''Hoploclonia'' is the only
genus of the
tribe Hoplocloniini and brings together relatively small and darkly coloured
Phasmatodea
The Phasmatodea (also known as Phasmida, Phasmatoptera or Spectra) are an order of insects whose members are variously known as stick insects, stick-bugs, walking sticks, stick animals, or bug sticks. They are also occasionally referred to as ...
species.
Characteristics
The representatives of this genus are very small with 35 to 40 mm in the male and 45 to 55 mm in the female sex. Both sexes are always wingless and very thorny. The thorns form a characteristic triangle on the
mesothorax. At the front two corner points are created by a pair of widely spaced and, in the females, very flat thorns. While these converge at the front transversely to the body axis and thus form one side of the triangle, the third corner point and the other two sides are created by the thorn edges that taper off flat towards the rear. In this area the males still have a distinct, very close pair of thorns. They are dominated by dark brown, almost black tones, which are complemented by yellow-orange species-specific drawings. The mostly lighter females are less prickly and much more variable in color. Their basic color can vary from light brown to reddish brown to dark brown. As is typical for the representatives of the
Obriminae, at the end of the
abdomen they have a rather short secondary
ovipositor
The ovipositor is a tube-like organ used by some animals, especially insects, for the laying of eggs. In insects, an ovipositor consists of a maximum of three pairs of appendages. The details and morphology of the ovipositor vary, but typical ...
for laying eggs in the ground. This surrounds the actual ovipositor. It is
ventrally formed from the eighth
sternite
The sternum (pl. "sterna") is the ventral portion of a segment of an arthropod thorax or abdomen.
In insects, the sterna are usually single, large sclerites, and external. However, they can sometimes be divided in two or more, in which case the ...
, here named subgenital plate
or operculum. Dorsally it is not formed from the eleventh
tergum (
epiproct), as in the representatives of the
Heteropteryginae and
Obrimini, but from the tenth tergum. This characteristic is considered
autapomorphic
In phylogenetics, an autapomorphy is a distinctive feature, known as a derived trait, that is unique to a given taxon. That is, it is found only in one taxon, but not found in any others or outgroup taxa, not even those most closely related to t ...
for the tribe Hoplocloniini.
Way of life and reproduction
The nocturnal insects hide on the ground or in low vegetation during the day. Even at night, they do not climb particularly high to eat. The eggs are laid in the ground by the females with the ovipositor. They are 3.5 to 4.0 mm long and 2.5 to 3.0 mm wide and have a bulging, protruding dorsal area, as well as a lid (operculum) that slopes downwards towards the ventral side. The
nymphs hatch after 3 to 8 months and need more than half a year to become
adult
An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a " minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of major ...
.
Taxonomy
Systematic background
The genus is assigned to the subfamily
Obriminae, where it has been included in the Eubulidini tribe since 2004.
Since this was drafted in 2016, it has been included in the Tisamenini tribe.
After this was also with the Obrimini
synonymized in 2021, the genus was granted its own tribe due to its already mentioned exception regarding the morphology of the secondary ovipositor. Since this ovipositor is formed dorsally from the eleventh tergum in the Obrimini and the Heteropteryginae, whereas in the case of ''Hoploclonia'' it is formed from the tenth tergum, it must have developed independently three times within the Heteropterygidae. This peculiarity of the genus ''Hoploclonia'' was already described in 1906.
Younger
genetic analysis based investigations confirm the
phylogenetic special position of the genus within the subfamily.
Internal systematics
In 1875
Carl Stål established the genus ''Hoploclonia''. In this he placed a species already described by
John Obadiah Westwood as ''Acanthoderus gecko'' in 1859, which thus became the
type species of the genus.
Josef Redtenbacher described in 1906 with ''
Hoploclonia cuspidata
''Hoploclonia cuspidata'' is a stick insect species native to the north of Borneo and is also called Brunei Hoploclonia stick insect.
Taxonomy
When Josef Redtenbacher described the species in 1906, both males and females were available to him ...
'' a second species based on a female. In the same work he described the male of this species as ''Dares haematacanthus''.
