Trachythorax sexpunctatus ( Shiraki, 1911 )

Bresseel, Joachim & Constant, Jérôme, 1893, Review of the Oriental stick insect genus Trachythorax Redtenbacher, 1908 with two new species from Vietnam and comments on egg parasitism and morphological counteradaptations (Phasmida, Lonchodidae, Necrosciinae), Belgian Journal of Entomology 120, pp. 1-56 : 46

Trachythorax sexpunctatus ( Shiraki, 1911)

Necroscia sexpunctata SHIRAKI, 1911: 304 , plate 12: 4 [described and figured].

Trachythorax sexpunctatus – MATSUMURA & HIRAYAMA, 1931: 819 [transferred to Trachythorax , figured]. — SHIRAKI, 1935: 78, plate 9: 4 – 6 [female, described and figured]. — CAI, 1989: 322 [differentiation]. — HUANG, 2002: 108 [as “ sixpunctatus ”; figured, distribution, egg, host plant]. — OTTE & BROCK, 2005: 336 [catalogued]. — HENNEMANN et al., 2008: 41 [catalogued]. — CHEN & HE, 2008: 179; fig. 144 [in China, illustrated]. — GAO & LIANG, 2021: 1 [in key to Chinese species].

TYPE MATERIAL (examined from photographs on PSF – BROCK et al., 2021). TAIWAN: HT ♂: Formosa , Koshun, Nitobe, 746 ( NTU).

COMMENTS. Trachythorax sexpunctatus ( Shiraki, 1911) was originally described based on a unique male holotype by SHIRAKI (1911) and placed in the genus Necroscia Audinet-Serville, 1838 . MATSUMURA & HIRAYAMA (1931) transferred the species to Trachythorax Redtenbacher, 1908 and SHIRAKI (1935) subsequently described the female. The species is closely related to T. chinensis ( Redtenbacher, 1908) and T. longialatus Cai, 1989 but can be differentiated by the shorter wings that do not reach the apex of the abdomen, the longer anal segment and smooth subgenital plate ( CAI, 1989). HUANG (2002) provided a figure of the eggs and a distribution map. The species seems to be spread along the southeastern coast of Taiwan and is considered to be endemic on the island.