Elasmothemis aliciae spec. nov., a new dragonfly from Mexico, Belize and Costa Rica with a description of its larva and a key to the known larvae of the genus (Anisoptera: Libellulidae)

2006·4 MB·English

by  González-Soriano, E

Odonatologica35(3):243-253 SeptemberI.2006
Elasmothemisaliciae spec. nov.,
a newdragonflyfrom Mexico, Belizeand
CostaRicawitha description of its larva
andakey to theknownlarvaeof thegenus
(Anisoptera: Libellulidae)
E.González-Soriano¹ and R.Novelo-Gutiérrez²
1InstitutedeBiologia,UNAM,DepartamentodeZoologia,ApartadoPostal70-153,
MX-04510,D.F,Mexico
[email protected]
2Institute deEcologiaA.C,DepartamentodeEntomologia,ApartadoPostal 63,
MX-91000 Xalapa,Veracruz, Mexico
[email protected]
ReceivedMarch9,2005/ RevisedandAcceptedNovember 25, 2005
Thenewsp.anditslarvaaredescribed andillustrated fromspecimenscollectedin
Mexico(statesofSanLuisPotosiandVeracruz), Belize(Toledodistr.)andCostaRica
(Herediaprov.).Holotype6 andallotype 5(incopula):Mexico,Veracruzstate,Rio
LaPalma,25km NofCatemaco,28-VIII-1988;depositedatUNAM,Mexico. The
sp. iscloselyrelatedtoE. cannacrioides Calv. with which it wasformerlyconfused.
Adultsofthe formerarelargerthan those ofthelatter.Thelarva isalsoeasilydis-
tinguishedfrom£ cannacrioides byitslargersizeanddifferences intheshapeofthe
dorsalprotuberances.Notesonbiologyanddistributionareprovidedand theknown
larvaeofthegenus ElasmothemisWestfallarekeyed.
INTRODUCTION
ElasmolhemisWestfall, 1988includessix species ofneotropical libelluliddrag-
onflies(GARRISON,2002). To date,thelarvaeofthreehavebeendescribed:E.
cannacrioides(Calvert) (PUJOL-LUZ & COSTA, 1987;WESTFALL, 1988); E.
constricta(Calvert)(PUJOL-LUZ, 1990),andE. williamsoni(Ris)(WESTFALL,
1988). Fieldcollections in Mexico doneby the authorsand by colleagues else-
whereyielded adultsandlarvaeofanewspecies fromSanLuisPotosiandVer-
acruz states, Mexico, andBelize.Thenewspecies hadpreviously been confused
withE. cannacrioides(Calvert) forsometime.
244 E.Gonzalez-Soriano &R. Novelo-Gutierrez
Acronyms for collections are as follows: CNIN (Coleccion Nacional de In-
sectos, UNAM,MexicoCity);FSCA(Florida StateCollectionsof Arthropods.
Gainesville); IEXA(Institute deEcologia, Xalapa);IORI(International Odonate
Research Institute, Gainesville); JJD(Jerrell J. Daigle private collection), RWG
(Rosser W. Garrisoncollection, Azusa).
ELASMOTHEMISALICIAESP.NOV.
Adult
Figures 1-8
Material. - Holotype<J:MEXICO:Veracruzstate,RioLa Palma,25km NCatemaco(18°34’N,
95°3’W, 10m),28-VIII-1988,E.Gonzalez leg(incopulawithallotype)(CNIN); —Allotype9:same
localityasholotype(in copulawithholotype)(CNIN). — Paratypes(40c? ,49):MEXICO:SanLuis
PotosiState,Nacimiento delRioCoy, Mpio.Ciudad Valles(98°58’6”,2I°43’9”,60m),4?,27-V-1987,
E. Gonzalez leg.(CNIN); - Nacimiento del RioHuichiuayan,Mpio. deHuehuetlan (98°58’52”,
21°27’6”, 100m),2?, 15-V-1989,E.Gonzalez leg. (CNIN); - Rio El Salto,Mpio.deCiudad del
Maiz. (99°58’52”,21°27’6”, 1260m),1?,30-V-1987,(CNIN); - VeracruzState:RioOtapa, 8km
5 ofLaTinaja(96°26’24”,18°45’0”,90m).Id, 13-VIII-1976 (RWG); - ArroyoAguaCaliente E
Sontecomapan(18°2r,95°F),2<J,31-V-1979,G.Jimenez &V.Barretoleg.(IdFSCA, 1dCNIN);
- same,3d,7-VII-1979,E.Gonzalez&G.Jimenezleg.(2dFSCA,1 dCNIN); - same,2d,9-VII-
1979,E.Gonzalez leg.(IdFSCA, 1 6 CNIN); - same. Id,10-VII-1979,G. Jimenezleg.(FSCA);
- same. Id,9-VII-1980,E.Gonzalez leg,(CNIN); — same,2d,30-VIII-1988,R. Garrison &E.
