Telosticta fugispinosa, Dow, Rory A., Afendy, Aqilah & Rahman, Homathevi, 2016

Dow, Rory A., Afendy, Aqilah & Rahman, Homathevi, 2016, Telosticta fugispinosa sp. nov. from Sabah (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platystictidae), Zootaxa 4103 (4), pp. 390-395 : 390-394

Telosticta fugispinosa sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–12 )

Telosticta undetermined D;— Dow & Orr (2012: 396, record of female, Poring Hot Springs, Sabah).

Type material: Holotype: 1 ♂ (SAB12_PST1, RMNH.INS.507772), Malaysia, Sabah, West Coast Division, Crocker Range National Park, Inobong, Kimamabang waterfall stream system (below waterfall), 21 ix 2012, leg. R. A. Dow, in RMNH. Paratypes: All from Malaysia, Sabah, West Coast Division: 3 ♂ (SAB12_PST49; SAB12_PST72, RMNH.INS.507677; SAB12_PST77, RMNH.INS.507668), Kinabalu National Park, Poring Hot Springs, small streams crossed by or near to trail to Langanan waterfall, above Kipungit stream, 11 ix 2012, leg. R.A. Dow; 1 ♂ (SAB12_PST48), same location and collector, 12 ix 2012; 1 ♀, same area, trailside in forest, 21 iv 2005, leg. unknown, in RMNH; 10 ♂ (SAB12_PST3, RMNH.INS.507747; SAB12_PST32–37; SAB12_PST62, RMNH.INS.597748; SAB12_PST66, RMNH.INS.507755), 1 ♀ (SAB12_PST4; RMNH.INS.507749), location as holotype, 18 ix 2012, leg. R.A. Dow; 4 ♂ (SAB12_PST29–31, 87), same location and collector, 19 ix 2012; 6 ♂ (SAB126_PST6–9, 26; SAB12_PST61, RMNH.INS.507770), 1 ♀ (SAB12_PST27, in tandem with SAB12_PST26), data as holotype; 3 ♂ (AA044, 49, 57; ODO 01378-80), same location, 22 ix 2012, leg. A. Afendy, in ITCB; 1 ♂ (SAB12_PST84, RMNH.INS.507766), same national park, Inobong, Batu Dinding stream system, 20 ix 2012, leg. R.A. Dow.

Etymology. fugispinosa , an adjective suggesting a fleeting spine, in reference to the absent or vestigial spine on the paraprocts.

Description of holotype male. Head: Labium pale. Basal 2/3 of labrum pale blue, black along free margin. Anteclypeus blue, postclypeus shining black. Mandible bases blue in corner by clypeus, black below. Vertex and frons bronzy black, occiput shining black. Ratio of width of compound eye to width of vertex measured at level of lateral ocelli slightly more than 9/10. Transverse occipital carina with lateral extremities angulated and prominent. Ocelli whitish. Antenna with scape and pedicel pale yellowish, brown at top of pedicel, remainder missing.

Thorax: Prothorax whitish with blue tint to central parts anterior and middle pronotal lobes, except to rear of propleuron where there are irregular dark markings; small black central marking on anterior pronotal lobe, irregular black markings to rear of middle pronotal lobe; entire posterior lobe black, becoming grey apically on long lateral process ( Fig. 3 ) with tip reaching level of lower margin of propleuron. Synthorax: Mesepisternum bronzy black, with pair of blue antehumeral stripes extending ca two-thirds of distance to wing bases ( Fig. 5 ). Antealar triangles pale blue along mid-dorsal carina and in half at wing bases, rest black. Mesepimeron black. Metepisternum largely occupied by pale band, becoming blue towards wing bases, with short brown triangle based at antealar carina below, this extended as brownish band along metapleural suture to level of spiracle ( Fig. 6 ). Metepimeron almost entirely pale. Venter of synthorax pale. Legs (only right anterior and right middle legs still present beyond trochanter, left posterior leg entirely missing, however all legs agreeing with the description below in paratypes): each with coxa and trochanter pale, femur and tibia pale except around joint and black stripe along extensor surface of femur. Tarsus pale with some darker areas, very dark brown at apex and brown claws. Wings: 13 (left) to 14 (right) Px in Fw, 12 (left) to 13 (right) Px in Hw. Vein ab absent. Arculus slightly distal to Ax2. R4 arising distal to subnodus, IR3 joined to it by short stalk. Pterostigma trapezoidal with costal side slightly shorter than anal side, very dark brown with narrow white border, covering slightly more than one underlying cell.

Abdomen: Largely dark brown and black. S1 pale with narrow darker apical annulus. S2 with yellowish cream basal annulus, divided dorsally, laterally this extending to posterior carina as pale wedge, otherwise dark brown. S3–7 dark brown with narrow pale basal annulus, faint centrally dorsally. S8 black with pale band along lower margin joined to large blue lateral dorsal marking, narrowly and irregularly divided dorsally ( Fig. 7 ). S9–10 black. Anal appendages ( Figs.10–12 ) largely black, with pale areas interior apically on cerci and scoop of paraprocts pale, also ventrally at interior base of paraprocts. Cerci ca 2.5 times length of S10, interior projection well developed as spur at ca one-third length from base, directed first inwards then expanded slightly upwards and strongly downwards directed, spur clearly visible in dorsal ( Fig. 10 ) and lateral ( Fig. 11 ) view, with peg-like appearance in lateral view. Dorsal projection weakly developed, visible in dorsal view as small bump ( Fig. 10 ). Cerci expanded dorsoventrally and interiorly shortly after half length, lower margin irregular, small subapical cleft ( Fig. 11 ).

