70 
Psyche 
[March-June 
Mirophasma ? cirsium Redtenbacher (1906) 2 (Figures 1 and 4) 
form a stunning convergent complex. In all three, the body and 
legs have become extremely spiny, the vertex of the head and the 
mesonotum swollen, and abdominal segment VII of the female 
laterally expanded. The color in life is either green or a mottled 
green and brown. The habitat of Mirophasma is unknown, but 
from the altitude of capture (2200 m) and its overall appearance, 
I would assume that it, like the Taraxippus and Lamponius species, 
inhabits wet mossy forest, where the spinosity and green color would 
provide excellent camouflage from a predator. 
Taraxippus paliurus new species 
(Figures 2 and 5) 
Type locality: High mountains near St. Louis du Nord, Haiti. 
Color light green in life, light reddish brown preserved. 
Acanthotaxy 3 : Head with supra-antennal, supra-orbital, lateral 
and medial coronal spines; a pair of median spines is situated just 
anterior to the well-developed occipital median spines; scape with a 
single spine. Pronotum with anterior, posterior, and postero-lateral 
pronotal spines present; mesonotum with the anterior mesal, pre- 
median, post-median, posterior, inter-posterior, and lateral mesonotal 
spines; anterior and medio-lateral metanotal spines present, medially 
there is a pair of strong compound spines; mesopleura with lateral, 
supra-coxal and mesopleural spines; metasternum with a pair of 
antero-lateral spines; metapleura with lateral, supra-coxal, and meta- 
pleural spines; medial spines of median segment strong, anterior and 
posterior spines reduced. Abdominal tergites II-VII with anterior, 
medial, lateral, and full posterior series of spines; VIII with anterior 
and postero-lateral spines, full posterior series robust; IX with the 
anterior and second paired posterior spines strongly reduced, first 
paired posterior and postero-lateral spines present; X with the typical 
complement of spines, although the second paired posteriors are 
reduced; abdominal sternites II-VI with two paired lateral and two 
paired medial spines; VII with three paired lateral spines. All 
femora and tibae armed with thorn-like spines. 
Holotype: A female, pinned. High Mts. near St. Louis du Nord. 
2 My specimen of this species, from the locality of Alta de los Cruces, 
Colombia, 2/10, 2200 m (MCZ), agrees well witth Redtenbacher’s descrip- 
tion, except for its much larger size (55 mm as opposed to 25 mm for his 
specimen). Either my specimen represents a closely related new species, 
or his specimen was immature. 
3 As used by Rehn & Rehn (1939) on the Obriminae of the Philippines. 
