Coeliccia sameerae Dow, Choong & Ng, 2018, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Dow, Rory A.
name: Choong, Chee Yen
name: Ng, Yong Foo
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Odonata
Platycnemididae
Coeliccia
Coeliccia sameerae

description: Coeliccia sameerae sp. nov.
(Figs 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 44, 46, 47)
Coeliccia erici [nec Laidlaw 1917];— Laidlaw 1931: 195, fig. 3 (part, ♂, Kuala Teku);— Laidlaw 1932: 20–21,?Plate I figs. 13, 25, Plate II figs. 1, 2,?Plate III fig. 11 (part, ♂, Kuala Teku);— Lieftinck 1954: 47 (part);— Orr 2005: 47 (part);— Choong et al. 2012: 99, 102, 103 (records from Terengganu);— Choong 2013: 208, 209 (Gunung Chamah, Kelantan).
Holotype. 1 ♂ (TER11_PCD40), small stream near Sungai Lasir, Tasik Kenyir, Terengganu, Malaysia, 4.9653N, 102.8385E, 21 viii 2011, leg. Y. F. Ng, deposited in the Natural History Museum, London (BMNH).
Paratypes. 1 ♂ (TER11_PCD23), 1 ♀ (TER11_PCD24), data as holotype, currently in coll. Dow; 1 ♂ (TER11_PCD17, RMNH.INS.503930), same data but in RMNH; 1 ♂ (TER11_PCD9, RMNH.INS.503933), same data but leg. Y.F. Ng, in RMNH; 1 ♂ (PM16_PCD39), upstream on tributary entering main stream at Hutan Lipur Jeram Linang below waterfall, Kelantan, Malaysia, 5.741N, 102.377E (Jeram Linang) 3 xii 2016, leg. R.A. Dow, currently in coll. Dow; 1 ♂ (PM16_PCD35), at mouth of tributary, upstream of waterfall, same Hutan Lipur, 3 xii 2016, leg. R.A. Dow, currently in coll. Dow; 2 ♂ (PM16_PCD37-38), same data except 4 xii 2016. 1 ♂ (CYC11_TRE-01), 1 ♀ (CYC11_TRE-11), data as holotype but leg. C.Y. Choong, currently in coll. Choong. Two paratypes to be deposited in FRIM and two to be deposited in CIS.
Other material. 4 ♂♂ (CYC11_TRE25), data as holotype but leg. C.Y. Choong, in coll. Choong; 2 ♂♂ (CYC11_TRE6-7), data as holotype but leg Y.F. Ng, in coll. Choong; 3 ♂♂ (CYC11_TRE8-10), small streamlet by Sungai Sekayu, Hutan Lipur Sekayu, Terengganu, Malaysia, 4.999N, 102.955E (Hutan Lipur Sekau), 19 viii 2011, leg. C.Y. Choong, in coll. Choong; 1 ♂ (CYC_TRE1), small stream near Gua Bewah, Taman Negara Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia, 102.7201N, 4.9223E (approx. coordinates), 26 ix 2017, leg. C.Y. Choong, in coll. Choong; 3 ♂♂ (CYC17_TRE2-4), 1 ♀ (CYC17_TRE5), same data, 27 ix 2017, in coll. Choong.
Etymology: The species is named sameerae, a noun in the genitive case, named after the first child and daughter (Sameera) of H.E. Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, the managing director of the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund which provided the grant for fieldwork in peninsular Malaysia in 2016 and enabled the collection of many specimens used in this study.
Description of holotype male. Head (Figs 2, 4). Labium pale yellowish except hooks of labial palps, which are black. Labrum shining black with pair of centrally placed blue marks, that on right longer. Mandible bases largely bluish white. Post clypeus shining black, anteclypeus with broad central blue mark, expanded transversely below postclypeus to form wide stemmed T. Pale blue band across most of genae, intruding onto frons above clypeus for some distance. Antenna (missing above pedicel) with top part of scape, base of pedicel white, remainder dark brown and black. Frons and vertex mostly black, with small white mark based on outer edge of lateral ocellus, directed towards rear of antenna base. Ocelli white. Whitish, small but elongate oval, transverse postocular spots. Underside of head mostly black with pair of small pale markings below point of attachment of prothorax, behind mandibles.
