RANGE EXTENSION OF PALAEMNEMA DOMINA CALVERT (ODONATA : PLATYSTICTIDAE) TOSOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA, U.S.A.: A NEW ODONATE FAMILY FOR THE UNITED STATES

4 Pages·1999·1.6 MB·

by  J D Hoekstra

PROC. ENTOMOL. SOC. WASH.
101(4), 1999, pp. 756-759
RANGE EXTENSION OF PALAEMNEMA DOMINA CALVERT
(ODONATA: PLATYSTICTIDAE) TO SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA, U.S.A.:
A NEW ODONATE FAMILY FOR THE UNITED STATES
Jon D. Hoekstra and Rosser W. Garrison
(JDH) Department of Entomology, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721,
U.S.A.; Current address: Illinois Natural History Survey, Center for Aquatic Ecology, 607
E. Peabody Dr., Champaign, IL 61820, U.S.A. (e-mail: [email protected]);
(RWG) Office of the Los Angeles County Agricultural Commissioner, 3400 La Madera
Ave., El Monte, CA 91732, U.S.A. (e-mail: [email protected])
—
Abstract. The occurrence of a population of Palaemnema domina Calvert in south-
eastern Arizona, U.S.A. extends the known northern range limit of this species from
Chihuahua, Mexico. It is the first record of the Platystictidae for the United States. Notes
on adult perching habits and a brief habitat description are provided.
Key Words: damselflies, Platystictidae, Zygoptera, Odonata, Arizona
Four families of damselflies (suborder Yepachic (S. Dunkle, personal communi-
Zygoptera) have traditionally been recorded cation). The species has also been recorded
and diagnosed for the United States: Cal- from Morelos and Nayarit states, Mexico
opterygidae, Lestidae, Protoneuridae, and (Paulson and Gonzalez-Soriano 1996),
Coenagrionidae (Westfall 1987, Borror et from desert streams in Chiapas and Oaxaca
al. 1989, Westfall and Tennessen 1996). We states, Mexico, as well as eastern Guate-
report the addition of a fifth family, Platys- mala and Nicaragua (T. W. Donnelly, per-
tictidae, to the United States Zygoptera fau- sonal communication) and Honduras (Paul-
na. The Platystictidae are apantropical fam- son 1997).
ily containing a single Neotropical genus,
Palaemnema domina Calvert
Palaemnema Selys, of42 described species.
Westfall and May (1996) provide an excel- (Fig. 1)
lent introduction to the taxon. Palaemnema domina Calvert 1905: 134,
A single male Palaemnema domina Cal- 137 (description, key); Calvert 1905:
vert was collected by JH on the Muleshoe 145-212. Odonata.
—
Ranch Preserve along Hot Springs Creek New records. U.S.A., Arizona, Cochise
about 2 miles north of Hookers Hot County, Hot Springs Creek, 1190 m: VIII-
Springs, Arizona, on 20 August 1996. Sub- 20-96, J. D. Hoekstra, 1 6 (TWD); VII-17-
sequent collections and observations by JH 97, J.D. Hoekstra, 1 9 (UAIC); Hot Springs
and JH and RWG were conducted on 20- Creek, 1,175 m, 32°21.31N, 110°15.63W:
W
21 September 1996; and on 17 July and 10 IX-20-96, J.D. Hoekstra and R. Garri-
August 1997. These collections extend the son, 6 cJ, 2 9 (RWG), 1 $W(TWD); IX-21-
known range of P. domina approximately 96, J. D. Hoekstra and R. Garrison, 1W6
500 km from its previous northernmost col- (RWG); VIII-10-97, J. D. Hoekstra, R.
lection locality in Chihuahua, Mexico, near Garrison, J. Garrison, P. Garrison, I S, I 9
VOLUME 101. NUMBER 4 757
Fig. 1. Palaemnema domina. adult male perching near base oftree. Photo by Rosser Garrison.
(UAIC), 12 c?, 1 $ (RWG), S. Dunkle, 10 olent disturbance and alteration during flash
(?, 2 ? (SD). floods.
Abbreviations: RWG = R. W. Garrison Several adults of both sexes aggregate
personal collection. UAIC = University of within roosting sites; up to eight malWes have
Arizona Department of Entomology Insect been counted from a single site (S. Dun-
Collection. TWD = T. W. Donnelly person- kle, personal communication). Such trog-
al collection. SD = S. W. Dunkle personal lodytic perching behavior is unusual for
collection. — odonates, but is typical of Platystictidae,
Adult behavior. Adults of Palaemnema which commonly aggregate in shady roost-
W
domina aggregate in shady microhabitats ing areas (T. Donnelly, personal com-
and avoid the sunny situations usually fa- munication). Similarreclusive behaviorwas
vored by Odonata. When the species was observed forPalaemnema desiderata Selys,
first discovered at Hot Springs Creek, males an Atlantic coast Mexican species found
were active during a light mid-afternoon along humid, largely shaded lowland
rain when all other odonates had ceased ac- streams. In this case, several individuals of
tivity. On hot, clear days (air temperature both sexes were observed roosting within
30°C or higher), adults have been found densely vegetated microhabitats (Garrison
