Pachyphasma brandbergense, Wipfler, Benjamin, Pohl, Hans & Predel, Reinhard, 2012

Wipfler, Benjamin, Pohl, Hans & Predel, Reinhard, 2012, Two new genera and two new species of Mantophasmatodea (Insecta, Polyneoptera) from Namibia, ZooKeys 166, pp. 75-98 : 85-90

Pachyphasma brandbergense sp. n. Figs 11-18

Holotype male.

NAMIBIA: Brandberg Plateau, south of Königstein, with sclerophyllous vegetation (Fig. 12), -21.16, 14.58, +/-2000 m, 26.iv. 2006, R. Predel. (NMNW), specimen in ethanol.

Paratypes NAMIBIA: Brandberg Plateau, south of Königstein: four males and eight females; same data as holotype; one male and two females in ethanol, one pair in copula in ethanol (NMNW); one male and two females in ethanol (ZMUB); two females in ethanol and one male and one female critical point dried, sputter coated with gold (ZFMK). Two juveniles and six heavily damaged specimens (1 juvenil, 2♀, 3♂) were excluded from the type-series (collection R. Predel).

Description male.

Measurements (male holotype followed by paratypes in parentheses, critical point dried male and male in copula not measured, in mm): total length (a): 23.0 (18.1, 17.9); length of pronotum (b): 3.9 (2.9, 3.1); width of pronotum (c): 3.0 (3.0, 3.4); length of mesonotum (b): 3.6 (2.7, 2.9); width of mesonotum (c): 2.9 (2.7, 3.4); length of metanotum (b): 3.0 (2.7, 2.3); width of metanotum (c): 2.7 (2.4, 2.6); length of the head (d): 4.4 (4.0, 3.9); width of the head (f): 4.0 (3.7, 3.9); head width over eyes (g): 4.4 (4.3, 4.3); width between eyes (h): 3.0 (2.7, 2.6); length of eye (i): 2.0 (2.0, 2.1); width of eye (j): 1.0 (1.0, 1.0).

Head (Fig. 13): nearly triangular when seen frontally, orthognathous. Bright green; thin dorso-median brown longitudinal stripe; broader lateral brown longitudinal stripes posterior of the compound eyes; vertex, frons and subgena with reddish areas; head capsule with brown spots where setae emerge; compound eyes grey with reddish stripe; mouthparts including palpi and labrum greenish. Head capsule slightly broader than thorax; sparsely covered with setae. Compound eyes kidney-shaped, prominent, globular, about 1.5 times as long as high; interoccular distance ca. the length of eye, on vertex larger than on ventral eye margin; ocelli absent. Coronal and frontal suture as well as frontoclypeal and temporal ridge indistinct; subgenal ridge distinct, with bend ventrally of compound eye; distance between antennal sockets same as diameter of one socket; anterior tentorial pits dorsomesally of anterior articulation of mandible. Frons with three bulges, two ventromedial of antennal sockets, one in between the antennal sockets. Clypeus trapezoid, with four long setae dorsally; oval sclerite in between clypeus and labrum. Labrum greenish, anteriorly rounded, flat sparsely covered with setae. Maxilla of orthopteroid type, sparsely covered with setae; maxillary palp five-segmented, green, palpomeres two to five covered with setae, palpomere one and two short, nearly as wide as long, palpomere three 2.5 times longer than wide, palpomere four and five ca. twice as long as wide. Labial palp three segmented, green. Scape and pedicel bright green. Scape conical, at base as long as wide. Pedicle half as wide as scape, twice as long as wide. Flagellum yellow-greenish; nearly as long as the entire animal; 25 flagellomeres.

