Priscagrion kiautai gen. nov., spec. nov. and P. pinheyi spec. nov., new damselflies from southwestern China (Zygoptera: Megapodagrionidae)

5 Pages·2001·1.2 MB·English

by  Zhou, W-B

Odonatologica30(1): 117-121 March I, 2001
Priscagrion kiautai gen. nov., spec. nov.
and P. pinheyi spec. nov., new damselflies from
southwestern China
(Zygoptera: Megapodagrionidae)
W.-b Zhou¹ and K.D.P. Wilson²
1 Department ofEntomology, ZheijangMuseum of Natural History, Jiaogonglu 71,
Hangzhou-310012, China
2 6F, 25 Borrett Road, Mid Levels, HongKong
e-mail: [email protected]
Received as2 separate manuscriptsonJuly 10, 2000 and August 17, 2000 /
Revised andAcceptedAugust 30, 2000
The newgenus is established toreceive the 2 new spp., P. kiautai sp.n. (type
sp.; holotype 6, paratypes of both sexes: China, Guizhou, Chishui Alsophila
Nature Reserve, 18-V-2000; depositedatthe ZheijangMus. Nat.Hist., Hangzhou)
and P. pinheyi sp. n. (holotype <3: China, Guangxi, Damingshan, 13-V-1997,
paratypes of both sexes; same locality, 14-V-1997; holotype and 1 V to be
depositedatthe Tai Lung ExperimentalStn, Agriculture& Fisheries Dept,Lin
Tong Mei, Sheung Shi, NT, HongKong). Priscagrion gen. n. is comparedwith
Arrhenocnemis Lieft. and Mesopodagrion McL.
INTRODUCTION
According to BRIDGES (1994), the Megapodagrionidae TILLYARD (1917) is
dividedinto six subfamilies, containing some 38 genera.Rhipidolestes Risand
PseudolestesKirbywereclassifiedby BRIDGES(1994)underPseudolestidaeFraser,
butthesegeneraare now consideredtobelong to Megapodagrionidae (SCHORR
etal.,2000). Twonew Megapodagrionidae generafromAustraliawere createdby
THEISCHINGER (1998).Themajorityofmegapodagrionid generabelong tothe
subamily Argiolestinae Selys. Two of these are monotypic, with distributions
confinedtoChina,viz.Agriomorpha MayandCalilestesFraser.Thesecondrichest
subfamily is Megapodagrioninae TILLYARD (1917) which contains only four
genera.All of thesemegapodagrionine genera,apart fromMegapodagrion Selys,
118 W.-b. Zhou & K.D.P.Wilson
whichis confinedto SouthAmerica,have restricted distributions.Arrhenocnemis
Lieftinck and Tatocnemis Kirby are endemic to New Guineaand Madagascar,
respectively and Mesopodagrion McLachlan is represented by a single species
occurring in Burma, Thailand and China. Two species belonging to a distinct
genusofthe Megapodagrioninae have been found at ChishuiAlsophila Nature
Reserve,GuizhouandDamingshan, Guangxi. Anewgenus,Priscagrion gen.n.,is
erectedheretoreceive them.
PRISCAGRIONGEN. NOV.
Etymology. — from Latin ‘prisons’ =ancient.
OldWorldformswithanalbridge complete,andmorethantwoantenodalcross-
veins presentinthe costalspace. Discoidalcellelongate. Several supplementary
longitudinal veins between IR2 and R3 to form anextensive intercalatedarea.
Simple penile organ.
Type species: Priscagrion kiautai sp. n.
REMARKS. — The analcrossing joins the analbridge just distalto its junction
withthe hindwing.The analbridge is complete, forming a discrete subdiscoidal
cell, separatefromtheposteriormarginofthewing.Thesecharactersare consistant
withmembersoftheMegapodagrioninae. Thisnewtaxondiffersfromthetwo Old
World Megapodagrioninae genera, Arrhenocnemis and Mesopodagrion, in a
numberofrespects. Priscagrion possesses additionalantenodalcrossveins inthe
costalspace offorewing and hindwing (Figs 3, 8-9), intercalatedareas ofwings
andsimplepenile organ.Thesearchaic charactersserve toseparatethistaxonfrom
Arrhenocnemisand Mesopodagrion both ofwhich lack additionalantenodal
crossveins.Thewings ofArrhenocnemislackintercalatedareasandMesopodagrion
has acomplex tip to thepenile organ.
