Phyllogomphoides stigmatus ( Say, 1840 )

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 : 38-39

Phyllogomphoides stigmatus ( Say, 1840)

Aeshna stigmata Say, 1840: 17–18 [Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 8] (♀)

Gomphoides stigmatus . Needham (1904: 687–688) [Proceedings United States National Museum 27] (larvae)

Gomphoides stigmatus . Needham & Heywood (1929: 64) [A handbook of the dragonflies of North America] (♂)

Type. Not examined.

Type repository. Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique ( IRSN). (Not examined).

Material studied: Total specimens: 11♂♂, 5♀♀, distributed like thus: 11♂♂, 5♀♀ ( UNAM). MEXICO: Coahuila; Cuatrociénagas , La Poza Azul (26º55’21.2’’N, 102º7’23.6’’W), elevation 730m, 3 September 2010, M. Trujano et al. leg., 1♀; same locality but: 10 July 2013, H. Ortega-Salas et al. leg., 1♂; Cuatrociénagas, Antiguos Min- eros del Norte , Las Teclas (26º47’16.59’’N, 102º0’7.16’’W), elevation 708m, 7 July 2013, H. Ortega-Salas leg., 1♂; Cuatrociénagas, Churince, Poza Churince (26º50’26.27’’N, 102º8’3.02’’W), elevation 768m, 9 July 2013, H. Ortega- Salas leg., 1♂, 1♀; Cuatrociénagas, Rancho Orozco, Poza Escobedo (26º53’27.72’’N, 102º5’10.82’’W), elevation 725m, 3 July 2013, H. Ortega-Salas leg., 2♂♂, 1♀; same locality: Poza Orozco (26º52’20.08’’N, 102º5’19.01’’W), elevation 745m, 5 July 2013, H. Ortega-Salas et al. leg., 1♂; same locality: Poza Tio Cándido (26º52’’10.94’’N, 102º4’41.72’’W), elevation 723m, 5 July 2013, H. Ortega-Salas et al. leg., 2♂♂, 1♀; Cuatrociénagas, Rancho Pro- natura-Pozas Azules (26º49’36.5’’N, 102º1’23.3’’W), elevation 708m, 30 August 2012, H. Ortega-Salas et al. leg., 1♂; same locality: 8 July 2013, 1♂; same locality: Mezquital (26º48’55.86’’N, 102º1’35.39’’W), elevation 718m, 8 July 2013, H. Ortega-Salas et al. leg., 1♂, 1♀ .

Description of male. Body brown, with five pale stripes on pterothorax.

Head: Face mostly pale; labium pale, submentum light brown; labrum mostly pale with a thin, light brown band on posterior border; mandibles pale basally, tips black brown; clypeus and antefrons completely pale, postfrons with a thin blackish-brown stripe at the union with vertex; antennal scape and pedicel brown with an apical rim creamy pale, flagellum brown; vertex light brown, depressed area between ocelli with a large, wide pale spot; occiput pale with lateral border light brown, posterior border straight and fringed with long, stiff, light brown setae ( Fig. 28 ).

Thorax: Pronotum brown, with anterior lobe mostly pale and a big pale middorsal spot on middle and posterior lobes, sometimes pale spots laterally. Pterothorax brown, with five pale stripes as shown in Fig. 28 ; middorsal thoracic carina pale; first antehumeral stripe widely connected to pale mesothoracic collar forming an inverted “7” reaching border of antealar crest superiorly; second antehumeral stripe continuous, widdening at upper end; mesepimeral stripe wide, two or three times wider than second antehumeral stripe, covering most of mesepimeron (90–95%), more or less parallel sided, widdening at upper end; metepisternal stripe continuous, similar in width that mesepimeral stripe, covering the 95–100% of the length of metepisternum, almost encircling the spiracle; metepimeral stripe very wide, wider than metepisternal stripe reaching subalar carina, covering the 95–100% its length; metaposternum pale; pectus completely yellow. Legs: Coxae and trocanters mostly pale; femora mostly pale with a dorsal, longitudinal brown stripe; tibiae, tarsi and pretarsal claws dark brown, armature black. Wings: Hyaline, tinged with brown at extreme base, venation light brown, costae with a continuous well-defined yellow line in all the wings; second primary antenodal crossveins the 7th in FW, the 7th in HW; antenodal crossveins: FW 19–21, HW 14–15; postnodal crossveins: FW 10–12, HW 11–13; second series of antenodal crossvein in FW 21–23 and HW 16–17; triangles 3 or 4-celled; subtriangles 3 or 4-celled; supratriangles 3-celled and sometimes 4-celled; anal triangle 4 or 5-celled; pterostigma dark brown.

