Mesamphiagrion dunklei Ellenrieder & Garrison, 2008, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Ellenrieder, Natalia Von
name: Garrison, Rosser W.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2008
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Odonata
Coenagrionidae
Mesamphiagrion
Mesamphiagrion dunklei

description: Mesamphiagrion dunklei sp. nov.
Figures 3 d–f; 4b–c; 7a; 22; 46; 67; 77; 83; 103; 107
Cyanallagma laterale; Dunkle 1981: 5 (mention from Ecuador). Daigle 1996: 12 (mention from Ecuador).
Etymology: Named dunklei in honor of our good friend and colleague Sidney W. Dunkle, who collected the type series, in recognition of his valuable contributions to New World odonatology.
Type specimens: Holotype (ɗ). Ecuador. Napo Prov.: 13 km E of Coyuja on road to Chaco, marsh, 17.viii.1980, S.W. Dunkle leg.. Allotype (Ψ). Same data. Both in FSCA. Paratypes (30 ɗ, 10 Ψ). Same data 1 ɗ, 1 Ψ (FSCA); same data 18 ɗ, 4 Ψ (SWD); same data 2 ɗ, 1 Ψ (MLP); same data 3 ɗ, 2 Ψ (RWG); same data 3 ɗ, 1 Ψ (DRP); Baeza, 10.6 km S on Hwy 45 near Bermojo, 1710 m, seepage marsh, 24.vii.1996, B. Mauffray leg., 1 ɗ (FSCA); seep and marsh along Archidona-Baeza road, 00°36'12''S, 77°50'36''W, 2100 m, 19.xi.1997, T.W. Donnelly leg., 1 ɗ (TWD); Baeza/Tena Rd., 26.7 km N of Narupa junction, 2240 m, seep, 19.xi.1997, K.J. Tennessen leg., 1 ɗ (FSCA).
Description. Male holotype
Head (as in Fig. 3 d). Labium pale yellow; labrum, base of mandibles, anterior surface of genae and anteclypeus light blue, with a medial black spot on posterior margin of labrum and two short black stripes on anteclypeus; postclypeus, dorsal surface of genae, frons, antennae and top of head black, with a pair of pale blue postocular spots; rear of head ventrally brown, pale yellow along medial third and turning dark brown to black along dorsal margin. Frons in profile rounded.
Thorax. Prothorax black; medial lobe of posterior prothoracic lobe developed into caudally projected squarish plate with smoothly rounded margins and dorsal surface slightly concave (Fig. 22 a). Mesepisternal plates approximately flat and triangular. Pterothorax black with almost linear longitudinal pale blue antehumeral stripe along distal 7/8 of mesepisternum; wide pale blue lateral stripe on mesepimeron and metepisternum (as in Fig. 3 d), and ventral half of metepimeron pale blue (Fig. 3 f). Venter of thorax brown, except for anterior margin and central spot pale yellow, with a postero-medial low rounded tubercle (Fig. 3 f). Legs black with a bluish yellow spot on coxae and on base of flexor surface of femora (as in Fig. 3 d) and basal two thirds of tarsi and pretarsal claws reddish brown; 8 metafemoral spurs on right and 7 on left femur, longer than width of femur on distal half (as in Fig. 3 d); metatibial spurs about as long as intervening spaces (as in Fig. 3 d); pretarsal claw with well developed supplementary tooth. Wings (as in Fig. 7 a) hyaline; pt dark reddish brown, covering one cell, with anterior (costal) margin slightly longer than posterior margin; CuP reaching CuPAA slightly distal to confluence of CuPAA with hind margin of wing, petiolation ending slightly distal to midpoint between Ax 1 and Ax 2; Px 12 in right FW, 13 in left FW, 11 in HW; RP 2 branching between Px 5 and 6 but closer to 6 in right FW, slightly proximal to Px 6 in left FW, between Px 5 and 4 but closer to 5 in right HW, at Px 4 in left HW.