Thorax (Fig. 14): compact. Bright green; thin meso-dorsal brown stripe that ends in the anterior third of metanotum; lateral edges of all three nota with thick brown stripe; lateral margin of nota white; pleurae bright green with reddish areas. Completely covered with setae; brown spots where setae emerge along entire thorax. Pronotum nearly squared; overlapping head and mesonotum. Mesonotum not as wide as pronotum, nearly squared. Metanotum narrower than mesonotum; narrowing posteriorly. Coxae large.

Legs: bright green. Completely covered with setae; brown spots where setae emerge. Prothoracic leg more massive than meso- and metathoracic leg. Tarsus with 5 brownish tarsomeres; proximal four with euplantulae; large arolium present.

Wings: completely absent.

Abdomen: shorter than thorax: enlarging posteriorly; completely covered with setae. Bright green; lateral brown longitudinal stripes on tergites. Abdominal tergum I narrower than metanotum; terga slightly broadening towards tergum VIII; terga IX and X narrowing again. Pleura bright green with yellowish stripe. Sterna bright green.

Male terminalia (Fig. 15): tergum IX bright green, lateral brown stripe; ca. same length as tergum VIII; postero-ventral border rounded. Tergum X bright green; lat eral brown longitudinal stripes; roof-shaped in lateral view. Subgenital plate (sternite IX) green; broadly emarginated dorsally; process of subgenital plate broad; dorsal part horizontal in posterior view. Cerci one segmented; green; densely covered with setae; diameter mesally oval; uniformly curved; dorsal projection of cercus very prominent and located at two-third of length of cercus; cerci extending towards middle of subgenital plate.

Description female.For the female only differences to the male are described.

Measurements (critical point dried female and female in copula not measured, in mm):

Total length (a): 20.1, 17.4, 28.3, 27.8, 15.9, 20.3; length of pronotum (b): 4.0, 4.1, 4.0, 3.9, 3.6, 3.7; width of pronotum (c): 4.3, 4.3, 3.8, 3.9, 4.1, 3.7; length of mesonotum (b): 3.1, 2.9, 3.6, 3.7, 2.9, 2.9; width of mesonotum (c): 3.7, 3.7, 3.4, 3.3, 3.7, 3.1; length of metanotum (b): 2.9, 2.2, 2.3, 2.3, 2.6, 2.4; width of metanotum (c): 3.6, 3.4, 3.7, 3.4, 3.6, 3.1; length of the head (d): 1.1, 1.2, 1.2, 1.1, 1.0, 1.1; width of the head (f): 5.2, 4.4, 4.4, 4.5, 4.4, 4.2; head width over eyes (g): 5.4, 5.1, 5.0, 4.9, 4.7, 4.6; width between eyes (h): 3.4, 2.9, 2.9, 3.0, 2.9, 2.9; length of eye (i): 2.5, 2.3, 2.3, 2.1, 2.3, 2.3; width of eye (j): 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.1, 1.1, 1.1.

Head: (Fig. 16): globular. Bright green; thin dorso-median brown longitudinal stripe; broader lateral brown longitudinal stripes posterior of compound eyes. Compound eyes less bulged than in male. Scape and pedicel green; 25 flagellomeres.

Thorax (Fig. 17): compact. Bright green; thin meso-dorsal brown longitudinal stripe; thick lateral brown longitudinal stripe on notae; lateral margin of nota white; pleura bright green.

Abdomen: bright green, dark green meso-dorsal longitudinal stripe; pleura bright green with yellowish longitudinal stripe; sternites bright green.

Female terminalia (Fig. 18): tergum IX bright green. Tergum X moss green; 1.5 times as long as tergum IX; apex rounded posteriorly. Paraprocts bright green; sparsely covered with setae. Cerci bright green; densely covered with setae; triangular; protruding further caudally than paraprocts. Sternite VIII bright green; posterior margin rounded. Gonapophysis VIII long and slenderd distally blunt; with very short ventrocaudal process. Gonocoxite IX trapezoid in lateral view. Gonoplac triangular; heavily sclerotised.

Etymology.

The species is named after the type locality, the Brandberg massif.