PRISCAGRIONKIAUTAI SP.NOV.
Figures 1-7
Material. — Holotype S (ChishuiAlsophilaNature Reserve. Guizhou, China (28°20’N,
105°57’E).18-V-2000.Paratypes: 8 <J, 5 $, Chishui, 18-V-2000. Holotype and paratypes are
depositedat the ZhejiangMuseum Natural History.
Etymology. — Named in honour ofDr Bastiaan K i au ta.
MALE. — Head illustratedinFigure 1. Labiumpale yellow.Labrumandbases
ofmandiblespale blue.Anteclypeus black.Postclypeus, genaeandthefrontborder
offronsgreenish-yellow. Asmalloval spot ispresentbetweenthe posterior ocelli
andbasesofantennae.Headdullblackwitha yellow narrow stripe alongborderof
occiput.
Thorax. — Prothoraxblack with anterior lobe greenish-yellow and sides
broadly striped greenish-yellow. Synthorax black with broad greenish-yellow
Priscagrion kiautai gen.n., sp.n. and P. pinheyi sp.n. 119
antehumeralstripe, apale spotbelow antealarsinusesandbroadgreenish-yellow
metepistemal stripecovering thespiracleas showinFigure2.Lowermetepimeron
with greenish-yellow stripe, whichis broad posteriorly and narrows almostto a
point. Legs pale yellow with black spines and dorsumofall femorablack. Hind
femoraextendsto secondabdominalsegment.
Wings hyaline with tips heavily pigmented darkbrown (Fig. 3). Two main
antenodalveins usually with anaccessory antenodalveinpresent incostalspace.
Pterostigma yellowish-brown, covering threecells. Twenty-two postnodal nerves
in forewing and hindwing.
Abdomen glossy black. Segments 1-5 with finely striped dorsal carina.
Segments 2-7 withbright yellow apical rings andapart ofparallel yellow stripes
along sides. Segments 9-10 blue. Anal appendages black (Figs 4-5). Superior
appendages falcate, curved strongly downwards and inwards with a prominent
spot onouter sideandpaleryellow spotoninnerside.Interiorappendages slightly
shorterthansuperiorappendages and verybroadattheirbase.Apices hookedwith
arobust dorsalspine. Penileorgan simplewithtip forming a circle(Fig.6).
Measurements (mm). — Male abd. + app. 46.0,hw 37.0; — female abd. + app. 43.0,
hw 37.0.
Figs 1-7. Priscagrionkiautai gen. n., sp.n. Guangxi: (1) malehead frontal; — (2)male thorax,
lateral; — (3) malewing; — (4) malecaudal appendages,dorsal view; — (5) ditto, lateral view;
— (6)male penileorgan, lateral view; — (7) female caudal appendages,lateral view.
120 W.-b. Zhou & K.D.P. Wilson
PRISCAGRIONPINHEYISP.NOV.
Figures 8-14
Material. — Holotype 6: Damingshan,Guangxi, (23°24’-23°30’Nby 108°20’-108<’32’E),
13-V-1997, coll. K.D.P. Wilson. — Paratypes: 2 6 (teneral), Damingshan, 14-V-1997; 2 2
(teneral), same localityand date. Holotypeand oneparatype 2 to be depositedat the TaiLung
ExperimentalStation, Agricultureand Fisheries Department, LinTong Mei, Sheung Shui, NT,
Hong Kong.
Etymology. — Named inhonour ofDr Elliot Charles George P i n he y.