Paraprocts just shorter than cerci, scoop spoon-like, turned inwards ( Figs. 12 ), spine vestigial, not easily visible. Genital ligula of typical form for genus, with tongue-like structure of terminal segment long.

Measurements (mm): abdomen without anal appendages 38.5, cercus just over 1, Hw 20.5.

Description of paratype female (SAB12_PST27). As male except as noted.

Thorax: Posterior pronotal lobe with only short lateral processes ( Fig. 4 ). Wings: 14 Px in Fw, 13 Px in Hw. Abdomen: S3–5 with pale basal annulus not faded dorsally. S6 with no basal annulus but small white basal dorsal mark present. S7 with complete broad white basal annulus. Blue mark covering much of dorsum of 8 ( Fig. 9 ). S10 short. Cerci just shorter than S10, approximately triangular. Ovipositor extending just beyond cerci, mostly black and dark brown with obscure pale markings.

Measurements (mm): abdomen without appendages or ovipositor 33, Hw 21.

Variation in paratypes. The black marks on the anterior pronotal lobe and the rear part of the middle pronotal lobes are variable in size, almost entirely absent in a few individuals and more extensive in others; occasionally the anterior lobe marking is joined to those on the rear of the posterior pronotal lobe via the central pit. The shape of the blue dorsal marking on S8 of the male paratypes is variable, and the marking is frequently not divided centrally (e.g., Fig. 8 ); this is the case in all individuals from Poring. The spine of the paraprocts is entirely absent in some males. In males the only other significant variation is in size, with all individuals from Poring at the upper end of size range given below. In the two other female paratypes there is a basal pale annulus on S6.

Measurements (mm): Males: abdomen without anal appendages 36–46, Hw 19–24.5, 12–14 Px in Fw, 11–13 Px in Hw. Females: abdomen without anal appendages or ovipositor 34–37, Hw 21.5–24, 13–14 Px in Fw, 12–13 Px in Hw.

Diagnosis. A small Telosticta with long blue antehumeral stripes. Males are easily distinguished from all other species of Telosticta by the form of the paraprocts, with the scoop turned sharply inwards and with a vestigial or no spine; the shape of the terminal half of the cerci is also distinctive, and dorsal blue markings on the terminal abdominal segments are confined to S8.

Remarks. Individuals of both sexes were found at moderate- to high-gradient forest streams from approximately 500–800m above sea level.

In Fig. 6 there appears to be a small pale mark on the mesopleural suture near antealar carina of the holotype, this is actually an artefact in the image and does not really exist.

The female reported as ‘ Telosticta undetermined D’ from Poring Hot Springs in Dow & Orr (2012: 396) and listed as a paratype here, along with the other female not collected in tandem with a male, are considered to belong to T. fugispinosa , as males were found in the same area and no other species of Telosticta has been found at Poring. However, in general the female may prove difficult to separate from those of other species of Telosticta with similar-length antehumeral markings; the female of the only other species known to occur in Sabah, T. janeus Dow & Orr, 2012 , is not yet known. The known distributions of T. fugispinosa and T. janeus are allopatric, with the former known from Mount Kinabalu and the Crocker range and the latter from the south and east of Sabah, with published records from the Danum Valley and Imbak Canyon ( Dow & Orr 2012: 394). The identity of ‘ Telosticta undetermined C’, reported from the Silau Silau stream near to the Kinabalu National Park headquarters ( Dow & Orr 2012: 396; a large-sized teneral male) remains open, but it is likely to represent a third species of Telosticta from Sabah.

Of the provisional species groups defined in Dow & Orr (2012), T. fugispinosa fits best into the feronia -group. Using the key in Dow & Orr (2012), exactly as in the case of T. iban Dow, 2014 ( Dow 2014: 78) , T. fugispinosa would key out as T. dayak Dow & Orr, 2012 , or break the key, depending on how liberally couplet 7 was interpreted. The key could most easily be modified to accommodate T. fugispinosa by introducing a new couplet 6 distinguishing between species with the scoop of the paraproct sharply inturned, with vestigial spine (e.g., T. fugispinosa ) from all others. No other species included in Telosticta has the spine on the paraprocts vestigial or absent.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 2. Habitus of Telosticta fugispinosa: (1) holotype male; (2) paratype female (SAB 12 _ PST 27).

FIGURES 3 – 4. Telosticta fugispinosa posterior pronotal lobe: (3) holotype male, lateral view; (4) paratype female (SAB 12 _ PST 27), lateral view.

FIGURES 5 – 6. Telosticta fugispinosa holotype male synthorax: (5) dorsal view; (6) lateral view.

FIGURE 7 – 9. Telosticta fugispinosa abdominal markings: (7) terminal abdominal segments of holotype male, dorsal view; (8) terminal abdominal segments of paratype male (SAB 12 _ 49), dorsal view; (9) terminal abdominal segments of paratype female (SAB 12 _ PST 27), lateral view.

FIGURES 10 – 12. Telosticta fugispinosa holotype male anal appendages: (10) dorsal view, scale bar 1 mm; (11) lateral view, scale bar 1 mm; (12) apical part right paraproct in ventral view, scale bar 0.5 mm.