Three newCephalaeschnaspecies from central China with descriptions of the hitherto unknown sex of related species (Odonata: Aeshnidae)

2013·1.6 MB·

by  Haomiao Zhang

InternationalJournalofOdonatology,2013
Vol.16,No.2,157–176,http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13887890.2013.782530
Three new Cephalaeschna species from central China with
descriptions of the hitherto unknown sex of related species
(Odonata:Aeshnidae)
HaomiaoZhanga,QinghuaCaia*andMingyaoLiaob
aStateKeyLaboratoryofFreshwaterEcologyandBiotechnology,InstituteofHydrobiology,Chinese
AcademyofSciences,Wuhan430072,PRChina;bAdministrativeBureauofShennongjiaNationalNature
Reserve,Hubei,Shennongjia442421,PRChina
(Received25November2012;finalversionreceived28February2013)
ThreenewCephalaeschna species,C.discolor sp.nov.(holotypemale;ShennongjiaNationalNature
Reserve,ShennongjiaCity,Hubeiprovince,China,16August2012),C.mattiisp.nov.(holotypemale;
LujiaheRiver,ZiguiCounty,Hubeiprovince,China,18September2012)andC.solitariasp.nov.(holotype
male;DalongtaninShennongjiaNationalNatureReserve,ShennongjiaCity,Hubeiprovince,China,19
July2012)aredescribed,illustratedincolorandcomparedwiththeknownChineseCephalaeschna.Allthe
holotypesaredepositedintheCollectionofAquaticAnimals,InstituteofHydrobiology,ChineseAcademy
ofSciences,WuhanCity,HubeiProvince,China.ThehithertounknownmaleofC.obversaandfemaleof
C.patrorumarealsodescribedandillustrated.Briefnotesonbiologyofeachspeciesarealsoprovided.
Keywords: Odonata;dragonfly;Cephalaeschna;newspecies;China
Introduction
Untilrecently,ourknowledgeofthegenusCephalaeschnawasinadequate.Theyareamongthe
rarestdragonfliesintheOrientalregionandamajorityofspeciesareknownonlyfromthetypes.
AllCephalaeschnaspeciesareconfinedtorunningwaterhabitatslocatedinmountainrangeswith
denseforest,andsomecanliveinextremelyhighmountains.Mostspeciesareonthewinglate
intheseason.Theirexcellentflyingabilityallowsthemtoeasilyeludethenetofthecollector.
EightvalidspecieshavebeenrecordedfrommainlandChinaintheworksofAsahina(1981a,
1982),WilsonandXu(2008)andXu(2006).ThissuggeststhatCephalaeschnaisnotasspecioseas
somerelatedgenerasuchasPlanaeschna.However,inrecentsurveysfromcentralandsouthwest
China,severalnewspecieshavebeenfound,indicatingthattheirspeciesrichnessisgreaterthan
previouslybelieved,andmoreundescribedCephalaeschnamustoccurinmainlandChina.Inthis
paper,threenewspecies,collectedfromcentralChina(ProvincesHubei,SichuanandGuizhou)
aredescribed.AdditionalmaterialfromsouthwestChina(ProvinceYunnan)willbediscussedin
alaterpublication.
*Correspondingauthor.Email:[email protected]
©2013WorldwideDragonflyAssociation
158 H.Zhangetal.
Asahina (1981a, 1981b, 1982) provided a diagnosis of the genus (separating Cephalaeschna
fromtheclosestrelatedgeneraPeriaeschnaandGynacanthaeschna),basedonaseriesofspec-
imens from throughout its range.Although he provided many figures when describing the new
species,thestructureoftheterminalappendagesandsecondarygenitaliawerenotwellexamined,
especially the penis, which was not mentioned at all.After studying much fresh material from
China,thestructureoftheappendages,especiallytheshapeofthesuperiorappendages,ishere
regardedasagoodtaxonomiccharacter.Thestructureofthepenis,withapairofcurvedflagella
intheendofthedistalsegmentandaprominenceneartheproximalmeatusofthestemsegment,
isalsofiguredheretohelpseparatesomeverysimilarspecies.Althoughingeneralthepenisis
rathersimpleandverysimilarbetweenspeciesitisofvalueincertaincases.Thesecharacters,
combinedwiththecolorpatternwhichismainlyusedintheearlyworks,areappliedtogetherin
thispaper.
