New morphological and allozymic characterization of Bacillus whitei and B. lynceorum hybrid complexes (Insecta Phasmatodea)

A more precise characterization of body morphology - mainly based on eye pigmentation patterns and cercus shape - and of egg chorion sculpturing of the two interspecific hybrids Bacillus whitei and B. lynceorum, is given. Morphological details fully support the B. rossius x B. grandii parentage for the former and the B. atticus x B. rossius x B. grandii one for the latter. Allozyme analysis reveals that the great majority of B. whitei clones are found in sympatry with B. grandii, thus suggesting their production trough an early hybridogenetic phase. On the other hand, the much more numerous and differentiated clones of the tri-ploid B. lynceorum appear to have originated chiefly from two hybridization steps, namely through the production of fertile B. atticus/rossius hybrids first, followed by their fertilization from B. grandii.