Erythrodiplax ana, Guillermo-Ferreira, Rhainer, Vilela, Diogo S., Del-Claro, Kleber & Bispo, Pitágoras C., 2016

Guillermo-Ferreira, Rhainer, Vilela, Diogo S., Del-Claro, Kleber & Bispo, Pitágoras C., 2016, Erythrodiplax ana sp. nov. (Odonata: Libellulidae) from Brazilian palm swamps, Zootaxa 4158 (2), pp. 292-300 : 293-297

Erythrodiplax ana sp. nov. Guillermo-Ferreira & Vilela

Specimens examined. Holotype (1♂) BRAZIL, Minas Gerais: Uberlândia (Vereda of CCPIU, 840m), 10-VII- 2012, Guillermo-Ferreira, R., Vilela D. S . Paratypes (5♂ and 2♀ adults) and final instar larvae, 1♂ and 1♀ (reared), collected at the same location and date;(1♂ and 1♀) collected at BRAZIL, Mato Grosso: Chapada dos Guimarães (Rio do Manso, 800m), 04-XI-2015 by the same collectors.

Etymology. This species is named after RGF’s wife Ana .

Description. Male Holotype. Head. Labrum, labium, clypeus and antefrons olive-green to ochraceous. Postfrons and vertex metallic blue. Occipital triangle black.

Thorax. Prothorax black, with long white hair-like setae on posterior lobe margins and middle lobe protrusions. Mesepisternum covered dorsally with light blue pruinosity, small spines and white hair-like setae, mesepisternum green ventrally; metepisternum olive-green, slightly covered dorsally with blue pruinosity, with a set of small spines dorsally, with a dark brown spot and small spines medially near the spiracle, a light brown spot posteriorly covered with small spines; metepimeron olive-green. Legs mostly dark brown, covered ventrally with a thin layer of white pruinosity; coxae and trochanters yellowish brown, femora dorsal surface yellowish brown and ventral surface dark brown; tibiae dark brown with a longitudinal yellow stripe; tarsi black; posterior femur with 14 short spines and one distal long spine on the ventro lateral surface.

Wings: hyaline, with small basal and apical brown spots on all four wings; venation brown to black, pt brown ( Figure 2 a).

Venation: 10–11 Ax in Fw, distal incomplete; 7–8 Ax in HW.

Vesica spermalis: first two segments similar to other Erythrodiplax ; V3 long and sclerotized, with a truncated distal process, ventral portion less sclerotized; V4 with sclerotized lateral lobes, which are quadrate with rounded angles; an erectile and sclerotized posterior lobe; and a median process carrying an inflatable sac-like structure extending lateral lobe ( Figure 2 b).

Abdomen. S1 olive-green heavily covered with long white hair-like setae; S2 olive-green with blue pruinosity posteriorly in a small spot and long white hair-like setae dorsally; S3–7 covered dorsally with blue pruinosity, blue pruinosity fading in S3 anteriorly to carina; S8 black posteriorly and with blue pruinosity anteriorly; S9–10 totally black. Genital lobe quadrangular with long setae on margins, hamule concave, not higher than genital lobe ( Figure 2 c). Cerci yellow with black margins, lanceolate posteriorly, ventral margin with a row of 6 spines. Epiproct yellow, foliaceous with bifid tip.

Measurements. Total length (including caudal appendages) (28.2); abdomen length (excluding caudal appendages) (16.8); head maximum width (4.5); Fw length (24.6); Hw length (23.3); Hw width 6 (proximal to costal nodus); pt length (3.2) in Fw, (3.3) in Hw; length of metathoracic femur (4.4); metathoracic tibia (4.6); total length of cercus in lateral view (1.5); length of epiproct in lateral view (0.9).

Male paratypes. Head. Labrum and labium ivory (N=2) or olive-green (N=4). Thorax. Prothorax entirely black (N=3), with yellow marks (N=1) or covered by blue pruinosity (N=2). Metepimeron dark brown to black (N=3) or olive-green (N=3). Abdomen. S1–2 and S9–10 yellow (N=3) or dark brown (N=3). S1–10 entirely dark brown to black ventrally (N=5) or with yellow marks (N=1). S1–8 dorsally covered by a thick layer of blue pruinosity. Older individuals present scratches on the blue pruinosity, revealing the black color beneath. Venation: 9 to 11 Ax in Fw, distal incomplete; 7 to 8 Ax in HW. Four males have no spots on the wingtips.

