Paraphlebia zoe Selys

Novelo-Gutiérrez, Rodolfo, 2008, Description of the larva of Paraphlebia zoe Selys in Hagen, 1861 (Odonata: Megapodagrionidae), Zootaxa 1876, pp. 29-34 : 29-33

Paraphlebia zoe Selys in Hagen

Figs. 1–9

Material. — One exuviae (Ψ, reared), one F0 larva (Ψ), seven F2? larvae (5ɗ, 2Ψ), two young instars (ɗ, Ψ). MEXICO: Veracruz; Municipality of Tlapacoyan, El Muro (900 m), 19° 57' 41" N; 97° 12' 40" W, 13-IV- 2004, 1 Ψ(emerged on 25-IV-2004); Municipality of Teocelo, Teocelo (1,019 m), 19° 23' 07" N; 96° 58' 18" W, 26-VIII-1988, 3 ɗ, R. Novelo leg.; V-1985, 3 Ψ, 1ɗ, E. González leg.; Puebla; Municipality of Zihuateutla, Km 12 road Dos Caminos - La Unión (580 m) 19° 11' 02' N; 97° 06' 05" W, 23-VII-1987, 2 ɗ, 1Ψ, R. Novelo leg. Deposited at Colección Entomológica del Instituto de Ecología, A.C. ( IEXA), Xalapa.

DESCRIPTION: Larvae dark brown, exuviae light brown; body short and robust, legs short, epiproct and paraprocts strongly inflated and setose.

Head. — Twice as broad as long ( Fig. 1 ), wider than thorax and abdomen, occipital margin widely concave, cephalic lobes rounded and densely covered with longitudinal rows of short, stout, forwardly bent, stiff setae; compound eyes small, total area they occupy on the head smaller than cephalic lobes; interocular area more than twice the width of compound eye. Labrum reddish brown, with long and stiff setae; anteclypeus light brown, with a row of long, stiff setae on boundary with postclypeus; remainder of head with robust, short setae. Antennae 7-segmented ( Fig. 2 ), shorter than length of head, scape and pedicel brown, remainder of antennae yellowish brown, pedicel the longest, relative size of antennomeres: 0.60, 1.0, 0.5, 0.4, 0.3, 0.2, 0.1. Mandibles ( Fig. 3 ) with the following formula (Watson 1956): L 1'1234 0 a (m 1,2+3) b d; R 1'1234 y ab. Molar crest set in a soft, fleshy area, this molar crest more developed on left mandible ( Fig. 3 a); in both mandibles a>b; on right mandible 4>3>2<1, on left mandible 4>3>2>1. Ventral pad of hypopharynx ( Fig. 4 a) subquadrangular with anterior margin widely convex, lateral margins convex and converging posteriorly, posterior margin concave, and a short, blunt, conic protuberance at postero-lateral angles of hypopharynx ( Fig. 4 b); apical half with long, stiff setae on lateral and anterior margins. Maxilla: Galeolacinia ( Fig. 5 ) with 7 teeth and a row of stiff setae preceding both ventral and dorsal teeth; the three dorsal teeth long, sharp, and moderately incurved, approximately of same size; the four ventral teeth of different size, the apical one the longest. Labium yellowish brown to reddish brown. Articulation of prementum-postmentum reaching posterior margin of procoxae. Prementum subquadrangular, slightly wider than long ( Fig. 6 a), with lateral margins finely serrate; ligula ( Fig. 6 b) four times wider than long, with distal margin serrate, serrations short and blunt; median cleft deep, reaching basal margin of ligula, v-shaped apically, and with a minute spine on each side of median cleft but not contiguous to it; some finely scattered setae on dorsal (internal) surface of ligula, and a tuft of long setae on base of outer side of each lobe of ligula. Premental palp ( Fig. 6 c) with three end hooks shorter than movable hook, median one the longest, internal one short and blunt; internal margin of palp finely serrate and sharp; external margin of palp smooth with a group of fine setae on basal third; movable hook sharply pointed.

