| Phobaeticus annamallayanus | |
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Scientific classification 
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| : | [[Template:Taxonomy/Phobaeticus]] |
| Species: | Template:Taxonomy/PhobaeticusP. annamallayanus
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| Binomial name | |
| Template:Taxonomy/PhobaeticusPhobaeticus annamallayanus (Wood-Mason, 1877)
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| Synonyms | |
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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.
Taxonomy[edit | edit source]
Phobaeticus 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][lower-alpha 1] 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[edit | edit source]
Wood-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 | edit source]
- ↑ Mandal, Swapan Kumar; Mandal, Kurapada. Checklist of Phasmida of India (PDF). Zoological Survey of India.
- ↑ Bragg, P. E. (2008), "Biographies of Phasmatologists – 7. James Wood-Mason", Phasmid Studies, 17 (1 & 2), Phasmid Study Group
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Wood-Mason, James (1877), "New Insects from Tenasserim", Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Calcutta: 161
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 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 | edit source]
- ↑ Kirby listed the species epithet starting with a capital letter.