Argia telesfordi Meurgey

Meurgey, François, 2009, Redescription of Argia concinna (Rambur), with a description of Argia telesfordi spec. nov. from Grenada, West Indies (Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae), Zootaxa 2272, pp. 54-62 : 56-58

Argia telesfordi Meurgey , new species

(Figures 2, 4, 7–8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22)

Material examined: 22 3, 14 ƤƤ. Holotype 3: GRENADA: St Andrew Parish, Ste Margarets Falls 1350 ft, river and trail, N 12° 05’ 40’’ W 61° 40’ 49.5’’, 9.V.2009 F. Meurgey leg. Allotype Ƥ: same data as holotype; Paratypes: (21 3, 13 ƤƤ). 4 3, St George Parish, Annandale Falls, Annandale Estate, Willis 600 ft, waterfall and ditch along the trail 600 ft, 3.V.2009 F. Meurgey leg.; 1 3, St Andrew Parish Mont Carmel’s Falls, Marquis river, 600 ft, waterfall and trail, N 12° 05’ 36’’ W 61° 38’ 07’’ F. Meurgey leg. 3 3, 2 ƤƤ, St Andrew Parish, Ste Margarets Falls 1350 ft, river and trail, N 12° 05’ 40’’ W 61° 40’ 49.5’’, 9.V.2009 F. Meurgey leg.; 4 3, 3 ƤƤ, St John Parish, Concord Falls, Concord Valley, Davidall Estate, Black Bay River 1480 ft, waterfalls and river, 7.V.2009 F. Meurgey leg.; 1 3, 1 Ƥ, Gouyave, Charlotte River 400 ft, N 12° 10’ 3.7’’ W 61° 43’ 37.8’’, 5.V.2009 F. Meurgey leg.; 5 3, 5 ƤƤ, Tufton Hall falls, Saumache River 920 ft, river and trail, N 12° 10’ 52,2’’ W 61° 41’ 38.1’’, 7.V.2009 F. Meurgey leg.; 3 3, 1 Ƥ, St Patrick Parish, Pond near Tricolar, 1200 ft, N 12° 10’ 52.2’’ W 61° 39’ 48.5’’, 7.V.2009 F. Meurgey leg.. Holotype, allotype and paratypes deposited in the Nantes Museum of Natural History ( France), 1 paratype 3, 1 paratype Ƥ deposited in the Rosser Garrison collection.

Etymology: This species is dedicated to John Telesford, entomologist at the Grenada Ministry of Agriculture who led us to aquatic habitats of Grenada and for his help on the field.

Diagnosis: Medium sized equally dark and blue species.

Morphology: MALE (Holotype): Head: Labium pale, palps light blue with inner margin bordered with black; apical portion of teeth black. Labrum light blue, posteroventral margin whitish. Anteclypeus light blue; postclypeus blue bordered with black. Genae light blue each with a black, rounded spot. Frons entirely black except a large transverse anterior blue stripe. Vertex black with two blue spots at anterior margin of lateral ocelli (Figs. 2, 4). Rear of head black, with a lateral blue stripe along posterior margin of eyes. Eyes in life bright blue with a shade of black above. Thorax: Prothorax mostly black, middle lobe with two large dorsolateral blue spots and two small blue spots on the angles or the rear margin these spots always aligned with the blue antehumeral stripe on pterothorax; middle lobe with small depression on each side or with no depression; anterior margin with a sinuated blue stripe along the carina, lateral margin each with a blue spot (Fig. 10). Mesepisternum and metepimeron black with complete blue antehumeral stripe. Metepisternum, metepimeron and venter of pterothorax blue. Large black stripe between the metepisternal-metepimeral carina, dark stripe along carina between metepimeron and venter of thorax (Fig. 2). Wings: Hyaline (rarely smoked), venation black; pterostigma dark brown. Ax 16 in left forewing, 16 in right forewing; Px 14 in left hindwing, 14 in right hindwing. Legs: Coxae pale with each a black spot on the external side; third of internal face and basal third of external face of profemora light blue, the remainder black; sixth of internal face of meso and meta femora pale, the remainder black. External face of tibiae pale; tarsi black. Abdomen: Similar in color to that of Argia concinna (Figs. 7, 8). Caudal appendages similar in color to that for Argia concinna but torifer not raised above the level of tenth abdominal segment; tori small, light blue, rounded as large as space between them. Cercus black; paraproct externally black, interiorly black distally and pale basally. Cercus long, distinctly shorter than paraproct in lateral view (Fig. 12), in mediodorsal view cercus bifid at tip with inner branch longer than outer branch and concavity between them distinctly marked; inner branch situated subapically (Fig. 16). In dorsal view, cercus truncate, broader than space between them and as long as broad, slightly notched on apical margin (Fig. 14). Paraproct bifid, narrowed at midlength upper branch roundly triangular directed upwardly; with base wider than that of digit-like ventral branch. Posterior branch long extending distinctly beyond level of cerci, slightly curved dorsoposteriorly (Figs. 20, 22)

FEMALE (Allotype): Similar to male but with less extensive pale areas, yellowish or light brown in color. Head: As in male but pale areas yellow or light brown. Anteclypeus blue with two lateral dark spots or entirely yellow or light brown; postclypeus yellow bordered with black. Eyes in life dark above and blue below. Thorax: Prothorax black with two yellow spots above the notopleural suture, aligned with pale antehumeral stripe of pterothorax. Mesostigmal plates black, triangular, posterodistal margin unmodified, posteromedial margin expanded, forming a raised foliate lobe, its tip pale (Figs. 23, 24). Wings: Hyaline (rarely smoky), venation black; pterostigma black. Ax 15 in left forewing, 15 in right forewing; Px 13 in left hindwing, 14 in right hindwing. Legs: Coxae pale with each a black spot on the external side; basally third of internal face and externally third of profemora pale, the remainder black; third of external face of pro femora pale; sixth of internal face of meso and meta femora pale, the remainder black. External face of tibiae pale; tarsi black. Abdomen: Black with pale areas as follows: S1 with a small pale spot dorsally, and with yellowish spots ventrolaterally. S2–6 black dorsolaterally with a blue longitudinal stripe dorsally, yellowish ventrally. S7 black with a small blue half ring basally. S8–10 with a large blue or yellowish spot on the distal half. S2–7 sometimes entirely black, but spots on S8–10 always present. Ovipositor and caudal appendages black, ventral margin of ovipositor distinctly sinuate (Fig. 21).

Measurements (in mm): Holotype 3: Total length: 34.0, Abdomen: 27.0, FW: 20.0, HW: 19.7–Allotype Ƥ: Total length: 32.0, abdomen: 25.5, FW: 21, HW: 19.5.

Variations among paratypes: Total length 3: 34.0–36.0, total length ƤƤ: 32.0–34.0, abdomen 3: 27.0–28.8, ƤƤ abdomen: 25.5–27.0, forewings 3: 19.7.0–21.0, ƤƤ forewings 20.0–21.0, 3 hindwings: 19.0–20.0, ƤƤ hindwings: 19.0–20.0.