Abdomen (as in Fig. 4 b). Dorsum of S1–6 and S10 black, of S7 pale blue except basal fourth black, of S8–9 pale blue; S1–2 with an antero-lateral pale blue spot, S3 pale blue to yellow and S4–10 pale yellow along ventral margin. Genital ligula (as in Fig. 46) with an inner medial process on ental membranous transverse fold basal to latero-medial lobes, a pair of broad latero-apical lobes and a pair of narrower rectangular latero-medial lobes, which are oriented transversely and located close to the latero-apical lobes (distance between them less than width of lobe). Cercus (as in Figs. 67; 77; 83) shorter than S10, with a dorsal process FIGURES 70–79. Male caudal appendages, medio-dorsal view (70a–71a; 72; 76; 77b–79b), posterior view (77c), medial view of male cercus (70b–71b; 73–75; 77a–79a). (70) Mesamphiagrion occultum, Colombia, Chingaza; (71) M. ovigerum, Colombia (a) Arcabuco, (b), holotype, Bogotá; (72) M. ecuatoriale, holotype, Ecuador, Archidona-Baeza; (73) M. tepuianum, paratype, Venezuela, Mt. Duida (modified from De Marmels 1997); (74) M. risi, holotype, Colombia, Pacho (modified from De Marmels 1989); (75) M. tamaense, Venezuela, El Tamá; (76) M. demarmelsi, Colombia, Bogotá; (77) M. dunklei, paratype, Ecuador, Coyuja; (78) M. laterale, Colombia, La Pica; (69) M. gaianii, paratype, Venezuela, La Cristalina. d. p.: dorsal process; v. ap. p.: ventro-apical process; v-b. p.: ventro-basal process.
ending on an apical tooth directed ventro-posteriorly, a ventro-basal process and two pointed ventro-apical processes, inner slightly larger than outer, and in ental view, ventro-apical processes situated about midway between ventro-basal and dorsal processes (as in Fig. 77); color of outer surface black. Paraproct pale blue, with medially directed branch black (as in Fig. 68).
Dimensions. Total length 29.5 mm; abdomen length 23.5 mm; FW 19.9 mm; HW 18.7 mm.
Female allotype
Head (as in Fig. 3 e). As in holotype.
Thorax. Color pattern as in holotype but reddish brown areas present on prothorax, and black less extensive along pale yellow ventral margin of pterothorax (as in Fig. 3 e). Venter of thorax, coxae, trochanters, and flexor surface of femora and tibiae pale yellow, remainder of legs pale brown. Projection of medial lobe of posterior prothoracic lobe shorter than in male holotype, and slightly bilobate (as in Fig. 22 c). Mesepisternal plates wider than in male holotype (as in Fig. 22 d). Metafemoral spurs 8 on right femur and 6 on left femur. Wings as holotype but Px 13 in right FW, 14 in left FW, 12 in right HW, 11 in left HW; RP 2 branching slightly proximal to Px 7 in FW, slightly proximal to Px 5 in HW.
Abdomen. Color pattern as in holotype, except dorsum of S1–2 and basal 4/5 of S3 red, S10 pale blue and distal fifth of S7 black; latero-ventral margins of terga pale yellow from S1–10 (as in Fig. 4 c). Cercus shorter than S10, conical and pale brown; paraprocts pale yellow. Vulvar spine on S8 well developed. Sub-basal plate of ovipositor small and triangular; outer valve of ovipositor with a single row of teeth; tip of ovipositor (excluding stylus; styli missing) extending beyond posterodorsal margin of S10 but not reaching tip of cercus (as in Fig. 4 c).
Dimensions. Total length 33.7 mm; abdomen length 27.2 mm; FW 22.7 mm; HW 21.2 mm.
