Phobaeticus annamallayanus is a species of stick insect found in forests in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.[1] Its type location is in the forests of the Annamallay hills.
| Phobaeticus annamallayanus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Phasmatodea |
| Family: | Phasmatidae |
| Genus: | Phobaeticus |
| Species: | P. annamallayanus
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| Binomial name | |
| Phobaeticus annamallayanus (Wood-Mason, 1877)
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| Synonyms | |
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Taxonomy
editPhobaeticus annamallayanus is one of the 24 species of phasmids described by James Wood-Mason.[2] He described the species from one preserved specimen given to him by a Colonel and a "much mutilated" dried specimen.[3] Both specimens were female.[4] Wood-Mason originally described the species as Phibalosoma annamallayanum,[3] but the species was reclassified into the genus Pharnacia in 1904 with William Forsell Kirby's A synonymic catalogue of Orthoptera.[5] It was subsequently renamed in 2008 as Phobaeticus annamallayanus based on the structure of its praeopercular organ, a structure only present in females and used during copulation.[4][6] The species epithet derives from the Annamallay Hills where they are found.[4]
The paper that recombined Pharnacia Annamallayanum [sic][a] as Phobaeticus annamallayanus noted that another species, Phobaeticus sinetyi, bears many similarities to Ph. annamallayanus; however, the authors concluded more material was necessary to decide whether Ph. sinetyi should be considered a synonym of Ph. annamallayanus.[4]
Description
editWood-Mason's original description was very brief.[4] He noted that Ph. annamallayanus was similar to Ph. acanthopus, but in general more compact and sturdy, with a "stout" body and "shorter and thicker" legs. In total, Wood-Mason's preserved specimen was 22.2 centimetres (8.7 in) long – the head was just 1.48 centimetres (0.58 in) in length but with 5.1-centimetre (2.0 in) antennae; the mesothorax, metathorax and abdomen combined measured 19.53 centimetres (7.69 in).[3]
References
edit- ^ Mandal, Swapan Kumar; Mandal, Kurapada. Checklist of Phasmida of India (PDF). Zoological Survey of India.
- ^ Bragg, P. E.; Group, Phasmid Study (2008), "Biographies of Phasmatologists – 7. James Wood-Mason", Phasmid Studies, 17 (1 & 2), Phasmid Study Group
{{citation}}:|last2=has generic name (help) - ^ a b c Wood-Mason, James (1877), "New Insects from Tenasserim", Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Calcutta: 161
- ^ a b c d e Frank H., Hennemann; Conle, Oskar V. (15 Oct 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". Zootaxa. eISSN 1175-5334. ISBN 978-1-86977-271-0.
- ^ Kirby, W. F. (1904). A synonymic catalogue of Orthoptera. London: Taylor and Francis.
- ^ "Glossary - Phasmid Study Group". www.phasmidstudygroup.org. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
Notes
edit- ^ Kirby listed the species epithet starting with a capital letter.
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