Malacomorpha bastardoae, Conle & Hennemann & Perez-Gelabert, 2008

Conle, Oskar V., Hennemann, Frank H. & Perez-Gelabert, Daniel E., 2008, Studies on neotropical Phasmatodea II: Revision of the genus Malacomorpha Rehn, 1906, with the descriptions of seven new species (Phasmatodea: Pseudophasmatidae: Pseudophasmatinae), Zootaxa 1748 (1), pp. 1-64 : 15-17

Malacomorpha bastardoae n. sp.

( Figs. 6–12 , 82 )

HT, ♂: Dominican Republic, RD-211 Upper Las Abejas, Parque Nacional Sierra de Bahoruco, Pedernales prov., 1.310m, 6.iv.2004, D. Perez, B. Hierro, R. Bastardo, (d/n) ( USNM) .

PT, 1 ♂: Dominican Republic, RD-211 Upper Las Abejas, Parque Nacional Sierra de Bahoruco, Pedernales prov., 1.310m, 6.iv.2004, D. Perez, B. Hierro, R. Bastardo, (d/n) ( USNM) .

PT, 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀ (nymphs): Dominican Republic, RD-139 Caseta no. 3, Parque Nacional Sierra de Bahoruco, Independencia Prov., 18°13.720’N 71°35.243’W, 1.941m, 3.vii.2003, D. Perez, R. Bastardo, B. Hierro. (night) ( USNM) .

PT, 2 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, 1 nymph: Dominican Republic, Independencia Prov., Loma del Toro, Caseta 5 of P.N. Sierra de Bahoruco, 18°19.270’N 71°40.576’W, 2357m, 12.viii.2006, D. Perez, R. Bastardo, B. Hierro ( USNM) .

PT, 1 ♂, 1 ♀: Dominican Republic, Prov. Pedernales, Parque Nacional Sierra de Bahoruco, Caseta 2, 23°19.72’mE 20°14.802’mN, 1.771m, 28.vi.2005, R.Bastardo, E.Fernandez (OC) .

Distribution: Dominican Republic (Parque Nacional Sierra de Bahoruco).

Etymology: This new species is dedicated to the Dominican biologist Ruth Bastardo for her great effort and support in collecting the type-specimens.

Differentiation: Closely related to Malacomorpha obscura n. sp., for the distribution (Hispaniola), the smooth dorsal surface of body and a similar colouration of the antennae. It differs by: the more slender body; more slender and longer legs and antennae and darker colouration of both sexes; swollen and laterally expanded anal segment and broader vomer of ♂♂.

Description: The colouration is described from photos of a live couple (paratypes) taken by the third author in the Parque Nacional Sierra de Bahoruco ( Dominican Republic).

ºº ( Figs. 6 & 82 ): Small (body length 37.0–43.0 mm), robust for the genus with a moderately bulgy abdomen. Rudiments of tegmina and alae completely lacking. Legs slender but not very long, indistinctly carinated; all carinae covered with minute setae. Antennae slender and long, nearly reaching to posterior margin of anal segment. Body surface minutely rugulose, partly shiny; mesonotum bearing several minute tubercles roughly arranged in two dorsolateral and two lateral longitudinal rows in the anterior half. Basic colouration of body and legs dark brown to black. Some specimens show a very indistinct, dark longitudinal dorsomedian line running along the complete dorsal surface of the head and body. Antennae brown at the base, turning into yellow to reddish in the apical half. Eyes marbled in black and mid brown. Legs brown to dark brown with indistinct yellowish mottling.

Head: Medium sized, hardly longer than wide, oval in cross-section and slightly flattened dorsally, smooth. Minute rudiments of ocelli present. Eyes small, roughly circular, projecting hemispherical, their length contained 2x in that of cheek. Antennae slender and long, nearly reaching to posterior margin of anal segment. Scapus almost 1.5x longer than wide, compressed dorsoventrally, roughly rectangular and slightly carinated. Pedicellus hardly longer than wide, distinctly narrower and about 0.7x as long as scapus, but wider than following antennomeres. Third antennomere as long as pedicellus, IV slightly shorter. Remaining antennomeres increasing in length towards apices of antennae.

Thorax: Oval in cross-section. Pro-, meso- and metathorax slightly broadened towards the posterior. Pronotum as long as but wider than head, 1.2x longer than wide and slightly broadened towards the posterior. Anterolateral angles with a conspicuous, rounded excavation for the defensive glands. Transverse median depression indistinct and slightly displaced towards anterior third of segment. Median line slightly impressed. Minutely rugulose. Mesonotum wider and about 1.5x longer than pronotum, 1.5x longer than wide and parallel-sided. Bearing several minute tubercles roughly arranged in two dorsolateral and two lateral longitudinal rows in the anterior half. Metanotum and median segment as wide as posterior of mesonotum and combined 0.8x as long. Metanotum and median segment combined as long as wide, parallel-sided. Metanotum transverse, 1.6–1.8x wider than long and slightly longer than median segment. Transverse fissure between metanotum and median segment distinct and almost straight. Meso- and metaepisternum rugulose. Pro-, meso- and metasternum simple and smooth.

