Papuagrion marijanmatoki, Orr, A. G. & Richards, S. J., 2016

Orr, A. G. & Richards, S. J., 2016, Three new species of Papuagrion Ris, 1913 (Odonata: Coenagrionidae) from the Hindenburg Wall region of western Papua New Guinea, Zootaxa 4072 (3), pp. 319-332 : 327-329

Papuagrion marijanmatoki sp. nov.

( Figs 1 c, d; 2c, d; 3b; 4b; 5d, e, f; 6c, d; 8a, b)

Material examined. Holotype ♂ ( SAMA 07-001412), Papua New Guinea, Western Province, Tupnonbil area, Yakulgabip (5.1202°S, 141.2582°E; 1,817 m a.s.l.) 24.ii.2013, leg. S.J. Richards. Paratypes: 1 ♀ ( SAMA 07- 001413), same data as holotype but 20.ii.2013; 1 ♀ ( SAMA 07-001414), Papua New Guinea, Western Province, Tupnonbil area, Bilbilokabip (5.1203°S, 141.2512°E; 1,770 m a.s.l.) on 20.ii.2013, leg. S.J. Richards.

Etymology. The specific epithet is a noun in the genitive case, named after Marijan Matok in gratitude for his generous support of research on New Guinea Odonata .

Description of holotype male ( Fig. 8 a, in life). Head ( Fig. 1 c): Labium pale ochreous with slight infuscation along median suture. Labrum drab orange with tiny dark flecks at basal corners and fine, pale yellow, basal margin. Mandibles dark sepia with pale yellow edges, this colour continuing as a pale dirty orange onto the genae and extending broadly along eye margin to level of hind margin of anterior ocellus where it is sharply truncated; also connected broadly across antefrons; clypeus completely light brown and postfrons of same colour. Top of head broadly dirty orange with broad irregular black margin extending from base of antennae to rim of post occipital lobes; irregular star-like black patch on vertical pyramid between ocelli. Eyes in life reddish brown dorsally, pale olive green ventrally.

Thorax ( Fig 1 c, 2c): Prothorax with shallow dorsal profile except for raised anterior lobe; midlobe weakly convex; hindlobe depressed, in dorsal view with centre deeply excavated along posterior margin to form a Ushaped concavity; anterior lobe and sides of median lobe pale blue-green (visible in living specimen); dorsum of median lobe and posterior lobe dark brown. Synthorax dirty sap green with thin black dorsal line along median carina and black outline to antealar triangles; otherwise with light infuscation overlying much of mesepisternum, at shoulder of mesepimeron and along metapleural suture; mesinfraepisternum with distinct reddish brown patch dorsally; venter pale. Legs short with short, moderately dense spines; coxae and most of trochanters pale bluish green tending to russet on the apices of the latter; femur, tibia and tarsus all bright reddish brown with dark ‘knees’ at end of each femur; tibial and femoral spines dark. Wings ( Fig. 3 b) long and narrow with rounded tips; neuration typical for genus except that origin of Ab lies well distal to Ac; Ac in forewing well before midpoint of Ax1 and Ax2, just beyond midpoint in hindwing; forewings Px 16, 15; hindwings Px 14, 14; Pt black, about 1.2 times as long as broad, slighty skewed, set just before apex with row of three to four crossveins between Pt and wingtip.

Abdomen long and robust; S1 dirty light green with slight russet smudge dorsally, S2 reddish brown with lateral greenish sliver at base and ventrally and black apical ring; S3–7 mainly brownish red with basal yellow ring interrupted dorsally and dark apical ring; S8–10 mainly brownish with faint yellow basal line and black apical ring; S7–10 with dark longitudinal streak on dorsum. Apex of S10 slightly raised dorsally. Appendages as shown in Figs 4 b, 5d,e,f. Upper branch of cercus moderately stout and tapered, nearly straight in profile, slightly forcipate and distinctly attenuated apically in dorsal view, black; lower branch robust, about half length of upper, curved upward apically to a broad-based spine; reddish brown with tip of spine dark. Paraproct in profile very broad and short, with long, thin spine arising from midpoint not nearly reaching level of cercus tip; reddish brown with spine dark; in ventral view paraprocts ( Fig. 5 f) robustly rectangular with short terminal spine. Anal plate, best seen in caudal view ( Fig 5 d), of moderate size, squarish, posterior margin with small median notch; pale in colour; not visible in ventral view.

Measurements (mm): hindwing 27.0, abdomen + appendages 43.0.

