Thursday, December 8, 2022

[Entomology • 2022] Calvisia (Calvisia) khlongsokana • A New Species of Calvisia (Phasmida: Lonchodidae: Necrosciinae) from Thailand and Myanmar and Notes on C. (Calvisia) sangarius from Peninsular Malaysia


Calvisia (Calvisia) khlongsokana
Bresseel, Constant, Jiaranaisakul & Hübner, 2022


colourful new species of Calvisia Stål, 1875, Calvisia (Calvisia) khlongsokana sp. nov., is described from Southwest Thailand and South Myanmar based on both sexes, nymphs and eggs. The new species is placed in the subgenus C. (Calvisia) Stål, 1875 and compared to the closely related species C. (Calvisia) sangarius (Westwood, 1859). The female of C. (Calvisia) sangarius (Westwood, 1859) and both sexes and egg of C. (Calvisia) khlongsokana sp. nov. are illustrated and a distribution map for both species is provided. Females of the new species occur in two distinct colour forms presumed to be aposematic. Several hypotheses are provided for the natural occurrence of these two morphs with frequency-dependant selection as a possible driver.

Keywords: Stick insect, Phasmatodea, aposematism, sexual dichromatism, sex-limited polymorphism.







Joachim Bresseel, Jérôme Constant, Kawin Jiaranaisakul and Christian Hübner. 2022. A New Species of Calvisia (Calvisia) from Thailand and Myanmar and Notes on C. (Calvisia) sangarius from Peninsular Malaysia (Phasmida, Lonchodidae, Necrosciinae). Belgian Journal of Entomology. 133:1-23.