Thorax. — Pronotal disc subrectangular, twice as wide as long, anterior margin straight, lateral margins strongly convex, posterior margin sinuous, surface yellowish with a brown, circular, mound-like area on each side of midline ( Fig. 1 ); margins and dorsal surface covered with stiff setae which are longer and more robust on lateral margins; propleuron dark brown. Synthorax light brown with transverse, dark brown stripes ( Fig. 1 ). Wing sheaths pale, anterior pair reaching basal half of tergite 4, posterior pair reaching posterior margin of tergite 4. Meso- and metasternum with long, stiff setae. Legs short (tip of metatibiae scarcely surpassing posterior margin of tergite 10 when fully extended), pale, femora with a wide, diffuse, dark band on middle of external surface, an apical dark ring, some dark strikes at basal end; dorsal and ventral borders of femora and external and internal borders of tibiae with dense rows of red, stout, stiff setae, intermingled with long, white setae; apical borders and subapical internal area of tibiae with large, robust, reddish, spiniform setae; tibiae longer than femora in all the legs. Ventral surface of tarsi with a dense brush of white, short, fine setae, dorsal surface with some long, white, fine setae. All setae on legs simple. Tarsal claws simple, with a small pulvilliform empodium.

Abdomen. — Wider at base, and gradually narrowing posteriorly. Tergites with a complex color pattern, but usually dark on sides with a wide, middorsal pale stripe ( Fig. 1 ); tergites 1–10 with short, stiff setae, which are longer and more abundant on lateral and posterior margins; a tuft of long, stiff, reddish setae to each side of pale, longitudinal band on posterior margin of tergites 1–10. Sternites pale with a complex color pattern; 1– 10 with long, stiff setae. Male gonapophyses absent. Female gonapophyses ( Fig. 7 ) exceeding posterior margin of 10 by the same length of 10; lateral gonapophyses in ventral view ( Fig. 7 a) with tips rounded and with a minute subapical spine, ventral and dorsolateral borders with a dense row of long, stiff setae on basal 0.70; in lateral view as in Fig. 7 b; central gonapophyses smooth and slightly longer than lateral ones, bluntly tipped. Female cerci triangular in dorsal and lateral views, 0.75 times as long as segment 10 ( Fig. 7 b). Male cerci long ( Fig. 8 ), digitiform, curved ventrad, and applied closely for their entire length to the hind surface of segment 10. Gills: Saccoid type ( Figs. 1 , 9 ), dark brown, composed of a strongly inflated portion at basal 0.60, articulated to a thick caudal filament at apical 0.40, separated from each other by a well-defined nodus ( Fig. 9 ). Dorsal margin convex, strongly carinate. Lateral gills (paraprocts) strongly convex on external surface, concave on internal surface, and slightly convex on ventral side; dorsal carina, external surface, and caudal filament densely covered with stout, stiff setae. Central gill (epiproct) strongly convex laterally, ventral margin carinate, all surfaces covered with stout, stiff setae, mainly on dorsal carina and caudal filament.

Measurements (in mm): Exuviae (N = 1): Total length (without gills), 18; maximum width of head, 5.2; hind femur, 4.3; gills: laterals, 5.9; central, 4.9. F0 larva (N = 1): Total length, 20; maximum width of head, 5; hind femur, 4; gills: laterals (lost), central 5.1.

Remarks. — Larvae of Paraphlebia zoe inhabit seepages in both open and forested places. Seepages in open places are located usually alongside roads, often on rocky walls covered by bryophytes, and are permanently bathed by water. In forested conditions, seepages occur on rocky walls and/or over the ground close to these walls. Larvae crawl under vegetation where they conceal themselves in the mud.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Details of morphology of the larva of Paraphlebia zoe. 1) Dorsal aspect of F 2 larva. 2) Right antenna, dorsal view. 3) Mandibles: a – c, left mandible, d – f right mandible; 3 a, ventro-internal view; 3 b, detail of the molar crest, ventro-external view; 3 c, detail of the molar crest, dorso-internal view; 3 d, ventral view; 3 e, molar crest, ventro-internal view; 3 f, detail of the molar crest, dorsal view. 4) Hypopharynx: a, ventral view; b, lateroventral view.

FIGURES 5 – 9. Details of morphology of the larva of Paraphlebia zoe. 5) Left galeolacinia, ventral view. 6) Labium: a, dorsal view of prementum; b, detail of ligula, dorsal view; c, detail of right palp, ventro-external view. 7) Abdominal segments 9 – 10 showing female gonapophyses: a, ventral view; b, left lateral view (gills detached). 8) Abdominal segment 10 showing male cerci: a, ventro-caudal view; b, left lateral view (gills detached). 9) Abdominal segment 10 showing the epiproct (superior) and left paraproct (inferior) (ce = cercus; ep = epiproct; pp = paraproct).