Neoneura bilinearis Selys 1860

Wasscher, Marcel T. & Van, Johan G., 2013, The true identity of Neoneura bilinearis Selys, 1860, with the synonymy of N. gaida Rácenis, 1953, and the description of N. confundens sp. nov. (Odonata: Protoneuridae), Zootaxa 3599 (1), pp. 19-36 : 21-24

Neoneura bilinearis Selys 1860

Figs. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 and 14 .

Neoneura bilinearis Selys 1860: 460 (description male, female)

Caenoneura bilinearis: Kirby 1890: 136 (designation of type species)

Neoneura gaida Rácenis 1953: 155 –158 (description male), 157 (figures); Machado 2004: 41 –42 (description female); Garrison 1999: 346 (key), 354 (figures), 361 (notes); Lencioni 2005: 202 (notes and reproduction illustrations from Rácenis 1953); Heckman 2008: 597 (key and reproduction of Rácenis 1953 illustrations); Garrison, von Ellenrieder & Louton 2010: 369 (list) and 372 (figure reproduction of Garrison 1999). Syn. nov.

Syntypes. (le Pará, Brazil) in RBINS (not examined: likely lost). For location see discussion.

Synonymy. Selys' aquarelle painting drawn on 30 xi 1884 of the female pronotum ( Fig. 1 a, upper right corner) agrees with the sketch by Geijskes ( Fig. 2 a). The aquarelle of N. bilinearis painted by Selys of the male ( Fig. 1 a) and the pencil drawings of the male appendages ( Fig. 1 b) drawn at the same date show that N. bilinearis and N. gaida are conspecific. We thus consider N. gaida Rácenis, 1953 a junior synonym of N. bilinearis Selys, 1860 . This synonymy makes it necessary to name and redescribe the widespread Neotropical species N. bilinearis sensu Williamson (1917) below.

Neotype. Because the type material must be regarded as lost, we hereby designate as neotype: 3, Suriname, Sipaliwini District, Kabalebo (5° 1'60.00"N 57°21'0.00"W), 15 viii 1965, leg. J.J. Belle, RMNH.INS.515231 (RMNH).

Material Examined. Suriname (if not stated in RMNH; few in NZCS): Total 70 3 and 3 Ƥ from 20 localities: Marowijne District, 2 3, Wanekreek, lijn km 5.3 (5°35'0.55"N 54° 5'13.01"W), 1 x 1948; Brokopondo District, 2 3, Afobaka (5°0'0.00"N 54°59'0.00"W), 26 iv 1964, leg. J.J. Belle; Brokopondo District, 1 3, Berg en Dal, Suriname. River (5°8'34.20"N 55°3'47.64"W), 9 xi 1957, leg. J.J. Belle; Brokopondo district, 1 3, Affobakka (5°0'0.00"N 54°59'0.00"W), 27 ix 1964, leg. J.J. Belle; Para District, 1 Ƥ, Boven Para (5°27'0.00"N 55° 4'60.00"W), 0 3 viii 1960, leg. J.J. Belle; Para District, 2 3, Coropinakreek surroundings Vierkinderen (5°30'16.65"N, 55°13'15.25"W), 11 viii 2010, leg. K. van Bochove & J. Sindram; Para District, 1 3, Siparikreek, central part (5°11'18.16"N, 55°47'33.23"W), 9 ii 1989, leg. M.T. Wasscher ( NZCS); Para District, 2 3, Siparikreek, down streams part (5°16'51.64"N, 55°49'17.54"W), 10 ii 1989, leg. M.T. Wasscher ( NZCS); Para District, 3, Siparikreek, down streams part (5°16'51.64"N, 55°49'17.54"W), 16 ii 1989, leg. M.T. Wasscher ( NZCS); Para District, 1 3, Tibiti river (5°18'46.07"N, 55°51'11.91"W), 10 ii 1989, leg. M.T. Wasscher ( NZCS); 21 ii 1989 leg. M.T. Wasscher ( NZCS); Para District, 2 3, Tibiti river (5°18'46.07"N, 55°51'11.91"W), 10 ii 1989, leg. M.T. Wasscher; Sipaliwini District, 1 3, Corneliskondre (5°20'60.00"N 56°7'60.00"W), 21 viii 1962, leg. J.J. Belle; Sipaliwini District, 1 3, Kabalebo (5°1'60.00"N 57°21'0.00"W), 15 viii 1964, leg. J.J. Belle; Sipaliwini District, 1 3, Kwakoegron Saramacca (5°20'60.00"N 56° 7'60.00"W), 10 viii 1942, leg. unknown; Sipaliwini District, 1 3, Wonotobo vallen (4°22'0.00"N 57°58'0.00"W), 0 1 x 1956, leg. J.J. Belle; Sipaliwini District, 10 3, Kabalebo, Avanavero Boven (4°49'0.00"N 57°23'60.00"W), 22 viii 1973, leg. D.C. Geijskes; Sipaliwini District, 3 3, Kabalebo (5°1'60.00"N 57°21'0.00"W), 31 viii 1964, leg. J.J. Belle; Sipaliwini District, 30 3, Matapi, Corantijn (5°0'0.00"N 57°16'60.00"W), 29 viii 1973, leg. D.C. Geijskes; Sipaliwini District, 5 3, Maratakka, Awarra sav. (5°1'8.28"N 56°43'56.80"W), 2 iii 1971, leg. D.C. Geijskes; Sipaliwini District, 3 3, Arrawarra Post (5°21'36.84"N 56°22'28.62"W), 21 ii 1971, leg unknown; Sipaliwini District, 1 3, 1 Ƥ (in copula), Cornelis kondre, Wayonbo (5°20'60.00"N 56°7'60.00"W), 29 viii 1956, leg. J.J. Belle; Sipaliwini District, 1 3, 1 Ƥ (in copula), Kabalebo (5°1'60.00"N 57°21'0.00"W), 19 viii 1964, leg. J.J. Belle; Nickerie District, 2 3, Maratakka, Cupido bij Bigi bere (5°37'37.81"N 56°41'46.56"W), 9 iii 1971, leg. D.C. Geijskes.

