Mesamphiagrion santainense Bota-Sierra

Bota-Sierra, Cornelio Andrés & Echeverri, Martha Isabel Wolff, 2013, Taxonomic revision of Mesamphiagrion Kennedy, 1920 from Colombia (Odonata: Coenagrionidae), with the description of four new species, Zootaxa 3718 (5), pp. 401-440 : 417-427

Mesamphiagrion santainense Bota-Sierra sp. nov.

Figs. 3 a (habitus ♂), 3b (habitus ♀), 4a–e (diagnostic traits), 13f–g (S7– 10 ♂), 14i –j (S7–10 ♀), 15 (map)

Etymology. The species name refers to the type locality, the beautiful mountains of Santa Inés in the northwestern Cordillera Central.

Specimens examined (15 specimens: male holotype, allotype, and 13 paratypes). CEUA: Antioquia: 1 ♂, Municipality San José de la Montaña, Township Congo, N6°45'54.3'' W75°43'7.0'', 3000 m, 12.ix.2011, Leg: L. Rios & J. Zapata. Municipality Belmira: Township Río Arriba: Sector Montañitas, N6°36'50.8'' W75°39'6'', 2850m: 1 ♂, 1.x.2011, Leg: C. Bota & J.D. Castaño. 2 ♀ and 1 ♂, N6°36.5720' W75°39,244' 2820m, 18–19.vi.12, Leg: A. Clavijo. Alto del Indio, N 6 ° 37' 34.4'' W 75 ° 42' 22.0'' 2950m, Leg: A. Clavijo: 2 ♂, 03.iii.2012. 1 ♂ and 1 ♀, 7–8.vii.2012. Trail from Belmira toward El Morro, close to La Truchera: Holotype, Allotype and 3 ♂, N6°37 ' W75°40' 2950m, 16.vii.2012. Leg: C. Bota, C. Moreno, C. Flórez, J. Caly, J. del Río, J. Sierra, K. Mejia & M. Moreno. Corregimiento Labores, Sector Valle Arriba, Finca El Paraíso, N6°42' W75°38' 2800m, 1♀, 06/iv/2012, Leg: C. Bota & C. Moreno.

Description. Holotype. Head. Labium cream. Mandible base light green with a brown spot at upper 1/4. Labrum greenish cream with black laterobasal margins and black mediobasal spot. Gena light green. Anteclypeus light green with brown spot on each side. Postclypeus black. Anterior portion of frons surrounding eyes, antennae, and clypeus light green with black medial stripe, posterior portion black with cream greenish spots between ocelli connecting distally to occipital margin of same color. Two light stripes on each side behind base of antennae, extending to anterior margin and lateral ocellus. Pale blue postocular spots touching eye margin. Antenna black. Back of head cream. ( Fig. 3 a).

Thorax. Prothorax black with anterior lobe light blue and pleura green. Medial lobe of posterior prothoracic lobe fairly long, developed into a caudally projected squarish plate, with lateral edges about as long as distal edge, lateral margins upright making it a dorsally concave structure. Mesepisternal plate approximately flat and triangular, black with light green lateral apex. Pterothorax color pattern as follows: black mediodorsal stripe, green stripe on mesepisternum, black stripe at mesopleural suture and mesepimeron, blue metepisternum with proximal 1/4 cream, diffuse brown stripe at posterior end of metepisternum along metapleural suture, metepimeron cream, venter cream ( Fig. 3 a). Coxa cream. Remainder of leg external surface black and medial surface cream, with black spurs and a cream-colored stripe at base of femur. Eight external spurs on right metafemur and seven on left metafemur, as long as space between them or shorter, gradually increasing in size toward apex. Six external spurs on right metatibia and nine on left metatibia, as long as space between them or shorter, gradually decreasing in size toward apex. Tarsal claws with well developed supplementary tooth. Wings hyaline. Pt brown, ratio of distal and proximal sides length about 1:1. CuP reaching CuPAA slightly distal to confluence of CuPAA with hind margin of wing. 13 Px in FW, 11 in HW. RP 2 branching between Px 5 and 6 in right FW, under Px 6 in left FW, between Px 4 and 5 in HW ( Fig. 3 a).

