Rhinocypha frontalis sulselensis, Jan van Tol & André Günther, 2018

Jan van Tol & André Günther, 2018, The Odonata of Sulawesi and adjacent islands. Part 8. Revision of the genus Rhinocypha Rambur, 1842 (Chlorocyphidae), Odonatologica 47 (3), pp. 299-386 : 334-338

Rhinocypha frontalis sulselensis ssp. nov .

( Figs 34 , 35 , 37 , 84)

Material studied

Holotype ♂. » Borong Rapoa. 800 m. 20–23 Aug. 1949. Leg. A. Diakonoff « ( JvT 22887 ; in RMNH) ( Fig. 34 ).

Paratypes (7♂ 4♀)

Sulawesi Selatan

1♀, Boeloedoea (Barroe). 670 m. June 1935. Leg. C. Veen; 1♀, Boeloedoea (Bar- roe). Brooklet in forest. CdR XXXIII. 27 Apr. 1941. Leg. L. Coomans de Ruiter; 6♂ 1♀, Borong Rapoa. 800 m. 20–23 Aug. 1949 [some handwritten labels with erroneous year ‘1948’]. Leg. A. Diakonoff (same data as holotype); 1♀, Mangkoso, stream emerging from forest. Alt. at least 400 m. July 2013. Leg. R.A. Dow; 1♂, 20 km E of Padaelo: mountain stream crossing Jl. Poros Barru-Soppeng (4.51082°S, 119.78648°E). Alt. 698 m. 20 July 2013. Leg. H. Cahilog.

Etymology

Sulselensis, an adjective based on the frequently used abbreviation ‘SulSel’, for the province of Sulawesi Selatan, or ‘South Sulawesi’.

Diagnosis

Largely agrees with specimens assigned to the nominotypical subspecies of R. frontalis , but is distinguished by its significantly larger size, and a more extensive black area in the wing space between the Costa and Subcosta, i.e., from 8 Ax anterior to the nodus in the fore wing and 6 Ax anterior to the nodus in the hind wing ( Fig. 34 , compare with Figs 3 , 24 ); opaque marking in wings wedge-shaped, and base reaching to distal side of q. The female is distinctly different from the nominotypical subspecies, particularly in the wing marking, although the nominotypical subspecies shows significant variation in these characters as well. In R. frontalis sulselensis the wings are nearly fully brown ( Fig. 37 , compare with Fig. 36 ): the base is very darkly enfumed, approximately to the level of the nodus, merging to the opaque part of the wing distal to nodus; apex of wings distal to middle of pterostigma paler, the tip opaque white. The females are thus rather similar to sympatric females of R. monochroa ( Fig. 6). However, the latter species usually with fore wing transparent distal to ca 14 Px anterior to pterostigma, and also has a fully (brownish) black frons; its pronotum has an oblong spot on the median lobe; the lateral lobe has only a small spot.

Description

Male (holotype, JvT 22887)

Head — Labium, labrum and anteclypeus glossy brownish black; mandi- bles blue, except for a narrow black stripe bordering labrum; dorsal side of head velvet black; frons with a paired blue spot, large and squarish, tapering abaxiad; very small creamish spots behind lateral ocelli; spots on post-ocu- lar lobe sub-oval, larger than those on vertex; gena with large blue marking, somewhat extending along eye.

Thorax — Pronotum velvet black; anterior lobe with relative large oval, creamy, paired spot; lateral lobe fully covered by large creamy marking, and an oblong creamy stripe along margin below lateral lobe.

Synthorax. Mesopreepisternum creamish. Synthorax black, with pale markings as follows: a short pale stripe on dorsal carina in mesothoracic triangle; ante-humeral stripe about ⅔ the length of mesepisternum, taper- ing posteriad; mesepimeron posteriorly with short and narrow stripe; stripe over lower side of synthorax from mesokatepisternum to posterior corner of metepimeron, dorso-posterior projection on metepisternum not reaching posterior margin; coxa of all legs with narrow stripe along posterior margin.

Legs —Black; tibiae of mid and hind legs white in distal ⁴ /₅.

