We present new information on the poorly known genus of stick insects, Canuleius Stål, 1875, with redescriptions of two Brazilian species, Canuleius grandis Toledo Piza, 1936 and Canuleius sanguinolentus (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1907) comb. nov., the latter herein transferred from Bacteria Berthold, 1827. Type material of both species was examined, as well as additional specimens recently collected and deposited at the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo (MZUSP). The types of two other species in the genus, Canuleius affinis Toledo Piza, 1936 and Canuleius brevipes Toledo Piza, 1936, were also examined and both species are herein synonymised under C. grandis (syn. nov.). The study includes the first descriptions of the male of C. grandis, the female of C. sanguinolentus and the eggs of both species, which are the first descriptions of eggs of Canuleius. Some notes are presented on the biology of both species, including the first observations of mating and oviposition in Heteronemiidae. Taxonomic aspects of Canuleius are discussed.

Several lineages of stick insects (Phasmatodea) are poorly studied, especially in the Neotropics. Recently, Brazilian stick insects have been subject of significant research and, among them, the Heteronemiidae, although several genera remain to be explored. Pygirhynchini is an Heteronemiidae lineage currently containing four genera, of which three occur in Brazil: Ceroys, Canuleius and Pygirhynchus. The former is subdivided in Ceroys (Ceroys) and Ceroys (Miroceroys) based on ornamentation variations absence or presence of a spine on the scapus. We describe two new species, Ceroys (Miroceroys) cancelloae sp. nov. and Ceroys (Miroceroys) indicattii sp. nov. based on both sexes and eggs. The new species inhabit submontane, ombrophilous Atlantic Forest in Southeast Brazil and can be differentiated from other Ceroys (Miroceroys) by conspicuous features of external morphology of adults and eggs. We also briefly describe and illustrate nymphal stages of C. cancelloae sp. nov. and present notes on the biology of both species, and a distribution map for the genus, increasing the scarce knowledge of the natural history of phasmids in Brazil.

Two species of stick insect with a distinctive morphology, Candovia evoneobertii (Zompro & Adis, 2001) and Echetlus fulgens Zompro, 2004, were considered to be native to Australia and introduced into Brazil. However, Heteronemia dubia (Caudell, 1904) and Heteronemia fragilis (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1907), both described more than a hundred years ago from South America, exhibit striking similarities with the two purportedly introduced species and are found to be conspecific with C. evoneobertii. Careful analysis of the literature and specimens revealed that these species belong to the Neotropical tribe Diapheromerini (Diapheromeridae) and represent a new genus, Arumatia Ghirotto gen. nov. We therefore propose Arumatia fulgens (Zompro, 2004) gen. et comb. nov. and Arumatia dubia (Caudell, 1904) gen. et comb. nov. We further redescribe A. dubia (Caudell, 1904) gen. et comb. nov. based on several specimens and synonymize Heteronemia fragilis syn. nov. and Candovia evoneobertii syn. nov. under it. Additionally, five new Brazilian species are described: Arumatia diamante Ghirotto gen. et sp. nov. from Abaíra, Bahia; Arumatia aramatia Ghirotto gen. et sp. nov. from Porto Nacional, Tocantins; Arumatia motenata Ghirotto gen. et sp. nov. from Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais; Arumatia crassicercata Ghirotto, Crispino & Engelking gen. et sp. nov. from Alto Paraíso de Goiás, Goiás; and Arumatia anyami Ghirotto, Crispino & Neves gen. et sp. nov. from Costa Marques, Rondônia. Species of Arumatia gen. nov. occur mostly in the Cerrado domain, and represent the first Diapheromeridae recorded in this area. Most species are known exclusively from females with only A. aramatia gen. et sp. nov. and A. motenata gen. et sp. nov. known from both sexes. Adult and egg morphology are described and illustrated in detail for all species, as well as the nymph stages for A. dubia. Biological observations are presented, including parthenogeny in A. dubia and one of the few detailed accounts of sexual behaviour in Euphasmatodea (for A. motenata gen. et sp. nov.). Finally, a species of Diapheromerini described in error from Brazil, Diapheromera armata Piza, 1973, is synonymized under the North American Megaphasma denticrus (Stål, 1875) (syn. nov.).

Stick insects (Phasmatodea) are herbivorous, mostly nocturnal insects known for their camouflage specialization, constituting a moderately diverse group with around 3400 extant described species. The overall poor and often confusing fossil record of Phasmatodea, especially regarding older taxa, has muddled the knowledge of the early evolution of the lineage and hindered reliable calibration points for ordinal‐level phylogenies. The phylogenetic relationships within the order remain unresolved, but recent research sheds more light on the subject. Here we report on the oldest known fossil of Euphasmatodea, by revising the taxonomic identity of one fossil species (Eoproscopia reliquum Mendes, Vasconcelos & Oliveira) previously described as a stick grasshopper (family Proscopiidae). Based on the finding of a more complete specimen the taxon is redescribed and a new genus, Araripephasma, is erected to accommodate this species in Euphasmatodea. Araripephasma reliquum comb. nov. is a remarkably modern‐looking stick insect species that provides a new minimum age for Euphasmatodea and sets a good and reliable calibration point for phylogenetic and evolutionary studies. The implications of this rare finding for the evolutionary history of Phasmatodea are discussed.

Aos meus avós, que desde cedo nunca deixaram minha curiosidade morrer. Aos meus pais, que criaram um pequeno biólogo desde berço. Aos meus irmãos, que mesmo seguindo caminhos diferentes me apoiam e me dão forças. A minha companheira, Bianca Rodrigues Stretch Valente pelo apoio e amor constante que mesmo a meio mundo de distância se fazia presente e me deu forças nos momentos mais difíceis.A Eliana Marques Cancello que não apenas me orientou e me ajudou ao longo de toda a dissertação e reviravoltas no caminho, como também tomou como missão orientar alunos em uma área ainda pouco explorada da ciência brasileira. Ao Prof. José Paulo Gadalluci, Marcoandre Savaris, Pedro Dias e Sérgio Ide pela colaboração, acesso a material histórico e compartilhamento de equipamentos. A Pablo Vallero, que gentilmente compartilhou fotos de dos tipos de Ceroys (Miroceroys) saevissimus. Aos meus colegas, funcionários e professores do Museu de Zoologia da USP, dentre eles Prof.