AlltheholotypesaredepositedintheCollectionofAquaticAnimals,InstituteofHydrobiology,
ChineseAcademyofSciences,WuhanCity,HubeiProvince,China.
Abbreviations of abdominal maculation follow Walker (1912): S, abdominal segment; AD,
anterodorsal;AL,anterolateral;MD,mediodorsal;PD,posterodorsal;andPL,posterolateral.
Descriptionsofnewspecies
Cephalaeschnadiscolorsp.nov.
(Figures1–2,10a–d)
Materialexamined
Holotype:male,MtShennongjia(ShennongjiaNationalNatureReserve),31◦28(cid:3)23(cid:3)(cid:3)N,110◦23(cid:3)29(cid:3)(cid:3)
E, altitude 1250m, Shennongjia City, Hubei province, China, Haomiao Zhang leg., 16August
2012 (time: 1925h) . Paratype female: same as holotype; Paratype 1 male: same locality and
collector,16September2012(time:1425h);2males:samelocalityandcollector,8August2012
(time:1930h).
Etymology
Thenamediscolormeans“ofdifferentcolors”,anadjectivewithidenticalmasculineandfeminine
forms in the nominative. The new species possesses green eyes, black body, green and yellow
stripesandrussetcoloredlegs,whichagreeswellwiththename.
Diagnosis
Amediumsized,brightlymarkedaeshnidofaveragebuild,separatedfromitsclosestcongeners
bydetailsofbodymarkingandstructureofmaleappendages.
Holotype(male)
Head. Eyes dark green in living specimen (Figure 1a–c). Labium brownish yellow, with dense
finesetae.Labrumyellow,thelowermargindarkenedincolor(Figure1c).Anteclypeusbrownish
yellow.Postclypeusgreenishyellow.Fronsabout1/2widthofhead,fundamentallydarkbrown
frontally(Figure1c)andwitha“T”markdorsally(Figure1b).Uppermarginoffronsmedially
protrudingupwards.Occiputblack,fringedwithlongsetaeatmargin.
ThreenewCephalaeschnaspeciesfromcentralChina 159
Figure 1. Cephalaeschnadiscolorsp.nov.,holotypemale(a–d)andparatypefemale(e–h):(a)bodyinlateralview;(b)
bodyindorsalview;(c)headinfrontalview;(d)leadingedgeofwingsandpterostigma;(e)bodyindorsalview;(f)body
inlateralview;(g)headinfrontalview;(h)leadingedgeofwingsandpterostigma.
Prothorax.Mainlyyellow,medianlobewithapairofbrownspotsdorsally,hindlobewithacen-
tralbrownbanddorsally.Synthoraxlargelyblackwithyellowandgreenstripes(Figure1a):dorsal
carinawithsmallyellowspots;dorsalstripesonmesepisternumnarrowedanteriorlyandbentout-
wards,greenishyellow;mesepimeronwithbroadstripe,theupperhalfgreenandlowerhalfyellow;
metepisternumwithelongatedtriangularstripe,notconnectingwithbroadstripeonmesepimeron,
greenincolor;metepimeronwithabroadgreenstripe,itslowerhalfwithanobliquewavyyellow
stripe.Legsmulticolored(Figure1a):coxaebrownwithyellowspots,femurwiththeupper2/3
russetandlower1/3black,tibiaemainlybrownishred,tarsiblack,clawsbrownishyellow.