Gonzalez leg.(1dFSCA, IdRWG); — RioCoxcoapan,6km ESontecomapan,Id, 16-VII-1992,
T.W Donnellyleg. (FSCA); —E.Coxcoapan,East trib.toRio Coxcoapan,ld,16-VII-1992,WF.
Mauffrayleg.(FSCA); - Rio La Palma,25km N Catemaco,7d,4-VIII-I982,R.Garrison &E.
Gonzalez leg.(1dCNIN,6d RWG); — same,2d, 19(incopulawith d),5-VIII-1982,R.Garrison
6E.Gonzalezleg.(IdCNIN, d9RWG); - same,2d,28-VIII-1988,M.J.Westfall leg.(FSCA);-
EstaciondeBiologiaTropicalLosTuxtlas(18°34’,95°04’), 19,3-VII-1985,onUVtrap,E.Ramirez
leg.(CNIN);- LosTuxtlas,RioMaquinas,ld,24/25-V-1984,E.Gonzalez leg.(CNIN). - BELIZE:
Toledo district.Blue CreekVillage,Blue Creek,2d,29,5-V1-1993,W.F.Mauffrayleg.(I 9FSCA,
1d,19IORI,1d JJD),onepairincopula;— Toledodistrict,SanAntonio,CriqueJutebelow“The
Falls”,Id,6-VI-1993,W.F.Mauffrayleg.(IORI); — Toledo district,Medina Bank;southern Flwy
& DeepRiver,Id,7-VI-1993,W.F.Mauffrayleg.(IORI). — COSTARICA:Heredia prov.,Finca
LaSelva, 1.5mi SPuertoViejo(10°28’N,84°FW,60m), 1d,21-IX-1966,D.R.Paulsonleg.(RWG);
- same,Id,20-VII-1988,C.Esquivelleg.(RWG).
Etymology. —Wededicatethisspeciestoourbeloved andunforgettablefriendAlicia Ro-
driguez Palafox (f),anenthusiasticanddedicated studentoftheVespidae(Hymenoptera).
MALE holotype. — Bodyreddishbrowninacetonedspecimens (luteous inlive
specimens).
Head. — Faceluteousexcepting mandibleswhich are greenish at baseand
dark brown apically; anteclypeus greenish and occiput pale brown; face with
sparsebrownhairs; antennae darkbrown.
Thorax. — Reddishbrown.
Wings. — Nodalformula14:16/151/2:13inFWand 13:11/11:15inHW.Arculus
atsecondantenodalonFWandslightly beforesecondantenodalinHW,FWtri-
Elasmothemis aliciaesp.n. 245
anglestwocelled, sub-
triangles three celled,
HW triangles free,
trigonal interspace in
bothFW andHWbe-
ginningwith threerow
of cells, paranal cells
inFW 7,3 inHW,an-
tecubital crossveins
one (two in RHW),
bridge crossveins one
(FW) and two (HW).
Legs dark brown, be-
coming black atdistal
partoffemora, tibiae
and tarsi black. Hind
femorawith arow of
short denticleson its
external surface, end-
ing in a large spine on
its distalend.
