Anaciaeschna montivagans, M.A. Lieftinck, 1932

M. A. Lieftinck, 1932, Two new species of Odonata from Java, Stylops 1 (11), pp. 248-253 : 251-253

Anaciaeschna montivagans , sp. n. ( fig. 3 ).

Material studied: — 5 ♂♂ and 8 ♀♀ from West and Mid Java.

Localities (imagines only). West Java: — 1 ♀ (ad.), G. Tangkoeban Prahoe , 1400 m., 24.viii.1929 (F. C. Drescher); 2 ♀ ♀ (ad.), G. Gedeh-complex, Poentjakpass, Telaga Saät , 1450 m., 15.xii.1929 and 30.iii. 1930 (ovipositing) (M. A.L.); 4 ♂ ♂, 3 ♀♀ (reared from larvae), same locality, xi.1929, iii.1930, and viii.1930 (M. A.L.). Mid Java: — 1 ♂ (freshly emerged), 2 ♀ ♀ (ad.), Diëng Plateau, Telaga Balekambang and Pengilon , and Kali Dolog , ca. 2500 m., 6 and 7. viii.1930 (M iss T. van Benthem Jutting).

Numerous larvae and exuviae from the above-mentioned localities and from G. Panggerango, 1200 m., G. Gegerbintang, 1800 m., and G. Papandajan, 1800 - 2400 m., in West Java.

A very darkly coloured species, stouter and larger than jaspidea , with head more projecting in front, thorax more robust, with male abdomen decidedly spindle-shaped, with male anal appendages quite different in shape, and with wings comparatively broader and more abruptly narrowed towards apices.

♂ (juv., bred).— Head very large, with eyes more globular and a little more flattened above than in jaspidea , and with the frons much more projecting, rather triangularly pointed in front. Labium, genae and mandible-bases dark brown. Labrum light to dark brown, narrowly bordered with black in the centre. Entire anterior surface of head pale brownisholive (very probably vivid blue or green in the adult stage!) with the sutures unmarked. Fronto-clypeal suture with a very fine pale line. Frons in dorsal view with anterior edge obtuse-angulate, forming a very sharp ridge; dorsal surface concave, shining, transparent pale brownish-olive, with a very narrow and diffuse blackish shade along its base and with rather narrow, well delimited but isolated, somewhat crescent-shaped, antero-dorsal black border. Vertex and occipital triangle dark brown, the former very low, rounded, and with a very shallow incision at middle. Eyes cinnamon- to sepia-brown above (very likely also deep blue or green in adult male!).

Pro- and syn-thorax unicolorous pale purplish-brown, without any indication of dark sutures or pale coloured areas.

Legs black, all femora as far as the knees similar in colour to the thorax, almost identical in shape to jaspidea , tibial spines perhaps a shade shorter.

Wings broader and shorter than in jaspidea , apices more abruptly narrowed; hyaline. Neuration very dark brown with a vestige of a yellowish line along interior margin of costa. Pterostigma pale, shorter than in jaspidea . Membranula shaped exactly like jaspidea , but almost black instead of grey; only the extreme base of it is a little paler. Anal triangle three-celled. Anal loop a little longer in transverse direction but consisting of the ordinary number of cells (7-9). Neuration scarcely different from jaspidea ; the distal course of the veins R spl and M spl decidedly more outcurved, M 3 distinctly more strongly curved to the

wing border and only two or three marginal cells between M 3 and M spl in hind-wing (almost always four in jaspidea ). The first and sixth— rarely the seventh— cross-vein in the ante­ nodal space thickened. Antenodal cross-veins 16-18/11-12, postnodals 9-10/12-14,

Abdomen with basal segments more swollen in both dimensions, more abruptly narrowed towards end of segm. 2, and decidedly more strongly constricted before the middle of segm. 3 than in jaspidea . Instead of being gradually and very little widened from base of segm. 4 to end of 10, the intermediate segments in montivagans are more markedly enlarged from middle of segm. 3 to caudad, reaching its greatest width at the end of segm. 9, the sides of the tenth segment and the appendages being a little convergent, giving the abdomen its spindle-shaped appearance.

