Members of Ophicrania include medium-sized Platycraninae with a rather slender and smooth body in both sexes. In this genus the prognathous head is distinctly longer than wide, and somewhat cylindrical in cross-section. The vertex is flat or moderately rounded. The antennae are short and filiform. Ocelli are lacking. The ventral surface of the head features a well-developed gula. The prothorax is slightly longer than wide, and is characterized by the presence of pronotal sides (or paranota), and the fusion of the ana- and coxopleurite in the pleural region. The mesothorax is elongated and slender; the mesonotum is rather tectiform and features a slight longitudinal median furrow, and a longitudinal keel on each lateral margin. The genus presently includes macropterous, brachypterous, micropterous, and apterous species. In winged species, the tegmina are small, significantly shorter than the mesonotum. The femora are trapezoidal in cross-section, and feature five carinae. The dorsal carinae, and the medio-ventral carina are rather indistinctly developed in the mid and hind femora. The medio-ventral surface of the femora is armed distally with small spines, whose number varies among the different species. The basal portion of the fore femur is compressed and slightly incurved. The tibiae are almost triangular in cross-section, as the dorsal surface is reduced and the dorsal carinae are close to each other. In the tarsi, the basitarsus in elongated, distinctly longer than combined length of tarsomeres II-III. The male genital region exhibits a short sternite IX, which hardly extends over the abdominal tergite IX. The sternite IX also has a transverse furrow, approximately at the anterior third, which divides the plate into a short anterior portion, and a more elongated posterior portion (or poculum). The tergite X is slightly tectiform. Its hind margin is strongly thickened and shows two symmetrical claspers, which are armed ventrally with well-developed toothlike projections (or thorn pads). The vomer is lacking. In the female genital region, the hind margin of sternite VII exhibits an indistinctly developed preopercular organ. The sternite VIII (the female subgenital plate) is boat-shaped, and lacks a terminal notch on the hind margin. Its length varies among the species: it may be short, when does not extend over the tergite IX; medium, when reaches the hind margin of tergite X; long, when distinctly project beyond the hind margin of tergite X. The ovipositor extends beyond the sternite VIII when the latter is of the short type. In both sexes the cercus is dorso-ventrally flattened, much longer than wide, and with a pointed apex. The egg capsule is elongated (height/length% = 50) and laterally flattened (width/height% = 90–95). The operculum features a peg-like capitulum. The micropylar plate is represented by a small drop-shaped mark at the posterior half of the egg capsule. The median line is present.

Type species Ophicrania striatocollis Kaup, 1871, by original monotypy.

Ophicrania conlei, n. sp. (Figs. 1–3; Table 1).

Type material: Holotype ♂: Philippines, Panay Island, Mt. Madja-as, Culasi Antique, X.2008, leg. N. Mohagan, ex coll. O. Conle (ZSM).

Comparative material: Ophicrania nigrotaeniatus (Redtenbacher, 1908): ♂, Philippines, Valle de Bulasan (MNCN) (photographs examined). Ophicrania sagittarius Bresseel and Bushell, 2009: ♂ paratype, Philippines, Mindanao Island, Mt. Apo, 1300 m, 27.III-10.IV.2006, leg. R. Cabale (MG). Ophicrania stygius (Westwood, 1859): ♂, Philippines, Luzon, Infanta, VII.2009, leg. Bresseel & Van Dingenen (JB). Ophicrania viridinervis (Stål, 1875): ♂, Philippines, Luzon, Infanta, VII.2009, leg. Bresseel & Van Dingenen (JB). Photographs of type material of the remaining species of Ophicrania have been examined at the Phasmida Species File Online [2].

Diagnosis: a medium-sized species of Ophicrania, characterized by the short antennae, rather slender femora, well developed wings featuring the anal region of the male hind wing divided into an inner whitish area, and an outer brownish area. The body is slender, and the integument is weakly setose and slightly glossy (Fig. 1A).

Morphology: the head (Fig. 1B) is stubby in structure, and moderately narrows towards base. Its colour is mainly pale green, with dark green interocular space. The dorsal surface of head features a rather flat vertex. The gena is approximately one and a half times broader than the greatest diameter of the compound eye. The antenna is evenly dark brown, shorter than fore femur, and composed of 24 antennomeres covered with short sensilla and setae. The scape is rectangular and dorsoventrally flattened, two times longer than wide. The pedicel is slightly wider than long, cylindrical, about half the length of scape. The first flagellomere is about twice as long as the pedicel. The compound eye is light brown, circular and prominent. The pentamerous maxillary palpus, and the trimerous labial palpus are brown. The gula is much longer than wide.