Abdomen. —
Reddish brown, un-
spotted, yellowish
from segments 1-3, Figs 1-6.Elasmothemis aliciae sp. n.,holotypemale: (1-3)abdomi-
nal appendages,lateral,dorsal and ventral views; - (4)secondary
dorsoapicalcomersof
male genitalia,lateralview; — (5-6)vesicaspermalis(penis),lateral
8-9witha dark brown and ventralviews.
tint; base ofabdomen
greatly enlarged on segs 2-3. Abdominalappendages (Figs 1-2): cercus dark
brown, epiproct reddish-brown.In dorsal view (Fig. 2) cerci swollen and con-
vergingat0.71 ofitslengthwithtips acuteand diverging; inlateralview(Fig. 1)
ventralmargin slightly concave on itsbasal 0.64andwitha row of 11-12denti-
clesextending 0.60ofitslength; epiproct (Fig. 3)extending0.82length ofcerci,
in ventralviewvery wide atbase, tapering apically, truncatedandslightly exca-
vatedinitsapical margin.
Secondary genitalia (Fig. 4). — Anteriorlaminalargeanderect,slightly high-
er than hamulus.Hamulus withinternalbranch erect,ending in a mesoanteri-
orly directed hook, basalpart flat; genital lobe subquadrate withapical margin
straight. Vesica spermalis (penis) as inFigs 5-6.
Measurements (in mmincl. app). - Bodylength53; abdomen 36.5;HW46;cerci;2.54;
epiproct:2.10;pterostigmaFW:4.8in FW and5.0inHW(measuredalongcostal side).
FEMALE allotype. — Colorationas inmale.Venation:Nodalformula12:16Vi!
246 E.Gonzalez-Soriano &R.Novelo-Gutierrez
Figs 7-8. Elasmothemis aliciae sp, n.,allotypefemale: (7)cerci,dorsal view; — (8) abdominal seg-
ments8-9,ventralviewincludingvulvarlaminae.
16*/2:12FWand12:11/11:13HW.Othervenationalcharactersasinmaleexcepting
2row cellsintrigonal interspace inHW,onecubitonalcrossveinandonebridge
crossvein inall wings. Cerci as inFigure 7. Vulvarlaminalacking(Fig. 8).
Measurements (inmmincl. app). — Bodylength57; abdomen 39.5;HW47,cercus;2.03;
pterostigmaFW 5.55 and HW5.5.
REMARKS. — The following variationwas observed among paratypic se-
ries: Venation males; antenodalsinforewing (FW) 11-15: 13(35%), 12(33.7%),
14(17.5%), 11(7.5%), 15(6.25%);inhindwing (HW) 11-16: 13(50%), 12(22.5%),
14(15%), 15(6.25%), 11(5.%), 16(1.2%);postnodals(FW)14 1/2-18: 16'/2(30%), 17
(21.2%),15Vi{\8.7%); 17'/a(11.2%); 16(10%), 14%(6.2%); 17(3.6%); 15(1.2%);
18(1.2%)(HW)10-13: 12(58.7%), 11(32.5%), 10(3.7%), 13(5%);cellsin triangles
(FW) 1-3:2(77.5%), 3(15%), 1(7.5%),(HW) 1-3: 1(65%),2(33.7%),3(1.2%); sub-
triangles(FW) 3-5:3(57.5%),4(36.2%), 5(6.2%), cubitoanalcrossveins(FW) 1-2:
1(98.7%);2(1.3%);(HW) 1-2: 1 (96.3%%); 2(3.7%).
Venationfemales:antenodals(FW) 10-13; 11(37.5%), 13(37.5%), 10(12.5%);
12(12.5%);(HW) 11-14: 12(37.5%),13(37.5%), 11(12.5%), 14(12.5%);postnodals
(FW) 15 1/2-18: 15 % (37.5%), 16 %(37.5%), 18 (25%);(HW) 11-13: 11 (50%),
12(37.5%,) 13(12.5%); cellsintriangles 2-3(FW)2(87.5%), 3(12.5%); (HW) 1-
3: 1(50%); 2(25%), 3(25%); subtriangles (FW) 3-4:3 (87.5%), 4(12.5%); cubito-
analcrossveins (FW) 1(100%),(HW) 1(50%),2(50%).