Abdomen: 1.3–1.5x longer than head and complete thorax combined, bulgy and gradually tapered towards the apex. Surface rugulose and partly shiny. Segments parallel-sided, tergites I–IX each with a faint minute posteromedian tubercle or hump. Median segment slightly shorter than metanotum, about 2.0–2.5x wider than long, rectangular. Tergites II–VI widest and longest, VIII–X narrowest, IX shortest. II–VII transverse being 3–4x wider than long, VIII–IX 2–2.5x wider than long. Sternites II–VII simple and smooth. Anal segment tapered towards apex, posterior margin rounded, narrower than IX, wider than long, and with an indistinct longitudinal median carina. Lateral margins with a faint concave excavation near the bases of the cerci. Supraanal plate very small with angulate apex, not visible from dorsal. Subgenital plate flat, at best reaching to posterior margin of anal segment; minutely setose and apex pointed. Cerci small, short, slightly incurving, and gradually constricted towards the apex, which is slightly thickened and club-like; finely bristled.

Legs: Legs slender but not very long, indistinctly carinated; unarmed and with all carinae minutely bristled, partly shiny. Profemora nearly 1.5x longer than mesothorax, metafemora reaching to posterior margin of abdominal tergite V and hind legs distinctly projecting over apex of abdomen. Profemora very indistinctly compressed and curved basally. Basitarsus 2.5x longer than second tarsomere.

ďď ( Figs. 7 & 82 ): Similar to ♀♀, but smaller and much more slender (body length 23.0– 29.5 mm), abdominal segments II–VII parallel-sided.

Head: As in ♀♀.

Thorax: As in ♀♀, but prothorax less distinctly broadened towards the posterior. Pronotum as long and wide as head. Mesonotum 1.8–2x longer than wide. Metanotum and median segment combined 1.3x longer than wide.

Abdomen: Sub-cylindrical in cross section, about 1.4–1.5x longer than head and thorax combined. Surface and granulation as in ♀♀. Tergites II–VII parallel-sided, VIII and IX broadening towards the posterior and broader than previous. II slightly transverse, III–VII longest and narrowest 1.5x wider than long, IX the shortest. VIII and IX 1.5–1.8x wider than long. Anal segment broader than previous tergites, about 1.5–2x wider than long. Posterior margin rounded, gently swollen and laterally expanded. Sternites II–VII simple and smooth. Cerci as in ♀♀. Poculum small and flat, spoon-like, slightly projecting the posterior margin of tergite IX. Posterior margin rounded. Vomer triangular, as long as wide, with apex broadly rounded; outer margin swollen.

Legs: As in ♀♀.

Eggs ( Figs. 11–12 ): Rather large, capsule ovoid, 1.5x longer than wide and slightly oval in cross-section; lateral surfaces increasingly convex towards the centre. Polar-area indistinctly flattened if seen in lateral aspect. Anterior margin slightly swollen but smooth. Capsule surface very minutly punctured and covered all over with shallow, irregularly raised ridges, which become more marked around the micropylar plate and increasingly indistinct towards the anterior, posterior and ventral portions of the capsule. Micropylar plate lanceolate with the anterior end tapered and the posterior margin broadly rounded; more than two times longer than wide, and a little less than 1/3 the length of capsule. Surface smooth and slightly convex laterally. Micropylar cup large, also of a roughly lanceolate shape and positioned close to the posterior margin of micropylar plate. Median line very prominent, reaching about half the way towards polar-area. Operculum oval, slightly convex and with a small, conical hump in the centre; surface otherwise rugulose. General coloration of capsule pale to mid brown the raised structures pale straw to cream; dorsal half of capsule with a few darker markings. Micropylar plate straw.

Measurements [mm]: length 3.6, width 2.3, height 2.5, length of micropylar plate 1.2.

Comments: Specimens from Loma del Toro were collected mostly from the walls of the cabin and also a few from the bare ground.

Figures

FIGURES 6–12. Malacomorpha bastardoae n. sp. 6) ♀ PT (USNM), 7) ♂ HT (USNM), 8) ♂ apex of abdomen in lateral view, 9) ♂ vomer, 10) ♀ apex of abdomen in lateral view, 11) egg in dorsal view, 12) egg in lateral view.

FIGURES 82–85. 82. Malacomorpha bastardoae n. sp. couple; 83. Malacomorpha cyllarus (Westwood, 1859) female; 84. Malacomorpha cyllarus (Westwood, 1859) male; 85. Malacomorpha hispaniola n. sp. couple.