Phyllogomphoides Belle, 1970

Torres-Pachón, Mónica, Novelo-Gutiérrez, Rodolfo & Ruiz-Sanchez, Eduardo, 2019, A synopsis of Phyllogomphoides Belle, 1970 (Odonata: Gomphidae) of Mexico: taxonomy and distribution, Zootaxa 4634 (1), pp. 1-67 : 5-10

Phyllogomphoides Belle, 1970

Phyllogomphoides Belle, 1970: 112 [Studies on the Fauna of Suriname and other Guyanas 11 (43)] Type species by original designation: Gomphoides fuliginosa Hagen in Selys, 1854 .

Description. Relatively large-sized Gomphidae with short legs and clear wings except for yellow at wing base. Body color pattern mostly dark brown to black, with three to five complete pale stripes on pterothorax and pale, creamy yellow spots on abdomen.

Male. Head: Face mostly pale covered with few to numerous long, dark, stiff setae; labium mostly pale, submentum pale to light brown; labrum mostly pale with a thin to wide, light brown to blackish-brown stripe on anterior border, posterior border pale to brown, sometimes with a small, brown medial U-shaped spot; mandibles pale basally, tips reddish-brown to black; ante-, postclypeus and frons pale to dark brown ( Fig. 1 ); antennal scape dark brown with apical rim creamy pale, pedicel brown to black, sometimes with a minute apical rim creamy pale and flagellum brown to black; vertex pale to dark brown, depressed area between ocelli with a pale spot variable in size, ocelli yellow; occiput dark brown with a medium to large, trapezoid, central pale spot, its posterior border fringed with long, stiff, reddish-brown to black setae ( Fig. 2 ).

Thorax: Pronotum pale to reddish-brown, with a pale middorsal twin-spot on posterior margin of middle and posterior lobes. Pterothorax reddish-brown, with three to five stripes; middorsal thoracic carina pale to dark brown; antealar crest dark; first antehumeral stripe variable, connected or not to pale mesothoracic collar, forming an inverted “7” and reaching border of antealar crest superiorly; second antehumeral stripe complete or discontinuous; mesepimeral stripe wider than second antehumeral stripe covering 70–90% of mesepimeron, more or less parallel-sided, gradually widening above; metepisternal stripe complete or discontinuous, usually encircling spiracle; metepimeral stripe usually forming and inverted “L” reaching subalar carina; metaposternum and pectus pale to brown ( Figs. 3–4 ). Legs: coxae and trochanters ventrally pale, dorsally light brown; femora mostly light brown, distally dark reddish-brown, anterior femora broadly pale ventrally; tibiae, tarsi and pretarsal claws reddish-black to black; armature black, protibiae with modified scale-like spines on distal half of external border, long and slender spines on internal borders. Wings: hyaline, tinged with yellow to brown at extreme base, venation light brown to black, anterior margin of costae yellow to entirely black in all wings. Basal subcostal crossveins present; second primary antenodal crossvein the 6th, 7th or 8th in fore wings, the 6th or 7th in hind wings; antenodal crossveins in both Fw and Hw 16–25; postnodal crossveins in both Fw and Hw 10–17. Triangles 2–4-celled, usually 3-celled, in both wings; subtriangles 0–4-celled, usually 2-celled; supratriangles 2–4 celled, usually 3-celled; anal triangle 4–5- celled. Pterostigmata yellowish-brown to dark brown ( Fig. 5 ).

Abdomen: Dark color reddish-brown to black on dorsum, light brown laterally. Pale coloration creamy yellow as follows: a stripe middorsally and ventrally on tergum on S1; a middorsal stripe, auricles, and a posteroventral, narrow, vertical spot on S2; a middorsal stripe and a broad basoventral spot on S3–6, and basal half of S7; S8 with pale streaks. Foliation on S8 and S9 reduced ( Fig. 7 ) to well-developed ( Fig. 6 ), smooth or scalloped, with the edge smooth or spiny. Accessory genitalia: Anterior lamina entire, and its anterior margin is variable in each species: straight ( Figs. 45, 47 ), undulate ( Fig. 51 ), widely or shortly convex at middle or middle part projected ventrally as a subtrapezoid tubercle ( Fig. 55, 61 ); anterior hamule tricolored, broad anteriorly, with mesal margin and apex entire ( Figs. 67–68 ), or with mesal margin notched (Figs. A–D) or broadly emarginate (E–F) or with mesal margin entire but apex cleft forming two branches (Figs. G–H); posterior hamule subcylindrical, uniformly colored, with a blunt or sharply pointed apical spine directed mesally, with abundant long and short whitish hairs ( Figs. 8–10 ). Vesica spermalis : V1 bifid with a small to large tooth on middle, V2–3 of usual type as described Garrison et al. 2006 and Needham et al. 2014; V4 with 2 short or long flagella not reaching or surpassing well beyond the posterior margin of V1. Caudal appendages: Cerci, in dorsal view, semicircular-forcipate, a dorsomesal basal tooth or dorsomesal apical tooth directed medially, tips flattened laterally, with a dorsal spine variable, and a ventral spine present or absent; a short to moderately developed, subbasal, ventrolateral spine present or absent; ventral surface and apices with pale to black coloration. Epiproct brown, V-shaped, tips sharp with few, short, whitish hairs ( Figs. 11–14 ).