160 H.Zhangetal.
Figure 2. Cephalaeschnadiscolorsp.nov.,holotypemale(a–d)andparatypefemale(e):(a)appendagesindorsalview;
(b)appendagesinlateralview;(c)penisinlateralview;(d)penisinventralview;(e)ovipositor.
Wings.Hyaline,baseslightlytintedwithsmokybrown.Triangle6-celledinforewings,5-or
6-celled in hind wings, anal loop 6- or 9-celled, anal triangle 6- or 8-celled. Leading edge of
wingsandpterostigmareddishbrown(Figure1d):3.0mminlength.Pterostigmanotwellbraced
inbothwings.Nodalindex:22:26:25:21/24:20:18:19.
Abdoman. Black with green and yellow markings (Figure 1a, b): S1 with large lateral spot;
dorsalsideofS2withalongitudinaltriangularADspot,pairedsmallMDandPDspots,anda
slenderandlongitudinalcentralstripe,laterallyS2withlargeALspotsaboveauricleandirregular
PLspots,auriclebrown.S3withlinearALspot,triangularMDspotswhichconnecttotheALspot
andsmallpairedPDspots;S4–S7withverysmallALspot,triangularMDspotswhichextend
downwardsandconnecttotheADspots;S8withALspotswhichconnecttothelinearMDspots,
andpairedverysmallPDspots;S9andS10mainlyblackwithpairedADspots,moredeveloped
inS10.
Superior appendages. Black, curving upwards and constricted at 1/3 from base in lateral
view (Figure 2b), in dorsal view expanded in apical 2/3 (Figure 2a), with an angled apex, not
pointed;inferiorappendagelightbrown,about2/3lengthofsuperiorappendagesinlateralview
(Figure2b),apexslightlybifidwithverysmallpairedprominences,darkenedincolor.
Penis.Mainlybrown,stemwithaslimandslightlybentprominence(Figure2c),distalsegment
withapairofsemi-transparentslimflagella(Figure2d).
Paratype(female)
Headandthorax.Verysimilartothemale(Figure1e–g).
Wingshyaline,baseslightlytintedwithsmokybrown.Triangle5-or6-celledinbothforewings,
4-or5-celledinhindwings,analloop6-or9-celled,analtriangle10-or11-celled.Leadingedge
ofwingsandpterostigmareddishbrown(Figure1h),3.0mminlength.Nodalindex:18:23:21:
17/21:17:18:21.
ThreenewCephalaeschnaspeciesfromcentralChina 161
Abdomen.Blackwithyellowmarkings(Figure1e,f):S1withlargelateralspots;dorsalside
of S2 with a longitudinal triangularAD spot, paired linear MD spots which connect to the big
rectangularALspotsandareinterruptedinthemiddle,andpairedlinearPDspotsconnectingto
thelinearlongitudinalcentralstripe.PLspotslargeandirregularinshape.S3–S8similartothe
holotypemale,butwithmoredevelopedyellowspotsandpairedPLspots.S8withadorsalcentral
linearstripe.S9andS10mainlyblack.Ovipositorlong,yellow,theapexextendingbeyondthe
endthesuperiorappendages(Figure2e).
Measurements(mm)
Holotype male: total length 67.0; abdomen (including anal appendages) 52.5; hind wing 44.5.
Paratypefemale:totallength65.5;abdomen(includinganalappendages)51.5;hindwing46.0.
Paratype males: total length 65.5–66.5; abdomen (including anal appendages) 51.5–52.0; hind
wing45.0–50.0.
Variationinparatypemale
Theparatypemaleisratheraged,thecolorofpterostigmaisdarkenedtobrown,S8–S10without
dorsalstripes.Thecolorofinferiorappendagesisslightlydarkened.
Distribution
China(Hubei).
