Paraphlebia itzamna Ortega-Salas, Jocque & González-Soriano, 2022

Ortega-Salas, Héctor, González-Soriano, Enrique & Jocque, Merlijn, 2022, Untangling the waterfall damsels: a review of the Mesoamerican genus Paraphlebia Selys in Hagen, 1861 (Odonata: Thaumatoneuridae) with descriptions of 11 new species, Zootaxa 5089 (1), pp. 1-66 : 18-19

Paraphlebia itzamna Ortega-Salas, Jocque & González-Soriano sp. nov.

Figs. 10 (head ♂ Bw), 23–24 (thorax ♂ Bw ♀), 45 (wings ♂ Bw), 80, 87 (appendages ♂ Bw), 114, 128 (posterior lobe of prothorax ♂ Bw ♀), 132 (S8– 10 ♀), 151 (map), 159 (habitus ♂ Bw).

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CE8B1547-C58A-46B9-999C-AD647EC6B588

Holotype. HONDURAS • 1 ♂; Cortés, San Pedro Sula, Parque Nacional Cusuco (2); 15.4844°N, 88.2294°W; 1250 m; 29 Jun 2012; M. Jocque leg.; IBUNAM; IBUNAM:CNIN:OD22988.

Paratypes. HONDURAS • 1 ♂; Atlántida, Tela, Jardín Botánico Lancetilla ; [15.73°N, 87.44°W]; 100 m; V. Hellebuyck leg.; IBUNAM; IBUNAM:CNIN:OD22719 • same data but 2 ♂♂; Cortés, San Pedro Sula, Guanales camp, CNP; 15.4888°N, 88.2359°W; 1191 m; 29 Jun 2012; M. Jocque leg.; RG; BINCO_HON_12_036 • same data but 1 ♂; MJ; BINCO_HON_12_041 • same data but 4 ♂♂; RBINS; BINCO_HON_12_042 BINCO_HON_12_043 • same data but 32 ♂♂; 15.4888°N, 88.2368°W; 1174 m; MJ; BINCO_HON_12_044 to 045 • same data but 2 ♂♂; Santo Tomas, Tr 3, CNP; 15.5219°N, 88.2901°W; 1319 m; 26 Jul 2012; I. Argueta leg.; BINCO_HON_12_046 • same data but 1 ♂; Parque Nacional Cusuco (2); 15.4844°N, 88.2294°W; 1250 m; 29 Jun 2012; M. Jocque leg.; IBUNAM; IBUNAM:CNIN:OD22989 • same data but 1 ♀; Parque Nacional Cusuco (6); 1300 m; IBUNAM:CNIN: OD22993 • same data but 2 ♂; Parque Nacional Cusuco, Río Guanales (1); 1250 m; I. Argueta leg.; IBUNAM: CNIN:OD22986 to 22987 .

Etymology. Named itzamna /ɪtˈsɑmnɑ/ (L. noun in apposition), after Itzamna (also Itzamnaaj) the Mayan creator god. God of writing and esoteric knowledge.

Description of holotype

Head. Chiefly black, labrum dark glossy blue, anteclypeus with medial and lateral brown spots; postclypeus with pale lateral spots, frons with paired pale spots between eye and antennae, vertex with two pale spots anterolateral to lateral ocelli, occiput with complete pale occipital bar, eyes brown; antennal scape with pale distal margin, pedicel and flagellum light brown.

Thorax. Prothorax: chiefly black; medial and posterior lobe with pale lateral edges; see Fig. 114 (paratype) for morphology. Pterothorax: chiefly black with diffuse green metallic reflections on mesepisternum and mesepimeron; see Fig. 23 for colour pattern; legs pale with dark markings; coxa pale with dark spots, pruinose anteriorly; trochanter pale; femora with pale flexor surfaces; tibiae and tarsi light brown; joints of femora and tibia black, dorsal ridge on femora mostly black; claws reddish.