Wings — Base of wings transparent, somewhat enfumed; both wings with opaque brown band distal to Ax8 in costal and subcostal space, wedge- shaped and reaching to first fork in Rs; quadrangle transparent; pterostigma of fore and hind wings dark brown.

Abdomen — Dorsum black, with lateral blue markings similar to nomino- typical form.

Female

Larger than nominotypical form; coloration very similar to that form, except for the coloration of the wings: fully brown, with base enfumed very dark, subtly merging towards the fully opaque distal part of the wing, distal to ca level of nodus; apex distal to middle of pterostigma paler, the tip opaque white.

Variation in paratypes

Measurements of male specimens [mm] — Hind wing length length (n =4) x= 27.5 (27.0–27.5), hind wing width (n = 4) x =7.0 (6.5–7.0); abdomen (in- cluding appendages) x =22.5 (22.0–22.5).

Measurements of female specimens [mm] —Hind wing length (n =3) x= 30.0 (29.0–31.0); hind wing width (n = 3) x =6.5 (6.5–7.0); abdomen (in- cluding appendages) (n = 3) x =21.5 (20.0–22.5).

Distribution and habitat

South-western Sulawesi. The limited number of observations suggests that this species occurs above ca 400 m a.s.l. However, we also have records of the sympatric R. monochroa from altitudes up to 1 0 0 0 m.

Remarks

We identified this taxon from a series in RMNH, collected in 1949 (the year 1948 on some labels is incorrect) at Borong Rapoa, a village on the flank of the Mt. Lompobatang, east of Makassar, by A. Diakonoff. Other specimens in RMNH included a female with label »C. S. Celebes, 670 m / S. Bone, Bu- ludua / vi.1935 / C. Veen« (in RMNH, JvT 22891), and one female from the same site, collected by L. Coomans de Ruiter on 27-iv-1941 (JvT 22890), which both agree with a female from the Borong Rapoa series. The Buludua

site presumably is at a distance of about 10 km WNW of Bulu Bulu (ca 4°51’32”S, 120°09’43”E; Buludua is just another spelling of the same place), since there is no place of more than 600 m altitude closer to that village. Recently, we have received two specimens collected about 20 km east of Padaelo (about 4°30’S, 119°47’E) at ca 700 m a.s.l., agreeing with the specimens mentioned above.

The status of these populations needs to be studied more in detail. We de- scribe these specimens as a separate subspecies, since we are unaware of any populations with characters intermediate between those from northern and those from southwest Sulawesi.

Fortunately, we were able to compare molecular characters (CO1) of these specimens with those of specimens collected near Manado (northern pe- ninsula, near the type locality). The results are equivocal. Nearly all specimens from the Minahassa agree to a large extend in molecular characters, and the specimens from SW Sulawesi differ in these characters. However, one specimen from the Minahassa is sister to the clade of the other Mina- hassa specimens plus the South-western population. These results are too preliminary to draw firm conclusions.

Figures

Figure 3. Rhinocypha frontalis, male. Stream Sg. Tumpa kecil, North Sulawesi, Bogani-Nani-Wartabone NP. Photo: AG (10-viii-2011)

Figure 24. Rhinocypha f. frontalis. Male, lectotype. [NHMUK 012500438]. Photo: B. Price, Natural History Museum, London

Figure 34. Rhinocypha frontalis sulselensis ssp. nov. Male, holotype. Sulawesi Selatan, Borong Rapoa, 20–23-viii-1949 [JvT 22887]. Photo: JvT

Figure 35. Rhinocypha frontalis sulselensis ssp. nov. Male, head, dorsal view. Locality as in Fig. 34. Artwork by JvT

Figures 36–37. Rhinocypha frontalis subspecies. Wings, female. 36 — Subspecies frontalis. Sulawesi Utara, surroundings Tondano, 09-vi-1940 [JvT 22866]; 37 — subspecies sulselensis. Sulawesi Selatan, Boeloedoea, vi-1935 [JvT 22891]. Both with same magnification. Photos: JvT