Walaphyllium subgen. nov., the dancing leaf insects from Australia and Papua New Guinea with description of a new species (Phasmatodea, Phylliidae)

By

Cumming, Royce
Thurman, Jessa
Youngdale, Sam
Le Tirant, Stéphane

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2020

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

939

Pages

1--28

Subjects

Biogeography , Djagubay , Entomology , Phasmida , Phylliinae , Phyllium , Queensland , taxonomy , walking leaf

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.939.52071

 

Abstract

A new subgenus, Walaphylliumsubgen. nov., is described within Phyllium Illiger, 1798 to accommodate three leaf insect species. One of the species included is newly described herein as Phyllium (Walaphyllium) lelantossp. nov. from Papua New Guinea. This new subgenus of Phyllium can be diagnosed by a following combination of features. This new species is compared to the two additional new subgenus members, Phyllium zomproi Größer, 2001 and Phyllium monteithi Brock & Hasenpusch, 2003. Also for the first time the male morphology of Phyllium zomproi is described and illustrated. To conclude, a brief biogeographical view of the leaf insects on either side of the Torres Strait is presented, as well as a key to species and a distribution map to the known species of Phyllium (Walaphyllium)subgen. nov.