Records taken from literature. All were determined as Neoneura gaida . Venezuela: Bolivar state, 1 3, Caruachi Dam (8°9′36″ N, 62°47′55″ W*, alt. 145 m), 11 ix 1952, on the Caroní River ( Rácenis 1953) (the former type locality is now a Hydroelectric Power Plant, completed in 2010); Amazonas State: 23, Casiquiare (2°0'50.92"N, 66°44'39.30"W *), 24 vi until 11 vii 1984, 13 idem Curimacare, Casiquiare ( De Marmels 1989). Brazil: Pará State, 1 3, Belém (1°53'52.56"S, 47°43'15.37"W *), II-1984, leg. A.B.M. Machado ( ABMM) ( Machado, 2004); Para State, 23 3, 2 Ƥ (including allotype Ƥ), reservoir of Tucurui Brazil (3°46'45.30"S, 49°40'8.31"W *), x-xii 1992, leg. J. Leal ( ABMM) ( Machado, 2004); Rondonia State, 1 3, Rio Pardo and tributaries, about 13 km NW of Fazenda Rancho Grande, 62 km SW of Ariquemes (10°25'48' S, 62°51'36" W, alt. 187 m), 5–10 xi 1989 ( Garrison 1999).

Records taken from correspondence. All were determined as Neoneura gaida . Venezuela: a list of localities without exact data and collectors sent to the authors by J. De Marmels (pers. comm.): Amazonas State: Alto Mavaca (2°01'N, 65°07'W *); Guárico State: Río Aguaro (8°17'N, 66°42'W *); Guárico State: Torrealba (8°5'59.84"N, 65°53'48.28"W *); Guárico State: La Peña (9°51'14 N, 67°28'4 W*); Monagas State: Morichal Largo (10°12'3.54"N, 64°38'1.56"W *). Peru (T. Faasen pers. comm.): Prov. Loreto, 2 3, 29 ii 2010, Tahuayo-river (4°1'34.05"S, 73°12'29.36"W), (leg. T. Faasen, TF); same loc., 2 3, 2 Ƥ (1 ovipositing tandem), 2 iii 2010 (leg. T, Faasen, TF).

