Telosticta berawan, Dow & Orr, 2012

Dow, R. A. & Orr, A. G., 2012, Telosticta, A New Damselfly Genus From Borneo And Palawan (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platystictidae), Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 60 (2), pp. 361-397 : 385-386

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.5348617
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03DD87E5-FFF6-614B-FEE4-FC16FBDD99D5
treatment provided by	Tatiana
scientific name	Telosticta berawan
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Telosticta berawan View in CoL , new species

( Figs. 9A View Fig , 10A View Fig , 11A, H View Fig , 12A View Fig , 13A View Fig , 14A View Fig , 22 View Fig )

Drepanosticta new species – Dow & Reels, 2008: 3 Drepanosticta ?new species – Dow & Reels, 2009: 14, 16

Material examined. — Holotype: male (SAR06_PST40), Malaysia, Sarawak, Miri Division , Gunung Mulu National Park, high gradient forest stream on lower slopes Gunung Mulu, ca 500 m, 19 Feb.2006, coll. RAD, to be deposited in RMNH.

Paratypes: 2 females (SAR07_8_PST199–200), same location as holotype, 5 Jan.2008, coll. LS ; female (SAR07_8_PST124), same location, 12 Jan.2008, coll. RAD ; female (SAR07_8_PST233), same location, 11 Sep.2008, coll. RAD ; male (SAR07_8_PST236), Miri Division, Gunung Dulit, steep forest steam, ca 750–800 m, 27 Aug.2008, coll. RAD . Paratypes currently in collection RAD .

Others: teneral male, Miri Division, Gunung Dulit, steep forest steam, ca 750–800 m, 30 Aug.2008, coll. RAD, excluded from type series because of condition of specimen .

Diagnosis. — The male of T. berawan is readily distinguished from other species of Telosticta except for T. ulubaram , T. dayak , T. paruatia , and T. kajang by the form of its superior anal appendage, with a distinct deep cleft in the tip, easily visible in lateral view. It is easily distinguished from T. paruatia by having a much shorter interior projection on the superior appendage. It is distinguished from T. dayak by having the arms of the cleft in the tip of the superior anal appendage of unequal length in typical lateral view, and by having longer antehumeral stripes. It is distinguished from T. ulubaram by size and orientation of the interior projection of the superior anal appendage, and by the depth of the inner groove above the cleft in the tip of the superior appendages as seen in dorsal view, very deep in T. ulubaram with the bases of the two arms appearing as large rounded knobs in dorsal view, compared to shallow in T. berawan , with the tip of the appendage appearing narrow in dorsal view. It is separated from T. kajang by having a slightly shorter and more basal interior projection on the superior anal appendages and a ‘U’ shaped rather than ‘V’ shaped cleft in their tip, a shorter interior projection, and pale dorsal markings only on abdominal segment 8.

Etymology. — berawan , a noun in apposition; named for the Berawan people, who live in the Mulu area.

Description of holotype male. — Head: Labium pale. Labrum yellow except narrowly along free margin, where shining black.Anteclypeus yellow, postclypeus shining black. Mandible bases yellow in corner by clypeus, indistinctly coloured below, genae black except narrowly beside mandible bases, where obscurely pale. Vertex and frons bronzy black, occiput shining black. Ratio of width of compound eye to width of vertex measured at level of lateral ocelli ca 9/10. Transverse occipital carina with lateral extremities angulated and prominent. Ocelli whitish-yellow. Antenna (that on left missing) with top of scape and all of pedicel pale, rest black.

Thorax: Prothorax, except for the posterior pronotal lobe, yellow. Posterior lobe black, becoming obscurely pale on the lower two-thirds of the lateral processes, which are long ( Fig. 9A View Fig ) with the tip at the level of the lower margin of the propleuron. Synthorax: Mesepisternum black, with a pair of broad dull yellow antehumeral stripes, occupying ca 2/3 of the length ( Fig. 10A View Fig ). Antealar triangles pale. Mesepimeron largely black. Metepisternum almost entirely yellow, a black wedge in lower corner by antealar carina, this extending narrowly along metepleural suture for some distance. Metepimeron entirely yellow. Venter of synthorax pale. Legs: each with coxa and trochanter yellow, femur same, with obscure grey markings, black above tibia. Tibia black below femur, then yellowish cream, brown just above tarsus, which is mostly pale but brown at either end and with brown claws. Wings: 11 (right) to 12 (left) Px in Fw, 11 Px in Hw. Vein ab present. Arculus slightly distal to Ax2. R 4 arising distal to subnodus, IR 3 joined to it by a short stalk. Pterostigma approximately trapezoidal with costal side slightly shorter than anal side, and proximal side slightly shorter than distal side, black with narrow white border, covering slightly more than one underlying cell.

