Mnesarete pudica
Creators: name: Guillermo-Ferreira, Rhainer
name: Bispo, Pitágoras C.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Odonata
Calopterygidae
Mnesarete
Mnesarete pudica

description: Mnesarete pudica (Hagen in Selys, 1853)
(Fig. 1)
Material examined. Assis, São Paulo, Brazil (22º38’S, 50º27’W; altitude 522 m); 13 and 4Ƥ (reared), 13/III/ 2011; 23 and 1Ƥ exuviae.
Measurements (mm, N=5).
Total length (without caudal lamella; measurements taken dorsally): 14.02±1.1. Head: head length: 2.17±0.2 from labrum to occiput, head width: 3.2±0.11; prementum length: 3.19±0.25 along midline, prementum maximum width: 2.07±0.012, outer premental seta: 0.2. Thorax and legs: inner wing pads length: 4.16±0.13, outer wing pads length: 3.67±0.48; femur I1: 2.76±0.21; femur II2: 3.29±0.26; femur III3: 4.01±0.36; tibia 1: 3.01±0.19; tibia 2: 3.6±0.19; tibia 3: 4.08±0.26. Abdomen: total length: 8.24±1.29; S9 length: 0.65±0.08; S10 length: 0.66±0.09; cerci length: 0.24; female gonapophyses length: 1.05±0.13; lateral caudal lamella length: 6.23±0.5, width: 1.33±0.07.
Description of final instar larva. Head: w ith rounded posterolateral margin and postocular tubercle; occiput concave (Fig. 1 a), 2.25 times wide as long at its widest point; antenna seven segmented (Fig. 1 b), first the longest, 1.83 longer than head; relative size of antennomeres: 1, 0.3, 0.2, 0.1, 0.06, 0.06, 0.06; labium with three premental setae on each side of cleft (Fig. 1 c), one longer than the other two; exterior margin of ligula serrated; anterior margin of labial palp with three well developed and strongly incurved hooks (Fig. 1 d), the inner one smallest; movable hook as long as external margin of palp; two large and three minute palpal setae; prementum when appressed extending to middle of second thoracic segment between mesothoracic coxae. Laccinia with six teeth (Fig. 1 e). Mandibular formula: L 12345 x a(m1234)b/R 12345 y ab (Fig. 1 f,g). Thorax: pronotum with one prominent midlateral projection on each side (Fig. 1 h); wing pads extending to middle of S4 (Fig. 1 i). Legs: with two dark bands on femur and tibia; no setae on femur, two mid-dorsal spines and several small setae on posterior edge of tibia (Fig. 1 j). Abdomen: tan with posterior transversal darker stripes; no posterodorsal hooks on abdominal segments (Fig. 1 i), a middorsal spined projection on S10 forming a ridge (Fig. 2 a,b), lateral spines on S9-10 (Fig. 2 c); female gonapophyses not reaching distal margin of S10 (Fig. 2 b); male cercus cultriform and slightly curved downward (Fig. 1 i, 2a); female cercus conical and not curved (Fig. 2 b); lateral lamella lanceolate, triquetral, with spines along margins (Fig. 2 d); central lamella foliaceous with rounded apex, not triquetral, with setae-like spines along margins (Fig. 2 e).
Biological notes. Larvae were collected in rapid flow streams, clinging to submerged grassy vegetation. Adults were also found at the stream. Both males and females aggregated on surrounding vegetation. Although adults can be found throughout the year, greater numbers of adults and last-instar larvae were found in March and April, possibly indicating a reproductive season immediately following the rainy season. Males of this species present broad wings covered by a red pigment, used in a remarkable courtship display when males show their colorful wings to females (Guillermo-Ferreira & Bispo 2012).
Taxonomic notes. Mnesarete pudica larva differs from other South American calopterygids (with the exception of Hetaerina cruentata) in lacking lateral spines on S8. The combination of five palpal and three premental setae serves to differentiate this species from other calopterygids. Heckman (2008) diagnosed larvae of the genus Mnesarete by the presence of lateral spines on S8-10, which do not occur in M. pudica and thus cannot be used as a generic trait. We suggest that this genus may be diagnosed by the combination of the following characters: first segment of antenna not armed with setae and shorter than head and prothorax combined; and no posterodorsal hooks on S4–9. Since there are no remarkable characters that separate South American calopterygid genera, we present some comments that may help on the identification of the most common species.
Comments on final instar larvae of South American Calopterygidae genera. Morphological data for this note were extracted from the following descriptions: Hetaerina (H. caja, Geijskes 1943; H. medinai, De Marmels 2007; H. rosea, Pessaq & Muzón 2004); Iridictyon (I. trebbaui, De Marmels 1992); Ormenophlebia (O. imperatrix, Garrison 2006); Mnesarete (M. grisea, Garrison 2006; M. pudica, this paper).
When comparing the larvae of M. pudica and M. grisea with Hetaerina larvae, we notice that these genera can be distinguished by the presence of setae on the first segment of the antenna in Hetaerina.
Iridictyon larvae present the following characters that are not present in Mnesarete: meso- and metathoracic legs extending beyond apex of abdomen (CAUTION: check to see that abdominal segments are not collapsed or telescoped into each preceding segment); first antennal segment approximately as long as head and prothorax. Ormenophlebia imperatrix larva presents posterodorsal hooks on S4-S9, which cannot be found on Mnesarete larvae.
These notes may be useful to identify the most common species in South America until a revision and a definitive key can be provided with sufficient data.
description: Published as part of Guillermo-Ferreira, Rhainer & Bispo, Pitágoras C., 2012, Description of the larva of Mnesarete pudica (Hagen in Selys, 1853) (Odonata: Calopterygidae) and notes on known genera of South American Calopterygidae larvae, pp. 77-81 in Zootaxa 3482 on pages 78-80, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.213028