Zoology NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. [Insects. 



Plate 80. 



PODACANTHUS TYPHON (Gray). 

 The Large Pink-winged Phasma. 



[Genus PODACANTHUS (Gray). (Sub-kingd. Articulata. Class Insecta. Order 

 Orthoptera. Section Ambulatoria. Family Phasmidse. Sub-fam. Pterophasmina.) 



Gen. Char.— Body large, abdomen cylindrical, slender, truncated at tip, and biuncinate 

 below in males ; very thick, tapering to tip in females. Ovipositor large, boat-shaped, carinated 

 below, pointed behind ; styles very long, slender in both sexes, exceeding the length of the ovi- 

 positor in females. Head small, oblong, flat above, a little gibbous behind ; eyes globular ; three 

 distinct ocelli on top of head. AntennaB long, filiform, 26-jointed and smooth in female, and 

 one-third longer, pilose and of 23 joints in male. Mesothorax short, scarcely twice the length 

 of the prothorax, narrow, rounded, spinose ; metathorax longer than mesothorax, broad, oblong. 

 Legs simple, of moderate length, thighs not membranous nor dilated, the two posterior pairs 

 spinous below ; the anterior pair notched on inner side for head, smooth ; tarsal joints 

 diminishing to the fourth, fifth long, claws large with large pad. Tegmina elongate, ovate, 

 half length of wings in females, one-third length in males, reaching to about half the length of 

 the abdomen ; posterior wings very large, as long as abdomen, broadly rounded. Australia.] 



Description. — Female: Tegmina, and distal half of costal area of under- wings, 

 bright pea-green above; rather less than basal half of costal area above bright rosy- 

 carmine ; on the under-side the carmine extends along the anterior portion nearly 

 three-fourths of the length from the base towards the tip, gradually fading into the 

 bright pea-green of the lower and distal' remainder of the area. Anterior basal 

 portion of tegmina on the under-side pale-carmine, the remainder of the surface pea- 

 green. Head, thorax, legs and abdomen pea-green, tinged with yellowish and 

 pinkish on upper surface of abdomen, the tarsi, and tubercles of the mesothorax. 

 Veins of the posterior part of lower wings rosy-carmine, with the membrane a paler 

 shade of the same colour. Serratures of side of thorax and two posterior pairs of 

 femora reddish. Tubercles of mesothorax irregular, conical. Head and prothorax 

 and metathorax nearlv smooth above; mesothorax and metathorax with a row of 

 larger, more acutely pointed, tubercular spines. Two rows of small, sharp, subequal 

 spines on the femora of the two posterior pairs of legs \ anterior legs without spines. 

 The midrib of the tegmina scarcely larger than the adjoining ones. Length from 

 base of antennae to end of abdomen, excluding the anal styles, 4 inches 6 lines to 

 5 inches 1 line. Proportional measurements to length, taken as 100 (in five speci 

 mens) : — Length of head, -^ ; antennae, ^; prothorax, ~ ; mesothorax, ^j^', meta 

 thorax, ^^; abdomen, ^; width of abdomen, ^^; length of ovipositor, —-, ana 

 styles, ||; tegmina, —^ width of tegmina, ~~; length of one wing from base, —^ 

 greatest width of wing, ~; width of costal area, ~; length of anterior femora, — 

 width, ^; length of 2nd femora, ^=^; width, ^; length of hind femora, ^. 



Reference. — Gra} r , Ent. Aust. t. 2, f. 1. 



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