Notesonbiology
Adults emerge from July onwards and all the specimens collected in the beginning ofAugust
wereimmature.FullymatureindividualsappearedinmidAugust;inmidSeptembertheywere
ratheraged,sothespeciesfliesfromJulytoSeptember.InAugust,theyoungadultsonlyflewat
duskbetween1920hand1940h,whenitwasverydifficulttoseethemclearly.Thetemperature
was about 18–20◦C. Usually they gathered in small groups to forage, circling at about 0.5m
abovetheopenandnarrowstreams.However,inmidSeptember,astheseasonchanged,withthe
temperatureonly10–12◦Catdusk,noindividualswerefoundafter1700h.Theycouldthenonly
be seen on very sunny afternoons and were most active between 1330h and 1530h, when the
temperaturewas18–22◦C.Territorial,courtshipandovipositionbehaviorwerenotobserved,but
bothsexeswerefoundtoflyalongthesemi-shadystreamsinSeptember.
Discussion
Cephalaeschnadiscolor isverysimilartoC.risiAsahina,1981inappearance,bothwithblack
body, green and yellow thoracic stripes, green eyes and bi-colored legs. The broad green and
yellow stripes across the sides of thorax are a good character to separate them from other con-
geners.Indeedthesestripesarefundamentallygreen,andtheyellowbandsareobliquelyincluded.
ThelatterspecieshasbeenwellstudiedbyAsahina(1981a)withfigures.Theholotypeisfrom
Fujian Province. One pair of specimens of C. risi (Figure 7e, f), collected from Zhejiang (Mt
Fengyangshan),areusedforcomparisonhere.Exceptformanyminordifferencesincolorpat-
tern,especiallythelargelyredlegs,thenewspeciesisalsodifferentfromC.risibythestructureof
appendages,withtheinferiorappendage2/3lengthofsuperiorappendages,butslightlybeyond
162 H.Zhangetal.
halfofsuperiorappendagesinC.risi.Theinferiorappendageisbentupwardsinlateralviewin
C.discolorbutalmoststraightinC.risi.Detaileddifferencesbetweenthetwotaxaarediscussed
inTable1.PhotosoflivingtypesofC.discolor areshowninFigure10a–d.
ThegenusCephalaeschnahasbeencharacterizedbyhavingthebraceveintothepterostigma.
However the pterostigma of this new species has a poorly braced or disrupted vein, as seen
in the holotype male.Although the paratype male has a well-braced pterostigma, a majority of
individualshaveapoorlybracedpterostigma.Itseemsthisstructureisveryvariableinthisspecies.
Cephalaeschnamattiisp.nov.
(Figures3–4,11a–d)
Materialexamined
Holotype:male,LujiaheRiver,36◦56(cid:3)49(cid:3)(cid:3)N,110◦50(cid:3)00(cid:3)(cid:3)E,altitude410m,ZiguiCounty,Yichang
City,Hubeiprovince,China,HaomiaoZhangleg.,18September2012(time:1430h);Paratype:
1 male, same as holotype; 1 male, same locality and collector, 11August 2012; 1 female, Mt
Shennongjia, 31◦28(cid:3)23(cid:3)(cid:3)N,110◦23(cid:3)29(cid:3)(cid:3) E, altitude 1250m, Shennongjia City, Hubei province,
China,HaomiaoZhangleg.,15September2012(Time:1505h);1female,MtEmeishan,Sichuan
Province,China,HaomiaoZhangleg.,25August2010;1male,MtQingchengshan,Dujiangyan
City,SichuanProvince,China,HaomiaoZhangleg.,30August2010.
Etymology
ThenewspeciesisnamedafterDr.MattiHämäläinen,inappreciationofhiscollaborationwith
thefirstauthoraswellashisgreathelpduringthepreparationofHaomiaoZhang’sdoctoralthesis.
Thespecificepithetmattiiisanouninthegenitivecase.
Diagnosis
Amediumsized,brightlymarkedaeshnidofaveragebuild,withS3stronglyconstricted;separated
fromitsclosestcongenersmainlybydetailsofbodymarkingandstructureofmaleappendages.
