Paraphasma trianguliferum ( Redtenbacher, 1906 )

Chiquetto-Machado, Pedro I., Morales, Adriana C. & Cancello, Eliana M., 2022, Taxonomic revision of Paraphasma Redtenbacher, 1906 (Phasmatodea, Pseudophasmatidae) based on phallic and external morphology, Zootaxa 5122 (1), pp. 1-80 : 56-58

Paraphasma trianguliferum ( Redtenbacher, 1906)

Figs 40–42 , Table 9 .

Oestrophora triangulifera Redtenbacher, 1906: 124 , pl. V, fig. 2; Chopard, 1911: 339; Chopard, 1920: 167, figs 268, 269; Brock, 1998a: 62; Zompro & Brock, 2003: 25; Zompro, 2004: 102, fig. 53a,b; Otte & Brock, 2005: 231; Jourdan et al., 2014: 494; Delfosse et al., 2019: 229 ; Conle et al., 2020: 127. Lectotype (here designated): ♂, Suriname (NHMW) ( Fig. 40 ). Paralectotypes (here designated): 1♀, French Guiana, Cayenne (NHMW) ( Fig. 42 ); 1♂, French Guiana, Cayenne (MNHN); 1♀, Suriname (MHNG).

Paraphasma trianguliferum, Chiquetto-Machado & Cancello, 2021: 23 , 26, figs 25, 26.

Diagnosis. Easily distinguishable from other species of Paraphasma by the very short tegmina exhibiting a unique morphology, with distinctly acuminate apical margins and shoulder pads developed into large, triangular, externally directed spines ( Figs 40C , 42C ). Further diagnostic features of P. trianguliferum are the slightly shorter mesothorax in comparison to other species of the genus, the anterior region of the male subgenital plate with a pair of large and conspicuous lateral projections (not covered by the tergite IX as in Paraphasma umbretta ) ( Fig. 41 : arrows), and the relatively homogeneous dark brown body with a distinctly lighter region on the anterior half of the tegmina ( Figs 40 , 41A–C ).

Redescription of male. Color ( Figs 40 , 41 ): Body mostly dark brown. Femora and tibiae dark brown with light brown bands; antennae with similar pattern, but with sparser light bands. Tegmina with anterior half of anal region light brown and posterior half dark brown; light and dark areas separated by a well-defined line extending until apex of tegmina spine. Tergites VIII–X predominantly light brown. Head ( Fig. 40 ): Smooth; subquadrate in dorsal view; vertex very weakly convex. Compound eye very prominent, covering nearly half of head length, almost round in lateral view. Ocelli and antennae as in Paraphasma conspersum . Thorax ( Fig. 40 ): As in Paraphasma conspersum . Legs ( Fig. 40 ): As in Paraphasma conspersum , but profemur slightly shorter than mesothorax, metathorax and median segment combined, and with moderately raised anterodorsal carina. Wings ( Fig. 40 ): Tegmina very short, not reaching median region of metanotum; in dorsal view 2x longer than wide; posterior margin slightly angled, apical margin distinctly acuminate; shoulder pad developed into a large, triangular, somewhat dull spine, externally directed; anal region with conspicuous reticulate venation. Hindwing reaching abdominal tergite VIII. Abdomen ( Figs 40A,B , 41 ): About 1.6x longer than the combined length of head, thorax and median segment; dorsally and ventrally smooth; lacking carinae. Segments gradually shortening from II to VIII. Tergites VIII–X ( Fig. 41 ) distinctly shorter than II–VII; tergites VIII and X similar in length, both shorter than IX; tergite VIII the widest. Tergite X narrowing posteriorly; posterior margin centrally concave; posterolateral corners developed into two swollen regions, under which are located weakly-developed thorn pads formed by less than 10 minute teeth ( Fig. 41 : TP). Cerci ( Fig. 41B,D ) approximately straight and cylindrical but gently tapering towards apex; slightly shorter than tergite X; apex rounded. Vomer ( Fig. 41E ) somewhat slender, with basal and apical expansions narrow and elongate; about as long as wide; distinctly asymmetric, with apex curved to the right. Subgenital plate ( Fig. 41B–D ) at least 2x longer than sternite VIII; distinctly divided into anterior and posterior region. Anterior region of subgenital plate originating a symmetric pair of large and conspicuous lateral projections surpassing posterior margin of tergite IX ( Fig. 41 : arrows); lateral projections approximately digitiform, with apex weakly acuminate. Posterior region of subgenital plate strongly convex; longer than anterior region; posterior margin acuminate. Cerci, posterior margin of tergite X and subgenital plate densely pilose. Phallic organ not examined.

