Platylestes kirani, Emiliyamma & Palot & Charesh, 2020

Emiliyamma, K. G., Palot, Muhamed Jafer & Charesh, C., 2020, A New Species Of Platylestes Selys (Odonata: Zygoptera: Lestidae) From The Coastal Area Of Kannur District, Kerala, India, Journal of Threatened Taxa 12 (13), pp. 16854-16860 : 16855-16860

Platylestes kirani sp. nov.

( Images 1–11 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:E71D153F-38AF-49C0-92DF-AEB9421F5DE0

Holotype: ZSI/WGRC/IR.INV/12167 , 20.viii.2017, male, India, Kerala, Edakkepuram, Kannur District (11.5836N & 75.1816E, 2m), coll. C. Charesh and Muhamed Jafer Palot.

Paratypes: ZSI/WGRC/IR.INV/12168 , 3.ix.2017, female,same data as holotype. ZSI/WGRC/IR.INV/12169 , 3.ix.2017, female, same data as holotype.

The holotype and paratypes are preserved wet in 70% ethyl alcohol. All the types are deposited in the NZC of WGRC, ZSI, Kozhikode.

Holotype male: Head: Labium creamy yellow with bluish tnge; labrum apple green, anterior tp black; mandibles and genae apple green; ante and post clypeus greenish-yellow with brownish tnge; postclypeus with a small black spot at the centre; frons dull greenish with three black, spots, the middle spot is bigger than other two lateral spots; vertex black; eyes apple green, area adjacent to vertex pale blue with small black spots; antennae brownish black, basal segment brownish, remaining segments pale black. Thorax: Prothorax: pale greenish-blue, with a black stripe similar to that of synthorax traversing from anterior to posterior lobe at the middle; a pair of black spots on the middle and posterior lobe laterally; synthorax bright olive green on dorsum, laterally greenish-yellow; a broad black stripe on the dorsum, straight on the inner border, outwardly crenulated expanded at the upper, middle and at the lower end; mid dorsal carina pale creamy at the middle of this marking; mesothoracic triangle black; humeral suture thin black, two small black spots at the upper and lower ends; four black spots on mesepimeron, two at its upper third, one over the spiracle and one at the lower third; metepimeron greenish-yellow with two black spots at upper and lower ends; pleura of fore coxa with a small black stripe; antealar sinus pale blue; undersurface of thorax pale yellowish- green with two black spots between the hind legs; legs pale yellowish-white with black stripes on extensor surfaces of femora and tbiae on forelegs, mid legs and hind legs; a black spot on each hind coxa, underside of each coxa black, claws black; wings hyaline, petolated as far as ac, pointed at apices; forewing with 10–11 and hindwing with 9–10 postnodal nervures; pterostgma short and broad, twice as long as broad, distal end straight, proximal end oblique and in line with brace, covering two cells, black, with creamy yellow at coastal, distal and proximal ends; abdomen greenish-yellow, with brown stripes on dorsum, similar to that in P. platystylus ; segment1 and2 bright yellowishgreen; segment 2 with a brownish spear mark with hook like shape at the botom, split at the middle; segments 3–6 with subdorsal brownish spots, pale yellow at both ends; segment 7 with yellow spot fused and extended laterally; segment 8 with a greenish-blue crescent marking; segment 9 and 10 black, without marking; segment 1 and 2 with small black spots ventrally; segments 2–6 with black apical rings, pale yellowishgreen with a blue tnge underside; anal appendages as in P. platystylus , creamy white, base of superior and inferior appendages black; superior appendages as long as segment 9, broad, forcipate, apices curving gradually in to meet with, blunt at apices, outer border with 3 big and 1 small spine near apices; inner border with a small membrane like expansion beginning from near the base as an obtuse knob and ends with a sharp spine, apex of superiors ends with a few white, delicate long hairs; inferior appendages less than half the length of superiors, ends at the middle of sharp spine of inner membrane like expansion of superiors, slender throughout its length, convergent and meet at extreme apices so as to enclose a small oval space, ends with a tuf of long, delicate, white hairs.

Type	Sex	Abdomen (mm)	Forewing (mm)	Hindwing (mm)
Holotype	Male	32	21	20
Paratype 1	Female	31	22	21
Paratype 2	Female	29	21	20

Female: Differs from the male in many aspects. The differences are follows: eyes pale greenish-yellow; labrum with a deep, median black spot; vertex pale brown with black patches; two black spots near the base of antenna; anterior lobe of prothorax brownish, middle lobe with two elongated black spots, middle and posterior lobe with pale brownish stripe as in male; synthorax dull green, laterally pale greenish-yellow; black stripe on dorsum of synthorax absent and with black spots as in P. platysylus ; two long black spots on the outer side of mesothoracic triangle; dorsum with 4 black spots of various sizes at the posterior half; anterior and posterior humeral stripe with black long spot at the base; mesepimeron with a big triangle black spot and another three spots at anterior part and a round spot at the posterior; metepimeron with two spots; ventral surface of thorax with two small spots at anterior and posterior parts; wings with 10–11 postnodals in forewings, 10 in hindwings; abdomen similar to male in markings, but pale colored, first and second abdominal segment with two small spots laterally. In the second specimen, the dorsum of synthorax with a black straight stripe, spots on synthorax similar to the first specimen; postnodals 9–10 in forewings, 8–9 in hindwings; abdomen pale brownish, markings similar to male. The anal appendages are creamy white, conical, blunt at tp, longer than segment 10; vulvar scale robust, black, extending up to the end of abdomen.

