Abstract
The genus Malacomorpha Rehn, 1906 is revised at the species-level, based upon examination of all necessary type-material and extensive material housed in ANSP, CMNH and USNM mainly collected on nine expeditions to the Dominican Republic, including collections at 280 sites distributed throughout the country. A re-description of the genus and detailed descriptions of all 13 known species are provided. Seven new species are described and illustrated: Malacomorpha bastardoae n. sp., M. macaya n. sp., M. hispaniola n. sp., M. minima n. sp., M. multipunctata n. sp. & M. obscura n. sp.from Hispaniola and M. sanchezi n. sp. from Puerto Rico. The eggs of M. bastardoae n. sp., M. cyllarus (Westwood, 1859), M. jamaicana (Redtenbacher, 1906), M. multipunctata n. sp., M. obscura n. sp., M. sanchezi n. sp., and M. spinicollis (Burmeister, 1838) are described and illustrated, those of the four latter species for the first time. According to the original description and distribution Phasma graveolens King, 1867 is obviously a synonym of M. cyllarus (Westwood, 1859), and not a synonym of Anismorpha buprestoides (Stoll, 1813) as stated by previous authors (n. syn.). A lectotype is designated for Phasma spinicollis Burmeister, 1838. The newly described species, M. longipennis (Redtenbacher, 1906) and M. hispaniola n. sp. in particular, prove the genera Pseudolcyphides Karny, 1923 (Type-species: Phasma spinicollis Burmeister, 1838) and Alloeophasma Redtenbacher, 1906 (Type-species: Anophelepis poeyi Saussure, 1868) to be synonyms of Malacomorpha Rehn, 1906 (n. syn.). Consequently, the type species of both genera are here transferred to Malacomorpha Rehn, 1906 (n. comb.). The genus now contains apterous, brachypterous and pterous species restricted to the Greater Antilles and Bahamas.References
Arnett, R.H. & Samuelson, G.A. & Nishida, G.M. (1993) The insect and spider collections of the world. Flora & Fauna Handbook No. 11, Sandhill Crane Press, Inc., Gainesville, USA 1–309
Bolìvar, I. (1888) Enumeration des Orthopteres de l'Ile de Cuba. Memoires de la Société Zoologique de France, 1, 116–164.
Bragg, P.E. (2001) Phasmids of Borneo. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu, 772 pp.
Bradley, J.C. & Galil, B.S. (1977) The taxonomic arrangement of the Phasmatodea with keys to the subfamilies and tribes. Proceedings of the Entomological Society Washington, 79(2), 176–208.
Brock, P.D. (1998) Catalogue of type-specimens of Stick- and Leaf-Insects in the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien (Insecta: Phasmida). Kataloge der wissenschaftlichen Sammlungen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, 13(5), 72 pp.
Burmeister, H. (1838) Handbuch der Entomologie II. Berlin, pp. 553–589.
Caudell, A.N. (1909) Miscellaneous notes on Orthoptera. Proceedings of the Entomological Society, Washington, 11, 111–114.
Clark-Sellick, J.T. (1997) Descriptive terminology of the phasmid egg capsule, with an extended key to the phasmid genera based on egg structure. Systematic Entomology, 22, 97–122.
Conle, O.V. & Hennemann, F.H. (2002) Revision neotropischer Phasmatodea: Die Tribus Anisomorphini sensu Bradley & Galil 1977 (Insecta, Phasmatodea, Pseudophasmatidae). Spixiana, Supplement No. 28: 1–141, plates 1–19.
Conle, O.V. & Hennemann, F.H. (2005) Studies on neotropical Phasmatodea I: A remarkable new species of Peruphasma Conle & Hennemann, 2002 from Northern Peru (Phasmatodea: Pseudophasmatidae: Pseudophasmatinae). Zootaxa, 1068, 59–68.
Conle, O.V. & Hennemann, F.H. & Perez-Gelabert, D.E. (2006) Studies on neotropical Phasmatodea III: A new species of Anisomorpha Gray, 1835 (Phasmatodea, Pseudophasmatidae, Pseudophasmatinae) from Hispaniola. Proceedings of the Entomological Society, Washington, 108(4), 885–891.
Dossey, A.T., Walse, S.S., Rocca, J.R. & Edison, A.S. (2006) Single-Insect NMR: A new tool to probe chemical biodiversity. ACS Chemical Biology, 1(8), 511–514.
Eisner, T. (1965) Defensive spray of a phasmid insect. Science, 148, 966–968.
