Syncordulia serendipator, Dijkstra, Klaas-Douwe B., Samways, Michael J. & Simaika, John P., 2007

Dijkstra, Klaas-Douwe B., Samways, Michael J. & Simaika, John P., 2007, Two new relict Syncordulia species found during museum and field studies of threatened dragonflies in the Cape Floristic Region (Odonata: Corduliidae), Zootaxa 1467, pp. 19-34 : 28-29

Syncordulia serendipator n. sp. —‘Rustic Presba’

Figs 4 , 8 , 12 , 16 , 21 .

Type material: Holotype ď, paratype Ψ (in copula with holotype), paratype Ψ (ovipositing), Western Cape, Witrivier, Bain’s Kloof, 17.iii.2006, J.P. Simaika and M.J. Samways ( SUEC).

Further material: 1 Ψ, Cape Province, Riebeeck Kasteel [= Riebeek-Kasteel] Mtn, 9.iii.1971, C.G.C. Dickson ( NMBZ); 1 ď, Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, Stellenbosch, 19.iii.2006, J.P. Simaika ( SUEC); 1m #, Bain's Kloof, 18.ii.2007, M.J. Samways, M. Samways and J.P. Simaika ( SUEC).

Description. Holotype male. Measurements (mm): total length: 51.6; abdomen length (excluding appendages): 34.8; Fw length: 34.0; Hw length: 31.4; Fw Pt: 2.9. Head, including postgenae, warm brown-yellow throughout, with two small dark spots on central postclypeus and black margins posteriorly along eyes. Labium cream, with brown smudges along inner borders of central and lateral lobes. Anterior surfaces (up to vertex) of head covered with dense black hairs, posterior (up to occipital triangle) surfaces with finer and longer pale hairs. Thorax glossy brownish black, with paler areas concentrated on central and dorsal portions of thoracic plates: middorsal carina and antealar sinuses are warm brown-yellow, as is a band across the mesepisterna adjacent to (and of similar width as) sinuses; most of the central mesepimeron, dorsal corner of metepisternum and posterior half of metepimeron. Thorax densely covered in long whitish hairs. Legs black, femora dorsally warm brown-yellow. Pale tibial keels present on anterior face of just under apical half of fore and middle tibiae, and just over three-quarters of hind tibiae. Venation and Pt black, except for pale brown subnode and basal antenodal cross-veins. Base of costa and adjacent plate dorsally pale brown, marked with black. Wings clear, very faintly yellow at base. Membranule grey. Venation typical of genus. 9 Ax in both Fw, 7 in Hw; 7–8 Px in Fw, 8 in Hw; anal loop of 9 cells. Abdomen club-shaped, black, S1–8 with warm brownyellow paired dorso-apical markings as shown in Fig. 4 , S9 unmarked and S10 with small dorso-subapical spot. Basal halves of S3–5 dorsally blackish brown with centres grading to paler brown. Sternites brownblack. Auricles and intersegmental rings brown-yellow. Tergites covered with fine whitish hairs, longest on undersides of S1–2 and S8. Appendages ( Fig. 12 ) robust, epiproct two-thirds as long as cerci; cerci stout and dark brown, becoming paler grey-brown towards tips. Cercus bearing two blunt teeth: one ventral and subbasal, the other lateral and subapical. Epiproct broad, warm brown-yellow, shallowly and widely incised posteriorly, separating into two diverging tips that each bear a single black tooth at apex. Secondary genitalia as in Fig. 8 . Hamules massive, leaf-shaped, folded longitudinally, with black-brown exterior and cream interior. Ventral borders of tergite of S1 not drawn out to form a pair of spikes.

Paratype female. Measurements (mm): total length: 50.0, abdomen length (excluding appendages): 35.5, Fw length: 34.2, Hw length: 33.3, Fw Pt: 2.7. More robust than holotype and pale areas more extensive but darker in tone (thus less distinct). Anterior face of frons darker and dark spots on postclypeus larger. Centres of most thoracic plates broadly pale, with black stripes along sutures and beside middorsal carina. Venation darker than in holotype; all wings lightly but distinctly yellow at base, approximately to arculus. 9–10 Ax in both Fw, 7 in Hw; 8 Px in Fw, 8–9 in Hw; anal loops of 9 cells. Abdomen thicker than in holotype, not clubbed, S9–10 relatively longer than in other Syncordulia females ( Fig. 16 ). Abdominal pattern as in male, but pale markings more extensive (extending about to midpoint of each segment), also present on S9, and enclosing pairs of small black transverse hyphens near segment’s apex and dorsal carina on S2–8 (connected to black dorsal carina on S2–4), approximately in middle of each pale area. These dashes are obscured by the greater extent of black in the holotype. Vulvar scale appressed, black with narrow brown-yellow border with wide medial incision and short (less than a third of lateral length of S9) lateral extensions ( Fig. 16 ). Cerci black, pointed but with blunt tips, about 1.3x as long as S10 and paraprocts.

Variation. Females may have strongly reduced dark markings, e.g. no spots on postclypeus and abdomen dorsally largely pale brown, although broadly black laterally. The Riebeek-Kasteel female has the thorax pale with only dark lines over the sutures; its abdomen is only narrowly black along the dorsal carina and transverse subbasal sutures of S2–8; the dorsum of S9–10 and the cerci are pale. Males (n = 2): abdomen length (excluding appendages): 34.5–34.8mm, Hw length: 31.4–32.4mm, Fw 9 Ax and 7–8 Px, anal loops of 8–9 cells. Females (n = 2): abdomen length (excluding appendages): 35.5–36.7 mm, Hw length: 33.3–33.7 mm, Fw 8–10 Ax and 6–7 Px, anal loops of 9–10 cells.

Range and ecology. This species is only known from three separate localities, in different mountain ranges in the CFR ( Fig. 21 ). Probably owing to habitat specialization, it has a very small area of occupancy. It is a powerful flier, patrolling deposition pools of streams strewn with large boulders, and virtually treeless. It oviposits in pools by swiftly flying over and dipping its abdomen. On overcast days and late in the afternoon, it may leave the water’s edge and fly swiftly over mountain sides even near mountain peaks.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Syncordulia male abdomen in dorsal (above) and lateral (below) view. (1) S. gracilis; (2) S. legator n. sp.; (3) S. venator; (4) S. serendipator n. sp.

FIGURES 5 – 8. Syncordulia male secondary genitalia in lateral view. The penis is indicated by dotted lines, as its position is variable. (5) S. gracilis; (6) S. legator n. sp.; (7) S. venator; (8) S. serendipator n. sp.

FIGURES 9 – 12. Syncordulia male appendages in dorsal (left), lateral (right) and ventral (S. serendipator n. sp. only) view. (9) S. gracilis; (10) S. legator n. sp.; (11) S. venator; (12) S. serendipator n. sp.

FIGURES 13 – 16. Syncordulia female abdomen tip in lateral (left) and ventral (right) view. (13) S. gracilis; (14) S. legator n. sp.; (15) S. venator; (16) S. serendipator n. sp.

FIGURES 17 – 21. Geographical distribution of Syncordulia species in South Africa (17) and the Western Cape (18 – 21). Legend: solid circles: verified records; dotted circles: observations; crossed circles: unverified records. (17 – 18) S. gracilis; (19) S. legator n. sp.; (20) S. venator; (21) S. serendipator n. sp.