Gomphidia podhigai, Babu & Subramanian, 2019

Babu, R. & Subramanian, K. A., 2019, A new species of Gomphidia Selys, 1854 (Insecta: Odonata: Anisoptera: Gomphidae) from the Western Ghats of India, Zootaxa 4652 (1), pp. 155-164 : 157-161

Gomphidia podhigai sp. nov.

( Figs. 8–22 )

Material. Holotype: 1♂, India, Tamil Nadu, Aghastyamalai biosphere reserve, Kanyakumari District, Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary , Kaliyal Range , Kaliyal Beat , Velachithodu (08.53833N, 077.31174E, 480 m asl), 04.iv.2017, leg. R. Venkitesan . Holotype deposited at Southern Regional Centre , Zoological Survey of India, Chennai, India with Reg. No. I /OD 1560 .

Etymology. The species epithet “ podhigai ” is named after the ancient Tamil name for the Aghastyamalai were the type locality is situated.

Description of holotype. Head ( Figs. 10–12 ): Face bright yellow marked with black; labium yellow, base marked with black ( Fig. 10 ); labrum black marked with large yellow spot on each side; mandibles black. Anteclypeus and clypeus bright yellow and bordered with thin black line; postclypeus with broad black band.Antefrons black and postfrons black with large yellow spot on each side ( Fig. 11 ). Vertex and occiput black; two black robust horns on vertex with short golden hairs (red arrow in Fig.12 ). Eyes dark brown in preservation.

Thorax ( Figs. 13–14 ): Prothorax black fringed with long grey hairs. Pterothorax black marked with bright yellow; a robust spine in middorsal carina (red arrow in Fig. 13 ). A broad deeply interrupted yellow mesothoracic collar widely separated from pyriformed antehumeral stripes, pointed below; a small superior humeral spot and lower elongated citron yellow spot; mesepisternum black; broad bright yellow stripes on mesepimeron and metepimeron separated by a broad black stripe in metepisternum with yellow triangular spot in upper and lower end; the yellow stripe in mesepimeron slightly constricted in the middle and posterior yellow stripe cover the whole of the metepimeron; dorsally, mesepisternum and metepisternum end in backwardly directed black spine (red and white arrows in Fig. 14 ). Legs: Black with robust short spines; coxae, trochanters and fore femora with yellow spots.

Wings ( Fig. 9 ): Transparent. Ax 20 in right and left Fw; Px 15 in left and 13 in right Fw. Ax 15 and 16, Px 13 and 14 in left and right Hw; triangle 4 celled in Fw and 3 celled in Hw; super triangle 3 celled in all the wings; subtriangle 3 celled in left Fw, 2 celled in left Hw and right Fw and entire in right Hw; 3 cubital cross veins in Fw and 2 in Hw; pt black and very long about 7 celled in Fw and 6-6½ celled in Hw; anal triangle six celled in left Hw and 7 celled in right Hw.

Abdomen: Black marked with bright yellow as follows; S1 with narrow apical dorsal line; dorsum of S2 with basal triangular spot not extending to the apex; S2 with long backwardly pointed black auricle arising from triangular yellow spot at base (red arrow in Fig. 15 ); S3–S5 small baso-dorsal spot pointed at apical end which gradually decreases in size in S4 and S5; S6 a small basal spot in each side; S7 basal half deep reddish brown; S8 and S9 entirely black, dorsum of S10 marked with broad yellow stripe expanding as a round spot apically; laterally, marked with yellow spots towards apical end of the segment.

Anal appendages ( Figs. 16–18 ): Black, cerci long (about 7mm) equal to the length of S9, machete shaped, downwardly curved with broad base, narrow middle portion and up turned, expanded apical portion, meet with each other with a pointed end; paraprocts very small (<2mm) and triangular shaped.

Accessory genitalia ( Figs. 19–22 ): In lateral view, unexposed lamina anterior and genital lobe helmet shaped, black with yellow apices; lamina anterior and hamulus anterior fringe with long hairs ( Figs. 19 & 21 ); ventrally, lamina anterior black, very sinuous, long, pointed and deeply hollowed out in centre ( Fig. 19 ); extended condition, hamulus anterior black, very long, basal half very broad, expanded medially and gradually taper and end as sharply pointed strong hooks ( Figs. 20–21 ); hamulus posterior black tipped with yellow, tongue like shape, slightly shorter than anterior, flat, obtuse at apex ( Figs. 20–21 ). Vesica spermalis: V 2 long and ‘C’ shaped, V 3 shorter than V 2, apex of V 4 with short medial tubular stem extend as a long coiled flagellum on each side (red arrow in Figs. 21–22 ).

Measurements (mm): Fw 44, Hw 42, abdomen with appendages 55, cerci 7.

Female: Unknown.

Differential diagnosis. Gomphidia podhigai is compared with other Gomphidia species from India and Sri Lanka. Gomphidia podhigai is similar to G. kodaguensis , G. pearsoni and G. platyceps in general coloration and markings and they occupy similar habitat in hill streams of Western Ghats and Sri Lanka. However, G. podhigai can be easily distinguished from G. platyceps by the presence of a pair of horns in vertex which is absent in G. platyceps and from G. pearsoni by the presence of prominent yellow markings in S10; from G. kodaguensis , the new species differs by the absence of yellow markings in S8–S9. In G. podhigai cerci are as long as S9, but longer than S 9 in G. t-nigrum , G. kodaguensis , G. fletcheri and G. williamsoni ( Figs. 23–26 ). The shape of vesica spermalis of G. podhigai is different from G. t-nigrum and G. fletcheri ( Figs. 27–28 ).

Habitat and Ecology: The type locality is a hill stream with large boulders in a semi evergreen forest ( Fig. 29 ; Map-1).

Figures

FIGURE 29. Habitat of Gomphidia podhigai sp. nov. at the type locality, Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu.

FIGURES 8–12. Gomphidia podhigai holotype: (8) habitus, lateral view; (9) left fore and hindwing; 10–12 head: (10) ventral view; (11) dorsal view; (12) frontal view.

FIGURES 13–18. Gomphidia podhigai holotype: (13) pterothorax, lateral view; (14) mesepisternum, dorsal view; (15) basal abdominal segments, lateral view; 16–18 terminal segments of abdomen with anal appendages: (16) lateral view; (17) dorsal view; (18) ventral view.

FIGURES 19–22. Gomphidia podhigai holotype: accessory genitalia: (19) unexpanded, ventral view; 20–22 extended condition: (20) ventral view; (21) lateral view; (22) terminal segment of vesica spermalis.

FIGURES 23–28. Terminal segments and vesica spermalis of species of Gomphidia: 23–26 terminal segments of abdomen with anal appendages (redrawn from Fraser 1923 & 1934): (23) Gomphidia t-nigrum; (24) Gomphidia kodaguensis; (25) Gomphidia fletcheri; (26) Gomphidia williamsoni; 27–28. vesica spermalis (redrawn from Fraser 1940): (27) Gomphidia t-nigrum; (28) Gomphidia fletcheri.