Measurements (inmm).— Males: total lengthaverage includingcerci (rangeinparenthe-
ses)53.9 (45-56.5);abdomen 35.8 (30-42);hindwing45(40-49);cerci2.65 (2.41-2.82);epiproct2.07
(1.83-2.3);pterostigma(FW)5.20(4.92-5.73);(HW)5.04(4.73-5.3).Females:totallengthaverage54.6
(53.3-57);abdomen 35.8(32-39.5);hindwing46.2(42-49.5);cerci 1.80(1.65-1.97);pterostigma(FW)
5.8(5.79-6.0),(HW)5.7(5.6-5.92).MalesfromCosta Ricaaredistinctivelysmaller(e.g.TL=45-46,
ABD=30-31,HW=40 respectivelyN=2))than thosefromBelize and Mexico(TL=51-56,ABD=33-
42,HW=41-49,N=38).
Larva
Figures 9-18
Material. - 1exuviae(9,notreared),3last instarlarvae [2<J, 19], 1probablyantepenulti-
mateinstarlarva[9].MEXICO:VeracruzState;LosTuxtlas,Rio LaPalma 25km NCatemaco,13-
V-1983,R.Noveloleg.[8,9], 22-IV-1984[9,antepenult,instar],25-V-1984 [exuviae]; 14-VI-1985,
N.Villalobos leg.[<J], depositedatIEXA,Xalapa,Mexico.
Elasmolhemis aliciaesp.n. 247
Larvae yellowish-
brown or reddish-
yellow, exuviae dark
brown; integument
appearing granu-
lar due to scattered
smallscale-likesetae;
body robust, abdo-
men strongly convex
laterally andstrongly
arched(Fig. 9).
Head. — Twiceas
wideaslong, narrow-
ing posteriorly, pos-
terolateral margins
convergent and end-
ing inasmall swollen
posterolateral corner
covered dorsally and
ventraly withrows of
smallscale-likesetae;
occiput broadly con-
cave approximate-
ly straight at mid-
dle. Compound eyes
protruding laterally,
withalternating light Figs9-10. Elasmothemis aliciaesp.n.:(9)lastinstarlarva ofmale,dor-
anddarklongitudinal salview; — (10)rightantenna, lateralview.
stripes.Anteriormarginoffronsslightlysinuate.Antenna7-segmented, veryshort,
about1.5mm(Fig. 10),thirdsegmentthelongest, 1stand6ththeshortest; relative
sizeof antennomeres: 0.4,0.7,1.0,0.7,0.5,0.4,0.7. Labrumdensely setoseexcept
forlarge, transverse,oval medialglabrousarea; clypeus glabrous. Mandibles(Fig.
11)withfour incisor cusps,anadditionalsmallcusp atbaseof ventralcusp on
rightmandible,molarareawithtwolowacutecusps.Maxillae:Galeolaciniawith
seventeethof differentsizeandrobustness, threeshort slightlyincurvedteethon
ventralmargin, threelong slightly incurved teethon dorsalmarginofwhichthe
basalone is thinner, scarcely thicker thanpreceding long setae (Fig. 12), apical
tooththelargest;maxillarypalp robust,slightlyshorterthangaleolacinia,ending
inarobustbluntspine. Labium:Prementum-postmentum articulationreaching
basalhalfofmesosternum;prementumsubrhomboidal(Fig. 13a),with6+3,7+2,
7+4 or8+3 long setae, sometimestwo extra setae onexternalpart ofright side
series(seearrowFig. 13a);lateralmarginsflattenedandexpanded overthedorsal
248 E. Gonzalez-Soriano &R.Novelo-Gutierrez
surface, slightly con-
cave,witha denserow
ofsetae onthedorsal
marginofthisexpan-
sion, widening to dis-
talmargin; agroupof
5-6short, stoutspini-
formsetaeonthebase
ofpalpal articulation;
ligula prominent, its
distal margin finely
serrulated, witharow
of 38-40 short setae,
4 or 5 ofthem at tip.
Labialpalp(Fig. 13b)
with 7-8 long setae,2
small setae on basal
internal surface, dor-
sal margin witha row
ofsetae increasing in
length but decreasing
in robustness from
baseto apex of palp;
distalmargin straight,
finelyserrulated,with-
outcrenulations, with
Figs 11-14.Details ofthelarval morphologyofE. aliciae sp.n.:(11) stout spiniform setae
mandibles: a,rightmandible,ventrointernal view;b,basalinternalview arranged in groups
ofleftmandible;- (12)maxilla:a,stipesandgaleolaciniaofleftmax- of 4-5 setae; movable
illa,ventralview;b,left maxillary palp,dorsal view(setaeomitted in hook short and slen-
bothstructuresexceptthelastsetaongaleolacinia[noticethethickness
der.