James Abram Garfield Rehn
James Abram Garfield Rehn (October 26, 1881 – January 25, 1965) was an American entomologist who was a specialist on the New World Orthoptera. He worked at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, making several collection expeditions aro ...
and his son
John William Holman Rehn described eight more ''Hoploclonia'' species in 1939 and assigned some ''
Tisamenus'' species to the genus ''Hoploclonia''. However, all newly assigned and newly described species later turned out to be representatives of the genus ''Tisamenus''. It was not until 1994 that
Philip Edward Bragg
Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...
found two more ''Hoploclonia'' species: ''
Hoploclonia abercrombiei
''Hoploclonia abercrombiei'' is a stick insect species known from the northwest of Borneo, more precisely from only one place in the Malaysia, Malay state Sarawak.
Distribution, discovery and taxonomy
The first male of this species was discove ...
'' and ''Hoploclonia apiensis''. He also describes two unassignable males that he found in 1995. One was found outside the
Niah Cave in
Sarawak. It is similar in proportions and thorns to the ''Hoploclonia abercrombiei'', which is also native there, but has thorns on the
pronotum that resemble those of ''
Hoploclonia gecko
''Hoploclonia gecko'' is a relatively small, spiny and darkly colored stick insect species that is native to the northwest of Borneo.
Taxonomy
Alfred Russel Wallace collected in Sarawak in 1858 a number ofspecimens, but did not leave any more ...
''. It also has a single spine on the left side of the fourth abdominal segment, where otherwise only ''Hoploclonia cuspidata'' has a complete pair of spines. Bragg thinks it is a variation of ''Hoploclonia abercrombiei'' or possibly a
hybrid. The second male is a nymph who has a pair of spines on the second abdominal segment, so more than ''Hoploclonia gecko'', but less than the other two species.
In 2016
Francis Seow-Choen
Francis may refer to:
People
*Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome
*Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
*Francis (surname)
Places
*Rural Mu ...
synonymized both ''Hoploclonia apiensis'' and ''Hoploclonia abercrombiei'' with ''Hoploclonia cuspidata'' and established a second subspecies for this species. To justify the synonymization, the variability of the spines, especially those on the abdomen, is pointed out, which makes the acanthotaxy (
taxonomic
Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification.
A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...
delimitation on the basis of the spines) appear unsuitable as a species characteristic.
As early as 2018, Robertson et al proved that ''Hoploclonia abercrombiei'' is an independent species.
Sarah Bank et al show in their investigations that there is a fourth, as yet undescribed species, which was found at Mount Pagon in
Brunei.
Valid and described species are:
* ''
Hoploclonia abercrombiei
''Hoploclonia abercrombiei'' is a stick insect species known from the northwest of Borneo, more precisely from only one place in the Malaysia, Malay state Sarawak.
Distribution, discovery and taxonomy
The first male of this species was discove ...
''
Bragg, 1995 (males with two curved yellow marginal stripes on the
thorax and two pairs of spines on the frontal
abdomen)
* ''
Hoploclonia cuspidata
''Hoploclonia cuspidata'' is a stick insect species native to the north of Borneo and is also called Brunei Hoploclonia stick insect.
Taxonomy
When Josef Redtenbacher described the species in 1906, both males and females were available to him ...
''
Redtenbacher, 1906 (males only in the
coxae and knee area yellowish and with three pairs of thorns on the frontal abdomen)
* ''
Hoploclonia gecko
''Hoploclonia gecko'' is a relatively small, spiny and darkly colored stick insect species that is native to the northwest of Borneo.
Taxonomy
Alfred Russel Wallace collected in Sarawak in 1858 a number ofspecimens, but did not leave any more ...
''
(Westwood, 1859) (males with yellow-orange to red longitudinal stitch and without spines on the frontal abdomen) type species (as ''
Acanthoderus
''Acanthoderus''Gray GR (1835) ''Synopsis of the species of insects belonging to the family of Phasmidae'' 14. is a monotypic genus of Phasmatodea, stick insects in the tribe Pachymorphini. The single species ''Acanthoderus spinosus'' has a kn ...
gecko''
Westwood)
Rearing
All three so far described and valid species are or were present in the
terrariums of enthusiasts. The first species introduced in 1987 was ''Hoploclonia gecko'' by Philip Bragg, which was given the PSG number 110 by the
Phasmid Study Group
The Phasmid Study Group is a group for professional and amateur entomologists who are interested in the order Phasmatodea, i.e. stick and leaf insects, known as "phasmids", as well as other interested persons. Over 40 species
In biology, a s ...
