Lestes tikalus, Kormondy, 1959

Kormondy, E. J., 1959, Lestes tikalus, N. Sp. and other Odonata from Guatemala, The Ohio Journal of Science 59, pp. 305-312 : 307-310

Lestes tikalus , new species.

Figures 1, 2, 4, 5

Holotype male.— Labium brownish yellow, movable spine of palpus black; mandibles yellowish-brown to brown at base, black at tips; labrum pale blue becoming brown; anteclypeus blue becoming black; postclypeus and frons brown to black (a narrow yellow line along dorsoanterior edge of postclypeus in holotype); vertex dark metallic green darkening to black; posterior of epicranium with broad border of dark brown; rear of head becoming pruinose, pale but with considerable black in older individuals, pale yellowish-brown to brown around foramen.

Prothorax becoming wholly pruinose over a yellowish-brown base color. Thorax becoming wholly pruinose, base color brown; middorsal thoracic carina yellow (brown in older individuals and continuous with narrow border of brown); each mesepisternum with a metallic green stripe extending from basal ramus, one-fifth to one-fourth as wide as mesepisternum itself, narrowing posteriorly before abruptly widening ventrally at five-sevenths its length to about one-half the width of the mesepisternum, separated from the middorsal carina and antealar carina by a brown area as wide as the anterior width of the stripe, separated from humeral suture by a pale to dark brown stripe (wider anteriorly) plus pruinose blackish which together are twice as wide as the stripe; mesepimeron pale brown with a centrally located metallic green stripe, roughly triangular in form with the apex posterior, one-half the width of the mesepimeron at base and in older individuals grading imperceptibly into dark brown which also covers the metepisternum posteriorly from the spiracle; metepisternum in younger individuals pale brown, dark brown around the spiracle; an elongate black spot ventrally on both the anterior and posterior end of the metepimeron which is pale brown anteriorly, dark brown posteriorly. Femora brown, with three black lines which are superior, anterior, and inferior, respectively. Tibiae dark above, pale below; tarsi black.

Wings reaching to middle of abdominal segment 6; membrane hyaline, wing veins and stigma brownish black. Postnodals: forewings, 9-12 on left, 10-11 on right; hindwings, 8- 12 on left, 9-11 on right. M stem arises at the lower fourth of the upper limb of the arculus; Rs and M3 at or slightly distal to level of apex of quadrangle; M2 at midlevel between third and fourth to midlevel between fourth and fifth postnodal in forewing, at or before third to midlevel between third and fourth in hindwing; anal cross vein at considerably before the midlevel of antenodals in forewing, just or considerably before in hindwing. Mia is zig-zag its full length. M3 reaches hind end of wing at or beyond level of outer end of stigma in both wings. Stigma surmounts two cells. CU 2 12 -19 cells long in forewing, 10-15 in hindwing.

Abdomen becoming pruinose on segments 1, 2, and 7-10; dark metallic green becoming black dorsally; brown laterally on segments 1-6; segments 7-10 dark brown; segments 1-7 with a basal, dorsally-interrupted transverse pale blue ring, 2 -6 with a lateroapical pale blue spot which becomes black. Pattern otherwise obscure.

Superior appendages 1.5 times as long as side of segment 10, two-thirds the length of segment 9; brown at base, black apically. In dorsal view, appendages curved toward each other in their distal halves, distal margin of outer edge denticulate; inner edge of each appendage bears at one-fifth its length an acute tooth directed mesocaudad followed by a lamina with an almost straight nondenticulated margin for about one-fourth the length of the appendage, the lamina terminating in an acute caudomesad-directed spine, which is succeded by a concavity, and this in turn by a small rounded triangular protuberance at twothirds of the appendage length; distal half of appendage bearing a dorsal groove on the proximal three-fourths. In profile view, the proximal two-thirds almost straight, the distal third curved downward.

Inferior appendages nearly or fully as long as superiors, brownish-black, uniformly curved toward each other. In profile view, the proximal two-fifths wider than distal threefifths.

Abdomen (including appendages), 31.3 mm (29.5-33.0); hindwing, 19.9 mm (19.0-20.5); stigma, 1.3 mm.

