Leptagrion auriceps St. Quentin 1960
Creators: name: Lencioni, F. A. A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Odonata
Coenagrionidae
Leptagrion
Leptagrion auriceps

description: Leptagrion auriceps St. Quentin, 1960
Fig. 1 (A—app), Fig. 8 (prothorax), Fig. 12 (pterothorax and head).
Etymology: auriceps = aurum, Latin for gold + - ceps, Latin for headed, in reference to the golden head.
St. Quentin 1960: 47 (description of male and female comparing with L. macrurum, illustration of appendages in lateral view); Davies & Tobin 1984: 82 (data on publication and distribution); Bridges 1994: (VII) 24 (data on publication, type depository, type locality and references); Costa & Garrison 2001: 385, Fig. 12 (translation of the original description and illustration of appendages in lateral view, key to Brazilian species); De Marmels & Garrison 2005: 270, Figs. 21a–c, 22a–b, 23 (data on holotype, illustration of holotype: appendages in dorsal, mediodorsal and lateral view, penis in ectal and lateral views, body in lateral view, L. auriceps proposed as a junior synonym of L. macrurum); Lencioni 2006: 142, Figs. 83A–H (data on description, data on type locality, data on type deposition, data on distribution, data on larval description, illustration of appendages in lateral, mediodorsal and dorsal views, penis in ectal and lateral views, habitus. The illustration of head in dorsal view and male pterostigma [83G–H] belongs to a new species here described as L. vilelai sp. nov.); Garrison et al. 2010: 264 (L. auriceps listed as synonym of L. macrurum).
Deposition of type series. Holotype in NHMW (examined through photo).
Larva described. No.
Material examined. Only the type series is known.
Distribution. Brazil (Espírito Santo).
Remarks. Holotype of L. auriceps was analyzed by Dr. R.W. Garrison and was found to be conspecific to L. macrurum in De Marmels & Garrison (2005). Therefore, L. auriceps was included as a junior synonym of L. macrurum. In the present study, after analyzing all described species previously placed in Leptagrion sensu lato, I discovered that three groups of species are close regarding the morphology of cercus but very different in penile morphology, certain similarities are also found between the species of each group and a broader look at other structures was necessary to correctly separate the species.
The shape of the junction between the posterior lobe of the prothorax and the middle lobe (angle of the junction and the shape of the lateral border of the posterior lobe) proved to be an important and reliable structure to be used together with the morphology of the cerci and penis and, in L. auriceps it was fundamental to separate this species from its congener L. macrurum, as shown in Figures 9 and 11C (holotype of L. auriceps and lectotype of L. macrurum, respectively) the junction is very different, confirming the position of L. auriceps as a valid species.
A detailed study of the penis of L. auriceps will likely show additional differences between these two species, unfortunately in Dr. Garrison’s illustrations (De Marmels & Garrison 2005) the medio-longitudinal laminar process is not shown for both species (presented in this paper for L. macrurum).
description: Published as part of Lencioni, F. A. A., 2022, Analysis of male Leptagrion Selys, 1876 sensu lato (Odonata: Coenagrionidae) with description of four new genera and a new species, pp. 63-104 in Zootaxa 5105 (1) on pages 65-66, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5105.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/6332331