Holotype(male)
Head.Eyesdarkgreeninlivingspecimen(Figure3a–c).Labiumbrown,withdensefinesetae.
Labrumgreenishyellow.Anteclypeusblack.Postclypeusgreenishyellow.Fronsfundamentally
greenishyellow,slightlynarrowerthan1/2widthofhead,withablackspotanteriorly(Figure3c)
anda“T”markdorsally(Figure3b).Uppermarginoffronsmediallyprotrudingupwardswith
densemarginalsetae.Occiputblack,fringedwithlongsetaeatmargin.
Prothorax.Mainlybrown.Synthoraxlargelyblackwithyellowandgreenstripes(Figure3a):
dorsalcarinamainlyblackwithverysmallyellowspots;dorsalstripesonmesepisternumtapered
anteriorly and bent outwards, greenish yellow; mesepimeron with a broad stripe, narrowed in
themiddle,theupperhalfgreenandlowerhalfyellow;metepisternumwithelongatedtriangular
stripe,notconnectingwithbroadstripeonmesepimeron,greenincolor;metepimeronwithbroad
greenstripe,itslowerhalfwithabroadobliqueyellowstripe.Legsblackandyellow(Figure3a):
coxaebrownwithyellowspots,femurmainlyyellowwiththetipsblack,tibiaebrowninforelegs,
andmainlybrownishyellowinmiddleandhindlegs.Tarsiandclawsbrown.
Wings. Hyaline, base of wings slightly tinted with smoky brown. Triangle 5 or 6-celled in
forewings, 6-celled in hind wings, anal loop 13-celled, anal triangle 5-celled. Leading edge of
ThreenewCephalaeschnaspeciesfromcentralChina 163
Figure 3. Cephalaeschnamattiisp.nov.,holotypemale(a–d)andparatypefemale(e–h):(a)bodyinlateralview;(b)
bodyindorsalview;(c)headinfrontalview;(d)leadingedgeofwingsandpterostigma;(e)bodyindorsalview;(f)body
inlateralview;(g)headinfrontalview;(h)leadingedgeofwingsandpterostigma.
bothwingsandpterostigmabrown(Figure3d),3.0mminlength.Nodalindex:21:25:24:18/22:
18:20:20.
Abdomen. Black with yellow markings (Figure 3a, b): S1 with large lateral spot; dorsal side
ofS2withalongitudinaltriangularADspot,pairedlinearPDspots,andalongitudinalcentral
stripe, laterally S2 with largeAL spots covering the auricle and irregular PL spots, connected
tothelinearPDspots.S3stronglyconstricted(Figure3b),withlargeALspots,triangularMD
spotsnotconnectingwiththeALspots,smallpairedPDspotsandPLspots;S4–S7withpaired
triangularMDspotswhichextenddownwardsbutnotconnectingtotheADspots,andverysmall
164 H.Zhangetal.
Figure 4. Cephalaeschnamattiisp.nov.,holotypemale(a–d)andparatypefemale(e):(a)appendagesinlateralview;
(b)appendagesindorsalview;(c)penisinlateralview;(d)penisinventralview;(e)ovipositor.
pairedPDspots;S8withverysmallALspotsandPLspots;S9andS10black.S10ventrallypale
brown.
Superiorappendages.Black,slightlybentupwardsandnotobviouslynarrowedinlateralview
(Figure 4a), in dorsal view expanded inward to form a rounded bulge from apical 2/5–4/5,
broadestalittlebeyondmidpoint(Figure4b).Inferiorappendagepalebrown,about1/2length
ofsuperiorappendages(Figure4a),tipnotbifidindorsalview.
Penis.Blackandbrownishyellow,theprominenceonthestemslightlyhooked(Figure4c),the
distalsegmentwithapairofslimflagella(Figure4d).
Paratype(female)
Headandthorax.Verysimilartothemale(Figure3e–g).
