Leptobasis vacillans Hagen

Garrison, Rosser W. & Ellenrieder, Natalia Von, 2010, Redefinition of Leptobasis Selys with the synonymy of Chrysobasis Rácenis and description of L. mauffrayi sp. nov. from Peru (Odonata: Coenagrionidae), Zootaxa 2438, pp. 1-36 : 11-13

Leptobasis vacillans Hagen in Selys 1877

Figs. 1 d, 2h, 4c, 5c, 8b, 16, 19f, 20h, 21h, 22f, 26, 28

Leptobasis vacillans — Hagen 1867: 291 (nomen nudum).

Leptobasis vacillans Hagen in Selys 1877: 101 [reprint 7] (description: types 3, Ƥ, Cuba, J. Gundlach leg., in MHNP [not examined]); — Kolbe 1888: 172 (description, notes); — Kirby 1890: 156 (catalog); — Calvert 1902: 120 (redescription); — Baker 1905: 86 ( Nicaragua); — Calvert 1907: 385 (further notes); — Calvert 1909: 200 ( Guiana); — Muttkowski 1910: 64 (catalog, types erroneously stated to be in BMNH); — Calvert 1919: 355 (Gundlach's description); —; Gowdey 1926: 2 ( Jamaica); — Klots 1932: 87 (description Puerto Rico); — Needham 1941: 14 (adult color changes, description of larva from Dominican Republic); — Whitehouse 1943: 53 ( Jamaica); — Rácenis 1953: 52 ( Venezuela); — Santos 1957: 5 (comparison with Leptobasis costalimai ); — Rácenis 1958: 193 ( Venezuela); — Santos 1961b: 172 (comparison with Leptobasis tuberculata ); — Alayo 1968a: 82 (description ontogenetic color changes); 1968b: 27, 46, 51 (illustrations); — Davies 1981: 2 (mention as type species); — Paulson 1982: 254, 260 (distribution); — Paulson 1984a: 34 (Yucatan, Mexico); — Paulson 1984b: 51 ( El Salvador); — Davies & Tobin 1984: 77 (catalog); — Dunkle 1988 ( Honduras); — Novelo-Gutiérrez, Canul-González & J. Camal 1988: 44 (Quintana Roo, Mexico); — De Marmels 1990: 337 (checklist, Venezuela); — Novelo-Gutiérrez 1991: 259 (Quintana Roo, Mexico); — Donnelly 1992 ( Panama); — Daigle 1993: 67 ( Dominican Republic); — González-Soriano 1993: 296 ( Mexico); — Bridges 1994: VII.243. (catalog); — Boomsma & Dunkle 1996: 25 (checklist); — Flint 1996: 18 ( Cuba); — González-Soriano & Novelo-Gutiérrez 1996: 164 ( Mexico); — Steinmann 1997: 287 (catalog); — González-Soriano 1997: 254 (Veracruz, Mexico); — Askew, Prosser & Corbet 1998: 28 (Grand Cayman Island); — Ramos Hernández 1999: 16 (checklist); — Tsuda 2000: 38 (catalog); — Förster 2001: 62 (key); — Belle 2002: 3 (checklist, Surinam); — Ramos Hernández 2003: 16 (checklist); — Trapero Quintana & Naranjo López 2003: 28 ( Cuba); — Rehn 2003: 200 (phylogeny); — Trapero Quintana & Naranjo López 2004: 179 (in key); Machet 2004: 147 ( French Guiana); — Esquivel 2005: 167 ( Costa Rica, color photo); — Flint, Bastardo & Perez-Gelabert 2006: 71 ( Dominican Republic); — González-Soriano & Novelo-Gutiérrez 2007: 129 ( Mexico); — Heckman 2008: 528 (key to neotropical genera); — Perez-Gelabert 2008: 285 (Hispaniola); — Bailowitz, Danforth, & Deviche 2009: 16 (Sinaloa, Mexico); — Novelo-Gutiérrez & Gómez-Anaya 2009: 686 ( Mexico).

Agrion (Leptobasis) vacillans: Gundlach 1888: 231 (redescription of color pattern); — Gundlach 1893: 268 ( Puerto Rico).

Hylaeagrion croceum Förster 1906:15 (description Ƥ, 3 Surinam).

Leptobasis vacillans var. atrodorsum Calvert 1902: 121 (description); — Calvert 1908: xxix (holotype 3 from Santiago Iscuintla, Jalisco, Mexico designated); — Klots 1932: 88 (mention); — Gloyd 1981: 133 ( El Salvador); — Steinmann 1997: 287 (catalog).

Leptobasis vacillans ecuadorica Calvert 1909: 201 (description 3, Ƥ Guayaquil and Quevedo, Ecuador, syntypes in ANSP); — Steinmann 1997: 287 (catalog).

