Austrolestes psyche (Hagen in Selys), Tillyard, 1913

J. A. L. Watson & M. S. Moulds, 1979, New Species of Australian Lestidae (Odonata), Australian Journal of Entomology 18, pp. 143-155 : 149-151

Austrolestes psyche (Hagen in Selys) (Figs 1, 7, 8, 13, 14, 22-24)

Lestes psyche Hagen ; Selys, 1862: 45.

Lestes psyche Selys ; Tillyard, 1908: 738 (partim).

Lestes psyche (Hagen) ; Ris, 1910: 423, 427 (partim).

Austrolestes psyche Selys /Hagen et Selys; Tillyard, 1913: 425,473 (partim).

Austrolestes psyche (Selys) ; Fraser, 1960: 9 (partim), 24 (partim), Plate 8(5), Plate 9(s).

Lestes (Austrolestes) psyche (Selys) ; Lieftinclc, 1960: 139 (partim).

Austrolestes psyche (Selys) ; W atson, 1974: 142.

Types.— Austrolestes psyche was described from specimens of both sexes, in the Hagen and Selys collections ( Selys 1862); Selys attributed authorship to Hagen. Inquiry of M CZ indicated that four supposed types of psyche were preserved in the Hagen collection there, and resulted in the transfer ofthe four to ANIC.

The four specimens include two species, one ♂ and one ♀ of the species described by Hagen as psyche , and two o f the species described by Selys (1862, p. 47) as Lestes leda . The labelling is as follows:

1. “ Type 12137 ” (red, MCZ label); “ Hagen.” (white, printed); "Nord O s t... v. A u strali.. [white, handwritten and difficult to interpret; probably Hagen’s hand (Fig. 28)]; “ L. Psyche * Hag.” [white, handwritten by Hagen (Fig. 29)]. Male specimen o f Austrolestes leda , lacking head.

2. “ Type2 12137” (red, MCZ label); “ Hagen.” (white, printed); “ Neu Holland Melbourne Thorey.” [white, handwritten, probably by Hagen (Fig. 30)]. Male specimen of Austrolestes leda , intact .

3. “ Type3 12137” (red, MCZ label); “ Hagen.” (white, printed); “L. Psyche ” [white, handwritten, Hagen's hand, but not identical to label on first type (Fig. 31)]. Female specimen of Austrolestes psyche , lacking segments 7-10 o f abdomen, and tip of left hind wing .

4. “ Type4 12137” (red, MCZ label); “ Hagen.” (white, printed); “ N: Hoi:” [white, handwritten (Fig. 32)]; “ L. Psyche” [white, handwritten, Hagen’s hand, similar to label on ♀ (Fig. 33)]. Male specimen of Austrolestes psyche , lacking segments 6-10 of abdomen.

Selys (1862) gave "Nouvelle-Hollande” as the locality for psyche , which agrees with the label on the fourth type. It, and probably also the female, must have been part ofthe type series of Lestes psyche Hagen in Selys.

The label data o fthe other two males do not fit the type locality o f psyche . However, they fit the localities given by Selys (1862) for leda : “ Nouvelle-Hollande, Melbourne, cote nord-est”; the label on the first type can be interpreted as "Nord Ost Kuste von Australien”. Although Selys did not indicate that any of the type series of leda were in Hagen’s collection, the close correlation between the text and label data, and the fact that these data do not apply to any other Lestes described in Selys (1862), indicate that the two males were part of the type series of Lestes leda Selys.

The lectotype designations follow.

Lestes psyche Hagen in Selys : Lectotype ♂, by present designation, in ANIC (Type No 9863 ), “ N: H o ll”, “Type4 12137” in original MCZ register, other labels as given above, plus handwritten red label “ LECTOTYPE tJ Lestes psyche Hagen in Selys 1862 desig. J. A. L. W atson 1979 A.N.l.C. Type No. 9863”.

Lestes leda Selys ; Lectotype ♂, by present designation, in ANIC (Type No. 9875 ), "Neu Holland Melbourne Thorey.”, “Type2 12137’" in original MCZ register, other labels as given above, plus " Austrolestes leda (Selys) det. J. A. L. Watson, 1967.” (white, printed) and "LECTOTYPE ♂ Lestes leda Selys 1862 desig. J. A. L. Watson 1979 A.N.l.C. Type No. 9875” (red, handwritten).