Diagnosis. The species keys to N. gaida in Garrison (1999). Male olive colored with black markings ( Fig. 4 ). It is most similar to the Venezuelan N. cristina Rácenis, 1955 . In both species the ventral branch of the cercus is longer than the dorsal branch and paraproct ( Garrison 1999). In posterior view the medial margins of the cerci are separated by the width of the epiproct in N. bilinearis and approximate in N. cristina (as shown in Figures 5 and 6 in Garrison 1999). Decumbent ventromedial arms of the cerci converging, their tips curving toward and almost touching the medial margin of the external branch of the cercus in N. bilinearis , nearly straight or slightly diverging in N. cristina . Females of both species have long lateral lobes on the hind ridge of the pronotum, which are as long as wide in N. cristina , and shorter than wide in N. bilinearis ( Fig. 2 b).

Distribution. This species occurs in the northern part of South America: Suriname, Venezuela, Peru and the northern half of Brazil ( Fig. 5 , solid dots).

Habitat. In Suriname N. bilinearis is locally common at rivers such as Corantijn-, Maratakka-, Marowijne-, Saramacca- and Tibitiriver and less frequent at creeks such as Siparikreek ( Table 1), Wanekreek and Coropinakreek. Most Suriname records are from the savanna area. Fewer records are known from the interior, and only one record is known from the coastal area (Cupid at Maratakka). Most records are 25 to 100 km from the sea, but one record is known at a river 215 km into the interior ( Fig. 14 ). In Brazil an abundant population was found in the Tucurui reservoir ( Machado 2004), indicating that the species occurs in partly lentic as well as the more typical lotic water systems.

1 2 3 4 5

Epipleoneura lamina Williamson R O O

Neoneura , red species* F F O O Neoneura rubriventris Selys + + +

Neoneura myrthea Williamson + + + Neoneura bilinearis Selys O F O A Diastatops pullata (Burmeister) O F Epipleoneura pereirai Machado O Neoneura confundens sp. nov. O Ischnura fluviatilis Selys F

* Neoneura , red species: N. rubriventris and N. myrthea could then not be separated in flight.

Remark. Donnely (2010) wrote about the special morphology of this species: “Probably nearly all zygops [Zygoptera] use the mesostigmal plates during copulation. One of the most fascinating structures is on Neoneura gaida [now N. bilinearis ], which manages to have three points (male) which fit neatly into three sockets (female).”

Figures

FIGURE 1: Neoneura bilinearis — (a) original aquarelle color painting of the syntypes by E. de Selys-Longchamps drawn in 1884. Left male, right female. For both sexes, clockwise: pronotum dorsal view (posterior side pointing up), head posterior view, head anterior view, thorax and hind leg lateral view, abdomen lateral view and abdomen dorsal view. For the male a wing has been drawn; (b) original line drawing appendages male syntype by E. de Selys-Longchamps.

FIGURE 2: Female pronotum, Neoneura bilinearis — (a) syntype from Selys in Brussels drawn by D. C. Geijskes in 1972; (b) Brazil, Tucurui drawn by Machado (2004).

FIGURE 3: Neoneura appendages in dorsal view (a) N. bilinearis and (b) N. confundens [photographs T. Faasen in Peru, 2010].

FIGURE 4: Neoneura bilinearis tandem, Peru, Tahuayo-river [photograph T. Faasen].

FIGURE 5: Distribution of Neoneura bilinearis Selys in the Neotropics. Solid dots: collected individuals. Numbers: first three specimens originally identified as N. bilinearis sensu Williamson 1917: 1) possibly misidentified male Muniz Freire 1908, in Calvert (1909), 2) and 3) redescribed specimen N. bilinearis sensu Williamson 1917: 2) Poco Grand 1897, and 3) Wismar, 1921; the latter records both in Williamson (1917), now both reidentified as Neoneura confundens.

FIGURE 6: Male genital ligula in ectal and lateral view Neoneura confundens — (a) holotype Suriname, Koela-kreek; (b) male (as ‘ N. bilinearis sensu Williamson 1917 ’) from Guyana, Wismar drawn by Kennedy (1917); (c) male from Peru, Tahuayoriver, drawn from photo [photograph T. Faasen].

FIGURE 14: Distribution in Suriname— (a) Neoneura bilinearis; (b) N. confundens.