The Obriminae are the most species-rich

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

of the

Phasmatodea The Phasmatodea (also known as Phasmida or Phasmatoptera) are an Order (biology), order of insects whose members are variously known as stick insects, stick bugs, walkingsticks, stick animals, or bug sticks. They are also occasionally referred ...

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Heteropterygidae The Heteropterygidae is a family (biology), family of Phasmatodea, stick insects belonging to the suborder Euphasmatodea. Species can be found in Australasia, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. About 150 valid species have been described (at the ...

native to

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

. It is divided into two

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

Taxonomy

The tribe Obrimini was created by Brunner von Wattenwyl in 1893 for the genera '' Obrimus'', '' Hoploclonia'', ''

Tisamenus Tisamenus (Ancient Greek: Τισαμενός) is the name of several people in classical history and mythology: * ''Mythology'' **Tisamenus (son of Orestes), mythological king of Argos, and son of Orestes and Hermione. ** Tisamenus (King of Thebes) ...

'', ''

Pylaemenes In Greek mythology, Pylaemenes (Ancient Greek: Πυλαιμένης) may refer to two distinct characters: * Pylaemenes, king of the Eneti tribe of Paphlagonia. He claimed to be related to Priam through Phineus (also a reputed king of Paphlagoni ...

'', ''

Dares Dares Phrygius (), according to Homer, was a Trojan priest of Hephaestus. He was later thought to have been the author of an account of the destruction of Troy. A work in Latin, purporting to be a translation of this, and entitled ''Daretis Phry ...

'' and ''Datames'' (today

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

to ''Pylaemenes'') (abbreviated there as Obrimi.). Lawrence Bruner raised the Obrimini to the rank of a family in 1915.

Heinrich Hugo Karny Heinrich Hugo Karny (7 October 1886 – 7 August 1939) was an Austrian physician and entomologist who specialised in Thysanoptera and Orthoptera. He was a friend of Lucien Chopard and they were regular correspondents during Karny’s medical work ...

renamed the Obrimini or the Obrimidae in 1923 to Therameninae. In the introduction to his work he justified the renaming by saying that Brunner von Wattenwyl and

Josef Redtenbacher Josef Redtenbacher (March 13, 1810 – March 5, 1870) was an Austrian chemist born in Kirchdorf an der Krems, Upper Austria. He was a brother to entomologist Ludwig Redtenbacher (1814–1876). He studied medicine and botany at the University ...

when naming the subfamilies they established – and as such he also considers the tribes described by both of them – not always taking into account the genera described first. At least in the case of the Obriminae this is not true, since both the genus ''Obrimus'' and ''

Theramenes Theramenes (; ; died 404/403 BC) was an Athenian military leader and statesman, prominent in the final decade of the Peloponnesian War. He was active during the two periods of oligarchic government at Athens, the 400 and later the Thirty Tyrants, ...

'' was built in 1875 by

Carl Stål Carl Stål (21 March 1833 – 13 June 1878) was a Swedish people, Swedish entomologist specialising in Hemiptera. He was born at Karlberg Castle, Stockholm on 21 March 1833 and died at Frösundavik near Stockholm on 13 June 1878. He was the son ...

. The name Therameninae was withdrawn again in 1929 by

Klaus Günther Klaus is a German, Dutch and Scandinavian given name and surname. It originated as a short form of Nikolaus, a German form of the Greek given name Nicholas. Notable persons whose family name is Klaus * Billy Klaus (1928–2006), American baseb ...

and is therefore a synonym for Obriminae. In 1939 the Obriminae, now referred to as a subfamily, were split up by

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 John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

into the Obrimini and Datamini tribes. Günther transferred both tribes to the Heteropteryginae subfamily in 1953. In 2004 Oliver Zompro elevated this subfamily to the rank of a family and the tribe included to the rank of subfamilies or, in the case of the Anisacanthini, to the rank of a family of their own. He divided the new subfamily Obriminae into three tribes. In addition to the Obrimini, these were the Eubulidini and the Miroceramiini. The two new tribes were synonymed in 2016 by Frank H. Hennemann et al. and 2021 by Sarah Bank et al. with the Obrimini. The 2016 by Hennemann et al. established tribe Tisamenini was synonymous in 2021. With the establishment of the Hoplocloniini, the anatomical peculiarity of the secondary ovipositor of the genus ''Hoploclonia'' was taken into account. This special status was also confirmed by

genetic analysis Genetic analysis is the overall process of studying and researching in fields of science that involve genetics and molecular biology. There are a number of applications that are developed from this research, and these are also considered parts ...

investigations.
Thus the Obriminae consist of two valid tribes. One is the

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

al tribus Hoplocloniini, with the only genus ''Hoploclonia'' and the other tribus is Obrimini with now 14 genera and 70 valid species.

Description

The Obriminae can reach very different sizes with almost in '' Tisamenus hebardi'' and up to in length in '' Trachyaretaon carmelae''. The

sensory Sensory may refer to: Biology * Sensory ecology, how organisms obtain information about their environment * Sensory neuron, nerve cell responsible for transmitting information about external stimuli * Sensory perception, the process of acquiri ...

fields present in all Heteropterygidae are to be found in pairs in the Obriminae in the front area of the

prosternum The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum (dorsal), the prosternum (ventral), and the propleuron (lateral) on e ...

