Megalestes heros Needham, 1930

Yu, Xin & Xue, Junli, 2020, A review of the damselfly genus Megalestes Selys, 1862 (Insecta: Odonata Zygoptera: Synlestidae) using integrative taxonomic methods, Zootaxa 4851 (2), pp. 245-270 : 260

Megalestes heros Needham, 1930

( Fig. 3e ; 4e ; 5c, p ; 6g )

Megalestes heros Needham, 1930: 229–230 [Fujian, Sichuan]; Asahina 1985b: 11, 13, figs. 32–33 [Guadun, Fujian]. Megalestes suensoni Asahina, 1956: 213–216 , figs. 12–14 [Tien-Mu-Shan, Chekiang]; Chao 1965, proposed a junior synonym.

This is a large, endemic Chinese species mainly occurring in Fujian and Zhejiang. Needham (1930) did not provide any figures for this species. Asahina (1956) described M. suensoni on base of a female specimen from Tianmushan, Zhejiang. After carefully studying another female specimen collected from the type locality of M. suensoni Chao (1965) believed it was a junior synonym of M. heros , which was finally accepted by Asahina (1985b). Chao (1965) also doubted one of the type specimen of M. heros (the teneral male from Sichuan) was true of this species. We have explored Sichuan for many years and have never found M. heros , but the similar-sized species M. omeiensis is present. We agree with Chao (1965) to believe that Needham confused these two species in his original study.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Caudal appendages of males (dorsal view). a) australis; b) irma, paratype; c) distans, from Yaan, Sichuan; d) distans from Dashahe, Guizhou; e) heros; f) omeiensis, paratype; g) kurahashii; h) major; i) haui; j) “palaceus”; k) micans, bd: basal disk; l) “chengi”; m) riccii; n) “maai”; o) “tuska,” from Damingshan, Guangxi; p) “tuska,” from Jinxiu, Guangxi. (Scale bar = 0.5 mm).

FIGURE 4. Caudal appendages of males (lateral view). a) australis; b) irma, paratype; c) distans, from Yaan, Sichuan; d) distans from Qingchengshan, Chengdu, Sichuan; e) heros; f) omeiensis, paratype; g) kurahashii; h) major; i) haui; j) “palaceus”; k) micans; l) “Chengi,” paratype; m) riccii; n) maai; o) tuska, from Damingshan, Guangxi; p) tuska, from Jinxiu, Guangxi. (Scale bar = 0.5 mm).

FIGURE 5. Genital ligula of males (lateral view) (a–m) and ventral view (n–ab). a) australis; b) distans; c) heros; d) omeiensis, paratype; e) major; f) irma, paratype; g) “palaceus”; h) haui; i) “Chengi”; j) maai; k) riccii; l) tuska; m) micans; n) australis, Hr: horn; o) distans, Tlb: terminal lateral lobe; p) heros; q) omeiensis, paratype; r) major; s) irma, paratype; t) kurahashii; u) “palaceus”; v) haui; w) micans, from Jinping, Yunnan; x) “Chengi”; y) maai; z) riccii, Blb: basal lateral lobe; aa) tuska, Mlb: middle lateral lobe; ab) micans, from Fengyangshan, Zhejiang. (Scale bar = 0.2 mm).

FIGURE 6. Line drawing of male paraprocts (lateral view). a) australis; b) distans; c) gyalsey; d) kurahashii; e) major; f) haui; g) heros; h) omeiensis; i) micans; j) micans; k) riccii; l) irma.