MALE. — Head. — Labiumpale cream. Labrum pale yellowish cream with
distalmargin finelybordereddarkbrown.Mandiblesshiningpalegreenish-yellow.
Postclypeus darkbrown. Anteclypeus pale greenish-yellow. Lowersides offace,
below antennae andextending upwards ateye margin are shining pale creamy-
-yellow. Frons and topofheadmattblackbecoming glossy adjacent toeyes (Fig.
12). Twotiny pale brownspotsanteriorand slightly inward ofantennae.
Thorax. — Prothoraxdarkbrownwithpalecreamfrontallobeandpale cream
spot atposterior lateralmarginofcentrallobe,whichextends onto posterior lobe.
Pterothoraxblack with pale whitish cream antehumeralstripe, which fallswell
Figs 8-14. Priscagrion pinheyi sp. n., Guangxi: (8) male forewing; — (9) male hindwing; —
(10) male caudal appendages,dorsal view; — (11) ditto,lateral view; — (12) male head and
thorax; — (13) male penileorgan,lateral view; — (14) femalecaudal appendages,lateral view.
Priscagrion kiautai gen.n., sp.n. and P. pinheyi sp.n. 121
shortofwingbase. Metepisternumpale yellowishcreamwithdarkbrowninvasions
atbasalposteriorandanteriormargin. Metepimeronblackwithlargepaleyellowish
creambasalthird. Metakatepistemum black.
Wingswithoneormoreadditionalantenodalcrossveins([a]Figs 8-9). Pterostigma
unbracedwithacute distalandproximal comers.Coxaeandtrochanterspalecream.
Discoidal approximately four times longer than wide, with dorsal side
approximately four fifths length of ventral side and distal corner of discoidal
subacute. Legs pale with hind margin offemoradark, joint betweenfemurand
tibia,andtarsi dark.
Abdomen.— First segmentofabdomendarkbrown.Segment 2dark brown
with pale ventral margin. Segments 3-7 dark brown, with pale lateraltriangular
spots expanding towards base. Dorsum ofsegment 8 pale cyan blue,with basal
one-sixthdark brown andsides pale atbasalhalf. Dorsum ofsegments 9 and 10
cyanblue.Caudalappendages areblackandillustratedinFigures 10-11.Superior
appendages arecurvedinwardanddownwardapproximately two thirdsfromtheir
base,withastoutprojection on outer margin towardstip. Inferiorappendages are
nearly as long as superior appendages, withbroad bases and hooked-shaped tips.
Malepenile organis simple andshown inFigure 13.
FEMALE. — Very similar to male but shorter and stouter, with no cyan-blue
markings attipofabdomen.Palemarksonabdomenaremuchlargerformingbasal
rings broadlyexpanded atlowerlateralmargins.Caudaltipofabdomenisillustrated
inFigure 14. Styles are very long and slightly flatteneddorso-ventrally. Superior
appendages areblack andinferiorappendages aredarkatbasebutotherwisepale.
Measurements (mm). — Male abd. + app. 40.0-42.5,hw 32.5-34.0; — female abd. +
app. 35.0, hw 31.0-32.0.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden isgratefullyacknowledgedforsponsoringand organising
survey work and the GuangxiDepartmentofForestry forits assistance with accommodation and
fieldwork.
REFERENCES
BRIDGES, C.A., 1994, Catalogueofthe family-group,genus-group and species-group names
ofthe Odonata ofthe World [3rd edn]. Bridges, Urbana/IL.
SCHORR, M., M. LINDEBOOM & D. PAULSON, 2000. List ofOdonata ofthe World, pt 1,
Zygoplera and Anisozygoptera [revised 27 April 2000]. http://www.ups.edu/biology/
museum/worldodonates.html
THEISCHINGER, G., 1998. Supra-speciftc diversity in Australian “Argiolestes” (Odonata:
Zygoptera: Megapodagrionidae). Stapfia 55: 613-621.
TILLYARD, R.J., 1917. The biology of dragonflies.(Odonata or Paraneuroptera).Cambridge
Univ. Press, Cambridge.