Studies on neotropical Phasmatodea V: Notes on certain species of Pseudosermyle Caudell, 1903, with the descriptions of three new species from Mexico (Phasmatodea: Diapheromeridae: Diapheromerinae: Diapheromerini)
Author
Conle, Oskar V.
Author
Hennemann, Frank H.
Author
Fontana, Paolo
text
Zootaxa
2007
1496
31
51
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.177041
3f6ac742-8679-425f-94c8-bd4323ec4129
1175-5326
177041
Pseudosermyle tolteca
(
Saussure, 1859
)
(
Figs. 13–14
,
22
)
Bacteria tolteca
Saussure, 1859
: 62
.
HT
, ♂:
Bacunculus mexicanus
Sauss., Montes Mexicani, M. H.
de.Saussure, (MHNG). Saussure, 1869: 367. [Description of Ψ]
Kirby, 1904
: 348. [as synonym of
Heteronemia mexicana
Gray, 1835
]
Zompro & Brock, 2003
: 25. [as synonym of
Heteronemia mexicana
Gray, 1835
]
Otte & Brock, 2005
: 159. [as synonym of
Heteronemia mexicana
Gray, 1835
]
Heteronemia mexicana
,
Saussure, 1870
: 152
, pl. 3: 10, 11 & 11a (♂ & Ψ). [Erroneous synonymisation of
Bacteria tolteca
Saussure
]
Bacunculus mexicanus
, Brunner
v.
Wattenwyl, 1907
: 333
.
Pseudosermyle
sp.
,
Zompro, 2001b
: 222
.
Material examined
[6 ɗɗ]: 1 ɗ: Coll. Br.v.W.;
Mexico
, Deyrolle; det. Br.v.W.
Bacunculus mexicanus
; 6002;
Pseudosermyle
sp.
det.
O
. Zompro
IX.1999
(
NHMW
, No. 683); 1 ɗ: Coll. Br.v.W.;
Mexico
, Deyrolle; det. Br.v.W.
Bacunculus mexicanus
; 23/6002 (
NHMW
, No. 683); 1 ɗ: Coll. Br.v.W.;
Mexico
, Saussure; det. Br.v.W.
Bacunculus mexicanus
; 8672 (
NHMW
, No. 683); 1 ɗ: Coll. Br.v.W.;
Mexico
, Saussure; det. Br.v.W.
Bacunculus mexicanus
(
NHMW
, No. 683); 1 ɗ: Coll. Br.v.W.;
Mexico
, Deyrolle; det. Br.v.W.
Bacunculus mexicanus
; 6002 b (
NHMW
, No. 683); 1 ɗ: Bilimek,
Mexico
, 1883; Collectio Br.v.W.; det. Br.v.W.
Bacunculus mexicanus
(
NHMW
, No. 683).
Distribution:
Mexico
(Cordillère orientale, Mextitlan & Bilimek).
Differentiation:
Closely related to
Pseudosermyle claviger
n. sp.
with which it shares the club-shaped cerci and very slender, elongate body of ɗɗ. ɗɗ differ from
P. c l a v i g e r
n. sp.
by: the more or less straight cerci; distinctly longer than wide sternite IX and lack of the sinistral dorsolateral spine of sternite IX. ΨΨ clearly differ from
P. phalangiphora
(
Rehn, 1907
)
and
P. chorreadero
n. sp.
by the distinct spination of the head and thorax, and presence of four prominent spines on the pronotum.
Description:
As
no ΨΨ were at hand only a brief characterization is given below, based on the illustration of
Saussure (1870: fig. 10)
.
ΨΨ: Large (body length 85.0–89.0 mm) for the genus. General shape of body similar to that of
P. phalangiphora
(
Rehn, 1907
)
. Head and complete thorax dorsally covered with numerous spines of variable size. Two prominent spines between the eyes. Four distinct spines on the pronotum. Cerci short, not projecting over posterior margin of anal segment. Saussure (1869: 367) mentioned the general colouration of the body to be green in live specimens.