Total length: P. bifasciatus , P. duodentatus and P. pacificus are small to medium-sized (55–63 mm); while P. albrighti , P. enriquei , P. indicatrix , P. luisi , P. nayaritensis and P. pugnifer are medium-sized (58–68 mm). Furthermore, P. apiculatus , P. danieli , P. stigmatus and, P. suasus are medium to large-sized (64–73 mm).

Female. Similar to male but stouter. Vulvar lamina: bifid with a deep cleft; tip of lobes rounded to slightly acute, reaching 1/4 the length of S9 or shorter; a tuft of scarce to abundant hairs under lamina; some species with a posterodorsal tubercle ( Figs. 15–16 ). Caudal appendages: Cerci, in dorsal view, cone-shaped, wide at the base and gradually narrowing posteriorly, usually with abundant long setae; tips very acute.

Distribution. Phyllogomphoides has been registered in 20 out of 32 states of the Mexican republic, representing 62.5% of the states. According to its presently known distribution, Phyllogomphoides has two principal distribution patterns in Mexico: the fauna of East Coast (Gulf of Mexico), and the fauna of West Coast (Pacific Coast) ( González-Soriano & Novelo-Gutiérrez 1985; González-Soriano & Novelo-Gutiérrez 1990). Likewise, Phyllogomphoides is mainly a lowlands genus, whose maximum altitude record does not exceed 1700 masl.

Natural history. Most of species inhabit running watersincluding rocky streams and rivers with muddy or sandy banks with decayed leaves. Larval microhabitats is usually characterized by the presence of black detritus and litter along margins of slow flowing or still water bodies. Phyllogomphoides larvae can be classified ecologically as sluggish hiders: slow movement individuals that conceal themselves usually under a cover of leaf and/or leaf detritus combined with fine sediment such as silt and mud ( Novelo-Gutiérrez et al. 2018; Tennessen 2019).

Figures

FIGURES 1–5. General morphology of adult Phyllogomphoides spp. 1) Head, frontal view, P. nayaritensis, female; 2) Head, dorsal view P. apiculatus, female; 3) Thorax, left lateral view P. nayaritensis, male; 4) Thorax, left lateral view P. pugnifer, male; 5) Anterior and posterior wings P. pacificus, male.

FIGURES 6–10. Details of the abdomen of Phyllogomphoides spp. 6) Abdominal segments S8–10 and foliations, left lateral view P. albrighti, male; 7) Abdominal segments S8–10 and foliations, left lateral view P. duodentatus, male; 8) Accessory genitalia, ventral view P. albrighti, male; 9) Accessory genitalia, ventral view P. pacificus, male. 10) Accessory genitalia, ventral view P. apiculatus, male.

FIGURES 43–52. Male accessory genitalia, ventral and ventrolateral view. 43–44) P. albrighti; 45–46) P. apiculatus; 47–48) P. bifasciatus; 49–50) P. danieli; 51–52) P. duodentatus.

FIGURES 53–62. Male accessory genitalia, ventral and ventrolateral view. 53–54) P. enriquei; 55–56) P. indicatrix (alcoholic teneral specimen); 57–58) P. luisi; 59–60) P. nayaritensis; 61–62) P. pacificus.

FIGURES 63–68. Male accessory genitalia, ventral and ventrolateral view. 63–64) P. pugnifer; 65–66) P. stigmatus; 67–68) P. suasus.

FIGURES 11–16. Details of the abdomen of Phyllogomphoides spp. 11) Caudal appendages, dorsal view P. pacificus, male; 12) Caudal appendages, dorsal view P. duodentatus, male; 13) Caudal appendages, dorsolateral view P. pacificus, male; 14) Caudal appendages, dorsolateral view P. albrighti, male; 15) Vulvar lamina, ventral view P. luisi, female; 16) Vulvar lamina, lateroventral view P. duodentatus, female.