Description of female ( Fig. 8 b). Head (Fig, 1d): Coloration very similar to male but black marking on top of head reduced and orange areas somewhat brighter.

Thorax: prothorax of overall similar form to the male but obscurely marked in medium brown; posterior lobe with narrower, shallower concavity from which arise two long finger-like processes, closely adpressed ( Fig. 2 d); in one specimen one of these broken and remaining process slightly longer than those figured. Synthorax with pattern similar to male with strong black band along dorsal carina; ground colour pale greenish yellow with more extensive areas of light infuscation, especially on mesepimeron and metepisternum. Legs as in male but coxae and trochanters very pale nacreous blue. Wings as in male; Px 16, 16; 15, 15 in both specimens.

Abdomen coloured brownish red to light brown as in male but overall brighter with narrower black terminal rings on S2–8; S1 brownish olive rather than green. Cerci dark; slightly shorter than dorsal margin of S10; paraproct shallow, dark reddish brown. Anal plate ( Fig. 6 c) roughly square, dark. Ovipositor short ( Fig. 6 d), not reaching level of hindmargin of S10; valves with fine ventral teeth; pale yellowish laterally with dark ventral margin; style not reaching level of tip of cercus, dark.

Measurements (mm): hindwing 29.0–29.5, abdomen + appendages 41.0–41.5.

Diagnosis. A large, heavily built coenagrionid with extensive dull orange on the head and relatively long abdomen, reddish brown obscurely banded with dull yellow and black markings. It is best distinguished from related species by the short Pt situated near the apex of the wing in combination with the structure of the prothorax in both sexes and the anal appendages in the male. The short, distally placed Pt and other venational characters are nearest to P. degeneratum Lieftinck, 1937 , but it otherwise differs markedly from this species.

Habitat and behaviour. Papuagrion marijanmatoki was found in two small clearings approximately 800 m apart at the base of the Hindenburg Wall, the first clearing associated with the Bilbilokabip hunting hamlet (1,770 m a.s.l.), and the second with the Yakulgabip hamlet (1,820 m a.s.l.; see above). The species was not common, and only one male and two females were observed. All were perched on low vegetation (<1.5 m high) in open, sunny areas in clearings that retained scattered shrubs and grasses within lower montane rainforest. Pandanus trees were a conspicuous component of the nearby forest at both sites, and were particularly abundant at Bilbilokabip. This species was not observed at lower altitudes (330–900 m a.s.l.) in the Ok Tedi catchment near Tabubil despite intensive surveys there. A specimen almost certainly of this species was also collected near Goroka and this was associated with larvae found in pooled water in the leaf bracts of a Pandanus tree based on COI analysis (V.J. Kalkman pers. comm.).

Figures

FIGURE 1. (a) P. chrysosoma holotype ♂ dorsal view head and thorax; (b) P. chrysosoma holotype ♂, oblique frontal view of head; (c) P. marijanmatoki holotype ♂ dorsal view head and thorax; (d) P. marijanmatoki paratype ♀ dorsal view head; (e) P. tydecksjuerging holotype ♂ dorsal view head.

FIGURE 2. Dorsal view of prothorax: (a) P. chrysosoma holotype ♂; (b) P. chrysosoma paratype ♀; (c) P. marijanmatoki holotype ♂; (d) P. marijanmatoki paratype ♀; (e) P. tydecksjuerging holotype ♂; (f) P. tydecksjuerging paratype ♀.

FIGURE 3. Right wings of: (a) P. chrysosoma holotype ♂; (b) P. marijanmatoki holotype ♂; (c) P. tydecksjuerging holotype ♂.

FIGURE 4. Lateral view male appendages: (a) P. chrysosoma holotype ♂; (b) P. marijanmatoki holotype ♂; (c) P. tydecksjuerging holotype ♂.

FIGURE 5. Caudal, dorsal and ventral views of male appendages for, respectively: P. chrysosoma holotype ♂ (a, b, c); P. marijanmatoki holotype ♂ (d, e, f); P. tydecksjuerging holotype ♂ (g, h, i).

FIGURE 6. Dorsal view female terminalia showing anal plate: (a) P. chrysosoma; (c) P. marijanmatoki; (e) P. tydecksjuerging. Lateral view of female ovipositor: (b) P. chrysosoma; (d) P. marijanmatoki; (f) P. tydecksjuerging.

FIGURE 8. (a) P. marijanmatoki holotype ♂ in life: (b) P. marijanmatoki paratype ♀ in life.