ofthissetaeascomparedtothebasidorsal tooth]); — (13)labium:a,
prementum,dorsalview(rightpalpdetached;arrowindicatesthetwo Thorax. — Prono-
occasional extra setae);b,detail oftherightpalp,dorsointemalview; taldiscwithanirregu-
- (14)thorax: a,left lateral view ofinferiorpart ofthoraxshowing lar, longitudinal dark
theventraltubercles(Cxi,Cx2andCx3 =pro-,meso-andmetacoxae band at middle, pale
respectively;Tbms:mesosternaltubercle;Tbmt:metasteraaltubercle);
on sides, lateralmar-
b,ventralviewofmeso-andmetasternumshowingmeso-andmetaster-
naltubercles,furcalpitsandtransversalrowofsetaeonmesosternum, gins roundedandup-
andmediosternite ofmetasternumwith scale-like setae. turnedto formprom-
inent epaulets, with
short, close-packed scale-likesetae onposterolateral areas; proepisternum with
atuftoflongsetaeonitsinferiorcomer, proepimeron withshort,robustscale-like
setae,mainlyonitsanteriormargin.Synthorax irregularlymottled,withveryshort.
Elasmothemis aliciaesp.n. 249
sparse scale-likese-
tae. Legs long (e.g.
whenfully extend-
ed, hind legs sur-
passing tip of ab-
domen), uniform-
lycolored, covered
with short scale-
like setae on sur-
faces and borders;
tarsiwitha double
rowofshort,robust
spiniform setae on
ventral surface.
Wing pads uni-
formlycolored, ex-
ceptforthe darker
bordersofanterior
wingpads,anterior
wingpadsreaching
basal 0.60 of ab-
dominal segment
5, posterior ones
reaching posterior
margin of 6. Mes-
osternum with an
anterolateral,well-
developed tubercle
Figs 15-18.Details ofthelarval morphologyofElasmothemis; (15) left
on each side (Fig. lateral viewofabdomen of:a,aliciae;b, cannacrioides;c,williamsoni;d,
14, Tbms), con- constricta; —(16-18)aliciae: (16)ventral viewofabdomen (seeexplana-
tiguoustoarticula- tionin text); —(17) detailofthevestigial gonapophysesoffemale larva
tionofmesocoxae, (8and9,sternites); - (18)leftlateralviewofanalpyramid(Ep:epiproct;
Ce:cercus;Pp:paraproct).- Figs 15b,15cafterWESTFALL(1988);Fig.
coveredwithsmall
15dafterPUJOL-LUZ(1990).
setaeandscale-like
setae; atransversalrow of long setaeconnecting bothtuberclesjustin frontof
thefurcal pits (Fig. 14b). Metasternumwithapair oflowtubercleson its ante-
riormargin, notcontiguous to thearticulationofmetacoxae (Fig. 14b), covered
mainly with short scale-like setae; mediosternitewith short, moderately abun-
dantscale-likesetae.
Abdomen.— Oval,sides strongly convex, highly archedresembling a tur-
tle’sshell,reaching itsmaximumwidthatsegment6(Figs9,16); acomplex color
patternconsistingofirregular,darkspotsanddotstoeachsideofmidlineon4-8,
250 E.Gonzalez-Soriano &R.Novelo-Gutierrez
and afull-length, longitudinal, darkbandtoeach sideofmidlineon7-8, which
extendsrearwardonbasal0.75of9(Fig. 9);tergites 3-10withsmall,sparse,scale-
like setae;lateral margins of3-9withsmall, closed-packed scale-like setae(Fig.
