Table 1.
Summary of morphological features for differentiating Chitoniscus Stål, 1875 sensu stricto from Trolicaphyllium gen. nov. as these two have been mistakenly associated for more than a century. Listed morphologically from the anterior to posterior.
| Female | Trolicaphyllium gen. nov. | Chitoniscus Stål, 1875 sensu stricto |
|---|---|---|
| Antennae | Antennomeres III, VIII, and IX widened, broader than the antennomeres between; Fig. 4A. | Antennomeres III, VIII, and IX not widened, with similar diameter as the antennomeres between; Fig. 4B |
| Antennae: third antennomere | Broadened, sr not shifted anteriorly, sf meeting sr in anterior third; Fig. 5A. Sf long, ≥ 35 teeth; Fig. 5A | Not broadened, sr shifted anteriorly, sf meets sr at half of its length; Fig. 5B. Sf short, ≤ 30 teeth; Fig. 5B |
| Antennae: third antennomere (sf teeth) | Teeth with a smooth apex; Fig. 5C | Teeth with a weakly bilobed apex; Fig. 5D |
| Antennae: first antennomere | Dorsal surface without notable expansion, flush with anterior of the segment; Fig. 6A, C | Dorsal surface with expansion projecting anteriorly alongside the 2nd antennomere, projecting beyond the anterior end of the segment; Fig. 6B, D |
| Protibial interior lobe | Always spanning the full length of the protibial shaft | Either absent or even in the most well-developed forms only on the proximal half, never fully spanning |
| Prescutum anterior rim sagittal spine | Spine and rim distinct, but not large; Fig. 7A. Rim and spine situated on the anterior margin, not strongly protruding posteriorly; Fig. 8A | Spine and rim prominent; Fig. 7B. Rim strongly protruding and angled posteriorly; Fig. 8B |
| Ventral coxae color | Green, similar shade as the remainder of the insect; Fig. 9A | Sky blue in color; Fig. 9B |
| Tegmina: R and M | R runs parallel with M until the split of Rs, at which point Rs bends away distinctly; Fig. 10A | R diverges steadily from M for the full length, therefore the split of the Rs is not a significant bend; Fig. 10B |
| Tegmina: R–M crossvein | R–M crossvein does not fade, but fully reaches to and connects with M; Fig. 10A | R–M crossvein thins and fades before reaching M; Fig. 10B |
| Terminal abdominal segment | Broad; almost two times as wide as long; Fig. 11A | Narrow; approximately as long as the greatest width; Fig. 11B |
| Cerci texture | Weakly granular/smooth; Fig. 11A | Heavily granular; rough textured; Fig. 11B |
| Tarsus | Euplantula 2 and 3 with ridgelike expansion along the entire tarsomere; Fig. 12B | Euplantula 2 and 3 without ridgelike expansion; Fig. 12B |
| Male | ||
| Ocelli | Well developed; Fig. 13A | Absent; Fig. 13C, D |
| Protibial interior lobe | Always spanning the full length of the protibial shaft | Typically, absent or in well-developed forms only on the proximal half, rarely fully spanning and if so only as a thin lobe |
| Prescutum | Anterior margin more typical of a phylliid with the margin not strongly curved, making the prescutum appear less compacted; Fig. 13A, B | Anterior margin angled posteriorly, making the prescutum appear very stout; Fig. 13C, D |
| Alae: R split into R1 and Rs | Split is approximately ⅖ of the way through the wing; Fig. 14 | Split is approximately halfway through the wing |
| Alae: MA and MP | Media anterior (MA) and media posterior (MP) veins fuse with the cubitus (Cu) at different locations along the cubitus and run fused to the wing margin; Fig. 14 | Media anterior (MA) runs unfused to the wing margin; media posterior (MP) fades without fusing or reaching the wing margin |
| Eggs | ||
| Operculum | Raised on the ventral end, not centrally raised, no pit, minimal granulation throughout; Fig. 15C | Centrally raised and with a pit in the center; Fig. 15F |
| General chorionic texture | Small spherical surface structures; Fig. 16A, B, also present on the micopylar cap Fig. 16C | Tuberculate chorionic surface, rough; Fig. 16D, E, pinnate micropylar cap; Fig. 16F |
| Microstructures | Mushroom-like smooth granula; Fig. 17B | Small pinnae arranged in ridges; Fig. 17E |
| Freshly hatched nymph | ||
| Meso-, metafemoral coloration | Prominent white patch on the center of the exterior lobe and onto the femoral shaft; Fig. 18A | Mostly black in color, no prominent white patches; Fig. 18B |
| Mesonotum | Slender, posterior width similar to length; Fig. 18A | Stout, posterior width greater than length; Fig. 18B |
| Abdominal coloration | Abdomen black with the margins of segment II–IV and VI–IX green; Fig. 18A | Abdomen uniformly black, no green margins; Fig. 18B |
| Distribution | New Caledonia; Fig. 21 | Fiji |