Diagnosis: This species can be easily distnguished from all other species of Platylestes , by its unique coloraton, distnct black marking on its synthorax and shape of anal appendages. This species is characterized from P. platystylus and P. heterostylus by its broad black band on synthorax and apple green coloraton.

The new species, Platylestes kirani sp. nov. is differentated from its close relatve, P. platystylus by the following set of characters ( Images 12 & 13 ):

1. Dorsum of synthorax with a broad black marking, its inner side straight, while its outer side crenulated expanded structure at three points (in P. platystylus , dorsum of synthorax without stripe, and with many black spots)

2. Synthorax apple green ( P. platystylus : pale khaki brown)

3. Apex of superior anal appendages blunt and rounded, meetng each other ( P. platystylus : apex is conical, not meetng each other, pointng downwards)

4. The colour of pterostgma is much darker than P. platystylus .

Etymology

The species is named afer the late C.G. Kiran, in recogniton of his outstanding contributon to the odonatology of Kerala. He co-authored the first Odonata book in Malayalam (local language) and popularized odontology among the nature enthusiasts of the region. He passed away in 2017, at an early age of 40 years. The species name kirani is used as a noun in the genitve case.

HABITAT AND DISTRIBUTION

The type locality Edakkepuram wetlands (11.5836N & 75.1816E) is about 5km north of Azheekkal estuary, where both Valapatanam and Kuppam rivers discharge water to the Arabian Sea. The locality is primarily a creek extending from Madackara (close to the estuary) to Edakkepuram and the water inflow is controlled by a sluice at Edakkepuram. The area was mainly a paddy field, bordered with a small patch of mangrove trees of Avicennia officinalis , Rhizophora mucronata , and Excoecaria agallocha on the bunds. The other mangrove associated species observed were Clerodendron inerme , Premna latfolia , Derris trifoliata , and Ipomoea companulata .

The swamp vegetaton was dominated by Nymphaea nauchali , Hydrilla vertcillata , Ipomoea aquatca , and a thick growth of Cynodon arcuatus grasses. The shoreline vegetaton was mainly of Mariscus javanicus , Colocassia esculenta , Ipomoea marginata , Impatens minor , Eclipta alba , Urena lobata , Cayreta trifolia , and Passiflora foetda .

The new damselfly species was mainly found foraging inside the shoreline vegetaton and occasionally restng on the stems of Colocassia plants or on the leaf blades of grasses and sedge ( Image 14 ). Interestngly, most of the specimens observed were males during the last two seasons. No breeding actvity was noted from the area.

Platylestes kirani sp. nov. is currently known only from the coastal wetlands of Kannur District, northern Kerala. Several individuals were located during the months of August, September, and October. The species frequented paddy-fields and mangrove wetlands, where the water was saline during the dry season. The type locality is typically dry from March to May. The species was found to be locally abundant during the short flight period from August to September or October. It was first sighted in the last week of August and seen throughout almost for two months. The locality is also shared by its close congener P. platystylus during the month of June to August. Other odonates collected or observed at the type locality include Agriocnemis pygmaea , Ceriagrion cerinorubellum , C. coromandelianum , Ischnura rubilio, Psuedagrion microcephalum, Acisoma panorpoides , Brachythemis contaminata , Brachydiplax sobrina , Crocothemis servilia , Diplacodes trivialis , Neurothemis tullia , Orthetrum sabina , Rhodothemis rufa , Rhyothemis variegata , Tholymis tllarga , Trithemis aurora , T. pallidinervis , and Anax gutatus .

Figures

Image 12. Comparison of genitalia. Male anal appendage: a—Platylestes kirani sp. nov. | b— Platylestes platystylus. Male secondary genitalia: c—Platylestes kirani sp. nov. | d— Platylestes platystylus. © K.G. Emiliyamma.

Image 13. Comparison of adult specimens of Platylestes kirani sp. nov. and P. platystylus: a—Platylestes platystylus - male | b—Platylestes platystylus - female | c— Platylestes kirani sp. nov. - male | d— Platylestes kirani sp. nov. - female

Image 14. Type locality of Platylestes kirani sp. nov.

Image 1–11. Platylestes kirani sp.nov. 1—Adult male | 2—Adult female | 3—Head and thorax of male | 4—Head and thorax of female | 5—Male and appendage - lateral view | 6—Male anal appendage - dorsal view | 7—Secondary genitalia of male | 8—Female anal appendage - lateral view | 9—Female anal appendage - ventral view | 10—Female anal appendage - dorsal view | 11—Wings. © K.G. Emiliyamma & C. Charesh.