Described from five males from Guatemala as follows: Department Peten, Tikal , March 7, 1956, I. J. Cantrall, No. 101, 1 ♂ (HOLOTYPE) ; Department Petén, Uaxactun , May 6, 1931, A. Murie, 2 ♂ ; Department Izabal, Los Amates , June 22, 1909, E. B. Williamson, 2 ♂. The specimens are deposited in the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology except for one paratype male from Uaxactun which is deposited in the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. The specimens from Uaxactun and Los Amates were found among a series of undetermined Lestes in the UMMZ.

Allotype female.— Head as in male except labrum black, clypeus brown and lacks yellow stripe.

Prothorax as in male. Thorax color pattern as in male except as follows: middorsal thoracic carina pale, not bordered by black; mesepisternum lacking pruinose black area; mesepimeron and metepisternum lacking dark brown except around spiracle.

Wings as in male except as follows: postnodals in forewings, 10 on left, 11 on right, and in hindwings, 10 on left, 11 on right; M2 arises just beyond midlevel of third and fourth postnodal in forewing, just beyond third postnodal in hindwing; M3 reaches hind end of wing at level of middle of stigma in hindwing; CU 2 in forewing 16 (left), 17 (right) cells long, in hindwing 14 (left), 13, (right).

Abdomen with slight pruinosity on segments 1 and 8; slight metallic green reflection on segments 2-4, otherwise brownish-black; basal rings on segments 3-7 pale (blue?); segments 2-5 with lateral apical pale (blue?) spot. Appendages brownish-black.

Ovipositor black with brown area dorsad on base of outer valves; cerci as long as side of segment 10; valves extend as far as the extreme end of the abdomen; posterolateral margins of basal plate of ovipositor angulate, the angle produced into an acute process almost as long as length of basal plate.

Abdomen (including appendages), 29 mm; hindwing, 20.3 mm; stigma, 1.3 mm.

Described from a single female labeled, “ Guatemala: Department Petén, Tikal , February 20, 1956, I. J. Cantrall, #59, ’' and deposited in the type collection of the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology .

The female is considered to be correctly associated with the male because of the similar peculiarities of the color pattern of the thorax, venation of the wing, and capture in the same locality (campsite at Tikal).

The relationships of Lestes tikalus are those with typical species of the genus. The male superior appendages are nearest Lestes scalaris ( Calvert, 1909, p. 94 and Pl. I, fig. 18) in regard to the inner edge except that the lamina in tikalus terminates in an acute spine much as in L. mediorufus ( Calvert, 1909, pp. 97-98 and Pl. II, fig. 24). The inferior appendages in tikalus are as long as the superiors, whereas in scalaris they are noticeably shorter. The thoracic color and color pattern of tikalus is different from scalaris , but grossly similar to that in forficula ( Klots, 1932, p. 77; Clavert, 1928, pp. 5-8; and when compared with a series of 13 males in the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology collection including 2 from Cuba, 2 from Mexico, 3 from Jamaica, and 6 from the Dominican Republic). In tikalus the mesepisternal stripe is abruptly widened ventrally to twice its width at the upper end whereas in forficula , widening, if present, is slight and uniformly gradual; the mesepimeron stripe is two to three times wider than that in forficula : inner edge of appendages of the male tikalus bears a second spine as long as the basal one, with the intervening lamina smooth whereas in forficula there is no second spine and the lamina is denticulated.

The following modifications in Calvert’s key (19 0 1, p. 48) will permit separation of Lestes tikalus from L. forficula :

aa. Each mesepisternum with a metallic green stripe one-fourth to one-sixth (or less) as wide as mesepisternum itself, upper end usually widened.

aa1. Upper end of mesepisternal green stripe not abruptly widened, if at all; mesepimeron stripe narrow, one-eighth to one-tenth as wide as long; superior appendages of male with an acute basal tooth and a convex median dilatation on inner side, the lamina of which is denticulated; inferiors almost as long as the superiors, reaching beyond the level of the apex of the median dilata­ tion thereof....................................................................................... 4. forficula

aa2. Upper end of mesepisternal green stripe abruptly widened to about twice its width; mesepimeron stripe roughly triangular in form, about as wide anteriorly as long; superior appendages of male with an acute basal tooth and a median dilatation on the inner side, the lamina of which is non­ denticulated and terminates in an acute tooth as long as the basal one; inferiors as long as the superiors..................................................... 18. tikalus

The habitat of Lestes tikalus , based on the tikal material, appears to be aguadas (see description of Aguada Sibal antea) in lowlands and coastal plains (Los Amates).