Abdomen: Largely pale brown, darkening to rear. S1 yellowish cream, dark brown behind posterior carina, and a black basal dorsal mark. S2 with a pale basal annulus, laterally this extending to the posterior carina as a pale wedge, otherwise brown. S3–6 brown with a narrow pale basal annulus and a becoming darker apically, S7 mostly black dorsally, brown and black laterally, becoming whitish near tergal margin. S8–10 black with a whitish dorsal-lateral marking on S8 ( Figs. 11A View Fig , 13A View Fig ). Anal appendages ( Figs. 12A View Fig , 13A View Fig , 14A View Fig ) largely black except interiorly towards the tips. Superior appendage nearly three times the length of S10, with interior projection at ca 1/3 length directed inwards and downwards, large, blunt ended, dorsal projection barely developed as a rounded inward directed swelling. Expanded dorsal-ventrally in distal 1/3, with a ‘U’ shaped cleft at tip, with the lower arm of the cleft shorter than upper, on interior side a shallow groove above the cleft between the bases of the two arms. Inferior appendage almost as long as superior, stem robust, scoop only slightly expanded, in ventral view curved inwards and then rearwards in terminal part, spine directed inwards, upwards and slightly to rear, its tip turned more to rear.

Measurements (mm): Abdomen without anal appendages 37, superior anal appendages ca 1.25, Hw 20.

Description of female paratype. — Based on SAR07_8_ PST124. As male except as noted.

Head: Labrum with a small black central spot in the pale marking. Antenna with scape and pedicel almost entirely pale.

Thorax: Lateral processes absent on posterior pronotal lobe. Dark mesepisternal stripe extending narrowly to the spiracle. Wings with 12 Px in Fw, 11–12 Px in Hw.

Abdomen: S7 with a broad pale basal annulus, S8 largely occupied by a pale bluish marking, S9–10 black. Ovipositor with valves mostly pale, extending well beyond the tips of the superior anal appendages. Superior anal appendages clearly shorter than S10.

Measurements (mm): Abdomen without anal appendages or ovipositor 32.5, ovipositor ca 2, Hw 21.

Variation in paratypes. — The male from Dulit has the lateral processes of the posterior pronotal lobe slightly longer than in the holotype, reaching just beyond the lower margin of the propleuron. The colour of the pale markings on the synthorax is bluish green rather than yellow. The female paratypes are very similar to one another, except that the size of the central black spot on the labrum is larger in two specimens and entirely absent in another. One female has lateral processes on the posterior pronotal lobe, very similar to the male, but slightly more slender.

Measurements (mm): Male: Abdomen without anal appendages 37.5, Hw 21. Wings with 13 Px in Fw, 12 in Hw. Females: Abdomen without appendages or ovipositor 32–34, Hw 20–22.5. Wings with 12–13 Px in Fw, 11–12 in Hw.

Remarks. — The female is associated with the male only by supposition based on occurrence at the same site as the males on Gunung Mulu and similarity of colouration and markings. In life the pale markings of both sexes of the Gunung Mulu population present a strong yellow colouration. The teneral male from Dulit, excluded from the type series, questionably belongs to this species, agreeing with it in the few details that can be reliably examined given its condition; the anal appendages are shrivelled and no conclusions can be drawn from them.

The closest relative of T. berawan appears to be the very similar T. kajang , from which it differs morphologically only in small details. However the known populations of the two are isolated from one another, and in the absence of concrete evidence to the contrary, it appears better to treat them as distinct species.

Biological notes. — T. berawan is known from small high gradient streams in mixed dipterocarp forest on mountains from 500–800 m. The holotype male was perched well above head height when caught; the paratype from Mount Dulit was perched some way back from the top of a steep stream bank. At the site on Gunung Mulu the supposed female is encountered with some regularity and has been observed apparently ovipositing into the midrib of broad leaves overhanging the stream, but the only male that has been observed is the holotype; it appears that the male of this species is secretive in its habits and does not spend much time close to the supposed larval habitat .

Distribution. — Fig. 22 View Fig ; so far only known from two mountains in north-east Sarawak Gunung Mulu in Miri Division and Mount Dulit which straddles the border of Miri and Kapit Divisions; T. berawan has been found only on the Miri side of the range to-date.