Cryptophyllium, the hidden leaf insects - descriptions of a new leaf insect genus and thirteen species from the former celebicum species group (Phasmatodea, Phylliidae)
Author
Cumming, Royce T.
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7930-1292
Montreal Insectarium, 4581 rue Sherbrooke est, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H 1 X 2 B 2 & Richard Gilder Graduate School, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA & Biology, Graduate Center, City University of New York, NY, USA
roycecumming@gmail.com
Author
Bank, Sarah
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6952-1590
Department of Animal Evolution and Biodiversity, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, University of Go ̈ ttingen, Untere Karspu ̈ le 2, 37073, Go ̈ ttingen, Germany
sarah.bank@uni-goettingen.de
Author
Bresseel, Joachim
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, O. D. Taxonomy and Phylogeny and JEMU, rue Vautier 29, B- 1000, Brussels, Belgium
Author
Constant, Je ́ ro ̂ me
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, O. D. Taxonomy and Phylogeny and JEMU, rue Vautier 29, B- 1000, Brussels, Belgium
Author
Tirant, Stephane Le
Montreal Insectarium, 4581 rue Sherbrooke est, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H 1 X 2 B 2
Author
Dong, Zhiwei
State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, 650223, China
Author
Sonet, Gontran
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, O. D. Taxonomy and Phylogeny and JEMU, rue Vautier 29, B- 1000, Brussels, Belgium
Author
Bradler, Sven
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9307-1032
Department of Animal Evolution and Biodiversity, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, University of Go ̈ ttingen, Untere Karspu ̈ le 2, 37073, Go ̈ ttingen, Germany
text
ZooKeys
2021
2021-02-18
1018
1
179
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1018.61033
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1018.61033
1313-2970-1018-1
7E9360A5A359437A91C004C74B1FE9D6
84B0D9BEE71D5171B80C3F4CBFDC7366
Cryptophyllium chrisangi (Seow-Choen, 2017)
comb. nov.
Figures 8M
, 8N
, 9B
, 24
, 25
, 26
Material examined.
(7 ♀♀, 5 ♂♂, 10 eggs): 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀: "Singapore, ex breeding" (RBINS); 1 ♂: "Singapore (Pulau Ubin), Collected at light, by Francis Seow-Choen, January 5th, 2018 (0-75 m elv)" (Coll RC 18-279); 1 ♂: "Thailand: Satun Province, Tarutao Island" (UCR); 1 ♀: "Sarawak: Kuching, 12.12, J.M. Bryan., B.M.1931-150." (NHMUK); 1 ♀: "P.
Phyllium siccifolium
, 4.93 Tapah, Dr. Yeh" (LKCNHM); 10 eggs:
"Singapore"
(Coll RC 18-332-18-341); 1 ♀: "Presented by Dr. Brooke, St.
John's
I. 26.4.09, Coll Freie Universitat Berlin Sammlung Exotische Insekten, DEI Hemimetabola #100117".
Photographic records
: 2 ♀♀: Thailand: Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Thung Song District, August 2020 (photographed by Tatsatorn Dharithai, Thailand);
1 ♂: Indonesia, Pulau Weh Island off the coast of Sumatra (photographed by Mathieu MJP Van Goethem, South Africa).
Remarks.
This species is one which was brought into the breeding community (Fig.
24A
) and has therefore allowed thorough observation of the adults, nymph, and egg morphology. Molecularly,
Cryptophyllium chrisangi
comb. nov. is sister species to
Cryptophyllium westwoodii
comb. nov. with these two species biogeographically separated by the Isthmus of Kra. The Isthmus of Kra is a notable line of biogeography for several organisms (e.g.,
Li and Li 2018
;
Parnell 2013
) which separates the Ranong and Chumphon Provinces of Thailand (Fig.
2
). This isthmus appears to be significant for the
Phyllium (Phyllium)
as no species are presently known north of this line, but insignificant for the
Phyllium (Pulchriphyllium)
as this group is found on both sides of this line.