Abdomen. Black dorsally, S1–7 with light blue distal margin, an incomplete cream ring at proximal margin of S3–7 and blue dorsal spot on S8–9 ( Fig. 12 f), greenish cream lateral terga on S1–3, venter cream with medial black stripe from S1 to the proximal 1/4 of S9 ( Fig. 3 a). Genital ligula ( Figs. 4 c–d) with apex slightly convex with a pair of long lateroapical arms, each bearing two sharp processes, one apical bearing a small projection pointing proximally and a larger projection pointing distally, and the other process arising at about mid-length of arm, with tip pointing distally; lateromedial processes poorly developed; hook-like inner medial process arising at center of ental surface of distal segment. Cercus ( Fig. 4 a–b) cream with black dorsal process, about as long as S10 length or slightly shorter, with rounded dorsal process, blunt outer ventroapical process only slightly longer than dorsal process, inner ventroapical process arising between dorsal process and ventroapical external process, being the most distal point of the insect, with a semicircular basal process extending to level of mid-length of paraproct where it ends in an acute apex pointing proximally. Total length 37 mm. Abdominal length 29 mm. FW length 23 mm. HW length 22 mm.

Variation in mature male paratypes. Head. Labrum greenish cream to blue with black laterobasal margins and black midbasal spot. Gena green to cream. Anteclypeus blue to cream with a pair of brown spots on each side. Postclypeus and frons may present pruinescence. Frons front surrounding eyes, antennae, and clypeus light green to cream with a black medial dorsal stripe, brown spots sometimes present surrounding vertex, behind antenna, and between ocelli. Postocular spots light blue, in some cases do not reaching eye margin.

Thorax. Mesepisternal plates from entirely cream to black with green apex. Pterothorax and coxa can present pruinescence. Coxa cream to bluish cream. Remainder of leg external side black to brown, with blue stripe along base of femur. Six to eight external metafemoral spurs and seven to nine. Wings hyaline to smoky. 11–14 Px in FW, 9–12 in HW.

Abdomen. Shape of spot on S 9 may be narrower toward apex ( Fig. 12 g), S 10 may present a small midbasal light blue spot or three spots, a midbasal one and one to each side of it. Cercus black with white inner ventroapical process. Total length 32–39 mm. Abdomen length 26–31 mm. FW length 19–25 mm. HW length 20–24 mm.

Allotype. Head. As holotype but base of mandible cream with a brown spot at upper 1/4. Gena cream. Postclypeus cream with a pair of transverse dark lines on each side and a mediobasal dark spot. Frons cream with blue postocular spots reaching margin of eyes, occipital blue bar and a blue spot in the center of vertex, a dark stripe from eye to eye passing through vertex, ocelli surrounded by black rings, in frontal view a medial dark band over clypeus.

Thorax. As holotype but medial lobe of posterior lobe of prothorax dorsally flat ( Fig. 4 e). Mesepisternal plate slightly wider and cream colored ( Fig. 4 e). Pterothorax slightly lighter. Coxa cream. Seven external spurs on right metafemur and eight on left metafemur. Six metatibial external spurs on right metatibia and seven on left metatibia. Pt brown. 14 Px in FW, 11 on right and 12 on left HW. RP 2 branching between Px 5and six in right FW, under Px 6 in FW, Px 4 and 5 in right HW, under Px 5 in left HW.

Abdomen. Black dorsally, S 3–7 with light blue incomplete ring at proximal margin, S7 with blue distal margin, S8 with medial thin blue stripe covering about half of segment and not reaching its margins, distal margin light blue, S9 with medial longitudinal stripe widening toward apex, S10 light blue ( Fig. 13 j). Lateral terga cream with S1 and S2 light green, sterna cream with medial black stripe from S1 to ovipositor. Cercus conical, base cream with apex blue and dorsal portion black. Paraproct bluish cream, truncate posteriorly. Well developed black vulvar spine. Sub-basal plate of ovipositortriangular. Ovipositor cream with ventral edge black and stylus black. Ovipositor tip (excluding stylus) reaching level of cercus tip or slightly proximal; stylus is the most distal point of body Total length 37 mm. Abdomen length 30 mm. FW length 25 mm. HW length 24 mm.

