Epigomphus wagneri, Haber, 2017

Haber, William A., 2017, Three new species of Epigomphus (Odonata: Gomphidae) from Costa Rica, Zootaxa 4282 (1), pp. 73-94 : 88-89

Epigomphus wagneri new species

Figures 1 d; 3c; 4c; 5e, f; 9c; 10c; 12.

Specimens examined. Holotype male: COSTA RICA, Provincia Puntarenas, Monteverde, Río Guacimal (10.27, - 84.82), 725 m, 27 June 2010, leg. WAH ( INBIO; INB 0004319188 ).

Etymology. This species is named for David Wagner, a brilliant entomologist, naturalist, and gomphid enthusiast, who roused my passion for the Odonata , and who has proven to be a trusted friend and travel companion on many expeditions in Costa Rica and Ecuador.

Description. Male holotype. Head with maximum width 7.0 mm ( Fig. 1 d), dark brown above; labrum with a pair of large pale spots near lateral margins; base of mandible and gena pale; top of frons with a pale stripe covering anterior 2/3, indented in middle but unbroken; antennae all dark; eyes blue in life; lateral ocelli slightly closer to eye margin than to center line; postocellar area with only a shallow central depression; posterior margin of occiput with a rounded ridge, the ridge bearing a pair of collapsed small tubercles on dorsum; rear margin of ridge weakly indented in dorsal view; underside of head pale in anterior half, shading to dark in posterior half.

Thorax dark brown with a pattern of pale markings similar to E. subobtusus ( Fig. 1 d; 9c). Prothorax fore lobe with pale anterior margin; midlobe with a pair of contiguous pale spots in center and a pale spot on each side; hind lobe dark; propleuron pale on lower margin. Pterothorax with mesepisternum bearing two complete pale antehumeral stripes, both separate from collar stripe; mesepimeron with a complete pale stripe in center; metepisternum with a broad stripe that narrows posteriorly and ends almost separated from a posterior spot; metepimeron mostly pale bordered above by brown and with a thick central brown stripe about 2/3 as long as the segment; mesinfraepisternum with a pale spot at upper end and a larger pale triangle at lower end; metinfraepisternum all pale; metasternum pale; underside pale, unmarked. Legs. Fore and mid legs with femur mostly black, shading to brown at base and to lighter brown on posterior side; interior side of foreleg pale; hind femur light brown, shading to dark brown at apex. Wings hyaline ( Fig. 3 c) with brown to black venation; basal subcostal veins present; cubito-anal crossveins 3 in all wings; FW Ax 18, 17 with 6, 6 thickened; Px 13, 14; HW Ax 13, 14 with 6, 7 thickened; Px 13, 13; pterostigma dark red-brown, opaque, 3.3 mm in FW, 3.6 mm in HW; crossveins above supratriangle between arculus and point of branching of RP 6, 6 in FW, 4, 4 in HW; posttriangular cell space in FW with two rows of cells for 9, 8 cells.

Abdomen dark brown with pale markings; S1–4 with a pale dorsal mid line (wider on S1–2); S1–2 mostly pale on sides, S3 with a pale lateral stripe 3/4 length of segment; S4–6 with a basal pale triangle on sides; S7 2 /3 pale; S8–10 and appendages unmarked; S10 with a low dorsal hump barely grooved on mid line.

Abdominal appendages. Cercus ( Fig. 4 c; 10c) 2.2 mm long, shaped as in E. subobtusus ; distal transverse edge with 7 small teeth; epiproct forming a thick fused plate with short branches and a short, broad U-shaped sinus; in lateral view a hump at mid length where branches curve downward, then directed rearward to an abrupt dull acute apex; in ventral view the sinus indented at two levels ( Fig. 4 c).

Secondary genitalia. Vesica spermalis ( Fig. 5 e, f) similar to other Costa Rican species in having a ventral protuberance on the dorsal lobe, but differs from others in that the horns are pointed vertically as in E. camelus ( Fig. 11 g) and E. quadracies ( Calvert 1903) ( Fig. 11 h), while those of other Costa Rican species are directed rearward.

Measurements (mm). Total length 47; abdomen 36; FW 33; HW 31, maximum width 8.0.

Female. Unknown.

Diagnosis. Thoracic pattern and cercus shape as in E. subobtusus , epiproct shorter than cercus with short, weakly differentiated branches, and the sinus between the branches shallow and broadly U-shaped.

Natural history. E. wagneri is known only from the male holotype. The specimen was a mature male that was perched at 11:00 hr, apparently on a territory, on a dead stick projecting from a shallow, partly shaded pool in a spring stream at the interface of forest and pasture. No larvae of E. wagneri were found during numerous visits to the area spanning seven years.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Epigomphus bosquenuboso: lateral scans of a) male; b) female. E. morrisoni: c) lateral scan of male. E. wagneri: d) lateral scan of male.

FIGURE 3. Wings of male Epigomphus, dorsal view: a) E. bosquenuboso, b) E. morrisoni, c) E. wagneri.

FIGURE 4. Abdominal appendages of Epigomphus species: a) E. bosquenuboso lateral view, ventral view; b) E. morrisoni, lateral view, ventral view; c) E. wagneri lateral view, ventral view.

FIGURE 5. Distal segment of vesica spermalis of Epigomphus species with lateral view on left, dorsal view on right. E. bosquenuboso: a, b; E. morrisoni: c, d; E. wagneri: e, f. E. bosquenuboso female: g) dorsal view of head; h) vulvar lamina.

FIGURE 11. Distal segment of the vesica spermalis of Epigomphus species, lateral view: a) E. obtusus; b) E. hylaeus; c) E. occipitalis; d) E. paludosus; e) E. tumefactus; f) E. armatus; g) E. camelus; h) E. quadracies; i) E. echeverrii; j) E. subobtusus; k) E. subsimilis.