Phasmotaenia

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), Zootaxa 2011, pp. 1-46 : 40-41

Phasmotaenia sp. II

Material examined [2 ƤƤ].

SOLOMON ISLANDS (GUADALCANAL): 1 Ƥ [PT of Phasmotaenionema australe Günther, 1933 ]: Salomonen, Adla, Guadalcanar, leg. Paravicini 10.1928; Phasmotaenionema australe Günther det. ( NHMB, No. VI.D.86); 1 Ƥ: Guadalcavar; coll. Br. v. W., Philippinen?, leg. Rosenberg; 26.460 ( NHMW).

Comments: The green Ƥ in NHMW, presumably originating from Guadalcanal, and Ƥ PT of P. australe from Guadalcanal in NHMB (Günther, 1933: 158, fig. 4) well agree with each other and certainly are conspecific. An affiliation to any of the other Solomon species however is difficult currently and would be premature without having at hand the unknown males and eggs. In several aspects these two ƤƤ are intermediate between P. virgea n. sp. from New Georgia Island and P. godeffroyi (Redtenbacher, 1908) from the Carolines ( Micronesia). With P. virgea n. sp. they share the very slender and elongate body, very shallow pre-medial swelling of the mesothorax and presence of a bi-dentate apical lobe on the anteroventral carina of the mesofemora, but they at once differ by the strongly reduced tegmina (<4.0 mm) and alae (<2.0 mm), just sparsely granulose mesonotum, unarmed mesopleurae, and smooth dorsal carinae of the meso- and metafemora. With P. godeffroy i they have in common the rudimentary wings, flat vertex, unarmed mesonotum and dorsally smooth meso- and metafemora, but they well differ by the unarmed mesopleurae, longer gonapophyses and bi-dentate apical lobe on the anteroventral carina of the mesofemora.

Günther (1933: 157) stated the Ƥ in NHMB to measure a body length of 175.0 mm including the subgenital plate. The following set of measurements was taken from the Ƥ in NHMW [mm]: body (incl. subgen. pl.) 170.0, body 159.0, pronotum, 7.0, mesonotum 32.5, metanotum 8.4, median segment 11.3, tegmina 4.0, alae 2.0, profemora 45.0, mesofemora 31.0, metafemora 35.5, antennae 44.0.