Cyclogomphus flavoannulatus, Rangnekar & Dharwadkar & Sadasivan & Subramanian, 2019

Rangnekar, Parag, Dharwadkar, Omkar, Sadasivan, Kalesh & Subramanian, K. A., 2019, A new species of Cyclogomphus Selys, 1854 (Insecta: Odonata: Gomphidae) from the Western Ghats, India with comments on the status of Cyclogomphus vesiculosus Selys, 1873, Zootaxa 4656 (3), pp. 515-524 : 516-520

Cyclogomphus flavoannulatus sp. nov.

(Figs. 01–09, 13, 17–28; Map–01)

Holotype. 1♂ preserved dry and pinned (NCBS, Bengaluru, Registration number: NCBS–BH763 ). India, Goa , South Goa District , Dharbandhora Taluka, Surla Village (N15.4111, E 74.200, 58 m asl), 14.ix.2013, Omkar Dharwadkar leg.

Allotype. 1♀ preserved dry and pinned (NCBS, Bengaluru, Registration number: NCBS–BH764 ); India, Goa , South Goa District , Dharbandhora Taluka, Surla Village (N15.4111, E 74.200, 58 m asl), 8.x.2018, Omkar Dharwadkar leg.

Paratype. 1♂ preserved in 100% ethanol (NCBS, Bengaluru, Registration number: NCBS–BH765 ); India, Kerala, Kollam district, Thenmala town (N8.9632, E77.0651, 140 m asl), 19.ix.2014, NCBS Team and Kalesh Sadasivan leg.

Etymology. The species epithet indicates the distinct broad yellow rings in abdominal segments S3–S7.

Description of holotype. Head. Face shining black marked with bright yellow. Vertex black with a pale greenish yellow ridge between the eyes; occiput black; median ocellus transparent and lateral ocellus coffee brown in colour. Postfrons with transverse broad yellow stripe; antefrons shining black; antennae black with yellow basal segment; postclypeus with dumbbell–shaped bright yellow band with narrow central part and broad outwardly rounded region; yellow band extends down to the lower half of the eyes. Basal half of labium and mandibles bright yellow and shining black distally. Labrum bright yellow with an inverted broad black triangular mark. Eyes dark green above and light green below which turns into brown upon dry preservation ( Figs. 2 & 3 ).

Thorax. Prothorax: Anterior lobe yellow, middle and posterior lobe black, with a short yellow stripe in propleuron. Pterothorax: Shining black marked with bright yellow stripes; mesothoracic collar short and yellow; antealar sinus with anteriorly pointed dagger–shaped yellow mark; three broad yellow spots present in–between the wings with the middle one being the broadest. Mesepimeron with broad yellow stripe pointed above; a small superior yellow humeral spot present; metepisternum and metepimeron with broad yellow bands separated by shining black band with a small yellow spot towards the dorsal side ( Fig. 4 ). Legs black, the yellow stripes on the mesepimeron and metepimeron extend to the coxa of the hind and midleg. Foreleg has a yellow spot on the femur, hind leg short with femur extending up to the first abdominal segment when extended ( Fig. 4 ).

Wings. Transparent, pterostigma braced, light brownish black covering three cells; a single row of post–anal cells in forewing and four in hind wing; anal loop absent; hind wing angulated; anal triangle 3–celled; one cubital nervure in all wings; discoidal cell and sub–trigone entire; discoidal cell with distal side longest, nearly double the length of basal side in hind wing; forewing discoidal cell an approximate equilateral; two rows of cells between MA and MP; two rows of cells between RP 2 and IRP 2 in wing border of fore– and hind wing; one row of cells between CuA and MP; a basal incomplete nervure in all wings; sectors of Arc diverging from the Arc, 2–3 nervures in forewing and two in hind wing between Arc and bifurcation of Rs; nodal index 9–13/13–8; 8–10/10–8 ( Fig. 1 ).

Abdomen. Abdomen black marked with bright yellow as follows; S1 yellow laterally; S2 with yellow dorsal and lateral markings; S3 with thin backwardly tapering dorsal yellow line extending to more than two–thirds of the segment length; S3–S6 cylindrical; S3–S7 each with a broad basal yellow ring constricted mid–dorsally on S3–S6, expanded ventro–laterally on S7–S9; S8–S9 with narrow basal ring with broad lateral marking extending to half or more than half of the segments. S10 with broad basal yellow ring ( Fig. 1 ).

