Coeliccia southwelli, Dow, Rory A. & Reels, Graham T., 2011

Dow, Rory A. & Reels, Graham T., 2011, Coeliccia southwelli sp. nov. (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platycnemididae) from Mount Dulit, Sarawak, Zootaxa 2832, pp. 63-68 : 65-68

Coeliccia southwelli sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–8 )

Coeliccia species B.— Dow 2010: 155 (Ƥ Mount Dulit).

Material. Holotype: 3 (SAR09_10_PCD30, RMNH), Sarawak, Kapit division, southwest face of Mount Dulit, by small low gradient stream in disturbed montane forest, 3° 15.276’ N 114° 16.088’ E, ca 1095m, 29–IX–2009, leg. RAD. Paratypes: 2 ƤƤ (SAR09_10_PCD15-16), same area, head of rocky stream in disturbed forest, 3° 14.375’ N 114° 16.421’ E, ca 1022m, 30–IX–2009, leg. M. Kibi, in coll. Dow, SAR09_10_PCD16 teneral and in poor condition; Ƥ: Malaysian Borneo, Sarawak, Miri division, Mt Dulit, 20–X–1932, leg. B.M. Hobby & A.W. Moore, in BMNH, head detached, in gelatine capsule, abdomen and wings on right hand side detached, abdomen previously broken and glued. In addition to the original labels, a folded white, handwritten, paper rectangle is present on the pin, added by K.-D.B. Dijkstra: “not campioni !//nov. spec.?”

Etymology. southwelli , a noun in the genitive case. Named for our very good friend Luke Southwell from Miri in Sarawak, who has been a vital figure in all of our trips to Mount Dulit, and without whose initiative the trip on which the holotype and two of the paratypes were collected would not have taken place; and in memory of his son, John Hudson Southwell, who tragically passed away on 31 January 2011.

Description. Holotype male.

Head: Labium pale except for black end hooks of labial palp. Labrum and postclypeus shining black, anteclypeus, mandible bases and genae blue. Rest of head black, with exceptions as noted below. An irregular pale yellow stripe extending diagonally from lateral ocellus behind the antennae to the eye margin. Scape with pale ring at top, similar at base of pedicel, which is dark brown at top. Small, transversely orientated yellow postocular spots.

Thorax: Prothorax ( Fig. 1 ) with anterior pronotal lobe black except for yellow corners, continuous with large yellow markings occupying most of median pronotal lobe. Posterior pronotal lobe black, broad and deep, of simple shape. Notopleural stripe with irregular outline. Synthorax with mesepisternum black with long yellow antehumeral stripes. Antealar triangles black. Mesepimeron mostly black, with a small triangular yellow marking in the upper posterior corner. Metepisternum yellow except for a very narrow dark area along the interpleural suture at rear 1/3 and a wider black band above the posterior part of the metapleural suture, terminating before the spiracle, extending alongside lower 2/3 of the antealar carina. Metepimeron largely yellow. Venter of synthorax pale yellow. Mesinfraepisternum entirely black except for the lower posterior corner, which is yellow. Metinfraepisternum pale yellow. Axillaries dorsally mostly black, metascutum largely yellow. Legs: coxae and trochanters pale yellow. Femora pale yellow with dark markings as follows: on distal part of all legs and extending along most of the flexor surface on the anterior pair, and along the outer margin of the extensor surface for almost the entire length on all legs. Tibiae brown near femora, this extending along the flexor surface on all legs, otherwise coloured dirty cream, dark distally. Tarsi dark brown with extensive pale areas. Wings: Fw with 16 Px, 15 Px in Hw. Pt dark brown with narrow pale margin, almost rectangular, covering slightly more than one underlying cell.

Abdomen: S1 yellow laterally except for a brown apical band, dorsally with a basal brown area. S2 pale brown, slightly lighter below, darker apically. S3–7 brown above, darker apically, lighter on lower part of sides and with dorsal brown becoming progressively darker on each segment. S3 with a medially interrupted narrow pale anterior band, on S4–7 this band is present, but becomes progressively fainter. S8 black dorsally and on upper part of sides, pale below, blue behind posterior carina dorsally. S9 dorsally with a large blue marking ( Fig. 7 ), black laterally and blue behind posterior carina. S10 black with a dorsal blue marking ( Fig. 7 ). Cerci black, paraprocts black, pale interiorly and ventrally. Cerci with tips strongly down-turned ( Fig. 5 ), a long tooth on inner side ( Fig. 4 ), directed downwards and strongly basally, inserted at just after mid length, with a second ventral tooth, directed downwards and slightly basally at ca 2/3 length visible in lateral view ( Fig. 5 ). Paraprocts in lateral view projecting beyond cerci, upper margin with a prominent hump shortly before the tip, then abruptly narrowed, and flattened, tapering to and in-curved at tip; in ventral view ( Fig. 6 ) broad at base and tapering gradually, then quite abruptly narrowing and tapering to tips, which are pointed inwards towards each other.