Leptobasis vacillans guianae Calvert 1909: 201 (description 3, Ƥ Paramaribo, Guiana, syntypes in ANSP); — Machet 1989: 14 ( French Guiana); — Steinmann 1997: 287 (catalog).

Leptobasis vacillans var. atrovirens Needham 1941: 15 (misquote of L. vacillans atrodorsum Calvert ).

Leptobasis atrodorsum — Rácenis 1958: 193 (comparison with L. vacillans ).

Specimens examined. Total: 31 3, 34 Ƥ. Puerto Rican specimens: 1 Ƥ, Municipio Carolina, ditch at junction of Hwy 26 & Ave. Campo Rico, 18°24'37"N, 66°0'0"W, 3 m, 4 xi 1981, leg. J.A. Garrison deposited in RWG; 1 3, Municipio Juncos, Juncos, 18°13'46"N, 65°55'17"W, 71 m, 4 xi 1981, no collector data, (RWG); 1 3, Municipio Mayagüez, Mayagüez, 18°12'11"N, 67°8'24"W, 48 m, 24 x 1981, leg. L. Gomez, 1 3 (RWG).

Dominican Republic specimens: 1 Ƥ, La Altagracia Prov., Nisibon, Finca Papagallo, beach, 18°54'25"N, 68°40'41"W, 16 vi 1999, leg. R.E. Woodruff & R. M. Baranowski (deposited in USNM); 4 3, 2 Ƥ, La Vega Prov., pond 4.5 mi S to La Vega, 19°12'N, 70°30'W, 16 iv 1981, leg. J.A. & R. W. Garrison (RWG); 1 3, pasture & small wet areas, 19.5 km NE of Jarabacoa, 19°17'27"N, 70°36'6"W, 200 m, 3 viii 1983, leg. R. W. Garrison (RWG); 7 3, 7 ƤƤ, San Cristobal Prov., pond in sugar cane field, 9.5 km N Villa Altagracia on autopista Duarte, 18°44'2"N, 69°23'1"W, 93 m, 2 vii 1984, leg. J.A. & R. W. Garrison (RWG). Cuban specimens: 1 Ƥ, Cienfuegos Prov., Jardín Botánico Cienfuegos, 3 km E of Pepito Tey, 22°7'30"N, 80°19'12"W, 13 xii 1994, leg. O.S. Flint, Jr., (USNM); 1 Ƥ, La Habana Prov., Río Ariguanabo, at Base de Campismo, ca 4 km N of San Antonio de Los Baños, 22°54'54"N, 82°29'18"W, 8 xii 1994, leg. O.S. Flint, Jr. (USNM). Mexican specimens: 1 Ƥ, Morelos State, La Fuente, Municipio Jiutepec, 10 km W of Cuernavaca, 18°51'21"N, 99°16'56"W, 1300 m, 17 ix 1983, leg. R. W. Garrison (RWG); 1 Ƥ, Veracruz State, La Palma, NW of Sontecomapan, 18°56'N, 96°54'W, 866 m, 5 xii 1975, leg. C.M.& O.S. Flint, Jr. (USNM). Guatemalan specimens: 1 3, 1 Ƥ, Izabal Prov., Quiriguá, 15°16'N, 89°5'W, 68 m, 14 viii 1965, leg. O.S. Flint, Jr. & M.A. Ortiz B. (USNM); 2 3, 1 Ƥ, Izabal Prov., Séneca, 9 km 239, 15°28'N, 88°52'W, 50 m, 16–18 viii 1965, leg. O.S. Flint, Jr. & M.A. Ortiz B. (USNM); 1 3, Zacapa Prov., Los Amates, 15°16'N, 89°6'W, 80 m, 18 i 1905, leg. E.B. Williamson (USNM); 1 Ƥ, same data but leg. James S. Hine (USNM). Nicaraguan specimens: 1 3, Esteli Dept., Rio Pueblo Nuevo, Ducuali, 13°23'N, 86°86'W, 599 m, 13 vi 1967, leg. O.S. Flint, Jr. & M.A. Ortiz B. (USNM); 1 3, 1 Ƥ, Rt. 1, km 183, Condega, 13°21'N, 86°24'W, 562 m, 31 vii 1967, leg. O.S. Flint, Jr. & M.A. Ortiz B. (USNM). El Salvadoran specimens: 2 Ƥ, San Salvador, near Colima, roadside pool at km 40, 14°3'31"N, 89°8'9"W, 247 m, 30 vi 1966, leg. O.S. Flint, Jr. & M.A. Ortiz B. (USNM). Costa Rican specimens: 1 3, 1 Ƥ, Guanacaste Prov., Hacienda Taboga, wet marsh, 10°20'N, 85°12'W, 4 m, 16–26 vii 1967, leg. O.S. Flint, Jr. & M.A. Ortiz B. (USNM); 1 3, 1 Ƥ, Heredia Prov., Puerto Viejo, La Selva Biological Station, 10°28'N, 84°1'W, 76 m, 20 vii 1989, leg. C. Esquivel H. (RWG). Panamanian specimens: 1 3, Panama Prov., Trinidad River, 8°8'N, 81°14'W, 217 m, 2 iv 1911, leg. August Busck; 1 3, same data but 5 iv 1911; 1 3, same data but 15–30 iii 1912; 1 3, La Chorrera, 8°52'34"N, 79°46'36"W, 78 m, iv 1912, leg. August Busck (all USNM); 1 3, 1 Ƥ, San Blas Prov., Navagandi, 9°1'N, 77°48'W, 76 m, 1–6 iii 1985, leg. O.S. Flint, Jr., J. Louton (RWG, USNM); 1 3, 1 Ƥ, Veraguas Prov., Los Algarrobos, 8°29'45"N, 82°32'22"W, 170 m, 5 viii 1967, leg. O.S. Flint, Jr. (USNM). Colombian specimens: 1 Ƥ, Choco Dept., Quibdó, perímetro urbano W of Puente Río Cabí, 5°41'3"N, 76°38'56"W, 47 m, 10 xii 1997, leg. M. García (deposited in TWD); 1 Ƥ, Valle del Cauca Dept., Bajo Calima, 3°59'47"N, 76°58'28"W, 75 m, 30 i 1986, leg. M.E. Burbano (RWG). Venezuelan specimens: 1 Ƥ, Aragua State, Rancho Grande, 10°4'14"N, 67°32'50"W, 1100 m, 17 ii 1969, leg. W.D. Duckworth (USNM); 1 Ƥ, Est. Exp. Cataurito, ca. 32 km. E. Villa de Cura, 10°3'N, 67°19'W, 1128 m, 28 i 1983, leg. O.S. Flint, Jr. (USNM); 2 Ƥ, Barinas State, Río Masparro, 25 ii 1969, leg. W.D. Duckworth & R.E. Dietz (USNM). Ecuadoran specimens: 1 3, 1 Ƥ, Guayas Prov., Guayaquil, 2°44'N, 79°45'W, 17 m, no date, leg. F. Campos R. (USNM); 2 3, 1 Ƥ, Pichincha Prov., 29 km W of Santo Domingo de los Colorados, 0°15'18"S, 79°23'51"W, 276 m, 7 v 1975, leg. Andrea Langley (USNM); 1 3, 1 Ƥ, Seepage fen at Hotel Colorados, Hwy 30 about 16 km E Santo Domingo, 0°15'S, 79°9'W, 604 m, 30 i 1997, leg. Jerrell J. Daigle (RWG).

