''Pulchriphyllium'' is a genus of
leaf insects
The family Phylliidae (often misspelled Phyllidae) contains the extant true leaf insects or walking leaves, which include some of the most remarkably camouflaged leaf mimics (mimesis) in the entire animal kingdom. They occur from South Asia thro ...
. It was first established by
Achille Griffini
Achille Griffini (10 August 1870 – 24 June 1932) was an Italian zoologist and high school teacher who specialized in ichthyology but also took an interest in entomology. He wrote on the taxonomy of the Orthoptera, particularly the Stenopelmatidae ...
in 1898 as a
subgenus
In biology, a subgenus ( subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.
In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the ge ...
within the genus ''
Phyllium
''Phyllium'' is the largest and most widespread genus of leaf insects in the family Phylliidae (Phasmatodea). They can be found in Sundaland, Philippine Islands, Wallacea, and Australasia.
Species
Within the genus ''Phyllium'', apart from ''P ...
''. It has been elevated as a valid genus since 2021.
The representatives of the genus are native to
Sundaland
Sundaland (also called Sundaica or the Sundaic region) is a biogeographical region of Southeast Asia corresponding to a larger landmass that was exposed throughout the last 2.6 million years during periods when sea levels were lower. It inc ...
and continental
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
.
Description
The ''Pulchriphyllium'' can be differentiated from other
Phylliidae
The family Phylliidae (often misspelled Phyllidae) contains the Extant taxon, extant true leaf insects or walking leaves, which include some of the most remarkably camouflaged leaf mimicry, mimics (mimesis) in the entire animal kingdom. They occu ...
genera by the following combinations of morphological characters.
Female:
Tegmina cubitus venation simple (unsplit) or bifurcate (into an anterior cubitus (CuA) and posterior cubitus (CuP1) only); tegmina with media and cubitus veins running side by side and touching throughout the majority of their length; tibiae with well-developed exterior lobes; prescutum which is the same width as length, or notably longer than wide; terminal antennomere as long as the preceding one or two segments combined.
Male: Alae radial sector, media anterior, and media posterior veins fusing to the cubitus at different locations along the vein and running together to the wing margin; vomer with a single apical hook; protibiae always with a fully developed interior lobe; meso- and metatibiae exteriors with fully developed lobes.
Egg: Lacks pinnae; surface brittle/stiffly spongey; Lateral margins fanned out into distinct fins with an operculum which is typically longer than wide (but not always), or if the capsule fins are reduced (not prominently protruding), the egg in cross-section is distinctly triangular (not pentagonal or rectangular), with the dorsal surface notable broader than the other surfaces.
Freshly hatched nymph: Exterior profemoral lobe prominent; meso- and metatibiae with notable exterior lobes; abdomen broad (abdominal length less than two times the width); overall colouration red, brown, orange.
Species
* ''
Pulchriphyllium abdulfatahi''
* ''
Pulchriphyllium agathyrsus''
* ''
Pulchriphyllium agnesagamaae''
* ''
Pulchriphyllium anangu''
* ''
Pulchriphyllium bhaskarai
''Pulchriphyllium'' is a genus of leaf insects. It was first established by Achille Griffini in 1898 as a subgenus within the genus ''Phyllium''. It has been elevated as a valid genus since 2021. The representatives of the genus are native to Sun ...
''
* ''
Pulchriphyllium bioculatum''
* ''
Pulchriphyllium crurifolium''
* ''
Pulchriphyllium delislei''
* ''
Pulchriphyllium detlefgroesseri''
* ''
Pulchriphyllium fredkugani''
* ''
Pulchriphyllium giganteum''
* ''
Pulchriphyllium heracles''
* ''
Pulchriphyllium lambirensis''
* ''
Pulchriphyllium maethoraniae
''Pulchriphyllium'' is a genus of leaf insects. It was first established by Achille Griffini in 1898 as a subgenus within the genus ''Phyllium''. It has been elevated as a valid genus since 2021. The representatives of the genus are native to Su ...
''
* ''
Pulchriphyllium mannani
''Pulchriphyllium'' is a genus of leaf insects. It was first established by Achille Griffini in 1898 as a subgenus within the genus ''Phyllium''. It has been elevated as a valid genus since 2021. The representatives of the genus are native to Sun ...
''
* ''
Pulchriphyllium pulchrifolium
''Pulchriphyllium'' is a genus of leaf insects. It was first established by Achille Griffini in 1898 as a subgenus within the genus ''Phyllium''. It has been elevated as a valid genus since 2021. The representatives of the genus are native to Sun ...
'' -
type species
In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...
(as ''Phyllium pulchrifolium'' )
* ''
Pulchriphyllium rimiae
''Pulchriphyllium'' is a genus of leaf insects. It was first established by Achille Griffini in 1898 as a subgenus within the genus ''Phyllium''. It has been elevated as a valid genus since 2021. The representatives of the genus are native to Sun ...
''
* ''
Pulchriphyllium scythe''
* ''
Pulchriphyllium shurei''
* ''
Pulchriphyllium sinense''
References
[ Paul D. Brock, Büscher, T. H. & Baker, E. W.: ]
Phasmida Species File Online
'. Version 5.0./5.0. (accessdate 4 August 2023)
[Bank, S., Cumming, R. T., Li, Y., Henze, K., Le Tirant, S. & Bradler, S. (2021) A tree of leaves: Phylogeny and historical biogeography of the leaf insects (Phasmatodea: Phylliidae)]
[Cumming, R. T., Le Tirant, Linde, J. B., Solan, M. E., Foley, E. M., Eulin, N. E. C., Lavado, R., Whiting, M. F., Bradler, S. & Bank, S. (2023]
On seven undescribed leaf insect species revealed within the recent “Tree of Leaves” (Phasmatodea, Phylliidae)
/ref>
{{Taxonbar, from=Q21439036
Phasmatodea genera
Phasmatodea of Asia