Lestes barbarus, (Fabricius)

Pinhey, E., 1980, A revision of African Lestidae (Odonata) (excerpt), Occ. Pap. Nat. Mus. & Mon. Rhodesia B 6, pp. 327-479 : 367-368

LESTES (LESTES) BARBARUS (Fabricius) Text fig. 11 , 21, 22 , pp. 347, 366

Agrion barbara Fabricius, 1798: 286 ; van der Linden, 1825: 36

Lestes barbara Hagen, 1849: 147 (type species); Hagen & Selys, 1850: 161 ; Selys, 1862: 318 (34 sep.); Hagen, 1863: 194 ; McLachlan, 1889: 348; Martin, 1910: 82 ; Fraser, 1933: 49 fig. 20

Lestes barbarus Selys, 1887: 67 ( Egypt) ; Roster, 1888: 164 pl. 3 (early stages); Kirby, 1890: 162 ; Martin, 1910: 84, 87; Morton, 1924: 30 ; May, 1933: 31, 89 (adult and larva); Cowley, 1940: 174 ; Schmidt, 1951: 122 (quoting Hagen, 1849, Lestes barbarus as type species of Lestes ); Conci & Nielsen, 1956: 65, 66 figs.; Aguesse & Pruja, 1958.: 103 ( Morocco); Robert, 1958: 82; Loibl, 1958: 55-80; Corbet, 1962: 178; Lieftinck, 1966: 10 ( Morocco)

Agrion nympha Hansemann, 1823: 161 (syn. Kirby, 1890 )

Lestes barbata Belyshev, 1973: 509 fig. 213 (? laps. cal.)

Type from Barbary in North Africa.

Martin (1910) says (p. 82) “Enfin, a juger d’apres un exemplaire rapporte de l’Afrique tropicale par M. Ch. Alluaud, Lestes barbara , l’espece europeenne, habite egalement l’Afrique chaude”. On p. 87, in placing Lestes barbarus near obscurus and niger he gave the specific distribution as central and southern Europe, Asia Minor and from there to India; throughout Mediterranean Africa; and states that Alluaud collected the only known record for tropical Africa. He said it was identical to the European form. It would seem probable that Alluaud’s barbara was either a misidentification, or the locality was incorrect.

Characters. Non pruinose. Pterostigma bicolorous. Wing apices broadly rounded, as in dryas and ictericus. Sectors of arculus well forward as in sponsa , viridis, and all Ethiopian species. Orbits below and sternites unmarked with black. Anal appendages yellow with black apex; inferior appendage over half as long as superior, with flat extension ending in an out-turned point. Vulvar scale simple.

General description. Non-pruinose.

Almost mature male ( Morocco). Labrum greenish yellow. Postclypeus bronze-black, yellow at lateral margins. Head above bronze or metallic green, but antennal bases yellow. Orbits below yellow.

Prothorax brownish yellow with bronze maculae; hind lobe broadish with short bronze basal band. Synthorax bright metallic green to first lateral suture and below this at dorsal end. Dorsal carina yellow; a yellow stripe above humeral suture. Second lateral suture unmarked. Sternites all yellow.

Femora 2-3 yellow with black outer and anterior stripes.

Wings hyaline. Venation yellowish brown to brown. Pterostigma short and thick, brown or pale brown, yellow-brown on distal third; its anterior and posterior veins black, posterior one straight. Forewing with 10-14 Px. Ac at separation of anal vein. Space R4-MA with intercalaries starting at Px 2-4 and consisting of two long veins and several short distal ones.

Abdomen with metallic green to bronze dorsal band on all segments, but only on distal half of segment 1 and narrowed on 10. Segment 10 without crest, the distal invagination broad, shallow, edged with black denticles.

Anal appendages yellow, black at apices, or superiors black on distal half. Superior appendage gradually forcipate, the end portion rather strongly grooved, with pronounced outer denticles. Sub-basal tooth almost a right angle, well separated from flange. Flange straight, slightly kinked at distal end; edged with minute denticles. Inferior appendage extending over half as far as superior in side-view; broadly conical at base, depressed, with small inner fold; a flat distal extension narrowed to a fine point, the narrow apical portion out-turned and having a tuft of brown hair at the tip. Prophallic head with large, broadly rounded ligula with small sharp apical point. Terminal ridge notched.

Abd. 33-34 mm; hw. 23-24 mm; pt. 1,25-1,5 mm.

♀ ( Morocco). Essentially similar. Prothoracic hind lobe broad. Mesostigmal lamina very narrow, yellow, with thick, straight, yellow posterior ridge. Forewing with 12-13 Px. Cerci yellowish. Ovipositor sheath brown, or brown with yellow base; mainly straight ventrally, denticulate for most of its length, more so on distal half. Vulvar scale simple.

Abd. 32-34 mm; hw. 24-25 mm.

( Selys (1862) gives abd. ♂ 26-34, ♀ 29-32 mm; hw. ♂ 21-24, ♀ 22-25 mm)

Distribution. Temperate and Southern Europe; Asia Minor, Iran, Turkestan, N.W. India; Egypt (Selys), Tangiers, Algeria (Martin), Morocco.

Material examined.

NMB: Morocco, El Jadida , March 1963 (J. A. Whellan)

Elsewhere: USSRL: Algeria (Martin Colln).

Figures

Bursae of females. 9.pallidus (Khwaai); 10. pinheyi (Maun); 11. barbarus (Morocco); 12. plagiatus (Khami); 13. virgatus (Ndola); 14. dissimulans (Wankie). b — bursa copulatrix, ba = bursal arms, o = ostium (gonopore), te = ventral terebra (of segment 8) seen dorsally.

Subgenus Lestes (15-28). L. sponsa: 15. Left side of head of ♂ showing ridge behind antennal cavity; 16. pterostigma of right forewing; 17-18. anal appendages dorsally and from left; 19. prophallus; 20. terminal segments and ovipositor sheath and vulvar scale at its base (all Germany except prophallus from Japan). L. barbarus (Morocco): 21. right anal appendages from above; 22. prophallus. L. dryas (California): 23. anal appendages dorsally, 24. prophallus. L. macrostigma (Turkey): 25, 26. the same. L. virens (Germany): 27, 28. the same. f = flange, hd = hood, li = ligula, sc = scoop, sh = shelf.