The synonymy of the East African Notogomphus cataractae Consiglio, 1978 and N. immisericors Campion, 1923 with N. lecythus Campion, 1923 (Anisoptera: Gomphidae)

3 Pages·2003·0.38 MB·English

by  Clausnitzer, V

Odonatologica32(1):85-87 February 24. 2003
Thesynonymy of theEast African
NotogomphuscataractaeConsiglio, 1978
andN. immisericors Campion, 1923
withN. lecythus Campion, 1923
(Anisoptera: Gomphidae)
V.Clausnitzer
Liebenauer Straße 180,D-06110 Halle,Germany
e-mail: [email protected]
ReceivedFebruary28,2002/ ReviewedandAcceptedJune21,2002
Based onthe examination ofthe holotypes ofthe 3taxa andon fresh materialfrom
Kenya,theseappear conspeciftc.Consequently,N. cataractae andN. immisericors are
placedinsynonymy ofN. lecythus.
INTRODUCTION
In June2000 Icollecteda Notogomphus in Saiwa Swamp, Kenya, whichI first
thought tobeN. cataractae,describedby CONSIGLIO(1978) fromonemalecaught
inEthiopiain 1973.AvisittotheNaturalHistoryMuseum,London,inOctober2000
revealedthatmyNotogomphus matchedperfectly theholotypeofN. lecythus aswell.
In January 2002theSezioneMuseooftheIstituto diZoologia, Romewas sokindto
loanmethe typeofN. cataractae,whichIthencompared with my materialandthe
typeofN. lecythus intheNaturalHistory Museum,London.
MATERIAL
Notogomphuslecythus:Holotype 6:Zegi,LakeTsana, Abyssinia,V/VI-1902 (Degen)(CAMPION,
1923,pp.664-667).
2 <J, 1 9: Saiwa Swamp, Kenya(N01°05’38.1'’/E35o07’05.8”; 1875 m a.s.l.), 10-VI-2000 (V.
Clausnitzer); - 1<5,19:KakamegaForest,Kenya(N00°2ri8.8”/E34°5r49.7”;1611 ma.s.l.),06-XI-
-2001 (V.Clausnitzer).
Notogomphusimmisericors:Holotype9:NandiPlateau,5700-6200ft,Kenya,4-VI-1911(S.A.Neave)
(CAMPION, 1923,pp.667-669); — Paratype 9: Yala River,southern edgeofKakamegaForest,4800-
-5300ft,Kenya,22-V-1911(S.A.Neave)(CAMPION, 1923,pp.667-669); - Paratype 9:UpperNzoia
86 V.Clausnitzer
River,5100-5400 ft,KenyaColony,5-VI-1911 (CAMPION, 1923, pp.667-669).
Notogomphuscataractae: Holotype 6:Kaffa,Uncuri, cascate del Piccolo Ghibie, ca 1650 m a.s.l.,
Ethiopia,29-X-1973(C.Consiglio)(CONSIGLIO, 1978).
SPECIESCOMPARISONS
NOTOGOMPHUSCATARACTAE. CONSIGLIO (1978)describedN. cataractae as a
newspecies fromEthiopia fromasingle malehecaughtin 1973.His description and
drawings are very similar to the ones CAMPION(1923) gave for N. lecythus and
matchperfectly theholotypeofthisspecies intheNaturalHistory Museum,London.I
compared thepenisstructureofboth types,andtheseare identical.CONSIGLIO(1978)
didnotmentionN. lecythus asapotentialsimilarspeciesandthusdescribednofeatures
to differentiatethetwo taxa. Fromthe description of N. cataractae by CONSIGLIO
(1978)itisobviousthathedidnotcomparehisspecimen withthetypeofN. lecythus.
ThemaindifferencebetweenConsiglio’s descriptionofN. cataractaeandCampion’s
description ofN. lecythus isthepresenceoftwofaintbandsnear thehumeralsuturein
thebrownarea inthelatterspecies. Inaspecimen IcaughtatSaiwaSwamp,WKenya,
these markings wereonly very faintly visibleas a lighterbrownerarea inthe living
specimenbutfadedwhenthespecimen became dry.
CONSIGLIO(1978)wrotethathisN. cataractae “isdifferentfromallknownspecies
...andperhaps N. immisericorsCampion (distinguished by havingananalloopinthe
hindwing)”.Thepresenceofananalloopis variableinfemalesintheNaturalHistory
Museum,London,labelledN. immisericors andthusnota gooddifferentialfeature.