Measurements. Total length (including caudal appendages) (28.6–30.1); abdomen length (excluding caudal appendages) (15.6–16.4); head maximum width (4.5–5.1); Fw length (23.4–24.8); Hw length (21.0–23.0); Hw width (6.0–7.1) (proximal to costal nodus); pt length (3.5) in Fw, (3.7) in Hw; length of metathoracic femur (3.2– 4.0); metathoracic tibia (4.0–4.5); total length of cercus in lateral view (1.31–1.40); length of epiproct in lateral view (0.8–0.92).

Female paratypes (N=3). Head. Labrum and labium ochraceous, eyes dark brown. Thorax. Prothorax and metepimeron ochraceous to yellow. Wings: hyaline, with small basal spots and large apical brown spots on the four wings, reaching the middle of pterostigma; venation brown to black, pt brown ( Figure 2 d). Abdomen. S1–7 yellow with black segment margins, S8–10 black dorsally and in segment margins with lateral yellow stripes; cerci are blunt with brown coloration; vulvar lamina black, scoop-shaped and diagonally directed, almost as long as S9 ( Figure 3 ). Venation: 11 Ax in Fw, distal incomplete; 9 Ax in HW. Measurements. Total length (24.31–25.88); head maximum width (4.03); Fw length (24); Hw length (22.6); Hw width (6.6) (proximal to costal nodus); pt length (3.36) in Fw, (3.4) in Hw; length of metathoracic femur (3.4–3.75); metathoracic tibia (3.8–4.0).

Description of the final instar larva. Head. About 1.3x as wide as long; occipital margin slightly concave; third segment of antenna the longest. Mandibular formula L 1 2 3 4 0 a b / R 1 2 3 4 y a b d ( Figure 4 a). Labium ( Figure 4 b) with 18 premental setae; ligula with 16 small setae; latero-distal margin with two spiniform setae; dorsal outer margin of labial palp ( Figure 4 c) with 6 palpal setae; anterior margin slightly crenulated with 10 spiniform setae, one on each concavity; inner margin with 10 spiniform setae; movable hook 0.22x maximum length of labial palp. Thorax. Wing pads reaching posterior margin of S5. Abdomen. Brown, no dorsal spines, posterior margins of S8–9 with lateral spines ( Figure 4 d). Epiproct wide at base, apex acute. Paraprocts, epiproct and cerci tips slightly curved ( Figure 4 e). Ratio relative to paraprocts: epiproct (1.03), cerci (0.74).

Measurements (in mm, N=4). Total length (12.0–14.0). Head: max. length (2.5–2.7), max. width (3.3–3.5). Prementum: max. length (2.35–2.5), max. width (1.8–2.0). Thorax: femur III (3.7–4.3), tibia III (3.5–4.0). Abdomen: total length (7.0–8.5), S8 length (0.7–0.8), S9 length (0.5–0.62), S10 length (0.40–0.45). Length of lateral spines (0.31) on S8, (0.30) on S9. Paraproct (0.42), epiproct (0.44).

Biological and ecological data. Males are territorial and defend perches on the pond against rival intruders (N=18). Females oviposit while the males guard them without contact, warding off other males during oviposition (N=10). The densities of males collected, marked and released during the rainy (N=165) and the dry (N=41) season varied ( Vilela et al. 2016). The rainy season covered the months between the end of July (2010) and March (2011) with rains more concentrated between November and February. The dry season of 2011 occurred between early April and the end of June.

We marked 71 males and followed them for 67 days between September and November 2013, to document the ontogenetic color change. Males vary greatly in body coloration with age. Within a week, the eyes and thorax darken until they are dark brown or black ( Figure 5 ). The thorax of young males is olive-green, turning brown/ black with age, sometimes completely covered by blue pruinosity. The blue pruinosity on dorsal thorax and abdomen may be scratched with age, when old males can be found with some blackened abdomen segments. The wings are often parasitized by Forcipomyia (Pterobosca) incubans ( Diptera : Ceratopogonidae ) ( Guillermo-Ferreira & Vilela, 2013). Males may live up to 14 days, with the probability of survival decreasing to 90% in three days and to 50% in eight days ( Figure 6 ).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Erythrodiplax ana: (a) male wings; (b) vesica spermalis; (c) hamule; (d) female wings.

FIGURE 3. Erythrodiplax ana female final abdominal segments: (a) ventral view; (b) lateral view; (c) dorsal view.

FIGURE 4. Erythrodiplax ana last instar larva: (a) left and right mandibles; (b) prementum; (c) labial palp; (d) lateral spines on abdominal segments 8 – 10; (e) paraproct and epiproct in lateral and dorsal views.

FIGURE 5. Color change according to the age of the male during six days of recapturing. (a) Teneral individual; (b) young male with green olive eyes and thorax; (c) male with darkened green eyes and thorax; (d) male with black eyes and thorax.

FIGURE 6. Cumulative proportion of surviving males.