Thorax. Prothorax with propleuron pale yellow except brown irregular wedge shaped band running over notopleural suture, not quite reaching anterior pronotal lobe; black on upper part epipemeral strip. Anterior pronotal lobe black, except lower laterally, where pale. Anterior carina of anterior pronotal lobe just higher than main part, which is rounded at top (Fig. 11). Middle lobe mostly pale, widely black dorsally adjacent to posterior lobe, this extended narrowly centrally to anterior lobe (Fig. 10). Posterior pronotal lobe simple, collar like, slightly raised along free margin; black with tiny bluish basal central mark that just extends onto middle lobe. Synthorax (Figs 22, 24) with mesepisternum black with pair of broad blue markings occupying lower ca two fifths of its length (Fig. 24). Mesepimeron black, metepisternum largely blue, this extending narrowly onto mesepimeron, narrowly black beside antealar carina, this extended as wedge running above metepleural suture, not quite reaching level of spiracle. Metepimeron pale bluish. Mesokatepisternum black except above coxa, metakatepisternum entirely pale. Venter of synthorax pale, metapoststernum with dense field of short bristle like setae. Legs (only right anterior and left middle legs present below coxae) with coxae entirely pale, trochanters pale with tiny brown marks immediately above femurs. Femur mostly pale with black stripes on flexor and outer extensor surfaces of anterior leg, similar on middle leg but stripe on flexor surface only in distal ca one-third, tibia mostly pale, dark along flexor surface, tarsi including claws mostly dark. Wings with arc situated slightly distal to Ax 2. Fw with 16 (left) or 18 (right) Px, Hw with 15 Px. Three post quadrilateral cells in all wings. R4 slightly proximal to Sn, IR3 slightly distal to it. Pt dark brown with irregular narrow white margin, almost a rhombus, covering one underlying cell entirely and ca one third to one half of another.
Abdomen. S1 whitish except dark brown in narrow apical annulus including posterior carina and area behind, narrowly on dorsum. S2 pale lower laterally, dark brown above with diffuse pale middorsal line, obscure pale marks in apical ca one third. S3 pale lower laterally, brown above, narrow basal pale annulus broadly interrupted dorsally, narrow darker brown apical annulus; S4–S6 similar but lacking pale basal annulus, S7 similar but darker so apical annulus not apparent. S8 pale blue lower laterally, this extending dorsally subapically as narrow irregular transverse band, black (Figs 31, 33). S9 mostly pale blue, except small black basal dorsal triangle, basal lateral black mark narrowing to posterior carina. S10 pale blue, black lower laterally at base, this extending narrowly upwards apically to base of cerci. Cerci mostly blue dorsally, black and brown laterally, ventrally. Relatively slender in lateral view (Fig. 41) with rounded apex, large subapical ventral projection, rounded apex of this bearing small, slightly rearward directed nipple-like tooth; robust basal ventral tooth situated interiorly also visible in lateral view. In dorsal view (Fig. 39) cercus gently, somewhat irregularly, tapering from base to rounded apex, where slightly expanded interiorly. Paraprocts (Fig. 41, 43) black, extending slightly beyond tips of cerci. In lateral view rounded, slightly down turned at apex, running almost straight from base along lower margin, but expanded from base to ca half their length (measured along lower margin) above, before contracting abruptly. In ventral view running almost straight from base along outer margin, then curving in just before rounded apices; along inner margin gently curved in basal half, then with an excised appearance (Fig. 43). Genital ligula as in Fig. 29 (which shows a paratype), with terminal segment deeply divided into two long, slender, curved arms.
Measurements (mm). Abdomen without anal appendages 38, cerci ca 0.8, Hw ca 22.8.
Description of female paratype (based on TER11_PCD24). As male except as noted. Head (Figs 6, 8). Labrum without pale marks. Antenna with flagellum dark brown. Bluish white marks between median and each lateral ocellus, narrowly connected behind median ocellus, and based on outer edge of lateral ocellus, running to eye margins, slightly zig-zagged behind antenna base (Fig. 6). Underside of head with pair of tiny pale marks on either side of point of connection with prothorax.
