Chlorocypha aurora Dijkstra, Kipping & Schütte, 2015

Dijkstra, Klaas-Douwe B., Kipping, Jens & Mézière, Nicolas, 2015, Sixty new dragonfly and damselfly species from Africa (Odonata), Odonatologica 44 (4), pp. 447-678 : 467-469

Chlorocypha aurora Dijkstra, Kipping & Schütte sp. nov. – Dawn Jewel (Type Photo 3, Photo 7, Fig. 2)

Taxonomy

Genetically falls within a poorly resolved group of Chlorocypha Fraser, 1928 species that predominates on more open waters, such as large rivers and woodland streams, and includes widespread species like C. curta (Hagen in Selys, 1853), C. fabamacula Pinhey, 1961 , C. pyriformosa Fraser, 1947 and C.victoriae ( Förster, 1914) . The present taxon is distinctly marked and therefore, within a genus where structural differences are almost non-existent, worthy of specific recognition.

Material studied

Holotype ♂. Cameroon, South Province, Kienké River at Kribi , large river in degraded rainforest, 10–15 m a.s.l. (2.9347 ° N 9.9134 ° E), 10 -vi- 2008, leg. K.- D.B. Dijkstra, J. Kipping & K. Schütte, RMNH .

Further material. CAMEROON (South Province): 3 ♂ ( RMNH.INS.229137 , RMNH.INS.500154 ) , 2 ♀, as holotype, RMNH . 3 ♂, as holotype, CJKL .

Genetics One unique haplotype (n = 2) that is close to those of the complex of species mentioned above. Male morphological diagnosis

Near the Upper Guinean C. luminosa (Karsch, 1893) and potentially sympatric C. neptunus (Sjöstedt, 1900) and C. pyriformosa Fraser, 1947 by (a)small size, Hw 18.5–19.5 mm (n = 7); and (b) fairly extensive black abdominal markings ( Fig. 2). However, is the only Chlorocypha species to combine this with (1) a contrastingly yellow-marked head and thorax; (2)yellow-stained wings, especially at their bases; (3) entirely black tibiae with some light pruinosity, rather than with yellow or white anterior streaks; and (4) a reddish orange abdomen with the less extensive black markings on S 2 (almost) continuous between the basal and apical border, S 3–5 and sometimes S 6 each with an apical black bar, and yellow lateral carinae of S 4–8 ( Fig. 2). The colour of C. luminosa has a deeper yellow tone and is more uniform across the body and wings, C. neptunus has an especially extensively black abdomen, and C. pyriformosa becomes almost red on the abdomen and black on the thorax.

Etymology

Latin “dawn” refers to the orange coloration (noun in apposition) and the first author’s colleagues of DAWN; the Damselfly Workers at Naturalis (see Dijkstra et al. 2014).

Range and ecology

Near sea level on the Kienké, a large forested river at Kribi in southern Cameroon.