ɗɗ (
Fig. 22
): Large (body length 71.0–85.0 mm), very slender and elongate for the genus. Body smooth; head with two minute blunt tubercles between the eyes. General colouration of head and body pale to mid brown with indistinct greenish longitudinal stripes along the lateral surfaces of the meso- and metathorax. Legs of same general colour as body, but partly with faint yellowish annulations. Antennae uniformly pale to mid brown in basal half, very indistinctly annulated with yellowish segments in apical half.
Head: Elongate, 1.5x longer than wide, slightly narrowed towards the posterior, oval in cross-section. Vertex flat and smooth, without granules, between the eyes with two low blunt tubercles. Eyes small, circular and strongly convex. Antennae longer than body. Antennomeres very short and decreasing in length towards apices of antennae, densely covered with minute setae. Scapus dorsoventrally flattened, rectangular and about
2x
longer than wide. Pedicellus cylindrical, broader than following antennomeres and about half the length of scapus.
Thorax: Completely smooth. Meso- and metathorax round in cross-section and slightly constricted medially. Pronotum slightly shorter and more slender than head, 1.5x longer than wide and slightly constricted medially. Transverse median depression distinct, slightly curved and reaching to lateral margins of segment. Mesonotum very elongate, about
8x
longer and more slender than pronotum, at least
12–15x
longer than wide and slightly widened at the anterior and posterior margins. Metanotum
8x
longer than wide, about 2/3 the length of mesonotum, slightly widened at posterior and anterior margins. Pro-, meso- and metapleurae and sterna simple and structured like the dorsal surface.
Abdomen:
As
long as head and thorax combined. Surface smooth. Transverse fissure between median segment and metanotum distinct and almost straight. Median segment slightly longer than wide, 1/6 the length of metanotum. Segments II–VII longest and most slender, parallel sided and 4–
5
x longer than wide. Tergite VIII wider than VII, distinctly swollen in posterior half and widened towards the posterior, longer than wide. IX more slender than VIII and X, medially constricted and at least
2x
wider than long. Anal segment widest, distinctly wider than long, strongly convex and tapered towards a rounded, medially incised posterior margin. Sternites II–VII simple, smooth and shiny. Supraanal plate very small and not visible in dorsal aspect. Cerci club-shaped, more or less straight, conspicuously thickened apically, round in cross-section and slightly shorter than anal segment; covered with a few minute pale setae (
Fig. 14
). Sternite IX forming a simple tube lacking any appendix or spine, distinctly longer than wide and longer than anal segment. Poculum small and simple, posterior margin slightly projecting over anal segment (
Fig. 13
).
Legs: All long and slender, profemora slightly longer than mesonotum, mesofemora shorter than mesonotum, hind legs distinctly projecting over apex of abdomen. All distinctly carinated, destitute of teeth or spines and with all carinae minutely bristled. Profemora considerably compressed and curved basally.
TABLE 1.
Measurements of
Pseudosermyle chorreadero
n. sp.
,
Pseudosermyle claviger
n. sp.
,
Pseudosermyle incongruens
(Brunner v. Wattenwyl, 1907) and
Pseudosermyle procera
n. sp.
[mm]
|
P. chorreadero
n. sp.
HT, ♂ (UNAM)
|
P. chorreadero
n.
P. claviger
n. sp.
sp.
PT, Ψ (UNAM) HT* & PT, ♂♂ (UNAM & OC)
|
P. incongruens
LT, ♂ (NHMW)
|
P. procera
n. sp.
