Coeliccia lecongcoi, Phan, 2019

Phan, Quoc Toan, 2019, Coeliccia lecongcoi sp. nov., a new damselfly from the Central Highlands of Vietnam (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platycnemididae), Zootaxa 4551 (4), pp. 471-478 : 472-478

Coeliccia lecongcoi sp. nov.

( Figures 1–6 , 9 , 11–12 , 15–17 )

Holotype. ♂, Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve (15.147 N, 107.752 E, altitude 1008 m), Kon Tum Province, the Central Highlands of Vietnam, 06.v.2018, Quoc Toan Phan leg.

Paratypes. 10 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀, same data as holotype ; 7 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, Ayun Commune , Kon Ka Kinh National Park (14.367 N, 108.536 E, altitude 1000 m), Gia Lai Province, the Central Highlands of Vietnam, 20.v.2018, Quoc Toan Phan leg.

The holotype male, four paratype males and two paratype females from Ngoc Linh Naturre Reserve are deposited in the Zoological collection of Duy Tan University, Danang, Vietnam; other paratypes are deposited in the author’s private collection.

Female specimen used for description. 1♀, same data as holotype .

Etymology. The new species is named after Mr. Le Cong Co, the first president of Duy Tan University on the occasion of his retirement, to commemorate his many years of service to the University.

Description of holotype. Head ( Figs 3–4 ). Labium pale yellow, movable hooks black; labrum and postclypeus shining black; anteclypeus blue with a ventral black spot on on either side; blue from genae extending above forming a cross stripe above postclypeus but interrupted medially by ventral extension of black from epicranium ( Fig. 3 ); antennae black except distal surface of first segment yellow; epicranium matte black, ocellus yellow with two narrow spots adjacent to lateral ocelli and two larger pale spots behind anterior ocellus ( Fig. 4 ); rear of head matte black except for a pair of rear-shaped yellow spots.

Thorax ( Fig. 9 ). Prothorax black dorsally but covered by pruinosity, propleuron yellow; mesepisternum black with a pruinose spot bordering mesothoracic cross sutures; mesepimeron black with a large rectangular pruinose spot covering dorsal two-thirds; mesinfraepisternum black, ventral margin adjacent to mesocoxa yellow; metepisternum yellow with incomplete narrow black metapleural stripe ending ventrally above spiracle; metinfraepisternum yellow with a brown spot, venter of thorax yellow.

Legs. Coxae, femora and tibiae yellow, extensor surface black; tarsi and armature black.

Wings. Hyaline, 17 Px in FW and right HW, 18 Px in left HW. Pt brown with narrow pale margin, covering 1.5 and 1 underlying cells in FW and HW respectively.

Abdomen ( Fig. 1 ). S1 yellow, black dorsally; dorsal half of S2–8 black becoming pale yellow ventrally and with black anterior margins; S9 black with posterior margin yellow; S10 entirely yellow.

Genital ligula simple with terminal segment divided at base into a pair of long, bluntly tipped, flagellae (as in Fig. 2c in Phan 2017).

Anal appendages ( Figs 5–6 ) yellow, cercus as long S10, in lateral view ventrally expanded at midlength, bearing a small black ventromedially directed tooth; in dorsal view expanding from base along inner margin forming a subtriangular basal spur, then narrowing apically forming a rounded tip thus exposing midventral expansion and tooth, cercus dorsally with a rib-like apical ridge extending to tip. Paraproct longer than cercus, expanded at base, becoming narrower at level of ventral tooth of cercus, dorsally with medially curved tip and ending in a small black tooth; in lateral view paraproct curving slightly ventrally at apex.

Measurements (in mm). HW 27; abdomen (incl. appendages) 42.

Description of female. Head ( Figs 7–8 ). Coloration of head similar to male, but pale color yellow; pale stripe between lateral ocelli and base of antennae longer, almost reaching antennae and, in addition, another pair of pale stripes running from base of antennae to compound eye margin.

Thorax ( Figs 2 , 11–12 ). Prothorax black with yellow markings; anterior pronotal lobe mostly black with two small dorsolateral yellow spots; middle pronotal lobe with two midlateral yellow spots; posterior pronotal lobe in dorsal view divided into a central subtriangular part with narrow lateral arms originating near base and directed dorsally and lateral parts decumbent and projecting posteriorly ( Fig. 12 ); in lateral view posterior pronotal lobe erect with tip slightly curving anteriorly ( Fig. 11 ); smaller lateral lobe projecting posteriorly; propleuron yellow. Synthorax with a narrow yellow antehumeral stripe on mesepisternum; remainder of thorax as in male but lacking pruinosity and with metinfraepisternum mostly yellow ( Fig. 2 ).

Legs as in male.

Wings. Hyaline, 16–17 Px in FW and HW. Pt surmounting 1.5 cells in all wings.

