Striatophasma naukluftense, 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 : 78-85

Striatophasma naukluftense sp. n. Figs 2-10

Holotype.

Male, NAMIBIA: Naukluft Mountains, northern slope (Fig. 3), -24.15, 16.32, 1200-1400 m, 04.v.2006, R. Predel (NMNW), specimen in ethanol.

Paratypes, NAMIBIA: Naukluft Mountains: three males and four females; same data as holotype, one male and one female in ethanol (NMNW); one male and one female in ethanol (ZMUB); one female in ethanol and one male and one female critical point dried, sputter coated with gold (ZFMK). Nauchas: three males, -23.61, 16.37, 1750 m, 08.iv.2008, R. Predel (collection R. Predel), all in ethanol. Remhoogte: two males and two females, -23.96, 16.30, 1475 m, 08.iv.2008 R. Predel (collection R. Predel), specimen in ethanol.

Description male.

Measurements (male holotype followed by paratypes according to locality in parentheses, critical point dried specimen nor measured, in mm): total length (a): 27.1 (Naukluft mountains: 23.1, 27.3) (Nauchas: 23.6, 23.0, 22.3) Remhoogte (28.3, 25.6); length of pronotum (b): 4.0 (Naukluft: 4.1, 3.9) (Nauchas: 2.6, 2.9, 3.1) (Remhoogte: 3.6, 4.0); width of pronotum (c): 3.7 (Naukluft: 3.6, 3.0) (Nauchas: 3.3, 3.3, 3.4) (Remhoogte: 3.4, 3.7); length of mesonotum (b): 3.7 (Naukluft: 3.6, 3.7) (Nauchas: 3.4, 3.7, 3.7) (Remhoogte: 4.0, 4.1); width of mesonotum (c): 3.1 (Naukluft: 3.1, 3.0) (Nauchas: 2.9, 2.9, 3.0) (Remhoogte: 3.1, 3.3); length of metanotum (b): 3.2 (Naukluft: 2.4, 2.8) (Nauchas: 2.9, 2.9, 2.9) (Remhoogte: 3.1, 3.1); width of metanotum (c): 2.9 (Naukluft: 2.9, 2.9) (Nauchas: 2.7, 2.7, 2.9) (Remhoogte: 3.0, 3.1); length of the head (d): 3.9 (Naukluft: 3.3, 3.1) (Nauchas: 3.1, 3.3, 3.4) (Remhoogte: 3.9, 4.6); width of the head (f): 4.3 (Naukluft: 4.0, 3.9) (Nauchas: 3.7, 3.9, 4.0) (Remhoogte: 3.6, 3.7); head width over eyes (g): 4.6 (Naukluft: 4.4, 4.1) (Nauchas: 4.1, 4.1, 4.3) (Remhoogte: 4.0, 4.4); width between eyes (h): 2.7 (Naukluft: 2.6, 2.4) (Nauchas: 2.4, 2.6. 2.6) (Remhoogte: 2.9, 2.9); length of eye (i): 1.7 (Naukluft: 1.7, 1.7) (Nauchas: 1.7, 1.9, 1.9) (Remhoogte: 2.0, 2.1); width of eye (j): 1.0 (Naukluft: 0.9, 1.0) (Nauchas: 1.0, 1.0, 1.1) (Remhoogte: 1.1, 1.1).

Head (Fig. 4): globular, orthognathous, posteriorly covered by pronotum, bright green with brown dorsal stripe; compound eyes yellow-brownish with black spots; tip of lacinia and labial palps yellow. Head width similar to width of thorax, about as wide as long; sparsely covered with setae. Compound eyes tapered dorso-laterally and prominent, kidney-shaped, antero-ventral edge tapered, about twice as long as high; interoccular distance ca. the length of one eye, on vertex larger than on ventral eye margin; ocelli absent. Coronal and frontal suture indistinct, subgenal ridge well developed. Gena higher than compound eyes; ventral parts of occipital ridge very prominent; antennal sockets in between eyes, distinct; interantennal distance ca. diameter of one antennal socket; antennifer present; anterior tentorial pits dorsally of anterior mandibular articulation; frons with three bulges, one in between antennal sockets, two ventro-mesal of antennal sockets; frontoclypeal and temporal ridge not recognizable. Clypeus trapezoid, with well-developed clypeolabral ridge, four long setae in the dorsal clypeal area; oval sclerite in between clypeus and labrum present. Labrum flat, anteriorly rounded, with few short setae. Maxilla well developed, green with tip of lacinia yellow; maxillary palp yellow, five segmented, ca. 1.5 times longer than lacinia, covered with setae, palpomere one and two as long as wide, palpomere three 2.5 times as long as wide, palpomeres four and five ca. twice as long as wide. Labium green, tip of three segmented palp yellow. Scape and pedicel bright green. Scape as long as wide. Pedicle half as wide as scape, twice as long as wide dilating towards the tip. Flagellum yellow-greenish; ca. as long as the entire animal; 25 flagellomeres.