Thorax. Prothorax (Figs 14, 16, 18, 20) coloured as in male. Upper cervical spur vestigial, lower cervical spur well developed, broad, overlapping propleuron, subtriangular. Large but not very prominent lower part of notopleural projection (Figs 14, 16), extending over notopleural suture; upper part shallower, rounded, fused smoothly with lower lateral part of anterior pronotal lobe; a narrow shelf between the two parts visible in dorsal view (Fig. 16). Anterior carina of anterior pronotal lobe slightly higher than top of main part. Posterior pronotal lobe (Figs 18, 20) with short, widely separated lapels, rounded apices of these well below level of highest part of middle lobe, not far above level of notopleural suture; horn narrow, shorter than middle lobe measured centrally, erect at base then curved forward in lateral view (Fig. 20). Synthorax (Figs 26, 28) with mesepisternum black with pair of bluish, irregular, antehumeral stripes running almost to apex of antealar triangle (Fig. 28). Pale lateral marks as male but mostly yellowish where blue in male. Mesokatepisternum with pale colour above coxa extended narrowly along rear margin, then curved forward, faint (Fig. 20). Setae on metapoststernum shorter than in male. Legs (left anterior missing) with black stripes on lower ca three quarters flexor surfaces of anterior femur, narrowly on lower one-quarter to one third flexor surface middle femur, no stripe flexor surface posterior femur. Wings with arc at Ax 2 in Fw. Fw with 15 Px, Hw with 15 (left) or 14 (right) Px. Pt grey brown with narrow whitish margin, this faint and diffuse on costal side margin, covering from just more than one to nearly two underlying cells.
Abdomen. Pale parts S1 yellowish. S2 with diffuse pale middorsal line only in basal ca one third. S8 brown, broad bluish white dorso-lateral mark in apical ca one third (Figs 35, 37). S9 dark brown with irregular dorsal pale mark (Fig. 35). S10 black and dark brown. Cerci black, subtriangular in lateral view, shorter than S10. Ovipositor mottled dark and pale brown with whitish patch at base of styles (missing on left), which are light brown.
Measurements (mm). Abdomen with anal appendages or ovipositor ca 39, Hw ca 26.25.
Variation in paratypes. Aside from small variations in markings, and size variation, there is little variation in the males. The labrum is entirely black in all paratypes. The legs of the paratypes are marked as the female described, but sometimes with no pale stripe on the flexor surface of the middle femur. The arculus sometimes arises at Ax2; occasionally there are only two or between two and three post quadrilateral cells. The dorsal mark on S8 is completely absent in three paratypes, only present on one side in another, only present as a few faint marks on two others, but occupies most of the apical ca one quarter of the segment in another. The bluish white marks between median and each lateral ocellus are not connected in the female collected from Tasik Kenyir; the horn of the posterior pronotal lobe is straight, but still directed forward in two of the female paratypes.
Measurements (mm). Male—Abdomen without anal appendages 35–38.5, Hw 22–24.5. There are 14–17 Px in Fw, 13–17 Px in Hw. Female—Abdomen without ovipositor 37.5–39.5, Hw 25–26. There are 15–17 Px in Fw, 14– 16 Px in Hw.
Diagnosis. The male is easily separated from all others known from Malaysia except C. erici by the short, broad antehumeral markings, in C. octogesima the antehumeral markings are long and excavated on their inner margins, in C. didyma they are divided into upper and lower parts, similarly in C. albicauda where the lower part is similar in shape to that in C. sameerae but the anal appendages are white. Species known from neighbouring countries that might possibly overlap in distribution with C. sameerae can mostly be separated by their different antehumeral markings; C. yamasakii Asahina, 1984, known from Thailand and Cambodia, has similarly shaped antehumeral stripes but they are yellow in colour. Separation of females may be more problematic in general but considering only species known from Peninsular Malaysia, C. octogesima has long antehumeral markings, but they are wholly or partially interrupted at one half to two thirds of their length; in C. albicauda and C. didyma the central horn of the posterior pronotal lobe is shorter (much shorter in C. albicauda) and directed rearwards.
The male is separated from that of C. erici by the form of its anal appendages with the paraprocts extending beyond the tips of the cerci in C. sameerae but falling well short of the tips of the cerci in C. erici; the shape of the terminal half of the paraprocts is completely different in the two species and C. erici has a sub-basal internal tooth on the cerci but C. sameerae has a tooth in the more typical basal position. The female of C. erici is easily separated from that of C. sameerae by the unusual posterior pronotal lobe of C. erici, which is not separated into central horn and distinct lapels.
Remarks. The female is associated with the male by reasonable supposition; female specimens were collected in the same locations as the males and are not that of any other Coeliccia species occurring at these locations.
Coeliccia sameerae is found at small moderately high gradient forest streams, where it typically occurs at higher densities than C. erici. It is known from locations in northeast Peninsular Malaysia, with records from Kelantan, Terengganu and the north of Pahang.
description: Published as part of Dow, Rory A., Choong, Chee Yen & Ng, Yong Foo, 2018, Re-description of Coeliccia erici Laidlaw, and the description of Coeliccia sameerae sp. nov. from Peninsular Malaysia (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platycnemididae), pp. 351-367 in Zootaxa 4413 (2) on pages 359-366, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4413.2.7, http://zenodo.org/record/1227009