Accessory genitalia. Lobe of genitalia enormously enlarged, black, posterior hamules very long and projecting prominently from the genital sac, with its apices pointed and turned outwards ( Fig. 7 ).

Anal appendages. Completely black, epiprocts longer than cerci. Cerci scalpel–shaped, bent downwards as seen in lateral view, with a backward and downward pointing spine, divergent from half way down the length. Epiprocts widely divaricate, almost pointing in opposite directions; tip curled inwards and downwards, a small bulging projection just distal to its middle down the length ( Figs. 5, 6 , 8, 9 & 12 ). The curled tip of epiprocts in the holotype is due to drying of the specimen. In live specimens photographed from field (20, 27b) the tips of epiprocts are straight.

Measurements (in mm). Hindwing 25, abdomen 29.

Allotype female. Similar to the male ( Figs. 22–25 ).

Paratype male. Similar to the holotype ( Figs.17–21 ).

Measurements (in mm). Allotype female: Hindwing 26.5, abdomen 31. Paratype male: Hindwing 24, abdomen 29.

Differential diagnosis. Cyclogomphus flavoannulatus can be distinguished by the absence of black Y–shaped lateral thoracic markings and the markings on the abdomen in both male and female. In contrast, C. gynostylus ( Figs. 31 & 32 ) and C. heterostylus each have two black Y–shaped lateral thoracic markings whereas C. wilkinsi ( Fig. 29 ) and C. ypsilon ( Fig. 30 ) each have one black Y–shaped lateral thoracic marking. Abdominal segments S3–S7 of C. flavoannulatus each have only a distinct basal yellow ring while S3–S7 additionally has a yellow mid–dorsal stripe in C. wilkinsi and a yellow oval spot in C. ypsilon . The abdominal marking of C. heterostylus is similar to that of C. ypsilon and in C. gynostylus the S4-S6 has complete narrow basal rings and laterally expanded broad yellow ring in S7 ( Figs. 31–32 ). The new species also differs from its congeners by the unique shape of the anal appendages ( Figs. 5, 6 , 8–16 ). The caudal appendages of C. ypsilon (not illustrated) is similar to that of C. wilkinsi ( Figs. 10 & 14 ) but branches of epiprocts shorter with yellow base and black outer half.

Habitat and Ecology. The holotype and female paratype from Goa were collected from a moist–deciduous forest with two perennial streams with riparian evergreen trees. Other gomphid species observed in the locality were Merogomphus longistigma (Fraser, 1922) , Microgomphus souteri Fraser, 1924 and Gomphidia koduguensis Fraser, 1923 . The paratype male from Kerala was recorded from a garden pond in a homestead, where a male was found perched on bank vegetation at a height of 1.5 m from the ground. The flight was rather slow and ill–sustained, and when disturbed they took to the wing but settled down on the undergrowth few meters further away. The flight period is September–October.

Geographic Distribution. The species is recorded from the Western Ghats between 8–15°N in the states of Goa and Kerala (Map–01).

Figures

FIGURES 1–7. Cyclogomphus flavoannulatus holotype: (1) habitus, dorsal view; (2) head and thorax, dorsal view; (3) head, front view; (4) head, thorax and S1–S3, lateral view; (5) anal appendages, dorsal view; (6) anal appendages, lateral view; (7) accessory genitalia, lateral view.

FIGURES 8–16. Anal appendages of the species of genus Cyclogomphus: (8) C. flavoannulatus, holotype, dorsal view; (9) C. flavoannulatus, holotype, ventral view; (10) C. wilkinsi, dorsal view; (11) C. heterostylus, dorsal view; (12) C. gynostylus, dorsal view; (13) C. flavoannulatus, holotype, lateral view; (14) C. wilkinsi, lateral view; (15) C. heterostylus, lateral view; (16) C. gynostylus, lateral view.

FIGURES 22–25. C. flavoannulatus allotype female: (22) habitus, lateral view; (23) head, front view; (24) S4–S10, lateral view; (25) head and thorax, dorsal view.

FIGURES 17–21. Cyclogomphus flavoannulatus paratype male: (17) habitus, lateral view; (18) head, front view; (19) right fore and hindwings; (20) S7–S10, dorsal view, (21) S7–S10, lateral view.

FIGURES 29–32. Field photographs of Cyclogomphus species: (29) Cyclogomphus wilkinsi ♂; (30) Cyclogomphus ypsilon ♂; (31 & 32) Cyclogomphus gynostylus ♀.