Three new genera and one new species of leaf insect from Melanesia (Phasmatodea, Phylliidae)

Abstract

With the first large-scale Phylliidae molecular phylogeny recently published adding a great deal of clarity to phylliid diversity, several of the rarer species which could not be included were methodically and morphologically reviewed. This review resulted in identification of numerous substantial morphological features that suggest there are Melanesian clades that create polyphyletic groups within the phylliids which should instead be taxonomically recognized as unique. These rarer Melanesia species have historically been considered to be southern representatives of the Pulchriphyllium Griffini, 1898 sensu lato. However, there are notable morphological differences between the Pulchriphyllium sensu stricto and the “schultzei” group. Therefore, two new genera are erected, Vaabonbonphyllium gen. nov. from the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea and Rakaphyllium gen. nov. from New Guinea and the Aru Islands. Erection of these two new genera warrants the following new combinations: Rakaphyllium schultzei (Giglio-Tos, 1912), comb. nov., Rakaphyllium exsectum (Zompro, 2001b), comb. nov., and Vaabonbonphyllium groesseri (Zompro, 1998), comb. nov. Additionally, while reviewing material an undescribed Vaabonbonphyllium gen. nov. specimen was located and is herein described as Vaabonbonphyllium rafidahae gen. et sp. nov. from Mt. Hagen, Papua New Guinea. Additionally, a morphologically unique clade of several species recovered as sister to the Nanophyllium sensu stricto was recognized and their numerous unique morphological features and monophyly leads the authors to erect the new genus Acentetaphyllium gen. nov. which warrants the following new combinations: Acentetaphyllium brevipenne (Größer, 1992), comb. nov., Acentetaphyllium larssoni (Cumming, 2017), comb. nov., Acentetaphyllium miyashitai (Cumming et al. 2020), comb. nov., and Acentetaphyllium stellae (Cumming, 2016), comb. nov. With the addition of several new genera, a key to phylliid genera is included for adult males and females.