Studies on Neotropical Phasmatodea XIX: the enigmatic genus Laciphorus Redtenbacher, 1908 from Coastal Peru (Phasmatodea: Diapheromeridae: Diapheromerinae)

The enigmatic, monotypic genus Laciphorus Redtenbacher, 1908 (type species: Laciphorus lobulatus Redtenbacher, 1908) is redescribed and its taxonomic position is explained. It belongs to a subgroup of ‘anareolate’ Phasmatodea currently referred to as Diapheromerinae: Diapheromerini: ‘Bacteriagroup’ and now members of a clade termed Occidophasmata (Simon et al., 2019). Globocalynda Zompro, 2001 is shown to be the morphologically most similar and presumably most closely related genus. Two new synonymies are revealed. The previously believed lost female holotype of Laciphorus lobulatus Redtenbacher, 1908 is traced in the collection of the Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna (NHMW) and is shown to be the same specimen as the holotype of Bostra scabrinota Redtenbacher, 1908, which consequently is a junior objective synonym (n. syn.). Both species are here shown to be synonyms of Ocnophila capitata Brunner v. Wattenwyl, 1907, because this represents the male of Redtenbacher’s two aforementioned species (n. syn.). Thus, the valid name for this species now is Laciphorus capitatus (Brunner v. Wattenwyl, 1907) n. comb. A lectotype is designated for Ocnophila capitata Brunner v. Wattenwyl, 1907. Laciphorus appears to be geographically restricted to the ‘Coastal Lomas’ of western Peru, which biogeographically lie within the Coastal Peruvian Desert, and seems to be peculiar to its host-plant Ophryosporus pubescens Small, 1814 (Asteraceae).

 

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01650521.2020.1736743