16), ending in aspine on6-9 which increasein size and robustnessposteriorly,
on 6-7 divergent, on8 incurving, on9pointing straight posteriorly andwithits
mesal margin straight and slightly longer than middorsallength of segment 9,
not reaching thetipsofparaprocts; dorsalprotuberances presentontergites 3-8
as stronghooksandcovered withsmall scale-likesetae (Fig. 15a), tergites 9-10
withamiddorsalridge butno hooks; inlateralview, thehookon3 almostverti-
cal, on4-5gradually directedbackward, on6-7withtheirdorsalmargin straight
andparallel to theventrallineofabdomen, dorsalmarginofhookon 8 slightly
convex (Fig. 15a). Sternitesmostly smooth, somescatteredscale-likesetae on 1-
-5, irregularlymottled,sternites5-9withalarge, mesobasaldarkspot;sternites3-
-5 dividedon five plates, remaining onthreeplates(Fig. 16);longitudinal sutures
gradually converging fromstemite2 toposterior marginof7,almostparallel on
8,thenslightly divergent on9 (Fig. 16);laterosternitesonsegment 6 witha very
narrow, deep slanting sulcus relatedto anapodeme (Fig. 16);posterior margins
ofsternites9and 10sinuate, slightlyconcave atmiddleon9, convex on 10.Male
gonapophyses lacking, onlyasmalldarkdotas gonopore;femalegonapophyses
vestigial, macromiid-like(Fig. 17),gonoporeas smalldarkdot.Caudal append-
ages(Fig. 18):Epiproctandparaprocts pyramidal, sharply pointed; basalwidth
ofepiproct 0.80its length, withscale-likesetae on dorsal surface, spiniform se-
tae onventral surface; basal widthofcercus 0.65itslength, smooth; paraprocts
widely diverging at tips, dorsalandventrolateralmargins with spiniform setae;
relativesize: epiproct 1.0, paraproct0.90, cercus0.42.
Measurements (inmm). — Totallength(includingcaudalappendages)23.2-25.8;abdomen 14.5-
-15.5;hind femur(dorsalmargin)7.5-7.7;maximumwidth ofhead 7,1-7.2;maximumwidthofab-
domen (ventral)9.9-10.5;epiproct1.7-1.9;paraproct 1.6-1.7;cercus0.7-0.8;lateral spineon6,0.3-
0.4;on7,0.4-0.5;on8.0.6;on9,1.7-1.9.
DISCUSSION
Elasmothemiswas recently erected(WESTFALL, 1988) to includesix species
formerly placed withinDythemis viz. E.alcebiadesi(Santos), E. cannacrioides
(Calvert), E. constricta(Calvert), E. kiautai(De Marmels), E. schubarti(Santos)
andE. williamsoni(Ris).Onecharactercommonunique forthegenusisthelarge
plate-likeanteriorlaminaofmalegenitalia.WESTFALL(1988) alsopointed out
thatthevulvar laminain femalesis “shorter” than8lh tergite. However,females
ofbothE.aliciaesp. nov. andE. cannacrioideslackavulvarlamina(Figs 8, 26),
thusexposing thegenitalopening. Thisisalsotrue forE. williamsoni(GEIJSKES,
1964). Theabsenceofthis structureinE. aliciaeand E. cannacrioides(and per-
hapsinE. williamsoniaswell)maybecorrelatedtothemethodofoviposition em-
ployed by females(GONZALEZ-SORIANO, 1997)whichdeposit eggs instring-
Elasmothemisaliciaesp.n. 251
likefilaments.For several years,
E.aliciaewas confusedwiththe
closely related E. cannacrioides
due to its overall resemblance
(e.g. GONZAlEZ-SORIANO,
1997). It can beseparated from
the latterby its larger size, the
colorofthefaceaswellas bydif-
ferences in male genitalia (Figs
22-24). In E. cannacrioides, the
frons, post- andanteclypeus are
brownwhilethelabrumisusual-
ly(but not invariably) yellow. In
both species the hamularproc-
esses are not 2-parted withonly
innerbranchvisible(Figs 4,22).
However, in E. aliciae the basal
part ofhamulus is subquadrate
(Fig. 4)andthatofE. cannacrio-
ides(Fig. 22) hasamorerounded
posterior margin. Finally in this Figs 19-24. Elasmothemis cannacrioides,male (Chia-
passtate, Nueva Tenochtitlan,24-IV-1983, R.Novelo
area 96%of E. aliciae(N=40) leg.):(19-21)abdominal appendages;lateral,dorsaland
has one cubitoanalcrossvein in ventral views; - (22)secondary male genitalia,lateral
HW,while 100%ofthemalesof view; — (23-24)vesica spermalis (penis): lateral and
E. cannacrioides(N=12)havetwo ventral views.
cubitoanalcrossveins inin thisarea.
