Green vestment mantis (Phyllothelys qingjinum) from Malipo, Yunnan, with cross collar on pronotum

NEWS - Green vestment mantis (Phyllothelys qingjinum) from Malipo, Yunnan, China, is described based on geometric morphometric, genetic distance and molecular phylogenetic analyses. The discovery of this new species fills a significant distribution gap for the P. werneri group in southern Yunnan and highlights the need for further exploration in this region.

Phyllothelys Wood-Mason, 1876 (Mantodea, Hymenopodidae) includes 22 species with China being the hotspot containing 15 species in four groups, especially P. werneri which includes 6 species. This suggests a wide distribution across the mountainous region south of the Yangtze River extending from Medog in the west to Taiwan Island in the east.

P. qingjinum has dimensions (mm) with head to abdomen: 52.75-54.95, head to wing: 58.60-62.14, pronotum: 15.30-17.76, prozone: 3.46-3.95, metazone: 11.84-13.88, anterior coxa: 8.39-10.64, anterior femur: 9.36-11.46, anterior tibia: 5.55-7.02, posterior femur: 7.82-9.35, posterior tibia: 6.82-8.54, anterior wing: 32.03-36.79 and posterior wing: 28.70-33.16.

The new species has a distribution in Yunnan. The name is derived from the Chinese word ‘青衿’(Qingjin) which refers to the green cross-collared robe in ancient Hanfu. The term metaphorically refers to the distinctive green color of the dorsal edge of the pronotum of this species when alive.

The researchers compared with other species based on morphometrics with P. qingjinum being distant from the others. P. chuangtsei and P. werneri were each clearly separated from the other species. In contrast, P. jiazhii, P. jianfenglingense and P. dulongense were closer to each other showing considerable overlap.

P. qingjinum differs from the other species based on morphology and the colored patches on the prothoracic legs. The large, closely arranged colored patches in the discoid area of the forewings resemble those of P. jianfenglingense and P. dulongense. However, P. qingjinum shows a relatively prominent supracoxal dilatation with obvious lateral pronotal expansion.

P. chuangtsei shows lateral pronotal expansions developing around the supracoxal dilatation. However, P. qingjinum can be further distinguished by its larger size and the presence of numerous longer and sharper spines on the sdp and apha of the male external genitalia.

Original research

Liu Q, Wu C, Ye B, Liu X (2024). Integrated taxonomy reveals a new praying mantis species of Phyllothelys Wood-Mason, 1876 (Mantodea, Hymenopodidae) from Yunnan, China. Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e132161, DOI:10.3897/BDJ.12.e132161

Dlium theDlium

Thomas Sutikna lives with Homo floresiensis

BLOG - On October 28, 2004, a paper was published in Nature describing the dwarf hominin we know today as Homo floresiensis that has shocked the world. The report changed the geographical landscape of early humans that previously stated that the Pleistocene Asia was only represented by two species, Homo erectus and Homo sapiens . The report titled "A new small-bodied hominin from the Late Pleistocene of Flores, Indonesia" written by Peter Brown and Mike J. Morwood from the University of New England with Thomas Sutikna, Raden Pandji Soejono, Jatmiko, E. Wahyu Saptomo and Rokus Awe Due from the National Archaeology Research Institute (ARKENAS), Indonesia, presents more diversity in the genus Homo. “Immediately, my fever vanished. I couldn’t sleep well that night. I couldn’t wait for sunrise. In the early morning we went to the site, and when we arrived in the cave, I didn’t say a thing because both my mind and heart couldn’t handle this incredible moment. I just went down...

Southern cone marigold (Tagetes minuta)

Southern cone marigold ( Tagetes minuta ) is a species of plant in the Asteraceae, herb or shrub, upright, up to 2 meters high, cylindrical or square stem, green or red in color, smooth and shiny surface, grows in forests, roadsides and agricultural land. T. minuta has compound leaves 23 cm long, with up to 6 pairs of leaves with 1 at the tip and is green. The strands are elongated, 8 cm long, 1 cm wide, with sharp ends and serrated edges. Flowers in panicles. Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Asterales Family: Asteraceae Subfamily: Asteroideae Tribe: Tageteae Genus: Tagetes Species: Tagetes minuta

Purwaceng (Pimpinella pruatjan)

Purwaceng or purwoceng or antanan gunung or Viagra of Java ( Pimpinella pruatjan or Pimpinella priatjan ) are small termas growing horizontally in Apiaceae, growing in villages on Dieng Plateau, Central Java Province, Indonesia, at 1,500 to 2,000 meters above sea level, the roots have medicinal properties for aphrodisiacs and are usually processed in powder form for a mixture of coffee or milk. P. pruatjan grows flat on the ground but does not propagate, small leaves are reddish green for 1-3 cm in diameter. This plant is only found in Java and grows in high mountain areas. A low population where industrial demand is very high results in increasingly scarce. Another place that is likely to become a purwaceng habitat is the Iyang Mountains and the Tengger Mountains in East Java Province. Efforts to multiply and cultivate have a big problem where these plants have difficulty producing seeds. In vitro propagation research through tissue cultivation has been carried out to overcome ...

Dlium