Abdomen: Reddish-brown on S1–2, black on S3–7, S8–10 light brown with some pale spots laterally. Pale coloration creamy yellow as follows: a middorsal stripe 0.85–0.90 tapering posteriorly, and the ventral 0.60–0.80 of tergum on S1; a middorsal stripe, auricles, and a posteroventral, wide, vertical spot on S2; a middorsal stripe 0.90–0.95 tapering posteriorly, and a broad basoventral spot on basal 0.40–0.50 of S3; a middorsal stripe on basal 0.80–0.90 tapering posteriorly, a broad basoventral spot on basal 0.25–0.30 of S4; a middorsal stripe on basal 0.70– 0.75 tapering posteriorly, a broad basoventral spot on basal 0.20–0.25 of S5; a middosral spot on basal 0.20–0.25, a broad basoventral spot on basal 0.20–0.25 of S6; basal half of S7; S8–10 with pale strikes on basoventral 0.40–0.50 its length. Foliation on S8–9 well-developed and scalloped, foliation on S8 increasing suddenly in width caudally, ending in a wide rounded lobe which surpasses by 0.50–0.60 mm the anterior margin of S9, its edge is smooth, maximum width of foliation 0.90–1.20 mm; foliation on S9 0.50–0.55 mm wide, the same width along the entire, smooth margin ( Fig. 41 ). Accessory genitalia: Anterior lamina thick, entire, anterior margin concave, posterior margin moderately elevated posteriorly in the middle; in ventral view, anterior hamuli tumid anteriorly, cleft apically forming two branches, internal branch ending in a slightly acute tip curved dorsally, external branch larger, ending distally in a hooked tip directed dorsally, with a transversal, large semicircular, excavate area on external surface at midlength of hamuli, mesal margin entire and more or less straight. Posterior hamuli light yellow, more or less subcylindrical, abruptly widening posteriorly, with a median, black, short, bluntly pointed tip directed mesally, with abundant long and short light brown bristle-like setae ( Figs. 65–66 ). Vesica spermalis : V1 bifid with a large tooth on middle, V2–3 of usual type, V4 with 2 relatively short flagella not reaching posterior margin of V1. Caudal appendages: Cerci with moderately long and light brown setae, largerly bright yellow, light brown at basal 0.05–0.10, apices black brown; a dorsomesal blunt tooth, 0.20–0.26 mm length, at basal 0.69–0.75 directed medially, followed by a subapical, shelf-like carina; tips of cerci very flattened laterally and produced apically into a dorsal, wide spine; in lateral view inferior corner of tip rounded, no ventral spine on tip; in ventral view, tip of cercus with a short, curved, subapical carina, apex rounded; ventral subbasal spine absent. Epiproct entirely pale except the black extreme tips, in dorsal view narrowly V-shaped, branches gradually narrowing apically, tips separate from each other by a distance of 0.45–0.75 mm; in lateral view branches strongly up-curved, in ventral and dorsal views with few, short, whitish hairs ( Fig. 102–104 ).

Measurements (measures are an average): TL, 68.15–73 (70.1); AL, 49–57 (52); FwL, 40–44 (40.66); HwL, 38–40 (39.33); FwW, 9.0–9.25 (9.08); HwW, 10.5–11 (10.83); cerci length, 3.15–3.25 (3.2).