Haan, W. de (1842) Bijdragen to de kennis der Orthoptera. Verhandelingen over de natuurlijke Geschiedenis der Nederlandsche overzeesche Bezittingen. In: Temminck, C.J. [Ed.]: Verhandelingen Zoologie, 2, 95–138.
Karny, H.H. (1923) Zur Nomenklatur der Phasmoiden. Treubia, 3(2), 230–242.
King, C.B. (1867) Untitled note on Anisomorpha buprestoides, read at RESL meeting, 4th March 1867. Proceedings of the Entomological Society, London, (3)5: 78–80.
Kirby, W.F. (1904) A Synonymic Catalogue of Orthoptera. British Museum, London, Vol.I, 501 pp.
Langlois, F. & Lelong, P. (1996) Catalogue des Phasmes des Antilles. Le Monde des Phasmes, 35, 20–26.
Moxey, C.F. (1972) The stick-insects (Phasmatodea) of the West Indies - their systematics and biology. PhD-thesis, Department of Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. 1–211, plates 1–20. [Unpublished!]
Otte, D. & Brock, P.D. (2005) Phasmida Species File: A Catalog of Stick and Leaf Insects of the World. (Second Edition), Philadelphia, 414 pp.
Perez-Gelabert, D. (2001) First record and discovery of two new species of Anisomorpha Gray (Phasmida: Pseudophasmatidae) in Haiti and Dominican Republic. Phasmid Studies, 9 (1 & 2), 27.
Redtenbacher, J. (1906) Die Insektenfamilie der Phasmiden. I. Phasmidae Areolatae. Leipzig, pp. 1–180, pls. 1–6.
Rehn, J.A.G. (1904) Studies in the Orthopterous family Phasmidae. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, 56: 38–107.
Rehn, J.A.G. (1906) The Orthoptera of the Bahamas. Bullettin of the NewYork Museum, 22, 113–115.
Saussure, H. de (1868) Phasmidarum novarum species nonullae, auctore. Revue et magazin de Zoologie Pure et Appliquée, (2)20, 63–70.
Saussure, H. de (1870) Études sur les insectes Orthoptères. Famille de Phasmides. In: Edwards [Ed.]: Recherches Zoologiques pur servir a l´histoire de la Faune de l´Amerique Centrale et du Mexique. Pp. 125–201, pls. 3–4.
Stål, C. (1875) Recensio Orthopterorum. Revue critique des Orthoptères decrits par Linné, de Geer et Thunberg. P.A. Norstedt & Söner, Stockholm, 105 pp.
Vanschuytbroeck, P. & Cools, J. (1981) Catalogue et liste du material typique des Phasmatodea conserve dans les collections Entomologiques de l'Institut Royal des sciences naturelles de Belgique. Orthopteroidea: Phasmatodea Jacobson & Bianc. Bulletin de l'Institut Royal des sciences naturelles de Belgique, 53(23), 1–26.
Westwood, J.O. (1859) Catalogue of Orthopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part 1: Phasmidae. British Museum, London, 196 pp., 40 plates.
Wolcott, G.N. (1936) “Insectae Borinquenses” A revised annotated check-list of the insects of Puerto Rico. Journal of the Agricultural University of Puerto Rico, 20(1), 1–600.
Wolcott, G.N. (1948) The Insects of Puerto Rico. Journal of the Agricultural University of Puerto Rico, 32(1), 1–224.
Wolcott, G.N. (1951) Phasmidae: Walking sticks. In: Wolcott, G.N. [Ed.]: The present status of economic entomology in Puerto Rico. Bulletin of the Agricultural and Experimental State University of Puerto Rico, 99, 47–50.
Zompro, O. (2004) Revision of the genera of the Areolatae, including the status of Timema and Agathemera (Insecta, Phasmatodea). Abhandlungen des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins Hamburg, (NF), 37; Verlag Goecke & Evers, 327 pp.
Zompro, O. (2005) Catalogue of type-material of the insect order Phasmatodea, housed in the Museum für Naturkunde der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany and in the Institut für Zoologie der Martin-Luther-Universität in Halle (Saale), Germany. Mitteilungen aus dem Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin, Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift, 52(2), 251–290.
Zompro, O. & Brock, P.D. (2003) Catalogue of type-material of stick-insects housed in the Muséum d´histoire naturelle, Geneva, with descriptions of some new taxa (Insecta: Phasmatodea). Revue Suisse de Zoologie, 110(1), 3–43.