Diagnosis. This common and widespread species is nearest to L. mauffrayi and L. raineyi and is diagnosed under those species; it appears to be allopatric to both.

Dimensions. Males (n 10): Hw 11.7–18.6 (15.9); abdomen 21.7–30.6 (25.8); total length 25.5–35.9 (31.4). Females (n 10): Hw 13.8–17.8 (15.9); abdomen 22.6–28.7 (25.8); total length 27.5–33.9 (31.4).

Remarks. The long list of synonyms documents the chromatic variability and widespread distribution of this species. Ontogenetic and chromatic differences have led authors to assign varietal names and some (e. g. Rácenis 1958) considered one of these ( L. atrodorsum ) as a distinct species. Our examination of the genital ligula for this species throughout its range, including that of a syntype of L. vacillans ecuadorica , shows them all to be the same. Selys' original description was from a pair from Cuba with immature (all orange to brown) coloring. Calvert (1902) applied the varietal name atrodorsum to specimens from Mexico and Panama with a blackish epicranium and pale postocular spots ( Fig. 1 d), and pale green thorax with black brown mid-dorsal and humeral stripes, and he gave conditional varietal names to South American material from Guyana and Ecuador with darker abdomens (guianae and ecuadorica respectively).

Distribution. Southern Texas, USA ( Lasley & Abbott 2009, Rose 2009), Antilles, and Mexico south through Ecuador ( Fig. 28 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Head, dorsal view of right half. (a) Leptobasis candelaria, male, Mexico, Veracruz, E of Córdoba; (b) L. guanacaste, male paratype, Costa Rica, Guanacaste, Hacienda Taboga; (c) L. mauffrayi, male holotype, Peru, Manu, Pakitza; (d) L. vacillans, male, Dominican Republic, La Vega, S of La Vega.

FIGURE 28. Distribution of Leptobasis mauffrayi, L. raineyi, and L. vacillans.