Female. Similar to male, with the following differences: Head: Face mostly pale covered with little short, dark, stiff setae; labium pale, submentum dark brown; labrum completely pale; vertex black brown, depressed area between ocelli with a large and wide pale spot, ocelli yellow; occiput pale, posterior border straight, with few, short, light brown setae. Thorax: Wings: Antenodal crossveins: FW 19–21, HW 16–16; postnodal crossveins: FW and HW 11–13; subtriangles 2 or 3-celled, rarely 5-celled; supratriangles 2 or 3-celled; anal triangle 8 or 9-celled. Abdomen: Pale as follows: A middorsal stripe 1.0 of leght tapering posteriorly, and the ventral 0.80 of tergum on S1; a middorsal stripe, and a basoventral, wide, vertical spot on S2; basal half of S6. Foliation on S8–9 very wide and scalloped, foliation on S8 increasing suddenly in width caudally, ending in a wide rounded lobe which surpasses by 0.40 mm the anterior margin of S9, its edge with a row of seate on 0.40–0.50 of length, maximum width of foliation 0.46–1.00 mm; foliation on S9 the same width along the entire, smooth margin, 0.36–4.0 mm wide ( Fig. 117 ). Vulvar lamina: Short, occupying 0.23 the length of S9, in ventral view ( Fig. 137 ) V-shaped, lobes triangular, red, with few stiff yellow setae, tips separated each other by a greater distance than the basal width of each lobe; posterior margin without a posterodorsal tubercle; in lateral view as in Fig. 138 . Caudal appendages: Cerci long, longer than S10, conical, sharply pointed, light yellow, with abundant long setae ( Fig. 117 ). Epiproct light brown, laminar-shaped widely rounded at tip, quite visible in dorsal view.

Measurements (average in parenthesis): TL, 66.03–70 (67.52); AL, 48–50 (49.33); FwL, 41–42 (41.66); HwL, 39–41 (40); FwW, 8.91–9.50 (9.13); HwW, 10.5–11 (10.66); VlL, 0.56–0.64(0.59); cerci length, 2.34–2.53 (2.46).

Comparative diagnostic notes. This species closely resembles P. albrighti (see notes under P. albrighti ). Phyllogomphoides stigmatus can be separated from all other species by abdominal segments 8–10 brown with extensive yellow or orange (S8–10 mainly black).

Flight season. July, August, and September.

Distribution. Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas ( Fig. 152 ). In other country: USA.

Natural history. Phyllogomphoides stigmatus inhabits ponds and slow reaches of streams with muddy bottom and heavy vegetation ( Abbott 2006, 2007). According to the records, this species has an altitudinal distribution in Mexico from 708 to 768masl.

Figures

FIGURES 23–29. Head and thorax, lateral view. 23) P. indicatrix, male (alcoholic teneral specimen); 24) P. luisi, male; 25) P. nayaritensis, male; 26) P. pacificus, male; 27) P. pugnifer, male; 28) P. stigmatus, male; 29) P. suasus, male.

FIGURES 37–42. Abdominal segments S8–10 and caudal appendages, left lateral view. 37) P. luisi, male; 38) P. nayaritensis, male; 39) P. pacificus, male; 40) P. pugnifer, male; 41) P. stigmatus, male; 42) P. suasus, male.

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

FIGURES 96–107. Male caudal appendages, dorsal, lateral and ventral view. 96–98) P. pacificus; 99–101) P. pugnifer; 102– 104) P. stigmatus; 105–107) P. suasus.

FIGURES 114–118. Female abdominal segments S8–10 and caudal appendages, left lateral view. 114) P. nayaritensis; 115) P. pacificus; 116) P. pugnifer; 117) P. stigmatus; 118) P. suasus.

FIGURES 131–140. Female vulvar lamina, ventral and ventrolateral view. 131–132) P. nayaritensis; 133–134) P. pacificus; 135–136) P. pugnifer; 137–138) P. stigmatus; 139–140) P. suasus.

FIGURES 151–152. Maps of geographical distribution. 151) P. pugnifer; 152) P. stigmatus.