Matrona oreades Hamalainen, Yu & Zhang, spec. nov.
Creators: name: Hämäläinen, Matti
name: Yu, Xin
name: Zhang, Haomiao
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Odonata
Calopterygidae
Matrona
Matrona oreades

description: Matrona oreades Hämäläinen, Yu & Zhang, spec. nov.
(Figs. 1, 3–4, 7, 9, 11, 13)
Material studied: Holotype 3: China, Gansu, Wenxian, Bikou, alt. 950m, 9/ 13 vii 2005, Yu Xin leg. Deposited at Institute of Entomology, Life Sciences College of Nankai University, Tianjin, China. Paratypes: 9 3, 4 Ƥ, China, Gansu, Wenxian, Bikou, alt. 950m, 9/ 13 vii 2005, Yu Xin leg.; 1 3, China, Gansu, Wenxian, July 2000, local collector leg., ex coll. A. Sasamoto. Other material: 2 3, 1 Ƥ, China, Sichuan, Emeishan, June 2002, local collector leg., coll. H. Karube; 1 3, 1 Ƥ, China, Sichuan, Emeishan, alt. 700 m, 18 viii 2010, Zhang Haomiao leg.; 1 3, China, Sichuan, Qingchenghoushan, alt. 1350 m, 31 viii 2010, Zhang Haomiao leg.
Etymology. The specific epithet, oreades, is the Latinised form of ορειαδεζ, the mountain nymphs of ancient Greek mythology. A noun in apposition.
Diagnosis. A pale brownish winged Matrona species without any milky coloured reticulation at wing bases, fore- and hindwings similarly coloured, wing tips narrowly darkened. Reticulation of wings less dense than in M. basilaris.
Description of male (Figs. 1, 3). Head: Eyes in living specimens largely pale bluish, brown in the upper part. Labium mainly pale, tips of lateral lobes black. Labrum light blue, bordered narrowly by black at apical border; base of mandibles light blue. Anteclypeus shining metallic blue with green reflections; postclypeus shining metallic blue. Frons and vertex metallic blue with green reflections; shining blue in young specimens. Antennae with scape and pedicel conspicuously creamy yellow; apical segments black (Fig. 7).
Thorax: Prothorax metallic green. Synthorax metallic green with conspicuous bluish tint middorsally. Pale yellow area restricted to the level anterior to stigma and around metepimeron; on metepimeron the metallic green colour restricted to form a narrow median triangle. Ventral side of synthorax pale yellowish. Legs: coxa yellow, trochanters yellow below, black above; femora blackish brown with flexor surface yellowish at base, more extensively so in hind legs; tibiae blackish brown, hind tibiae moderately bent (Fig. 1, 3).
Both wings pale toffee brown, wing tips narrowly darkened (Fig. 9). Venation brown, darker brown in major veins at wing base. Wings moderately narrow; hindwing length/breadth ratio 3.3–3.6. Reticulation sparse for the genus, best seen in the number of intercalary veins and density of crossveins in the area defined by CuP and the wing border (Fig. 13). Median space with 3–6 partly reticulated crossveins. Cubital field with 17–22 crossveins in forewing, 18–25 in hindwing. Quadrangle with 11–15 crossveins in forewing, 12–17 in hindwing. Antenodals (the first series) number 42–51 in forewing and 37–45 in hindwing.
Abdomen shining metallic blue throughout, also with the lower edges of tergites metallic. Sternites blackish, except on S1, S2, S8, S9 and the distal half of S8, which are partly pale brown or yellowish. Appendages black, except the basal part of the inferiors which is pale yellowish on the underside; shaped as in M. corephaea spec. nov. (cf. Fig. 15). Penis similar to that of M. corephaea spec. nov. (cf. Figs. 16–17).
Measurements (mm): Gansu specimens – abdomen + appendages 50–56; hind wing 37–40; Sichuan specimens – abdomen + appendages 56–58; hind wing 40–41.5.
Description of female (Fig. 4). Colour pattern of head similar to the male, but postclypeus, frons and vertex shining metallic green. Thorax coloured as in male, but the metallic green triangle on metepimeron is narrower. Legs as in male. Wings (Fig. 11) pale brown. Tip of fore wing less markedly darkened, but tip of hindwing more broadly darkened than in male. At upper hind wing margin the darker coloration extends basad to halfway between nodus and pseudopterostigma; at lower wing margin reaching only slightly basad of the pseudopterostigma. Veins and crossveins pale brown. White pseudopterostigmata in both wings, covering 7-10 cells. In hindwing the length/ breadth ratio is 3.5. Median space furnished with 3–6 partly reticulated crossveins. Cubital space with 19–22 crossveins in forewing, 20–24 in hindwing. Quadrangle with 12–15 crossveins in forewing, 14–16 in hindwing. Antenodals (the first series) number 44–50 in forewing and 38–45 in hindwing.