. In

adult An adult is an animal that has reached full growth. The biological definition of the word means an animal reaching sexual maturity and thus capable of reproduction. In the human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social an ...

females the

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the gut, belly, tummy, midriff, tucky, or stomach) is the front part of the torso between the thorax (chest) and pelvis in humans and in other vertebrates. The area occupied by the abdomen is called the abdominal ...

is widened and significantly increased by the eggs that are permanently and often produced in large numbers. Their abdomen ends in a pointed 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 typica ...

that surrounds the actual ovipositor. It is

ventral Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

formed from the eighth abdominal sternite, which is here named subgenital plate, or also called operculum.

Dorsally Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position provi ...

it consists in the Obrimini by the eleventh abdominal

tergum A ''tergum'' (Latin for "the back"; : ''terga'', associated adjective tergal) is the dorsal ('upper') portion of an arthropod Arthropods ( ) are invertebrates in the phylum Arthropoda. They possess an arthropod exoskeleton, exoskeleton wi ...

called the supraanal plate or

Epiproct This glossary of entomology describes terms used in the formal study of insect species by entomologists. A–C A synthetic chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide, toxic to vertebrates. Though ...

and in the Hoplocloniini from the tenth tergum. This peculiarity means that the secondary ovipositor must have developed independently of one another twice within the Obriminae. The abdomen of the smaller males is round in cross-section and thinnest in the middle of abdomen. Except in '' Miroceramia westwoodii'' and in

rudiments In ''rudimental drumming'', a form of percussion music, a drum rudiment is one of a number of relatively small patterns which form the foundation for more extended and complex drumming patterns. The term "drum rudiment" is most closely associa ...

in '' Pterobrimus depressus'', the only known representatives of their genera, the Obrimini have no wings. The body is often covered with numerous spines, more or less blunt thorns or

tubercles In anatomy, a tubercle (literally 'small tuber', Latin for 'lump') is any round nodule, small eminence, or warty outgrowth found on external or internal organs of a plant or an animal. In plants A tubercle is generally a wart-like projection, b ...

, which can be found mainly on the upper side of the head and

thorax The thorax (: thoraces or thoraxes) or chest is a part of the anatomy of mammals and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main di ...

. Their characteristics can be very different, and their arrangement is mostly species-specific and is often used to identify and delimit the species. This method, known as acanthotaxy, was developed in 1939 by Rehn and Rehn for the Obriminae.

Distribution area

The distribution area of the Obriminae includes

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

, where both Hoplocloniini and Obrimini can be found. The latter are also widespread to the east on the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

Sulawesi Sulawesi ( ), also known as Celebes ( ), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the List of islands by area, world's 11th-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Min ...

, most of the

Moluccas The Maluku Islands ( ; , ) or the Moluccas ( ; ) are an archipelago in the eastern part of Indonesia. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located in West Melanesi ...

islands,

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

and

Viti Levu Viti Levu (pronounced ; ) is the largest island in Fiji. It is the site of the country's capital and largest city, Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population. Geology Fiji lies in a plate tectonics, tectonically complex area betwe ...

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 29 May 2021) 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 2016, 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, Hennemann, F. H. & Conle, O. V. (2006).
A new species of Trachyaretaon Rehn & Rehn, 1939 from the Babuyan Islands, Philippines (Phasmatodea: Heteropterygidae, Obriminae, Obrimini)
', Entomofauna - Zeitschrift für Entomologie, Band 27, Heft 18, pp. 217–228, Ansfelden, Brunner von Wattenwyl, C. (1893)
Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria
'. Genova (2) 13 (33):101, p. 98 Rehn, J. A. G. & Rehn, J. W. H. (1939).
Proceedings of The Academy of Natural Sciences (Vol. 90, 1938)
', Philadelphia, pp. 389 ff. Redtenbacher, J. (1906)
Die Insektenfamilie der Phasmiden. Vol. 1. Phasmidae Areolatae
Verlag Wilhelm Engelmann, Leipzig, pp. 36–57 & 162–172 Karny, H. H. (1923).
Zur Nomenklatur der Phasmoiden
', Treubia Vol. III 2, pp. 230–233 Günther, K. (1953).
Über die taxonomische Gliederung und die geographische Verbreitung der Insektenordnung der Phasmatodea
', Beiträge zur Entomologie, Band 3, Nr. 5, pp. 541–563 Zompro, O. (2004). ''Revision of the genera of the Areolatae, including the status of Timema and Agathemera (Insecta, Phasmatodea)'', Goecke & Evers, Keltern-Weiler, pp. 191–240, Zompro, O. (April 2009). ''Stabschrecken, Gespenstschrecken, Wandelnde Blätter - Phasmidensystematik im Überblick I.'', Arthropoda 17 (1), Sungaya-Verlag Kiel. Zompro, O. (Nov. 2008). ''Zwergformen der Phasmatodea - die Kleinsten unter den Riesen'', Arthropoda 16 (3), Sungaya-Verlag Kiel. Hennemann, F. H. (2023
A taxonomic review, including new species and new records of Philippine Obrimini stick insects (Insecta: Phasmatodea: Heteropterygidae: Obriminae)
Faunitaxys, 2023, 11 (71), pp. 1–135.

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1223047 Phasmatodea Phasmatodea subfamilies