Abdomen ( Fig. 2 ). S1 yellow, dorsal surface and posterior margin black; dorsal half and ventral of S2–7 black, remainder yellow; S8 yellow except basal half black; S9 dorsally yellow, black laterally; S10 entirely black. Cerci black, ovipositor black with yellow near base and along dorsal margin to apex.

Measurements (in mm). HW 29; abdomen (incl. appendages) 39.

Variation in paratype males. A male from Ngoc Linh with S7–8 entirely black without lateral yellow line as in holotype ( Fig. 1 ). The pruinose spot on mesepisternum of males from Kon Ka Kinh slightly longer than in males from Ngoc Linh. The rectangular-shaped pruinose area on mesepimeron of synthorax of four males from Ngoc Linh and three males from Kon Ka Kinh are paler than those of holotype, probably due to acetone treatment. In three males from Ngoc Linh and two males from Kon Ka Kinh, the blue from genae not interrupted above postclypeus as in holotype. Px vary 17–19 in FW and 17–18 in HW; measurements ranges from HW 27–29 and abdomen (incl. appendages) 40–43.

Variation in other paratype females. Virtually identical, except that lateral parts of posterior pronotal lobe of two specimens from Ngoc Linh and one specimen from Kon Ka Kinh are shorter (these possibly probably broken during preservation process) than for described paratype female. Px vary 18 in FW and 17 in HW; measurements ranges from HW 27–29 and abdomen (incl. appendages) 39–40.

Compound eyes of the male and female in life are bi-colored, green ventrally, black dorsally ( Figs 15–17 ), not yellow as in holotype and paratype female ( Figs 1–2 ).

Differential diagnosis. In Vietnam, the male of four species C. duytan , C. hayashii , C. lecongcoi and C. mattii share a similar large pruinose spot on the synthorax and share a similar genital ligula that easily separates them from most of other species. Male of C. lecongcoi , like C. duytan , differs from C. hayashii by lacking an antehumeral stripe. Coeliccia hayashii differs from C. duytan , C. lecongcoi and C. mattii by its spoon-like tip of the flagella of the genital ligula ( Fig. 4c in Phan & Kompier 2016) whereas the tip is acute in C. duytan and C. lecongcoi ( Fig. 2c in Phan 2017) or triangularly tipped in C. mattii ( Fig. 4g in Phan & Kompier 2016). The combination of the following characters of Coeliccia mattii will distinguish it from C. duytan and C. lecongcoi : the mostly pruinose synthorax, cerci blunt at tip, triangularly tipped flagella of genital ligula and posterior pronotal lobe with a simple flattened projection in the female ( Figs 3c, 4g, 5b in Phan & Kompier 2016).

Coeliccia lecongcoi differs from C. duytan by the following characters: the male of C. lecongcoi with metepisternum yellow and with pruinosity on sides of the synthorax confined to the mesepimeron ( Fig. 9 ); in C. duytan ( Fig. 10 ) metepisternum mostly black with pruinosity covering both metepisternum and mesepimeron; the female of C. lecongcoi differs from C. duytan by the shape of two lateral projections on the posterior pronotal lobe of the prothorax, these lobes are pointed in C. lecongcoi and are comparatively longer ( Fig. 12 ); the medial lobe in C. duytan is more broadly oval and shorter ( Fig. 14 ). The female of C. lecongcoi differs from C. mattii by posterior pronotal lobe possessing two lateral projections in the former species while this structure is simple in C. mattii ( Fig. 5B in Phan & Kompier 2016). The female of C. hayashii is still unknown.

Habitat and Ecology. The type locality consisted of small streams (2–4m width) interspersed with large stones within dark, dense vegetation in pristine forest. Coeliccia lecongcoi shares this habitat with some other dark shade loving damselflies including Protosticta caroli van Tol, 2008 , Protosticta socculus Phan & Kompier, 2016 , Devadatta cyanocephala Hämäläinen, Sasamoto & Karube, 2006 , Cryptophaea vietnamensis (van Tol & Rozendaal, 1995) and Burmagiolestes sp. No other species of Coeliccia was found here.

Figures

FIGURE 15. Photo of a paratype male Coeliccia lecongcoi sp. nov. in Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve before capture.

FIGURES 16–17. Coeliccia lecongcoi sp. nov. in tandem. (16) in Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve & (17) in Kon Ka Kinh National Park.

FIGURES 1–2. Habitus of Coeliccia lecongcoi sp. nov. (1) holotype ♂ & (2), paratype ♀.

FIGURES 3–8. Structure features of Coeliccia lecongcoi sp. nov. (3–6), holotype ♂ & (7–8), paratype ♀. (3, 7), head in frontal view; (4, 8), head in dorsal view; (5, 6), anal appendages in dorsal and lateral view.

FIGURES 9–10. Male synthorax of (7), Coeliccia lecongcoi sp. nov. holotype ♂ & (8), C. duytan, rearranged from Phan (2017).

FIGURES 11–14. Prothorax of female of Coeliccia spp. (11,12), C. lecongcoi sp. nov., paratype ♀ & (13, 14), C. duytan, rearranged from Phan (2017).