Phryganistria tamdaoensis
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Phryganistria tamdaoensis |
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| Phryganistria tamdaoensis | ||||||||||||
| Bresseel & Constant , 2014 |
Phryganistria tamdaoensis is a species of ghost from Vietnam . The species was re-described in 2014and received public attention as one of the "Top 10 New Species of 2015" by the State University of New York's College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
features
female
It is a slender, stick-shaped ghost insect with a cylindrical body, which reaches about 20 to 23 centimeters in length, and long, slender legs; the body is rather robust for a stick insect and not as graceful as in some other genera. The animals are light brownish or greenish in color with brown spots. Exceptions: the basal section of the profemora is tinted pink, the keels on the thighs of the other pairs of legs have a bluish tint, there are pink drawing elements between the keels. The head has relatively large, round complex eyes , the antennae are relatively short, especially the last limbs of the flagellum. The pronotum is shorter and narrower than the head, the elongated mesonotum is about 5 to 5.5 times as long as the pronotum, the metanotum about half as long, all trunk limbs are smooth and roughly parallel. The first abdominal segment is unusually short, only about one-third the length of the metanotum. The subsequent middle abdominal segments gradually become longer and narrower from about the fourth onwards. The cerci are unusually long for the genus, lanceolate in shape with a rounded tip and flattened. The species is distinguishable from other representatives of the genus by the shape of the Cerci. The rails and thighs of the middle and rear legs are keeled and have prominent, sometimes serrated thorns on the keels.
male
Males are about 16 to 20 centimeters long and slightly smaller than the females, the body is a good 9 millimeters wide at the widest point. The head and torso are colored golden-brown, the meso- and metanotum each have a blue spot in the middle of the segment, these have black drawing elements on the side. The abdomen is golden brown, the first sternites are marked with a blue mark. The thighs of all pairs of legs are tinted pink with blue keels and offset black thorns, splints and tarsal limbs are brownish-pink in color. The forelegs are greatly elongated, their thighs are longer than the head, pro- and mesonotum combined. The thighs of the middle and hind legs are clearly swollen and reach the thickness of the mesonotum.
Nymphs and eggs
Newly hatched nymphs are about 20 to 25 millimeters long and colored green. The eggs are, typical for ghosts, vase-shaped by a stem-shaped micropylar cup. The egg capsule is about 5 millimeters long, has an oval shape, a smooth surface and is brown in color. It has a distinct keel.
distribution
Phryganistria tamdaoensis is endemic to Vietnam . The species was found in the north of Vietnam in Tam Đảo National Park ( type locality ) and in the Da Krong nature reserve.
It is said to be not uncommon in the areas, but is difficult to find despite its size due to its cryptic shape. The individuals from Da Krong differ somewhat from those from Tam Dao and may represent a subspecies of their own. Although a good 70 species of ghost horror are known from Vietnam, the new discovery of these and other very large species shows that the country's fauna has not been well researched and that numerous other species can be expected here.
Phylogeny and Kinship
As far as we know today, the genus Phryganistria comprises six species, all of which live in the forests of tropical East Asia. It belongs to the Pharnaciini tribe , which includes numerous extremely large species of ghosts, including the record holders among insects for body length (the species itself is very large, but not one of the largest species). Traditionally she was considered a member of the subfamily Phasmatinae. In a more recent revision it was assigned to the subfamily Clitumninae of the family Phasmatidae. According to a phylogenomic study (based on the comparison of homologous DNA sequences) this position appears questionable again, a position was found close to the subfamily Cladomorphinae and the Lanceocercata (mainly living in Australia). The exact relationship must therefore currently be classified as uncertain.
breed
Live animals of the species can be seen in the vivarium of the Museum of Natural Sciences in Brussels. But it is also kept by hobby breeders in Europe, whereby the first animals were already present here before the species was scientifically described. It should therefore be kept with leaves of blackberries , red beeches and Shallon peach berries as a forage plant. The species is nocturnal.
swell
- Joachim Bresseel & Jérôme Constant (2014): Giant Sticks from Vietnam and China, with three new taxa including the second longest insect known to date (Phasmatodea, Phasmatidae, Clitumninae, Pharnaciini) . European Journal of Taxonomy 104: 1-38. doi : 10.5852 / ejt.2014.104
Individual evidence
- ↑ The ESF Top 10 New Species for 2015
- ^ Frank H. Hennemann & Oskar V. Conle (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 1735: 1-77.
- ↑ Sven Bradler, James A. Robertson, Michael F. Whiting (2014): A molecular phylogeny of Phasmatodea with emphasis on Necrosciinae, the most species-rich subfamily of stick insects. Systematic Entomology 39: 205-222. doi : 10.1111 / syen.12055
- ↑ Walking Stick: Not So Giant. ESF Top 10 New Species 2015
- ^ Phasmatodea.com, by Oskar Conle and Frank Hennemann. Breeding report from Bruno Kneubuehler. Retrieved September 22, 2015