Variation in paratypes. Color apparently darkens progressively with age. Freshly emerged teneral specimens, three males and three females with wrinkled opaque wings and tegument not fully hardened, differ from holotype by pale areas of head pale yellow, postocular spots confluent with each other and with pale back of the head. Dark colors of thorax are absent in one female; in others, they are restricted to dark brown spots on the prothorax and on the medio-dorsal area between antehumeral stripes and the dark brown humeral stripe. The remainder of thorax is pale yellow to pale brown and the pt is pale brown. Dorsum of S1–2 and basal 4/5 of S3 are reddish orange; cerci and paraprocts are pale yellow. In three males and one female, dorsum of S1–2 and basal 4/5 of S3 are reddish orange, and in another four males and one female this area is red (Fig. 4 b–c). The pale blue postocular spots are defined and the dark areas of the thorax are as in holotype but are dark brown; the legs and cerci are brown, and pt is reddish brown. Three males and three females are colored like the allotype with the dorsum of S1–2 and basal 4/5 of S3 dark reddish brown, and 16 males and one female are like holotype with the dorsum of S1–3 black (Fig. 107). Some males have a pale blue spot on the posterior surface of the male cercus, delimited by dorsal and ventro-apical processes.
Male paratypes have 12–13 Px in FW, in HW 10–13; RP 2 branching between Px 5–7 in FW, between Px 4–5 in HW. Female paratypes Px in FW 12–15, in HW 10–12; RP 2 branching between Px 6–7 in FW, between Px 4–5 in HW.
Dimensions. Total length males 28.0– 31.3 mm [mean 30.2 mm; SD 1.08; n = 10]; total length females 29.4–34.6 mm [mean 31.9 mm; SD 1.67; n = 10]; abdomen length males 22–25.5 mm [mean 24.2 mm; SD 1.08; n = 10]; abdomen length females 23.2–27.8 mm [mean 25.6 mm; SD 1.62; n = 10]; FW males 19.4–21.6 mm [mean 20.2 mm; SD 0.5; n = 10]; FW females 20.2–22.7 mm [mean 25.6 mm; SD 1.5; n = 10]; HW males 18.4–19.3 mm [mean 18.8 mm; SD 0.3; n = 10]; HW females 19.3–21.2 mm [mean 20.2 mm; SD 0.7; n = 10].
Diagnosis. This species is most similar to M. laterale and M. gaianii in genital ligula morphology and shares the following features with them: latero-apical and latero-medial lobes almost contiguous (Fig. 46 a; shared with M. laterale, Fig. 47 a), latero-apical lobe broad, and latero-medial lobe twisted basally so that it is oriented transversely (Fig. 46 b). The medial lobe of posterior prothoracic lobe in M. dunklei is roundly squarish and slightly constricted at its base in the male (Figs. 22 a–b; similar to M. gaianii, Fig. 23 a, and M. laterale, Fig. 24 a) and in the female, each half is bilobate (Fig. 22 c; also similar to M. gaianii, Fig. 23 b, and M. laterale, Fig. 24 b). However, this species differs from both by the shape of the male cercus in postero-medial view. The ventro-apical processes are located about midway between dorsal and ventro-basal processes (Fig. 77a); in M. laterale and M. gaianii, they are at about the same level as the ventro-basal process (Figs. 78a– 79a). In M. laterale and M. gaianii, the metepimeron is mostly pale (Figs. 2b; 108–109) whereas in M. dunklei it is about half black (Figs. 3 d, f; Fig. 107). The dorsum of S7 is blue with the anterior fourth and lateral surfaces black, S8–9 are blue with lateral surfaces black and S10 black dorsally in the male (Figs. 4 b; 107). It is blue in the female (Fig. 4 c). In the female of M. gaianii (Fig. 108) and in some M. laterale, the dorsum of S7 is entirely black.
Biology. Adults collected at a marsh. Breeding habitat and larva are unknown.
Distribution. Ecuador (Napo Dept.), from 1710 to 2240 m above sea level (Fig. 103).
description: Published as part of Ellenrieder, Natalia Von & Garrison, Rosser W., 2008, Oreiallagma gen. nov. with a redefinition of Cyanallagma Kennedy 1920 and Mesamphiagrion Kennedy 1920, and the description of M. dunklei sp. nov. and M. ecuatoriale sp. nov. from Ecuador (Odonata: Coenagrionidae), pp. 1-51 in Zootaxa 1805 on pages 24-34, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.182666