Phyllogomphus bongorum Kipping, Mézière & Dijkstra, 2015

Klaas-Douwe B. Dijkstra, Jens Kipping & Nicolas Mézière, 2015, Sixty new dragonfly and dasmelfly species from Africa (Odonata), Odontologica 44, pp. 447-678 : 603-606

Phyllogomphus bongorum Kipping, Mézière & Dijkstra sp. nov. – Bongo Leaftail

(Type Photo 42, Photos 26, 55–56, Fig. 26)

Taxonomy

Belongs to the three-striped group of Phyllogomphus Selys, 1854 (Dijkstra et al. 2006) and morphologically nearest to the sympatric P. annulus Klots, 1944 but distinct in details of genetics, coloration and male appendages ( Fig. 26).

Material studied

Holotype ♂. RMNH.INS.508064, Gabon, Haut-Ogooué Province, Batéké Plateau, 18 km NW of Léconi, sandy stream in dense gallery forest, tributary to Léconi River, at forest edge, 425 m a.s.l. (1.447218°S 14.166175°E), 29-ix-2013, leg. J. Kipping, RMNH.

Further material. GABON (Haut-Ogooué Province): 1 ♂ as holotype, leg. N. Mézière, CJKL. 1♂ (RMNH.INS.508045), 1♀ (RMNH.INS.508044), same locality, 10-ix-2014, leg. J. Kipping, CJKL.

Male morphological diagnosis

Nearest to the sympatric P. annulus by (a) large size, Hw 40.0–40.5 mm (n =2); (b) the entirely dark brown labrum, clypeus, frons, vertex and occiput with only a narrow green bar centrally across the frons; (c) the smooth border of the occiput without denticles; (d) the complete yellow postdorsal, mesepimeral and metepimeral stripes on the thorax but no ante-humeral and metepisternal stripes; (e) the stout posterior hamule with its posterior border semi-circular ( Fig. 26); (f) the black S4–6 with pairs of yellow basal spots; (g) the uniformly reddish brown S8–10; (h) the many anteriorlydirected denticles on the hump of the dorsal crest of S10; and (j) the brown cerci that are scarcely longer than the epiproct and have broad truncate apices and a rectangularly kinked outer border ( Fig. 26). However, (1) the posterior hamule is even less drawn out ( Fig. 26); (2) the yellow basal spots on S4–7 extend onto the underside of the abdomen, i.e., are not interrupted by black ventrally or even completely reduced; (3) the denticles on the hump of S10 are relatively larger and thus fewer in number, i.e., 25–26 instead of 31–42; (4) the lateral excavations of the apical border of S10 lack fringes of hair; (5) the apices of the cerci are even shorter; (6) the ventral flanges of the cerci that can be seen touching each other between the cerci in dorsal view have an acute rather than obtuse border; (7) the ventral tooth of the cerci is long and sharply pointed, rather than round and blunt; and (8) the epiproct is not abruptly widened close to its base, i.e., the subbasal hump visible in lateral view on its dorsal profile in P. annulus is absent ( Fig. 26).

Etymology

Named after the Bongo pygmies that live under harsh conditions where the species was found (plural genitive noun).

Range and ecology

Known only from a very clear sandy stream in dense gallery forest at 425 m a.s.l. on the sandy Batéké Plateau in south-eastern Gabon. Both sexes were found hunting along forest edges ( Photo 56) in the forest-grassland mosaic among the much more numerous P. annulus .