Baculonistria yuexiensis ( Chen & He, 1993 ) Hennemann & Conle, 2008

Hennemann, Frank H. & Conle, Oskar V., 2008, Revision of Oriental Phasmatodea: The tribe Pharnaciini Günther, 1953, including the description of the world's longest insect, and a survey of the family Phasmatidae Gray, 1835 with keys to the subfamilies and tribes (Phasmatodea: " Anareolatae ": Phasmatidae), Zootaxa 1906, pp. 1-316 : 92-94

Baculonistria yuexiensis ( Chen & He, 1993) comb. nov.

(Fig. 370)

Phobaeticus yuexiensis Chen & He, 1993: 54 , figs. 1 & 2 (♀). HT, ♀: E-China, Anhui Province, Yuexi County, Kujingyuan forest farm, 1985, Yu Fangbei leg. (BFU).

Baculonistria yuexiensis, Hennemann, Conle & Zhang, 2008: 9 .

Diagnosis: Distinguished from ♀♀ of B. alba ( Chen & He, 1990) from Chongqing and Hubei by: the much shorter subgenital plate which does not reach to the tip of the anal segment, longer and more slender cerci and lack of a prominent sub-apical spine on the medioventral carina of the meso- and metafemora .

Etymology: The name refers to the type-locality, Yuexi County in the Anhui Province of east China.

Description: The following is a translation of the original description, which was kindly provided by Weiwei Zhang (Chongqing, China).

♀♀: Robust, body smooth and brown.

Head: Much longer than wide and conspicuously narrowed towards the posterior. Vertex flat and with an impressed, longitudinal median line and two short lateral impressed lines at posterior margin. Laterally with a dark brown longitudinal postocular line, which reaches to the posterior of the head. Between the eyes with two short horns and a pair of shallow impressions in front. Antennae slightly longer than 1/3 the length of profemora. Antennomeres except caput short. Scapus 2x longer than wide, parallel-sided and with a longitudinal median carina dorsally. Pedicellus short, about ¼ the length of scapus, club-shaped.

Thorax: Pronotum shorter than the head and posterior margin broader than anterior margin. Lateral margins indented anteriorly. Transverse median depression distinct and slightly curved to the anterior. Another transverse depression just behind anterior margin and an oblique depression on each side of the transverse median depression. Mesonotum gently gradually broadened towards the posterior and with a faint longitudinal median carina, almost 5x longer than pronotum. Metanotum and median segment together about 8/9 the length of mesonotum. Metanotum with a faint longitudinal median carina in anterior 2/3 of segment.

Abdomen: Longer than combined length of head and complete thorax. Median segment shorter than broad and with a pair of indistinct, curved indentions. Segments II–V broader than following, V longest, II–IV of qual length. VIII shorter than VII and IX more than half the length of VIII. Tergites IX and X combined longer than VIII. Pleurae angular. Sternum VII with a prominent praeopercular organ formed by a prominent, spinelike median hump at posterior margin. Anal segment slightly tectiform with a distinct median carina anteriorly a small median indention at posterior margin. Supraanal small, roughly semicircular and with a ± spine-like median hump. Subgenital plate rather short, strongly keeled and boat-shaped, tapered apically and staying slightly beyond the tip of the anal segment. Laterally with a distinct longitudinal carina. Cerci distinct, longer than the supraanal plate and distinctly tapered towards the apex.

* according to Chen & He (1993: 54)

Legs: All three pairs long. Profemora longer than meso- and metafemora and longer than mesonotum, but shorter than protibiae. Anterodorsal carina with 12 black serrations. Mesofemora slightly shorter than metafemora. All three ventral carinae of the meso- and metafemora and tibiae with black serrations. A few minute teeth on the ventral carinae of the meso- and metabasitarsus.

Comments: This species was not listed in Otte & Brock (2005) and Chen & He (2007). The spines between the eyes, short antennae, short mesothorax, very short and transverse median segment and praeopercular organ which is formed by a single median structure on abdominal sternum VII clearly place this species in Baculonistria gen. nov.. Unfortunately the unique HT in BFU could not be examined for the present study, but the quite detailed original description allows identification and differentiation of this species. The unknown ♂ might be represented by B. longicornis (Bi & Wang) comb. nov. from Henan Province. Eggs unknown.

Distribution (Fig. 370): East China (Anhui Province, Yuexi County, Kujingyuan forest farm).

Number of specimens examined: None