HT* & PT, ♂♂ (UNAM & OC)
|
| Body: |
60.2 |
70.3 67.3 – 70.7 |
53.0 |
56.3 – 63.0 |
| Pronotum: |
2.5 |
3.9 2.6 |
2.6 |
2.9 – 3.5 |
| Mesonotum |
15.5 |
16.6 19.7 – 21.1 |
14.4 |
16.6 – 18.1 |
| Metanotum: |
8.4 |
7.8 10.4 – 12.0 |
9.0 |
8.7 – 10.2 |
| Median seg- ment: |
2.3 |
3.0 2.4 – 2.9 |
1.7 |
1.7 – 1.9 |
| Profemora: |
22.2 |
19.1 22.9 – 23.6 |
20.0 |
21.1 – 21.7 |
| Mesofemora: |
18.5 |
17.5 16.7 – 19.0 |
15.5 |
15.7 – 16.7 |
| Metafemora: |
22.5 |
22.2 16.0 – 23.0 |
19.3 |
19.5 – 21.1 |
| Protibiae: |
26.5 |
22.8 27.3 – 27.8 |
22.0 |
23.6 – 25.3 |
| Mesotibiae: |
21.0 |
19.4 20.4 – 21.1 |
19.3 |
15.8 – 16.7 |
| Metatibiae: |
31.1 |
26.9 26.3 – 27.5 |
27.6 |
24.9 – 26.6 |
| Antennae: |
>44.0 |
>31.0>49.8 |
>30.0 |
>60.0 |
* The measurements of the largest specimen belong to the
holotype
.
Comments:
Saussure (1859: 62)
originally described
Bacteria tolteca
from a single ɗ in MHNG and subsequently, (1869: 367) described the Ψ.
Saussure (1870: 152)
provided illustrations of both sexes (pl. 3: 10, 11 & 11a) and erroneously synonymised
B. tolteca
with
Heteronemia mexicana
Gray, 1835
, which is clearly a distinct species. The ΨΨ described by Saussure (1869) are unique for
Pseudosermyle
Caudell
due to having numerous, prominent spines on the head and thorax but appear to be the corresponding sex, as
Saussure (1870: 154)
stated to have collected 11 ΨΨ and 15 ɗɗ many of which were in copula in the Cordillère orientale near Mextitlan.
TABLE 2.
Measurements of
Pseudosermyle
phalangiphora
(Rehn, 1907)
and
Pseudosermyle
tolteca
(Saussure, 1859)
[mm]
|
P. phalangi- phora
HT, ♂ (ANSP)
|
P. phalangiphora
♂♂ PLT’s of
incon- gruens
(BMNH & NHMW)
|
P. phalangi- phora
♂♂
|
P. phalangi- phora
ΨΨ
|
P. tolteca
♂♂ *
|
P. tolteca
ΨΨ *
|
P. tolteca
♂♂ (NHMW)
|
| Body: |
62.1 |
54.5–60.5 |
53.5–67.0 |
70.0–93.0 |
77.0–85.0 |
85.0–89.0 |
71.0– 76.5 |
| Pronotum: |
2.8 |
2.5–2.9 |
2.8–3.2 |
3.4–4.8 |
21.0–23.0 |
22.0–24.0 |
| Mesonotum |
15.1 |
13.7–17.2 |
12.6–16.2 |
19.4–22.2 |
14.5–16.0 |
13.0–14.0 |
| Metanotum: |
8.7 |
8.2–10.1 |
7.9–10.2 |
9.2–11.7 |
26.0–29.0 |
25.0–26.0 |
| Median segment: |
1.8 |
1.7–2.0 |
1.9–2.5 |
2.1–3.2 |
| Profemora: |
18.8 |
18.3–21.1 |
18.7–21.5 |
18.3–24.5 |
| Mesofemora: |
15.0 |
15.2–16.0 |
14.2–17.8 |
14.0–18.4 |
| Metafemora: |
19.9 |
18.9–21.2 |
18.6–22.7 |
18.5–25.6 |
| Protibiae: |
23.5 |
23.8–25.7 |
20.1–27.5 |
19.4–25.7 |
| Mesotibiae: |
18.2 |
17.1–19.7 |
15.4–19.9 |
13.7–18.3 |
| Metatibiae: |
26.4 |
21.2–26.6 |
20.5–28.4 |
19.9–28.5 |
| Antennae: |
>52.0 |
57.0–62.0 |
47.0–64.0 |
51.0–63.0 |
* after
Saussure, 1870
: 152.