. Also imported by Bragg and Ian Abercrombie in 1994 was a species later described by Bragg as ''Hoploclonia abercrombiei''. For this, the PSG number 165 was assigned. ''Hoploclonia cuspidata'' introduced by Ian Abercrombie in 1994 can be found under PSG number 199.
All species only need small terrariums with high humidity and a substrate to lay their eggs. They are easy to feed on leaves of
bramble (
blackberries) or
oak, but are considered difficult to keep or to breed.
References
[Robertson, J. A.; Bradler, S. & Whiting, M. F. (2018)]
Evolution of Oviposition Techniques in Stick and Leaf Insects (Phasmatodea)
', ''Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution''
[ Bank, S.; Buckley, T. R.; Büscher, T. H.; Bresseel, J.; Constant, J.; de Haan, M.; Dittmar, D.; Dräger, H.; Kahar, R. S.; Kang, A.; Kneubühler, B.; Langton-Myers, S. & Bradler, S. (2021)]
Reconstructing the nonadaptive radiation of an ancient lineage of ground-dwelling stick insects (Phasmatodea: Heteropterygidae)
''Systematic Entomology'', DOI: 10.1111/syen.12472
[ Brock, P. D.; Büscher, T. H. & Baker, E. W.]
Phasmida Species File Online
Version 5.0./5.0 (accessdate 17 June 2021)
[stabschrecken.com (2010). Haltungsberichte -Stabschrecken, Gespenstschrecken, Wandelnde Blätter, iter novellum Verlag, Saarbrücken, pp. 78-79, ]
[ Hennemann, F. H.; Conle, O. V.; Brock, P. D. & Seow-Choen, F. (2016). Revision of the Oriental subfamiliy Heteropteryginae Kirby, 1896, with a re-arrangement of the family Heteropterygidae and the descriptions of five new species of Haaniella Kirby, 1904. (Phasmatodea: Areolatae: Heteropterygidae), ''Zootaxa'' 4159 (1), Magnolia Press, Auckland, New Zealand, ]
[ Fritzsche, I. (2007). Stabschrecken - Carausius, Sipyloidea & Co., Natur und Tier Verlag, Münster, ]
[Seiler, C.; Bradler, S. & Koch, R. (2000). Phasmiden – Pflege und Zucht von Gespenstschrecken, Stabschrecken und Wandelnden Blättern im Terrarium. bede, Ruhmannsfelden, ]
[ Rehn, J. A. G. & Rehn, J. W. H. (1939)]
Proceedings of The Academy of Natural Sciences (Vol. 90, 1938)
Philadelphia, pp. 435 ff.
[Bradler, S. (2009). Die Phylogenie der Stab- und Gespentschrecken (Insecta: Phasmatodea), Species, Phylogeny and Evolution Vol 2.1, Universitätsverlag Göttingen, 2009, ]
[ Bragg, P. E. (2001). Phasmids of Borneo, Natural History Publikations (Borneo) Sdn. Bhd., Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, 2001, pp. 110–124, ]
[ Redtenbacher, J. (1906)]
Die Insektenfamilie der Phasmiden. Vol. 1. Phasmidae Areolatae
Verlag Wilhelm Engelmann, Leipzig, pp. 46 ff.
[Seow-Choen, F. (2016). A Taxonomic Guide to the Stick Insects of Borneo'', Natural History Publikations (Borneo) Sdn. Bhd., Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, pp. 415–421, ISBN 978-983-812-169-9]
[Zompro, O. (2004). Revision of the genera of the Areolatae, including the status of Timema and Agathemera (Insecta, Phasmatodea), Goecke & Evers, Keltern-Weiler, pp. 205–208, ]
[phasmatodea.com](_blank)
by Hennemann, F. H.; Conle, O. V.; Kneubühler, B. & Pablo Valero
[Phasmid Study Group Culture List](_blank)
/ref>
External links
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{{Taxonbar, from=Q1627689
Phasmatodea
Phasmatodea genera