Other material examined-- Queensland: seven ♂♂, North Stradbroke Island, stream draining into Brown Lake, 5-8.i. 1976, J. A. L Watson and A. H. Arthington. New South Wales; one ♂, two ♀♀, 3 km N of Lennox Heads , I7. i. 1976, J. A. L. Watson ; six ♂♂, Bullock Creek, E of Arm idaleon Point Lookout road , 21.ii. 1962, C W. Frazier and A. F. O ’Farrell, I8. xii.l965. A. F. I. O ’Farrell ( UNE) ; two ♂♂, 38 miles (61 km) E of Armidale . 25.ii.1962, A. F. O ’Farrell ( UNE) ; one ♂, two ♀♀. Blue Mountains, 7-8 ii.1915, R. J. Tillyard ; one ♂, Blackheath , Blue Mountains. 29.xi.1949, R. Dobson ; one ♂, Wentworth Falls , Blue Mountains, 2 xi.1949, R Dobson ; one ♂, French’s Forest , 28.iii. 1948, R. Dobson ; four ♂♂, one ♀, Cronulla , 20.iii. 1957, R. D obson ; one ♂, one ♀, Royal National Park , xii.1907, R. J. Tillyard ; two ♂♂, one ♀, Yarrunga (? Creek), 25.i. l915, R. J. Tillyard ; one ♂, Ulladulla , 8.ii. 1975, K. R. Norris . Victoria: two ♀♀, Mount Buffalo, Lake Catani , 4.iii. 1967, E. F. Riek ; one ♂, Gisborne, 24.xii.1908, R. J. Tillyard. South Australia: five ♂♂, Wilpena Pound , no date, H. M. Hale, swamp, 27. x. 1955, E. T. Giles ( SAM). Tasmania: two ♂♂, Cradle M ountain , 19.i.1917, R. J. Tillyard ; six ♂♂, one ♀, Lake Dove, Cradle M ountain , 30.i. l967, E. F. Riek ; eight ♂♂, three ♀♀, Fossey River, 10 (miles) (16 km) S o f Hellyer Gorge , 5.ii.1967, E. F. Riek ; three ♂♂, two ♀♀, Nivarre River , 12.ii. 1967, E. F. Riek ; one ♂, 5 miles (8 km) SW o f Strahan , 21.i. 1948, K. H. L. Key, P. B. Cam e and R. W. Kerr .

Male

A. psyche was characterised in detail by Selys (1862) and Ris (1910).

Colourpattern (Figs 1,7,13,14).—Dorsal black stripe o fabdominal tergite 2 constricted only slightly at centre (Fig. 13), rarely approaching the goblet-shaped m ark o f A. aleison (but cf. Fig. 14). Colour pattern otherwise much as in A. aleison .

Wings.—Hind wing averaging 17.84 mm (range 16.4-18.8 mm, N = 10); fore wing pterostigma averaging 1.444 mm long (range 1.22-1.68 mm), average breadth 0.426 mm (range 0.38-0.48 m m)(N = 10).

Anal appendages (Figs 22-24).—Superior appendages averaging 1.273 mm long (range 1.10-1.44 mm, N = 20); subapical spine broad, its anterior margin slightly convex; ventrobasal knob alm ost a third of appendage length from base, 0.68-0.74 x appendage length from tip, 0.36-0.41 x appendage length from point of subapical spine; inferior appendages simple.

Female Size variable, range marginally higher than in male; hind wing averaging 18.19 mm long (range 16.9­ 19.2 mm), fore wing pterostigma averaging 1.530 mm (range 1.26-1.74 mm) x 0.454 mm (range 0.42-0.50 mm) (N = 10). Colour pattern as in A. aleison (Fig. 8).

Distribution and habitat

A. psyche occurs along the coastal and adjacent mountain areas of south-eastern Australia from south-eastern Queensland to Victoria and Tasmania, and in South Australia (Watson 1974,1977), apparently in habitats similar to those occupied by A. aleison in south-western Australia—the margins of rivers and slow streams, lakes and ponds, and probably seasonally dry pools (cf. Watson 1962). The northern parts of its range overlap the range of A. minjerriba , and the two occur in close proximity on North Stradbroke Island and the Wooli Lakes system (Watson and Arthington unpublished report). At least on North Stradbroke Island, A. psyche and A. minjerriba show ecological separation. A. psyche has been recorded from only one locality, the small, reedy, intermittent stream that drains into Brown Lake; A. minjerriba is abundant on the lake, but has not been collected from the stream (Watson and Arthington unpublished report).