With our herein designation of a neotype for
Cryptophyllium westwoodii
comb. nov. we can help to clear up possible significant confusion which surrounds this species. When Wood-Mason described this species in 1875 he did so with a male and female pair of syntypes from two different localities. The female was from "South Andaman" and the male was from "near Pahpoon, ca. 150 miles north of Moulmein, in the Salween country" (
Wood-Mason 1875
). It is almost certain biogeographically that these syntypes represent two different phylliid species, not a singular
Cryptophyllium westwoodii
comb. nov. as he intended. Morphologically,
Wood-Mason's
description and wonderful illustration of the female syntype interestingly appears very similar morphologically to
Cryptophyllium chrisangi
comb. nov. with the correct femoral and abdominal shapes, and alae length (Fig.
25
). With our designation of a neotype
Cryptophyllium westwoodii
comb. nov. from a male from the mainland, this leaves the Andaman female somewhat mysterious as few records> of phylliids have been noted from the Andaman Islands, all of which are
Phyllium (Pulchriphyllium) bioculatum
-like species, none representing a
Cryptophyllium
gen. nov. species. Hopefully one day a fresh specimen of this
Cryptophyllium
gen. nov. species from the Andamans can be located and molecularly compared with congenerics to identify if it is an additional
Cryptophyllium chrisangi
comb. nov. range expansion or an undescribed species.
Figure 25.
Wood-Mason's
1875
plate XVII with the beautifully illustrated '
Phyllium westwoodii
' female syntype from South Andaman. Note the morphological similarity to
Cryptophyllium chrisangi
comb. nov. and given the wide range of
Cryptophyllium chrisangi
comb. nov. outside of the type locality of Singapore, this record may represent a range expansion. Public domain work downloaded from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/114410#page/227/mode/1up)
Differentiation.
Females can be differentiated by the following combination of features: spade-shaped abdomen (as segment VII lacks lobes), mesopleura which are distinctly narrower on the anterior half, and alae which are only ca.
1/2
as long as the tegmina. Morphologically, this species is similar to
Cryptophyllium westwoodii
comb. nov. due to the femoral and mesopleura shape, but can be differentiated by the shorter alae (only half of the tegmina length) as
Cryptophyllium westwoodii
comb. nov. has alae which are nearly the same length as the tegmina (Fig.
68D
). Additionally,
Cryptophyllium athanysus
comb. nov. is morphologically similar due to the femoral, mesopleura, and abdominal shape, but can immediately be differentiated by the metatibial exterior lobes which are lacking in
Cryptophyllium chrisangi
comb. nov.
Males are morphologically very similar to
Cryptophyllium westwoodii
comb. nov. and we have yet to find a reliable morphological feature to differentiate these two species. Both are morphologically variable and can even have a wide range of sizes which does not allow for confident differentiation when molecular markers and locality are unknown. One of the more consistent features however is the abdominal shape as
Cryptophyllium westwoodii
comb. nov. tends to have a slightly more spade-shaped abdomen with segments V-IX converging, and
Cryptophyllium chrisangi
comb. nov. having a slightly more ovoid abdomen with segments V-VI parallel or subparallel, but we have seen morphological intermediates which do not allow this as a diagnostic feature.
Distribution.
The type locality for
Cryptophyllium chrisangi
comb. nov. is mainland Singapore and it has additionally been recorded from St.
John's
Island from a record in the SDEI collections. Additionally, we have observed specimens and photographs from several areas, including several from Thailand: Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Thung Song District (Fig.
24D
) and Satun Province, Tarutao Island (UCR coll.); one tentative old record of a large female from Malaysia, Sarawak, Kuching, from the NHMUK collection (Fig.
26
); an adult female from Tapah, Malaysia (LKCNHM); and a record from Indonesia, Pulau Weh Island off the coast of Sumatra (Fig.
24C
). Hopefully molecular samples from these far-reaching areas can one day be obtained to confirm the identification as
Cryptophyllium chrisangi
comb. nov. but for now morphologically this is what these records> appear to represent.
Figure 26.
Tentative female
Cryptophyllium chrisangi
comb. nov. from Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia which represents a range expansion for this species, photographs by
Jerome
Constant (RBINS)
A
habitus, dorsal
B
details of the anterior of the head, dorsal
C
habitus, ventral
D
front leg details, dorsal
E
details of the head and thorax, dorsal
F
details of the head and thorax, lateral
G
genitalia details, dorsal
H
genitalia details, ventral
I
data label.