Measurements (mm): Abdomen without appendages 37, cerci ca 0.75, Hw 23.

Female. [SAR09_10_PCD15] As male except as noted below.

Head: Stripes from lateral ocelli to eye margins pale green-blue.

Thorax: Prothorax as shown in Figs. 2–3 , with a large notopleural projection, median pronotal lobe short centrally and produced laterally into a spine, posterior pronotal lobe large, nearly obscuring the mesostigmal plates. Pale markings on propleuron yellow, those on median pronotal lobe pale blue. Synthorax with mesostigmal plates only slightly raised along free margin, with just a few short hairs. Markings of synthorax almost identical to male, but antehumeral stripes bluish yellow. Wings with 15 Px in Fw, 15 (left) or 13 (right) Px in Hw. Pt greyish brown with narrow pale margin (barely evident in right Fw), shorter and deeper than in male.

Abdomen: As male to S7, S8 with triangular blue dorsal mark ( Fig. 8 ), S9–10 black. Ovipositor extending beyond S10 by slightly more than the length of S10, mottled dark brown and pale.

Measurements (mm): Abdomen without cerci or ovipositor 37.5, Hw 25.5.

Variation in paratype females. The condition of the teneral paratype prevents a detailed comparison, but the prothoracic structures are the same as in the female described, while the colouration is generally paler. In the BMNH female the only differences are the presence of two small pale marks between the ocelli and some other very small and insignificant differences in markings; this specimen has the abdomen without ovipositor 37 mm, Hw 24 mm.

Remarks. The male of C. southwelli is easily distinguished from that of all other named borneensis -group species by the possession of two teeth on the cercus, and the remarkable length of the interior tooth. C. southwelli appears to be most closely allied with C. arcuata , and with Coeliccia sp from Ulu Barito, Kalimantan reported in Dow (2010), known from a single specimen in poor condition.

In most respects the male of C. southwelli corresponds closely with that of the Ulu Barito specimen. Apart from colour differences that are almost certainly due to the teneral nature of the Ulu Barito specimen, the only differences are in the dorsal markings of the terminal abdominal segments and in the anal appendages. In particular the second, ventral tooth on the cerci of C. southwelli is not apparent on those of the Ulu Barito specimen; however the first author has examined the cerci of the Ulu Barito male in detail and was still unable to be completely sure that that ventral teeth were not present, just crushed and folded so as to be obscured. It is likely that the Ulu Barito specimen represents a distinct, but closely related, species to C. southwelli , but without fresh material of the former the issue cannot be satisfactorily resolved.

The female of C. southwelli is associated with the male by supposition only, but no other species from the borneensis -group has yet been found above 1000m on Mt Dulit. It differs from all other members of the borneensis -group except for C. arcuata Lieftinck, 1940 in possessing large notopleural projections, but no median pronotal lobe projections, from C. arcuata by the broad posterior pronotal lobe, and from all species in the spines present at the rear lateral part of the median pronotal lobe.

In the keys given in Dow (2010) the male of C. southwelli comes out as C. sp (the Ulu Barito species), whilst the female breaks the key. The male key should be modified as follows:

4. Cerci with a short interior basally directed spine at about a third of length from base. Paraprocts down-turned from about midpoint in lateral view............................................................................ C. arcuata

- Cerci with a very long interior spine, basally and downwards directed, inserted just beyond the midpoint and a second ventrally and slightly basally directed tooth visible in lateral view, inserted at ca 2/3 length. Paraprocts not down-turned in lateral view, abruptly narrowed at the level of the tips of the cerci, with a conspicuous dorsal hump immediately before the contraction............................................................................................. C. southwelli

The female key should be modified as follows:

3. Posterior pronotal lobe narrow, flat, tapering caudad, without lateral projections........................... C. arcuata - Posterior pronotal lobe broad, not tapering caudad, with or without lateral projections............................. 3’. 3’. Median pronotal lobe projections present, posterior pronotal lobe with well-developed lateral projections............... 4. - Median pronotal lobe projections absent, posterior pronotal lobe without well-developed lateral projections.... C. southwelli

Distribution and habitat. C. southwelli is known only from above 1000m on Mount Dulit. The holotype was collected by a small, very steep sided low gradient stream in disturbed montane forest. The females collected in 2009 were at a rocky, higher gradient, stream in disturbed forest. It is the fourth species from the borneensis- group to be found on Mount Dulit.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Coeliccia southwelli, male holotype and paratype female SAR 09 _ 10 _ PCD 15: (1) dorsal view of male prothorax; (2) dorsal view of female prothorax (3) lateral view of female prothorax; (4) dorsal view of male caudal appendages; (5) lateral view of male caudal appendages; (6) ventral view of male paraprocts.

FIGURES 7 – 8. Coeliccia southwelli, male holotype and paratype female SAR 09 _ 10 _ PCD 15, dorsal view of terminal abdominal segments: (7) male; (8) female.