Abdomen dark with metallic green and brownish hues; lower lateral side paler, yellowish brown on S1–2 and S9–10, darker brown in the intermediate segments; a pale middorsal band on S8–10, narrower on S8 and covering the apical 2/3rd of the segment.
Measurements (mm): Gansu specimens – abdomen + appendages 47–51.5; hind wing 40–45; Sichuan specimens – abdomen + appendages 51–56.5; hind wing 44–47.5.
Distribution. Gansu, Sichuan (including Chongqing), Hupei. In addition to the material listed above we have confirmed records of this species from:
- Chongqing: Jiangjin County, 2009–2010 (photos by Evan Bowen-Jones; this paper)
- Hupei: Shuisapa valley, Sang-Hou-Ken. A male specimen in the collections of RMNH (Leiden), labelled “Hupeh-Szechuan border, Sang-Hou-Ken, 19.7.1948, Gressit & Djou”. It should be noted here that Asahina (1969), who had studied the same specimen, considered it to be “an abnormally pale coloured male” of M. b. basilaris. Later, Hämäläinen (unpublished) wrongly thought this specimen to be M. kricheldorffi. This led to the following erroneous statement on the status of M. kricheldorffi in Hämäläinen & Yeh (2000, p. 4): “It should also be briefly pointed out that M. kricheldorffi Karsch, 1892 is a distinct, good species, so far known only from Sichuan”.
Remarks on biology. M. oreades has been found in mountain streams at an altitude of ca 700–1400 m. In Wenxian this species was found on a stream with both rocky or gravely substrates, between 1–4 metres in width. On sunny days they always stayed along the stream, perching conspicuously on rocks or riparian vegetation. The males usually established territories and fought. The Wenxian records were made between June and mid July and the flight period is expected to extend at least until early August. July is the period of greatest adult activity with fully mature males and females occurring simultaneously. This species is less alert than Matrona basilaris, thus it is easier to capture. Other odonate species on the same streams included: Bayadera sp., Caliphaea consimilis McLachlan, Coeliccia cyanomelas Ris and Stylogomphus sp.
At Emeishan (near Wannian Temple, at the altitude of 700m), one pair was found after 17:00h, 18th August 2010. The weather was cloudy on that day and it had been raining for about one week previously. The female was found very close to a stream. She was perching on a leaf amongst dense vegetation, about 0.5m above the stream. The stream was very close to a busy road leading to the peak of Emeishan (Jinding), but the female was evidently not disturbed by the constant noise. The male was found upstream and was perching in sunlight about 20cm above the ground near a ditch bordered by dense vegetation. It did not appear to be territorial, but was perched, waiting for prey. The habitat here was a stream with a high gradient and dense vegetation. Species co-occuring on this stream included: Caliphaea consimilis, Chlorogomphus tunti Needham, Chlorogomphus n. nasutus Needham and Megalestes distans Needham.
In Qingchenghoushan, one male was found maintaining a territory on a stream with steep gradient at 1350m altitude. About 15:00h on 31st August 2010, it was perching on a leaf in the sun about 1m above the stream. It was very active, and flew higher when disturbed. This particular stream was not badly affected by the earthquake in May 2008, which destroyed many other river and stream habitats in the area. Species co-occurring in this stream included: Caliphaea consimilis, Bayadera melanopteryx Ris, Planaeschna spp. and Megalestes distans.
According to the information received by Evan Bowen-Jones, in Jiangjin County in Chongqing this species has been recorded from a same stream with Matrona basilaris, at an altitude of 920m. A female was photographed ovipositing in a low plant in the stream, with the male guarding 30cm away. The flight period of M. oreades in Sichuan spans from June to at least early September.
description: Published as part of Hämäläinen, Matti, Yu, Xin & Zhang, Haomiao, 2011, Descriptions of Matrona oreades spec. nov. and Matrona corephaea spec. nov. from China (Odonata: Calopterygidae), pp. 20-28 in Zootaxa 2830 on pages 21-24, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.204508