Synonymy
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Diapherodes alope
Moxey, 1972,
Stick-insects of the West Indies, pp 89, 92-94, fig 17.
[ Unpublished thesis. ]
[ Type locality: Camagüay, Cuba. ]
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Description
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Color. Grayish brown when pinned.
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Male. Unknown.
Female. Head with an unequal, but extremely pronounced, conical pair of horns which
are carinate and have a small spine at the apex; remainder of the head with scattered small tubercles.
Pronotum with a pair of strong tuberculate spines just before the transverse sulcus, posterior margin with
four regularly spaced tubercles; mesonotum with numerous small tubercles and four tuberculate spines
clustered by the anterior margin.
Meso- and metasterna with a few scattered small tubercles.
Meso- and metapleurae also with a a few small tubercles.
Abdominal tergites II and III each with a pair of retrorse spines on the posterior margin, on each side of
these there is a triangular foliaceous elevation; VII flattened, irregularly quadricarinate, and
posterolateral angles dilated into large, triangular projections; X carinate, the apex with a strongly
elevated carina.
Subgenital plate short, scooplike, apex broadly rounded.
Legs short; lower median carina of anterior femora not spined; lower median carina of middle femora with
two or three spines; lower median carina of posterior femora with three to five spines; posterior lower
lateral carina of middle and posterior femora bispinose; dorsal carinae with small toothlike lobes; dorsal
margin of middle tibiae with a submedial dentiform lobe; posterior first tarsomere longer than the next
three together.
Tegmina present, mottled black and green; wings short, not reaching to the middle of the median segment,
posterior are reddish.
Figure 1.
Female holotype.
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Geographic distribution. Widespread throughout Cuba.
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Type material.
Holotype: Female, pinned. Camagüay, Cuba.
July 30, 1923. J. Acuna, Col. E.E.A. Cuba Ento. No. 10660.
[ ANSP ].
Paratypes: One adult, five immature females.
Cuba, no locality given. [ ANSP ];
Camagüay. [ ANSP ];
La Alianza. [ ANSP ];
Habana, Cangrejeras. [ ANSP ].
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Systematic notes. This rather small Diapherodes is quite distinctive, being
separated from all others by the conical horns on the head, the spination of the thorax, abdomen, and legs,
the greatly expanded seventh abdominal tergite, and the rather short subgenital plate.
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Derivation of name. Alope, the beautiful daughter of King Cercyon, is used as a
noun in apposition to the generic name.
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Females |
| Total length |
85-86 mm |
| mesonotum |
17-19 mm |
| metanotum & median segment |
11-11 mm |
| anterior femur |
13-14 mm |
| median femur |
12-13 mm |
| posterior femur |
15-16 mm |
| tegmen |
5- 5 mm |
| wing |
5- 5 mm |
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Known Distribution
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Cuba
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island label only
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ANSP
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Camagüay
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ANSP
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La Alianza
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ANSP
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Habana, Cangrejeras
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ANSP
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