Nephepeltia berlai Santos, 1950

Ellenrieder, Natalia Von, 2014, A synopsis of the Neotropical genus Nephepeltia (Odonata: Libellulidae), including description of a new species, synonymies, and a key to males, Zootaxa 3796 (1), pp. 121-146 : 124-125

Nephepeltia berlai Santos, 1950

Figures 2 b; 3b; 6b; 9b; 10b; 11b; 13b; 16

Nephepeltia berlai Santos, 1950: 26 –30, figs. 11–12, 15, 18, 31–32, 44–45 (description based on ♂ and ♀ from Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais States in Brazil; holotype from Itatiaia deposited in MNRJ; illustrations of ♂ anterior lamina, genital fossa, S10, and vesica, and of ♀ pronotum and S9–10);— Costa et al. (2000: 16, record from São Paulo State, Brazil);— Dalzochio (2009: 70–72, description of larva based on reared ♂ and ♀ from Cascavel, Paraná State, Brazil).

Specimens examined. Total 16 ♂, 1 ♀. PARAGUAY, Guaira Dep.: 5 ♂, Arroyo Ovie, 11.5 km S Villarrica on road to Caazapa, marsh {25°52'7''S, 56°24'9''W, 130 m}, 2 xii 1973, O.S. Flint, Jr. leg. [FSCA]. ARGENTINA, Misiones Prov.: 3 ♂, Arroyo Anyico, by Ruta 14 between Cerro Azul and San José (27°39'53''S, 55°36'33''W, 125 m), 4 ii 2012, RWG & NVE leg. [RWG]; 3 ♂, same data but [CSCA]. BRAZIL, Rio De Janeiro State: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Itatiaia, Rio Campo Belo, below Parque Nacional do Itatiaia {22°28'29''S, 44°34'50''W, 400 m}, 19 i 1953, N.D. Santos leg. [FSCA]; São Paulo State: 1 ♂, Rio Claro Municipality, Sítio Primavera, (22°24'33''S, 47°36'44''W, 569 m), 13 ii 2002, F.A.A. Lencioni leg [RWG]; 3 ♂, Jacareí Municipality, Fazenda Santana do Rio Abaixo (23°14'52''S, 46°59'58''W, 624 m), 12 x 2002, F.A.A. Lencioni leg. [RWG].

Diagnosis. Males of Nephepeltia berlai can be distinguished from all congeners by their strongly upturned cerci tips ending on a long acute spine ( Fig. 13 b; not strongly upturned or not ending in a long acute spine in other species, Figs. 13 a, c–i). They share the tubercle on venter of thorax with N. aequisetis , N. flavifrons , and N. flavipennis ( Figs. 6 a–c; 7; venter of thorax smoothly convex or with a spine as long as twice its width in other species, Figs. 6 d; 8), and the spurs of inner row of male hind tibiae of about uniform placement and length with N. aequisetis , N. flavipennis , and N. phryne ( Figs. 2 a–b, e, g; closely set and peg-like at medial 0.33 in N. leonardina or shorter and more closely set at basal 0.50–0.75 in N. flavifrons , Figs. 2 c–d, f). Male vesica spermalis is most similar to that of N. aequisetis , but its medio-ectal distal process is distinctly shorter than the latero-ectal distal lobes ( Fig. 11 b; medio-ectal distal process only slightly shorter than latero-ectal lobes in N. aequisetis , and longer than latero-ectal lobes or vestigial to absent in other species, Figs. 11 a, c–f). Females of N. berlai can be distinguished from those of N. leonardina by the radial planate consisting of three cells and the base of Fw discoidal planate with one cell ( Fig. 3 b; four or five and two respectively in N. leonardina , Fig. 3 f). The number of cells between Fw subtriangle and hind margin of wing is variable in N. berlai , and females are undistinguishable morphologically from those of N. aequisetis , N. flavifrons , and N. phryne (females of N. flavipennis unknown).

Remarks. Nephepeltia berlai was described as having one cell under the Fw subtriangle. Even though this is the most commonly observed condition (65% of examined specimens), this character was found to be variable among specimens within the same population: of the five males from Arroyo Ovie in Paraguay, two have one cell in both wings, one has two cells in both wings, and two have two cells in one wing and one in the other; of the six males from Anyico in Argentina, four have one cell in both wings, one has two cells in both wings, and one has one wing with one cell and one with two; of the three males from Fazenda Santana in Brazil, two have both wings with one cell, and one has one wing with two cells.

Distribution. Nephepeltia berlai has the most restricted distribution of the genus, being known only from SE Brazil, Paraguay, and NE Argentina ( Fig. 16 ). Its last stadium larva was described based on specimens collected along marginal vegetation at an artificial pond rich in decomposing organic matter ( Dalzochio, 2009).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Male hind tibiae, lateral view of inner surface.

FIGURE 3. Male wings. d. f.: base of discoidal field; r. p.: radial planate; sub.: cells between subtriangle and hind margin of wing.

FIGURE 6. Male thoracic venter, lateral view.

FIGURE 11. Male vesica spermalis, lateral (above) and ventral (below) view. l. e.: latero-ectal sclerotized distal process; m. e.: medio-ectal sclerotized distal process.

FIGURE 13. Male S 10, lateral view. (a) and (b) by RWG.

FIGURE 16. Distribution of Nephepeltia species.