Wings. Hyaline, base of wings slightly tinted with smoky brown. Triangle 6- or 7-celled in
forewings, 5- or 6-celled in hind wings, anal loop 11 or 13-celled, anal triangle 3- or 5-celled.
Leading edge of wings and pterostigma brownish yellow (Figure 3h), 3.0mm in length. Nodal
index:21:25:24:18/22:18:20:20.
Abdomen. Black with yellow markings (Figure 3e, f): S1 with large lateral spot; Dorsal side
ofS2withalongitudinaltriangularADspot,pairedlinearPDspots,andalongitudinalcentral
stripe,laterallyS2largelyyellow.S3–S6withcomma-shapedlargeALspots,pairedMDspots
andlinearPDspots. S7andS8withALspots. S9andS10mainlyblack. Superiorappendages
black,aslongasS10.Ovipositorlong,brownishyellow,theapexextendingbeyondtheendof
thesuperiorappendages(Figure4e).
Variationinparatypemale
TwoparatypemaleshavepaireddarkbrownADspotsonS10,withS10ventrallydarkened.
ThreenewCephalaeschnaspeciesfromcentralChina 165
Table 1. ComparisonofcharactersamongC.discolor,C.mattiiandC.risi.
Character C.discolor C.mattii C.risi
Topoffrons(bothsexes) Withclear“T”mark Withclear“T”mark Without“T”mark
Antefrons(bothsexes) Fundamentallydarkbrown Fundamentallyyellowwith Fundamentallyyellowwith
blackstripesalongthe blackstripesalongthe
uppermargin uppermargin
Dorsal stripe on Conspicuous Conspicuous Veryfineandreduced
mesepisternum(both
sexes)
Dorsalcarina(bothsexes) Mainlyblackwithsmall Mainlyblackwithsmall Largelyyellow
yellowspot yellowspot
Stripeonmetepisternum Notconnectedtothebroad Notconnectedtothebroad Connectedtothestripeon
(bothsexes) stripeonmesepimeron stripeonmesepimeron mesepimeron
Leadingedgeofwings Reddishbrown Darkbrown Reddishbrown
andpterostigma(male)
Leadingedgeofwingsand Reddishbrown Brownishyellow Brownishyellow
pterostigma(female)
Medianandhindlegs Femurwiththeupper2/3 Femurmainlydullyellow Femurandtibiaemostly
(bothsexes) russetandlower1/3black, withthetipsblack,tibiae brownishyellow
tibiaemainlybrownishred mainlybrownishyellow
S1(male) Withlargelateralspot Withlargelateralspot Withoutlargelateralspot
S1(female) Withlargelateralspot Withlargelateralspot Withlargelateralspot
S2(male) MDspotssmall,ALspotnot MDspotsabsent,ALspot MDspotsclear;ALspotnot
connectedtoPLspot connectedtoPLspot connectedtoPLspot
S2(female) MDspotssmall,ALspotnot MDspotsabsent,ALspot MDspotsclear;ALspot
connectedtoPLspot connectedtoPLspot connectedtoPLspot
ConstrictionofS3(male) Constricted Stronglyconstricted Stronglyconstricted
S3-7(male) ALconnectedtoMDspots ALnotconnectedtoMD ALnotconnectedtoMD
spots spots
S3-7(female) ALspotmediansized ALspotverylarge ALspotgraduallyreduced
tothetip
Superiorappendages Narrowedat1/3frombasein Notobviouslynarrowedin Slightlynarrowed1/3from
lateralview;expandedin lateralview;expandedin baseinlateralview;
apical2/3indorsalview; apical2/5–4/5,especially expandedinapical2/3in
bentinlateralview. justbeyondmidpointin dorsalview;
dorsalview;bentinlateral almoststraight.
view.