NOTOGOMPHUSIMMISERICORS. — CAMPION(1923) describedA. immisericors as
anewspecies, basedonthreefemales. N. lecythus is describedinthesamepaperand
Campionreferstothesimilarityofbothspecies: “Inmanyrespects they [3 femalesof
Notogomphus immisericors] areverysimilartothemaleheredescribedasN. lecythus,
themoststrikingdifferencesbeing foundinthefemurofthehindleg,which carriesa
powerful armature, and in the hind wing, which has a distinct anal loop and is
considerablynarroweratthebase thanintheAbyssinian insectmentioned”(CAMPION,
1923,p.669).
FromN. immisericors only the threetypefemales seemtohavebeencollectedand
PINHEY (1961,p.75) wrotethatF.C.Fraser“believesit[N. immisericors] tobethe
femaleoflecythus.” Thesimilaritieshavebeenalsodescribedby LONGFIELD(1936,
pp.477-478):“Thecolour-pattern ofN. dorsalisis practicallyrepeated inthetypesof
N. longus Martin,N. lecythus Campion andN. immisericorsCampion, andisalsovery
similartothatofthegenoptye.They allhaveabasalsubcostalnervuleinallfourwings
andlong hind femora”.
Theonly differencegiven betweenN. lecythus andN. immisericors are the long
spinesonthehindfemurinthelatter(CAMPION.1923;LONGF1ELD, 1936).Allmy
specimen(malesandfemales),Consiglio’sN. cataractae andallthreefemalesdescribed
as N. immisericorshavestrongspines onthehindfemur.ThetypeofN. lecythus has
SynonymyofNotogomphuslecythusCampion 87
only thelefthindfemurleft, thetibiaandtarsus missing. Thisremaining hindfemur
appearstohaveonly shortspines,butanumberofthemarebrokenlong spines,visible
undera stereo microscope. Positionand diameterof thesenormally long spines are
identicaltothoseofN. cataractae andN. immisericors.
CONCLUSIONS
Aftercomparing allspecimens listed, thereis no doubtthey belong toonespecies.
Theholotype malesofN. lecythus andN. cataractae andmy males from western
Kenya are identicalin colouring, anal appendages and penile organs. The femaleI
collectedinwesternKenya is identicalincolouring,structureoftheprothorax andthe
vulvarscaletotheparatypeofN. immisericors.ThereforeNotogomphus immisericors
andN. cataractaeare synonyms ofN. lecythus.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Theauthorwishestothankfollowingpeopleandinstitutions forhelpandsupport:DAVIDGOODGER
(NaturalHistory Museum,London), AUGUSTO VIGNATAGLIANTI(Sezione Museo, Istituto di
Zoologia,Rome),RICHARDBAGINE(KenyaWildlifeService),LUCIE ROGO(InternationalCentre
forInsectPhysiologyandEcology,Nairobi), WANJAKINUTHIA(NationalMuseumofKenya)andthe
Wardens inChargeand the staffofthe SaiwaSwampNational Park andtheKakamegaForestReserve
(bothKenyaWildlifeService).TheA.F.W.Schimper-Stiftung,theGermanScientificResearchFoundation
(DFG)andtheGermanFederalMinistryofScience(BMBF,BIOLOGProgramme)arethankedforfunding
thework. SABINEGRIESBACHiswarmlythankedforherhelpandhospitalityinNairobi.
REFERENCES
CAMPION,H., 1923. Descriptionsofthree speciesofNotogomphus(Odonata)from EastAfrica. Annls
Mag.run.Hist.9(12):659-669.
CONSIGLIO,C., 1978,Odonatacollected inEthiopiabytheexpeditionsoftheAccademiaNazionaledei
Lincei. 2.New andrarespeciesofNotogomphusfromEthiopia.Problemi att.Sci. Cult. (Ill)243:
53-58.
LONGFIELD,C., 1936.StudiesonAfricanOdonata,withsynonymyanddescriptionsofnewspeciesand
subspecies.Trans.R. ent.Soc. Land. 85: 467-498.
PINHEY,E„ 1961.Asurveyofthedragonfliesofeastern Africa.Brit.Mus.(Nat.Hist.),London.