Redescription of female. Color ( Fig. 42 ): As in male. Head ( Fig. 42A–C ): As in male. Thorax ( Fig. 42A– C ): As in male, but mesothorax proportionally shorter, with the following ratios: mesothorax 1.3x longer than prothorax; metathorax and median segment combined 2.5x longer than mesothorax. Legs ( Fig. 42A–C ): As in male, but anterodorsal carina of profemur distinctly raised medially. Wings ( Fig. 42A–C ): As in male. Abdomen ( Fig. 42A,B,E–G ): As in Paraphasma conspersum , but tergite X not carinate and cerci very short, hardly surpassing posterior margin of tergite X ( Fig. 42F ).

Egg not examined.

Distribution ( Fig. 1 : yellow circles, yellow triangles). Paraphasma trianguliferum is recorded from Suriname and French Guiana. No exact locality data are available for the Surinamese specimens, namely the lectotype and one paralectotype. In French Guiana, the species is known from Cayenne (two paralectotypes) and from the communes of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni ( Chopard 1911) and Saül ( Jourdan et al. 2014).

Remarks. Paraphasma trianguliferum is the only species in the genus whose phallic organ was not examined in this study. Although Chopard (1920: fig. 269) presented a drawing of the phallic organ of P. trianguliferum , it is a very crude illustration, precluding the identification of genital structures and comparisons with other species.

The male and female types of P. trianguliferum housed at NHMW were labeled by O. Zompro as lectotype and paralectotype, respectively (see Figs 40D and 42D ). However, he did not formalize these designations in a scientific publication, so the NHMW male is here effectively designated as lectotype and the other three types (one female at NHMW; one male and one female at MHNG) as paralectotypes.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution map of Paraphasma. Circles indicate records based on material examined; triangles indicate records from the literature (Stoll 1787; Serville 1839; Chopard 1911; Conle et al. 2011; Jourdan et al. 2014); stars indicate records of undetermined Paraphasma species based on Rehn (1906) and Piza (1939) (although these authors identified the specimens, the identifications are doubtful or insufficient).

FIGURE 40. Paraphasma trianguliferum (Redtenbacher, 1906), male, lectotype (NHMW). A, B. Habitus, dorsal (A) and ventral (B) views. C. Anterior region of the body, dorsal view. D. Labels. Scale bars = 10 mm.

FIGURE 41. Paraphasma trianguliferum (Redtenbacher, 1906), male terminalia. A–D. Terminalia in dorsal (A), lateral (B), ventral (C) and oblique caudal (D) views. E. Drawing of the vomer. Abbreviations: Ce, cerci; S8, sternite VIII; SPa, anterior region of the subgenital plate; SPp, posterior region of the subgenital plate; T8, T9, T10, tergites VIII, IX and X; TP, thorn pad. Arrows = lateral projection of the subgenital plate. Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURE 42. Paraphasma trianguliferum (Redtenbacher, 1906), female, paralectotype (NHMW). A, B. Habitus, dorsal (A) and ventral (B) views. C. Anterior region of the body, dorsal view. D. Labels. E–G. Terminalia, dorsal (E), lateral (F) and ventral (G) views. Abbreviations: Ce, cerci; PO, praeopercular organ; SP, subgenital plate; T8, T9, T10, tergites VIII, IX and X. Scale bars = 10 mm, unless otherwise indicated.