ThelarvaofE. aliciaediffersinseveralrespectsto theotherthreeknownlarvae
ofElasmothemis.ThelarvaofE.aliciaeisthelargest, thedorsalprotuberances of
abdomenare hook-likeandmore vertical inE. cannacrioides(Fig. 15b), E. con-
stricta(Fig. 15d)andE. williamsoni(Fig. 15c)thanin E.aliciae(Fig. 15a).The
dorsal protuberance oftergite 8,and thesize proportion of theepiproct respect
toparaprocts are notoriously larger inE. constricta(Fig. I5d) thanin E. aliciae
(Fig. 15a), E. cannacrioides(Fig. 15b)andE. williamsoni(Fig. 15c). Likewise, the
dorsalmargins ofabdominalsegments9and 10, inlateralview, forma greater
anglewiththeventerinE. aliciaeandE. williamsonithanin othertwo species.
Severalfeaturesofthe larvaofElasmothemisnot describedby PUJOL-LUZ
& COSTA (1987) nor by WESTFALL(1988) and PUJOL-LUZ (1990), which
weconsider diagnostic fromDythemis are(features ofthis last genus in paren-
theses): thealmostcompletelack of longsetae inall thebody including thelegs
(long setaeinseveralparts ofthebody),presenceof hypertrophiedtubercleson
meso- andmetasternum, thoseon mesosternumthe largest (Fig. 14) (vestigial
onmesosternum,lacking on metastemum), abdominalventralsuturesconverg-
252 E.Gonzalez-Soriano & R.Novelo-Gutierrez
ing gradually frombaseof theabdomenuntilthe 7thsternite, thenparallel on
8, andslightly divergent on9(parallel onall segments), themolarareaofright
mandiblewithonlytwo cusps(with threecusps), andtheremnantsofthevulvar
plates in the femalewhichare not yetknownforlarvaeofany othergeneraof
Libellulinaeandis lacking inthe adultfemale.
BIOLOGY
Notes onthe reproductive behaviourofE. aliciaeincluding oviposition were
described by GONZALEZ-SORIANO (1987)underthenameof E. cannacrio-
ides. Elasmothemiscannacrioides hasapparently the same habitatrequirements
andsameovipositingbehavior as E. aliciaesincebothspecies wereobservedto-
getheronthesamesectionoftheriver inBelize(J.J.Daiglepers.comm.)andby D.
Paulson(in litt.)whocommentedthatD. cannacrioidesoccurred “almostalways
atfairly swift streams but sometimes at larger, slowerrivers ... WhatI thought
was (D.)cannacrioidesflew over thelarge, wide, not very fastRioTambopata in
Peru”.Regarding oviposition he mentionedthatin CostaRicaon June 1967he
saw(italics added):“fewmalesatriver;femaleovipositing withmaleaboveher,in
rootletsatsurface ca.2’fromshoreinswiftsection; flewveryslowly along, drag-
gingabdomentipalong root”. Thisoviposition behavioris thesame asdescribed
by GONZALEZ SORIANO (1987) forE. aliciaeinLos Tuxtlas,Veracruz.
The antepenultimate instar larva ofE. aliciaewas foundin tangles ofover-
hanging roots ofthe lianaCissus gossypifolia(Standley) (Vitaceae); the lastin-
starlarvaewerecollectedatriver's edgenearto atall ripariantree. Accordingto
estimatedlarval agecoupled withappearenceand colorof the wings of adults,
emergenceprobably takes place closeto theendofthe dryseason(end of May).
Theearliestdatesforreproductive adults(males) in Mexicowerefrommid-May
(El Salto); the individuals collectedby this time(in boththe Veracruz and the
SLPlocalities) hadglisteny wingreflectanceindicativeofanearlyemergence.The
latestdateswere fromtheend of August (Veracruz localities)
E. aliciaeranges fromCosta Rica(Heredia prov., Finca La Selva, 10°28’N
Figs25-26.Elasmothemis cannacrioides,female(Chiapasstate,RioCabuacan, km. 3Carr. Tapachu-
la-Tuxtla Chico,28-IV-1983,R.Noveloleg.):(25)cerci,dorsal view;— (26)abdominal segments8-9,
ventralviewincludingvulvarlamina.