The prothorax (Fig. 1B) is narrower and shorter than head. The pronotum is smooth, yellowish, with a dark brown median longitudinal band; it is rather flat, and possesses a faint cross-shaped incision in the center. The anterior and lateral margins of pronotum feature a distinctive edge; moreover, both anterolateral corners are equipped with an impressed ellipsoid-like glandular area, which supports the opening of the prothoracic exocrine gland. The posterior margin of the pronotum is simple, very moderately rounded. The pronotal sides (or paranota) are well developed, and cover the posterior two-thirds of the pleural region. The prothoracic coxopleurite is yellowish and rather rectangular. The prothoracic basisternite is cup-shaped, evenly yellowish. The mesothorax (Fig. 1A-B) is moderately elongated and slightly constricted towards the posterior third. The mesonotum is tectiform, yellowish, with a longitudinal dark brown median furrow delimited laterally by faint keels; its surface is finely rugulose, with some very small granules. The lateral margin of the mesonotum is charaterized by the presence of a distinct longitudinal keel. The mesothoracic episternum is narrow, approximately as long as the mesonotum; the epimeron is sharply triangular, one-third the length of the episternum; the two sclerites, which are separated by a faint pleural suture, are light brown in colour. The mesothoracic basisternite is elongated, slightly rugulose, also light brown; the furcasternite is much shorther, and moderately widens posteriorly. The metathorax is parallel-sided, longer and broader than the mesothorax. The metanotum is shorter than mesonotum; its surface is yellowish white and smooth. The metathoracic pleurite is light brown, and consists of a large rectangular episternum, and a narrow epimeron, which is displaced on the dorsal surface of the metathorax, alongside the median segment (or first abdominal tergite). The metathoracic sternite is represented by an elongated basisternite, and a short furcasternite, which regularly narrows posteriorly.

The tegmina (Fig. 1A) are mainly dark brown, with a broad longitudinal pale brown stripe. It is slender, with a small knob-like dorsal eversion on the proximal third; the posterior margin is angularly truncated, and reaches the anterior third of the first abdominal tergite. The hind wing (Fig. 1A) is well developed, and its posterior tip reaches the anterior quarter of abdominal tergite VI. The costal area is pale brown, whilst the remainder of the costal region is dark brown with pale brown longitudinal veins. The anal region features a transparent inner area and a translucent brown distal marginal area.

The legs (Fig. 1A) are green, with the carinae finely setose. The hind legs reach only the posterior margin of abdominal tergite IX. The coxae are unarmed. Trochanters are shorter than the corresponding coxae, and are fused to femora. The fore femur exhibits a pale green basal portion, which is compressed and very moderately incurved as typical of the genus. The dorsal and ventral carinae of fore femur are unarmed, whilst the distinct medio-ventral carina is armed with two very small distal spines. The mid and hind femora show a rather flattened dorsal surface, which lacks distinct dorsal carinae (Fig. 2A-B); the ventro-anterior and ventro-posterior carinae are prominent and unarmed (Fig. 2A); the medio-ventral carina is somewhat indistinct, but the surface is strongly convex, and features two weakly developed distal spines (Fig. 2A,C). The tibiae are unarmed and slender. The five-segmented tarsus is approximately half the length of the corresponding tibia. In the fore tarsi, the basitarsus is longer than combined length of tarsomeres II-IV; it is shorther in the case of the mid and hind tarsi. Tarsomeres I-IV are increasingly shorter. The ventral surface of tarsomeres I-IV exhibits a small euplantula at the distal end. Each euplantula is divided medially by a longitudinal furrow. The pretarsus, which is much shorter than combined length of tarsomeres I-IV, significantly widens towards the distal end, as typical of all phasmatodeans. It lacks an euplantula on the ventral surface, but features a distinct median longitudinal furrow. The pretarsal claws are symmetrical, and lack pectination on the ventral lateral keels. The arolium is rounded and broad.

The abdomen (Fig. 1A) is mainly brown in colour. The median segment is longer than wide, half the length of metanotum. The abdominal tergites II-III exhibit equal length; tergites IV-V are also equal in length, but slightly shorter than previous ones; tergites VI-VIII are progressively shorter; tergite IX is one and a half times the length of VIII. The tergites II-VII are of uniform width, tergite VIII widens towards the posterior end, whilst tergite IX narrows posteriorly. The tergite X (or anal segment) is green (Fig. 1A), tectiform, and features a raised mid-dorsal furrow, which terminates with a moderately prominent posteromedian mound (Fig. 3A). It is shorter than tergite IX, and shows the greatest width at the end of the anterior third, whilst the proximal and distal portions are distinctly narrower. In dorsal view, the hind margin shows a broad semicircular notch (Fig. 3A). The lateral margins are increasingly thickened from base to apex (Fig. 3B). Ventrally, at the level of the posterolateral portion, the thickened margins differentiate into two symmetrical claspers, each equipped with a group of about 10 toothlike projections of various size (Fig. 3B). These thorns are strongly sclerotized, and feature a rather flat and rounded apex orientated towards the ventral mid-line. The paraprocts (Fig. 3B) are rather elongated, and separated medially by a very faint longitudinal furrow. Their outer margin incurves in the posterior half, and progressively tapers to form a pointed apex. The epiproct is indistinctly developed, and does not extend beyond the hind margin of tergite X (not shown). The cercus (Fig. 3A-B) is slightly longer than tergite X; it is laterally flattened, covered with strong setae and short sensilla, and tapers towards a pointed apex. The sternite IX (or subgenital plate) (Fig. 3B) is twice as long as sternite VIII. It is moderately convex, and transversely divided in the anterior quarter. The hind margin of sternite IX is slightly rounded, and indistinctly exceeds the posterior end of the tergite IX.

Etymology: the specific name is a patronymic dedicated to Oskar V. Conle (Bosterlang, Germany), in recognition of his contributions to the knowledge of the Phasmatodea.

Geographic distribution: this new species is only known from the type locality, Mount Madja-as, Antique province, Panay Island, Philippines. It marks the first record of the genus Ophicrania from Panay island, and represents the second phasmatodean known to occur on Mount Madja-as, where only the aschiphasmatine Dinophasma maalon Gottardo, 2007 has been previously reported [7].

Remarks: the female and egg of this new species are unknown.