Wings. Black tip covering one-fifth of wing length and including pterostigma; FW with one post-quadrangular cell, vein that descend from subnodus at the first post-quadrangular Vx; CuA in HW forked, field between CuA and posterior margin with one extra sector and one supplementary vein. Px: FW 44/39, HW 37/36.

Abdomen. Black with pale areas as follow: S2 with ventrolateral horizontal lines; S3–7 with diffuse basolateral spots; S9–10 and cerci pruinose on dorsum.

Caudal appendages. Cerci: see Fig. 80 for morphology. Paraprocts:superior lobe rudimentary, only distinguished by a transverse groove; inferior lobe in lateral view smoothly rounded.

Measurements. Abdomen: 43, FW: 38.2, HW: 37.

Variation in males. In back-tipped males, variation was found in the extension of the black colouration on the pterothorax. A male from Lancetilla has a mostly pale sternum with black markings restricted to the area next to the ventral carina and a hint of a pale line at the mesopleural suture. Pale colouration on hyaline wing males more extensive: complete second pterothorax line turquoise in life, metepimeron with a wider contour line, the upper segment widening posteriorly up to half of the thickness of the metepimeron, forming a triangular area. Black tip varies slightly in extent (covering 10–14 and 8–9 Px in FW and HW respectively). Vein that descends from the subnodus in FW proximal to the first post-quadrangular Vx by one to two-fifths of the underlying cell length, field between CuA and posterior margin sometimes with two extra sectors. In some individuals, FW with vein that descends from the subnodus can be slightly distal to the first Vx.

Measurements. Abdomen: 40.0–46.0, FW: 35.0–39.5, HW: 33.5–39; Px: FW 38–48; Px: HW 34–42.

Description of female paratype

Head. As in male.

Thorax. Prothorax: pale with blackish medial elongated mark on posterior half of posterior lobe, about one-third length of lobe; see Fig. 128 for morphology. Pterothorax: see Fig. 24 for colour pattern; black markings on sternum diffuse; depression mesad to mesostigmal lobe in mesostigmal plate rounded.

Wings. Hyaline, with a slightly amber tint; Px: FW 39/39; Px: FW 31/35.

S1–7 as in male but pale markings more extensive; S8 dorsal pale spot present; S9 pale dorsal spot mushroom shaped, widened posteriorly. Ovipositor ending beyond tip of cerci.

Diagnosis. Paraphlebia itzamna belongs in the group of species with the mediodorsal flange of the cerci poorly developed; that is, the maximum width of the flange is less than 1.5x the maximum width of the distal lobe. This species is unique in having the mesal margin of the mediodorsal flange convex, in dorsal view its greatest width at its proximal end, then it narrows towards the middle and finally widens again towards its distal end ( Fig. 80a ). In most other species of the group this margin is either slightly and smoothly curved or straight and the widest section is always at the distal end ( Figs. 73–79 ).

Distribution. Northwest Honduras: Cusuco National Park and the Lancetilla Botanical Garden in Cortés and Atlántida departments, respectively, from 100–1300 m.a.s.l.

Figures

FIGURES 2–11. Paraphlebia spp. colour pattern of head, frontal view.

FIGURES 105–116. Paraphlebia spp. posterior lobe of prothorax frontal view (105–107); dorsal view (108–116).

FIGURES 20–27. Paraphlebia spp. colour pattern of thorax.

FIGURES 79–84. Paraphlebia spp. caudal appendages (a) dorsal view; (b) mediodorsal view (79–80) W – maximum width of mediodorsal flange, w – maximum width of the distal lobe; dorsal view (81); lateral view (82, 84); posterior view (83).

FIGURES 117–128. Paraphlebia spp. posterior lobe of prothorax dorsal view.

FIGURES 73–78. Paraphlebia spp. caudal appendages. (a) dorsal view; (b) mediodorsal view. W – maximum width of mediodorsal flange, w – maximum width of the distal lobe.