sclerite PH1 in dorsal (internal) view (if genita- lia invaginated); anterior side at top. (p, r) Phallic lobe pli in anterodorsal and slightly left view (if genitalia invaginated) that is perpendicular on flattened lobe. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (a, b, g, h); 0.2 mm (c–f, i–r)

Fig. 4 Micrograph (a) and schematic (b) of distal abdomen in female Viridiphasma clanwil- liamense sp. n., ventral view. (a) Specimen fixed in alcohol; gonapophyses VIII (gp8) out of focus; note setae (arrows) on area between gp8. (b) Distal abdomen with gonapophyses VIII removed; few setae (arrows) located in area enclosed by gonapophyseal sclerites (GP9) and posterior intervalvular sclerite (IP); undu- lating line represents cut through cuticle. Scale bars: 0.5 mm