Thorax (Fig. 5): bright green, dorso-medially with longitudinal brown stripe that contains small green areas. Entire thorax covered with spines. Pronotum oval, scarcely covered with fine setae, with bulge positioned anterior-laterally; pronotum reachs over head and mesonotum. 2 cervicalia present, second postero-dorsally to first. Pleura subdivided into epimeron and episternum. Coxae large, covered with setae.

Legs: bright green, spikes in the tibial region black; covered with setae. Prothoracic leg more massive than meso- and metathoracic ones; femur three times as long as wide, with two ventro-median rows of green spikes. Tibia green, mesally whitish, ca. 6 times as long as wide, with two ventro-median rows of black spikes. Tarsus with five tarsomeres, first three green, fourth and fifth yellow, proximal four tarsomeres with euplantulae; arolium very large, yellow with black margin.

Wings: completely absent.

Abdomen: longer than thorax and head combined; bright green, meso-dorsal brown longitudinal stripe, enlarging posteriorly; populations of Naukluft mountains, Nauchas and Remhoogte differ in the shape of the stripe (Fig. 6). Tergites with lateral longitudinal brown stripe. Abdomen covered with setae. Abdominal tergum I same width as metathorax; terga slightly broadening towards tergum VIII, terga IX and X narrowing again. Pleura bright green. Sterna bright green with median brown stripe.

Male terminalia (Fig. 7): tergum IX bright green, mesal brown stripe; shorter than tergum VIII, postero-ventral border with dorsal bend in lateral view. Tergum X bright green, mesal brown stripe, roof-shaped in lateral view. Subgenital plate (sternite IX) green with brown-reddish areas; process of subgenital plate broad, dorsal part arch-shaped when seen from posterior, broadly emarginated dorsally. Cerci one segmented, base green, distally brown-reddish; densely covered with setae; diameter mesally round, uniformly curved, slightly narrowed towards the apex; dorsal projec tion of cercus very small, located directly dorsally to apex; cerci extending towards the middle of the subgenital plate.

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

Measurements (critical point dried specimen not measured, in mm): total length (a): (Naukluft: 23.6, 29.0, 31.9) (Remhoogte: 32.0, 35.4); length of pronotum (b): (Naukluft: 4.0, 3.9, 4.3) (Remhoogte: 4.3, 4.4); width of pronotum (c): (Naukluft: 3.7, 3.7, 3.7) (Remhoogte: 4.1, 4.3); length of mesonotum (b): (Naukluft: 3.9, 3.4, 3.0) (Remhoogte: 4.6, 4.6); width of mesonotum (c): (Naukluft: 3.3, 3.3, 3.3) (Remhoogte: 3.9, 3.9); length of metanotum (b): (Naukluft: 3.1, 2.9, 3.3) (Remhoogte: 3.1, 3.7); width of metanotum (c): (Naukluft: 3.1, 3.1, 3.1) (Remhoogte: 3.7, 3.7); length of the head (d): (Naukluft: 4.4, 3.7, 3.7) (Remhoogte: 4.9, 5.7); width of the head (f): (Naukluft: 4.7, 4.4, 4.5) (Remhoogte: 4.6, 4.7); head width over eyes (g): (Naukluft: 4.9, 4.6, 4.7) (Remhoogte: 4.7, 5.3); width between eyes (h): (Naukluft: 3.1, 2.7, 3.0) (Remhoogte: 3.4, 3.7); length of eye (i): (Naukluft: 1.2, 1.1, 1.1) (Remhoogte: 1.3, 1.3); width of eye (j): (Naukluft: 2.1, 1.9, 2.0) (Remhoogte: 2.4, 2.7).

Head (Fig. 8): moss green, dorso-median brown stripe absent; labrum, tip of lacinia and labial palps yellow; compound eyes brownish with reddish stripe. Mouthparts similar to male. Compound eyes prominent, kidney-shaped, dorso-laterally positioned, smaller than in the male, twice as long as high. Interoccular distance ca. 1.5 times the diameter of one eye, on vertex smaller than on ventral eye margin. Temporal ridge distinct. Distance between antennal sockets ca. 1.5 times the diameter of one antennal socket.

Thorax (Fig. 9): moss green with dark green meso-dorsal stripe; thoracic nota with lateral brown dots.

Legs: reddish-green, with brown dots where setae emerge; covered with setae; two ventro-median rows of spikes present on tibia and femur; spikes on tibia black.

Abdomen: moss green, dark green meso-dorsal stripe representing dorsal vessel, lateral margins of terga whitish. Tergum I as broad as metanotum. Pleura and sternites moss green.

Female terminalia (Fig. 10): tergum IX moss green, half the length of tergum VIII.Tergum X moss green, twice as long as tergum IX; apex rounded posteriorly; epiproct moss green, short, twice as broad as long; paraprocts moss green, densely covered with setae. Cerci moss green, densely covered with setae, cone shaped, reaching the tips of the paraprocts. Sternite VIII moss green, acuminated posteromesally. Gonapophysis VIII long and slender, distally blunt with ventrocaudal process. Gonocoxite IX trapezoid in lateral view; gonoplac triangular, heavily sclerotised.

Etymology.

The species is named after the type locality, the Naukluft Mountains.

Comments.

Specimens were mainly found in dwarf shrubs. Adult specimens are obviously not associated with grass tussocks.