Inferiorappendage About2/3lengthofsuperior About1/2lengthofsuperior About1/2lengthofsuperior
appendages appendages appendages
Measurements(mm)
Holotypemale:totallength69.0;abdomen(includinganalappendages)54.5;hindwing46.0.
Paratypefemale:totallength69.0;abdomen(includinganalappendages)54.5;hindwing48.5.
Paratype male: total length 68.0–69.0; abdomen (including anal appendages) 53.0–54.5; hind
wing46.0–46.5.
Distribution
China(HubeiandSichuan).
Notesonbiology
ThebehaviorofthisnewspeciesissimilartothatofC.discolor,andthetwowerefoundsyntopi-
callyinthetypelocalityofC.discolor,astreamlocatedinShennongjiaNationalNatureReserve
over 1000m altitude. C. mattii can be also found in some lower streams, and the elevation of
166 H.Zhangetal.
the type locality, the Lujiahe River, is only about 400m. Some individuals were found to rest
in the dense forest near a narrow and shallow stream on very hot afternoons. They hung from
slim branches about 2–3m above water. InAugust, the adults became active much later in the
afternoon,andforageduntildusk.InmidSeptember,agedindividualswereveryactiveinsunny
afternoons,andusuallyafter1200hfemalesappeared.Maleswereactivefrom1400h;theyflew
alongthestreamandsometimeswentintothedenseforest.Femalesovipositedonmossyrocks
intheopenstreamorlessthan0.5mfromtheshore.AnotherCephalaeschnaco-occurringinthe
typelocalityisC.klotsi.
Discussion
The new species is close related to C. risi and C. discolor described above. The color of
the pterostigma is clearly different between the sexes. According to the structure of superior
appendages, C. mattii differs from C. discolor and C. risi by the strongly inwardly expanded
bulge near to the middle in dorsal view (Figure 4b). The inferior appendage is about 1/2 the
length of the superior appendages, a condition which is closer to C. risi. From the shape of
abdomenindorsalview,C.mattiiisclosertoC.risi,andhasamorestronglyconstrictedS3than
C. discolor. More detailed comparisons of the three species are given inTable 1 and photos of
bothsexesoflivingC.mattiiareshowninFigure11a–d.
Xu(2006)describedanewspecies,CephalaeschnashaowuensisfromFujian,basedonasingle
femaleholotype.ItcanbedistinguishedfromthefemalesofC.discolor andC.mattiibymany
differencesinthebodymaculation:(1)veryfineandsmalldorsalstripesonmesepisternum;(2)
stripeonmetepisternumconnectingwiththebroadstripeonmesepimeron;(3)S1withadorsal
“T”mark;(4)abdomenwithdorsalspotsonlyonS2.AmaleofC.shaowuensiswouldbeuseful
tocompareitwithothercongeners.
Cephalaeschnasolitariasp.nov.
(Figures5a–d,6,10e,f)
Materialexamined
Holotype: male, Dalongtan in Mt Shennongjia (Shennongjia National Nature Reserve),
31◦29(cid:3)30(cid:3)(cid:3)N,110◦18(cid:3)30(cid:3)(cid:3)E,altitude2300m,ShennongjiaCity,Hubeiprovince,China,Haomiao
Zhang leg., 19 July 2012 (time: 1330h); Paratype: 1 male, Shennongyuan in Mt Shennongjia,
31◦28(cid:3)16(cid:3)(cid:3)N,110◦17(cid:3)51(cid:3)(cid:3)E,altitude2300m,ShennongjiaCity,Hubeiprovince,China,Haomiao
Zhangleg.,19July2012(time:1420h).
Etymology
The Latin epithet solitaria means “lonely” or “solitary”. This new species was found in very
high montane streams (2300m), which is a rare situation in central China and it is the only
dragonfly flying in the main protected area of the Shennongjia National Nature Reserve,
Hubei.
Diagnosis
A small–medium sized, brightly marked aeshnid of average build, separated from its closest
congenersbydetailsofbodymarkingandstructureofmaleappendages.