Variation in mature female paratypes. As allotype but postclypeus cream to greenish with a pair of transverse dark lines on each side and mediobasal dark spot. Metepisternum can be green ( Fig. 3 b). Six to eight metafemoral external spurs. Six to 11 metatibial external spurs. 12–14 Px in FW, 10–12 in HW. RP 2 branching between Px 5 and 7 in FW, between Px 4 and 6 in HW. S8 with or without medial thin blue sripe ( Fig. 13 i), lateral terga of S1–2 light green to cream. Cercus base cream with blue apex and dorsally black to entirely cream. Paraproct cream to black. Total length 35–38 mm. Abdomen length 28–30 mm. FW length 24–25 mm. HW length 23–24 mm.

Diagnosis. The rounded tips of subapical dorsal process and inner ventroapical process of male cercus ( Fig. 4 a–b), group this species with M. ovigerum , M. occultum , M. ecuatoriale , M. risi , and M. rosseri . The cercus in lateral view resembles that of M. occultum ( Fig. 4 a). However, in M. santainense the ventrobasal process ends in a sharp apex while in M. occultum it ends in an obtuse apex ( Fig. 4 b). The absence of a blue spot on S7 ( Fig. 12 f–g) separates this species from M. risi ( Fig. 12 c–d), M. ovigerum ( Fig. 12 m), and M. ecuatoriale . The convex apex and reduced lateromedial processes of genital ligula ( Fig. 4 c–d), and the medial lobe of posterior lobe of prothorax rectangular with lateral edges about as long as apical edge ( Fig. 4 e) are unique for this species. Females share the unique posterior lobe of pronotum with males, which combined with the color pattern of S8–10 ( Fig. 13 i–j), distinguish them from all other females of the genus.

Habitat and biology. Males and females were found along streams in open areas with some stubble near oak forest; females were also observed at the edge of the oak forest. Males perch on vegetation and stones protruding from streams. In some cases M. gaudiimontanum was also observed along streams, but in areas with peatlands. This situation resembles the system described by De Marmels (2007) for M. laterale and M. tamaense in Táchira, Venezuela, where these species are sympatric but make different use of the breeding habitat, M. tamaense breeding in streams and M. laterale in ponds. A pair of M. santainense in copula was observed perched on emergent vegetation of a stream around noon on a hot day in July/2012. Some adults were parasitized by mites.

Other odonate species collected at the same localities as M. santainense are shown in Table 2. Distribution. Santa Inés mountains in the northwestern Cordillera Central, Department of Antioquia, between 2,700 and 3,000 m.a.s.l. ( Fig. 15 ).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Mesamphiagrion santainense (Antioquia, Belmira): (a) Male holotype; (b) Female paratype. M. gaudiimontanum (Antioquia, Belmira) Mature males: (c) Dorsal view; (d) Lateral view.

FIGURE 4. Mesamphiagrion santainense (Antioquia, Belmira): (a) Lateral view of caudal appendages, (b) Medio-dorsal view of right cercus, (c) Lateral view of genital ligula, (d) Ectal view of genital ligula. Female paratype: (e) Dorsal view of posterior lobe of pronotum and mesostigmal plates. p. m.: Mesostigmal plates. l. p.: Ponotum posterior lobe. l. l-ap.: Lateroapical lobe. p. d.: Dorsal process. p. v-a. e.: Ventroapical external process. p. v-a. i.: Ventroapical inner process. p. v-b.: Ventrobasal process. p. i.: Inner process. Illustrations a, b, c and e, drawn by Gloria Mora.

FIGURE 12. Mesamphiagrion tamaense (Santander, Suratá): (a) Mature female; (b) Juvenile female; (c) Mature male; (d) Juvenile male.

FIGURE 15. New distributional records of Mesamphiagrion laterale, M. nataliae, M. occultum, M. rosseri, M. santainense, and M. tamaense in Colombia.

FIGURE 13. S 7 – 10 color patterns of males: (a) and (b) Mesamphiagrion gaudiimontanum; (c) and (d) M. risi; (e) M. rosseri; (f) and (g) M. santainense; (h) M. tamaense; (i) and (j) M. occultum; (k) M. demarmelsi; (l) M. laterale; (m) M. ovigerum; (n) M. nataliae.