only in humid, dark, cave-like riparian and Gonzalez 1988). The reproductive be-
roosting sites. These cavities are formed havior ofP. domina is unknown. In a Mex-
within piles of woody debris that are ican population of Palaemnema desiderata,
heaped over the tangled root matrices at the copulation and oviposition are initiatedjust
bases oflarge riparian trees. Such flood-cre- before sunrise. Eggs are deposited in the
ated habitats are often found several meters woody stems of riparian vegetation over-
from the stream, and must be subject to vi- hanging the stream (Gonzalez et al. 1982).
758 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON
We observed males of P. domina perching dae (Westfall and May 1996). For larvae,
in full sun at 10:30 am on young cotton- most keys to the North American Zygop-
woods at streamside when humidity re- teran families segregate Calopterygidae and
mained high (air temp. ITC). By 1 1:30 on Lestidae first, based on antennal and pre-
the same day, all adults had moved to mental characters. Once these families have
heavily shaded perchi—ng sites. been separated, the diagnostic character for
Habitat description. Hot Springs Creek Platystictidae is the medial cleft of the pre-
is a small perennial stream south of the Gal- mentum indicated by a deep sulcus (West-
iuro Mountains in southeastern Arizona. The fall and May 1996). Several other peculiar-
stream and its watershed are contained with- ities distinguish the unusual larvae, which
in the Muleshoe Ranch Cooperative Man- have been described as "termite-like" in
agement Area, a 49,120-acre area managed general appearance (Westfall 1987).
for biodiversity protection by the Nature Barring exotic species introductions, we
Conservancy, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. expect that additional discoveries of new
Bureau of Land Management. Platanus Zygopteran families are unlikely in the con-
wrightii Watson (Arizona sycamore), Popu- tiguous U.S. One exception might be south-
lusfremontii Watson (Fremont cottonwood), em Texas where collectors may discover
and Salix spp. (willows) are the dominant Pseudostigmatidae. Two genera (Mecisto-
riparian trees. The stream at summer base gaster Rambur and Pseudostigma Selys) are
flow is 1.5-2 m wide in the area visited by known from Tamaulipas and Neuvo Leon
the authors. Midstream depth is 30-50 cm. states in neighboring Mexico (Westfall and
The stream hosts several species of na- May 1996). However, their large size and
tive fish and amphibians and a diverse com- conspicuous behavior make it unlikely that
munity of aquatic insects. Several of the these damselflies would have been over-
species present have Mexican biogeograph- looked in this heavily populated region.
ic affinities; a waterscorpion, Ciiricta pro-
Acknowledgments
notata Kuitert (Hemiptera: Nepidae), at the
northern limit of its range has been collect- We thank the Arizona Nature Conservan-
ed from a tributary to the habitat (Hoekstra cy (in particular Robert Gorie and Bob and
and Smith 1998). The thermal regime of Susan Crask) for their cooperation in pro-
Hot Springs Creek is poorly understood, viding permission to collect in, accommo-
but could be significantly affected by geo- dations at, and access to the study site.
thermal inputs. Hot springs (outflow 52°C) Thomas W. Donnelly commented on our
and warm springs (outflow 33°C) are found specimens and compared them with mate-
upstream of the study area but do not drain rial from Mexico and Guatemala. The first
directly into the perennial part ofthe stream author thanks the University ofArizona De-
(U.S. Geological Survey staff, personal partment of Entomology and the ARCS
communication). Foundation for support during the time this
research was conducted.
Family Level Taxonomy of United
States Zygoptera Literature Cited
With the discovery reported here, keys to
Borror. D. J., C. A. Triplehorn. and N. F. Johnson.
the U.S. families of Zygoptera should be 1989. An Introduction to the Study of Insects
revised to include Platystictidae. For adults, (Sixth edition). Saunders College Publishing. Fort
this can be accomplished with addition of Worth, Texas, U.S.A.
a couplet to separate platystictids from Pro- Calvert, P P 1905. Odonata, pp. 145-212 In Biologia
Centrali-Americana: Insecta: Neuroptera. R.H.
toneuridae. The diagnostic character is the Porter & Dulau Co., London.
unique short crossvein linking Cu with the Garrison, R. W. and E. Gonzalez-Soriano. 1988. Pop-
wing margin proximal to Ac in Platysticti- ulation dynamics of two sibling species of neo-
VOLUME 101. NUMBER 4 759
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