Neocordulia maurocostai, Marmels, 2024

Marmels, Jürg De, 2024, Neocordulia maurocostai sp. nov. (Odonata, Anisoptera: Oxygastridae), a new species of Emerald dragonfly from western Pantepui region, Venezuela, Zootaxa 5493 (1), pp. 72-78 : 73

Neocordulia maurocostai sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–9 )

Material examined. Two ♂♂ (holotype and paratype): holotype: Venezuela, Amazonas State, Serranía del Cuao, Caño Negro , 1400 m elevation, 5.087°N, 67.438°W, 12 March 2024; paratype, same locality, but 16 March 2024, both Mauro Costa leg. (deposited in MIZA Odonata collection, HT catalog number 18050) .

Etymology. The new species is dedicated to Mauro Costa, the collector of the type series, who is a known specialist in pantepuian Rhopalocera.

Description of holotype.

Head: Labium, labrum, frons and rear of head ferruginous, vertex black with metallic blue shining; postfrons with weak bluish reflection, deeply furrowed in front of median ocellus; compound eyes in life vivid green to blue on top; occipital triangle large, almost as long as eye seam, brown; antenna black, face moderately covered with dark hair.

Thorax: prothorax pale brown, posterior lobe low, produced into a small median projection; pterothorax mainly metallic green laterally and dorsally, and especially on mesepisternum, covered with pale hairs; ventral parts, including coxae and basal portion of hind femora ferruginous. Rest of legs black, flexor surface of hind femur covered with at least twenty minute teeth, but no setae; tibial keel of fore leg about two fifths the length of tibia, keel of middle leg shorter than second tarsal segment, on hind tibia keel almost as long as tibia; claws with robust subapical tooth as long or even slightly surpassing tip of claw.

Wings: hyaline, venation black, pterostigmata dark brown; membranula dark grayish brown, reaching to end of anal triangle, anal angle of HW rounded. Nodus of FW at 22 mm from wing base and 15 mm from proximal border of Pt. FW with 13 ax and 10 (9 right wing) px, HW with 8 (9) ax and 10 (11) px; arculus at second ax in all wing, all triangles and subtriangles free, two cubito-anal cx in HW; Rspl moderately well defined enclosing about 8-11 cells, in HW with 11, including one triplicated cell; Mspl slightly indicated in HW, absent in FW; anal loop reaching to level of penultimate ax, truncated distally enclosing 16-17 cells, and with two or three cell rows between anal loop and hind border of wing; anal triangles crossed, discoidal field of FW two-rowed, not expanding distally and ending with 5 (4) cells, in HW amplified to three cells starting at level of last ax, and ending with 11-13 marginal cells; no accessory br-cx present proximally to subnodus, but one or two distally to it, in three wings.

Abdomen: basal three segments dark ferruginous, rest black. Auricle smooth and obtusely rounded laterally and distally; S3 slightly constricted, S6 and S7 covered with dense, short, pale pilosity; dorsal carina visible on S7, on S9 weak, on S10 strongly raised into a longitudinal rim. S6-8 laterally expanded, but not flattened. Sternum of S8 prominent, bearing on each side an upright sub-conical process easily distinguishable in lateral view ( Fig. 9 ).

Secondary genitalia: anterior lamina in lateral view not apparent; posterior hamulus robust, biparted, higher than acuminate genital lobe, which is slightly arched proximad; margin of deep, almost circular cleft between the hamular branches slightly bulging, in lateral view ( Figs. 5, 6 ).

Anal appendages: Cercus black, slightly longer than S9; epiproct shorter than cercus, narrowing to about one fourth of its basal width at tip. Cerci in dorsal view subparallel, almost straight in lateral view; ventro-basal tooth absent, replaced by small, rounded, flat tubercle; a prominent conical lateral process at about midlength of cercus; dense pale hair cover on inner surface of cercus in subapical portion ( Figs. 3, 4 ), less dense basally and distally.

Measurements. Total length (excl. cerci) 52; abdomen (excl. cerci) 38; cercus 2.7; hind wing 40.

Figures

FIGURES 1–9. Neocordulia maurocostai sp.n. (1) holotype, (2) left wing pair of paratype; (3) anal appendages of holotype, dorsal view; (4) same, lateral view; (5) S2 showing secondary genitalia of holotype, right lateral view; (6) same, ventral view; (7) vesica spermalis of paratype, right lateral view; (8) same, ventral view; (9) sternum S8 of holotype, ventral view.