Skip to main content

Mashpi walkingstick (Trychopeplus mashpiensis) from Chocó, Ecuador, based on males, females and eggs

Dlium Mashpi walkingstick (Trychopeplus mashpiensis) from Chocó, Ecuador, based on males, females and eggs

NEWS - Researchers report Mashpi walkingstick (Trychopeplus mashpiensis Conle, Valero & Hennemann, sp. nov.) from the Chocó ecoregion of northwestern Ecuador is new to science based on its unique body ornamentation and egg structure morphology.

Trychopeplus Shelford 1909 is a genus of Neotropical stick insects (Phasmida Leach 1815) known for its remarkable morphological adaptations that allow it to blend in almost perfectly with epiphytic lichens in its habitat. These adaptations make Trychopeplus one of the most cryptic stick insect genera.

The genus was described to distinguish the Neotropical species from Pericentrus Redtenbacher 1908 based on morphological differences and distinct geographic distribution compared to the type species Pericentrus moewisi Redtenbacher 1908. Pericentrus is known to be restricted to East and South Asia, whereas Trychopeplus is endemic to the Neotropics.

Oskar Conle from the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology in Germany, Pablo Valero from the University of Murcia in Spain and Frank Hennemann from the Zoologische Staatssammlung München in Germany describe new species based on specimens collected from the Chocó forest in Ecuador through comprehensive morphological analysis of males, females and eggs.

The new species measures 3.6–4.2 mm in length including operculum, 2.9–3.4 in length, 2.5–2.8 in height, 2.2–2.4 in width and 1.9–2.1 in micropylar plate length. So far, the new species is only known from the type site, in the northwestern Pichincha Province of Ecuador. The epithet mashpiensis refers to the Mashpi Reserve.

The new species can be distinguished from T. laciniatus and T. thaumasius by the shape of the spiny ornamentation (vs. the irregular leaf lobes of T. laciniatus and T. thaumasius); the eggs have a tightly closed, smooth capsule (vs. a capsule with a long, hair-like yellowish margin). In addition, the distribution of T. laciniatus is restricted to Central America

Females of the new species can be distinguished from T. spinosolobatus by the pointed tips of the body spines (vs. rounded in T. spinosolobatus); the femoral ornamentation consists of two pairs of leaf-like lobes (vs. four pairs and larger); the subgenital plate is 1.2 times the combined length of the last three tergites (vs. 1.7 times the length of the last three tergites); known only from northwestern Ecuador (vs. Venezuela and Colombia).

The inclusion of Trychopeplus mashpiensis in Trychopeplus underscores the importance of taxonomic exploration and morphological revision in understanding the biodiversity of the Neotropics. This study not only increases the number to four species, but also provides new insights into the variability of egg morphology that has significant implications for identification and classification.

The close phylogenetic relationship between Trychopeplus and Phanocles highlights the need for further research to clarify the evolutionary relationships within the subfamily Diapheromerinae and to address the complexity of diversity within the genus.

Original research

Conle OV, Valero P, Hennemann FH (2024). A new Trychopeplus species (Phasmatodea, Diapheromerinae, Cladomorformia) discovered from Ecuador’s enigmatic Chocó ecoregion. ZooKeys 1217: 309-326, DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1217.130397

Dlium theDlium
Labels:

Popular Posts

Sea almond (Terminalia catappa)

Ketapang or tropical almond or beach almond or talisay tree or umbrella tree or sea almond ( Terminalia catappa ) is a species of plant in the Combretaceae, a shady tree, fast growing, forming a multilevel canopy, often used as a shade tree in gardens and on roadsides. T. catappa grows large, up to 40 meters in height and up to 1.5 meters in trunk, shady canopy with branches that grow flat and terraced, young trees often look like pagodas while old and large trees often have aerial roots up to 3 meters. The leaves are scattered, mostly at the end of the twig, rounded egg upside down, 8-38 cm long, 5-19 cm wide, the tip is wide, the base is narrow, the upper surface is smooth, green but turns red if to fall out and short stalks. The flowers are small, collected near the tips of the twigs, 8-25 cm long and green-yellow in color. The flowers are not crowned, the petals have five taju, are plate or bell shaped, 4-8 mm long and are white or cream in color. Stamens in two circles and arra...
Read more

Purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus)

Teki or purple nutsedge ( Cyperus rotundus ) is a species of plant in the Cyperaceae, an erect annual growing to a height of up to 140 cm, the leaves sprout in rows of three from the base to a length of 5-20 cm, ribbon-shaped, pointed tip and green in color. The inflorescence has a stalk with a triangular cross section and is green. The inflorescence has three to eight unequal spikes. The flower is bisexual, has 3 stamina and the pistil has three stigmas. The fruit is achene and triangular. Teki prefers dry places, but will tolerate moist soil and often grows in wastelands and in crop fields. Tubers are an important source of nutrition for migratory cranes. Source of carbohydrates in the tropics in times of famine. The initial stage forms a white fleshy rhizome, 25 mm long and in chains. Some of the rhizomes grow upright above the ground, then form a tuber-like structure from which new shoots and roots grow, new roots and new rhizomes grow. Other rhizomes grow horizontally or down...
Read more

Asian foxtail (Uraria crinita)

Asian foxtail or cat's tail bean ( Uraria crinita ) is a species of plant in Fabaceae, a perennial, upright shrub with woody stems at least at the base, up to 2 meters high in forests, agricultural land, waterways, used as a medicinal herb, green manure and sometimes planted in the garden as an ornamental plant. U. crinita has elongated leaves, rounded base, pointed tip, a bone in the middle with several pinnate veins, rough surface, dark green with white spots. Petiole short or less than 0.5 cm and brownish red. Compound flower in spike shape, purple and white triangular crown. Long flower stalk, erect, 15-20 cm long and only at the end of the flower. The crown slowly falls off and leaves behind a stalk that is shaped like coir or light yellow pads. Asian foxtail grows in dry grasslands, open forests, trash cans, roadsides, sandy areas and sometimes in deciduous forests, elevations of 0-1500 meters and does not grow in waterlogged places. The different parts are often used in t...
Read more