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Coloration throughout dark reddish-brown, the tenth segment being a little paler andin living adult examples— possibly at least partly greenish in colour. Auricles slightly longer and a little more prominent but similar in shape to jaspidea . All articulations broadly black, the supplementary transverse carinae, as also very short, paired, transverse lines behind the middle of segm. 3-8, finely lined with black. Distal border of segm. 10 black. Tergal margins unmarked. Sternites brown. Base of segm. 10 with a strong, tooth-like tubercle on the middle. Traces of supplementary longitudinal carinae along sides of segm. 6-8 only.

Anal appendages long and slender. Superior pair 6 mm. long, equal in length to half that of segm. 8 and segm. 9 + 10 taken together, shaped as is shown in fig. 3 . Inferior appendage elongately triangular, concave and shining interiorly, reaching half the length of superiors. Coloration of both appendages pale reddish-brown, with apices and outer margins darkened.

♀ (adult, living colours, Telaga Saät).— Head shaped as in the male. Labium and genae dirty olive-brown. Labrum pale olive-green with a dark brown margin at middle of anterior border. Clypeus dirty greenish-white, somewhat olivish intermingled with pale blue. Suture between clypeus and frons indicated by a fine pale brown line. Anterior surface of frons similar in colour, gradually passing to transparent brown along sides. Upper surface of frons concave, shining, transparent reddish-brown, darker especially along its base, but without indication of dark borders. Coloration at transition of vertical and dorsal portion of frons sharply limited and different. Eyes pearl-grey with deep blue gloom above, pearl-grey with a few darkly reflecting spots on side and underneath. Vertex dark reddish-brown in colour, as is also the occipital triangle. Occiput a little paler. Prothorax brown. Synthorax very dark velvet reddish-brown, tinted with olive-green on meso- and met-epimerum. Dorsum with two very large, broadly oval antehumeral bands of a fine, dark green colour, running almost parallel to one another, very gradually merging along their entire outline into the reddish-brown ground-colour, but distinctly separated from each other by the dorsal carina. Laterally, these bands are separated from the humeral suture by a distance of about 1 mm. and, dorsally, terminate at about 0-5 mm. before the antealar ridge, the N 2, the entire PN 2 and N 3, as also the spaces at extreme base of the wings, being clear grass-green in colour. There are, besides, three grass-green spots placed upon the under surfaces just before the wing-bases. Legs black, all femora, with the exception of the knees, very dark reddish-brown. Wings heavily and darkly tinged with deep golden brown, except in the costal space between base and first antenodal cross-vein, and in the cubital spaces. Pterostigma from light sepia-brown to dark reddish-brown, paler below. Neuration very similar to the male. Membranula unicolorous dark greyish­ black. Nodal indices of five examples: 10./12. 19./13. 16./12.10 /12, 10./13. 15./10. 16./11. 10 /11, 10./13. 17./ 11. 17./13. 9/13, 9./13. 17./11. 17./ 13. 10/12, 9./13. 17./11. 16./ 11. 10/12.

Abdomen short and thick, cylindrical, widened at base, from base of segm. 3 to end of segm. 8 parallel-sided, constriction on middle of segm. 3 thus scarcely noticeable. Terminal segments a little widened in lateral, rather more in dorso-ventral dimension. Only the dorsal surfaces of first two segments marked with green, as follows:— posterior half of segm. 1 with ill-defined, transverse, grass-green b a r; base of segm. 2 likewise and, added to this, with a single small, very badly delimited, triangular spot behind the transverse carina. Entire abdomen otherwise dark, warm reddish-brown, unicolorous, excepting the transverse carinae and the articulations of all segments, which are deep black. Traces of supplementary longitudinal carinae on segments 6 and 7. The abdomen is thus very similar in colouring to the thorax, though rather more reddish- than dark-brown, and not velvety in appearance.

Valves not different in shape from jaspidea , but anal appendages only 3 mm. long, much shorter and decidedly narrower than in that species; only a third longer than tenth abdominal segment, lanceolate, straight and flattened, slightly oblique with apices rounded and with a small tuft of dark brown hairs at tips.

Length: ♂ (raised) abd. + apps. 53, hind-wing 44-15, pt. 3 ∙0- 3 ∙ 3 mm. ♀ (adult specimens only) 47- 51, 44-45, 3 mm.

Type male and allotype female from Telaga Saät, iii.1930 (male bred), and lS. xii. 1929 (female adult).

Unlike A. jaspidea (Burm.) , which is a common plain species breeding in rice-fields and marshes, A. montivagans is restricted to the montane regions of Java, where it appears to be widely distributed. The larvae were found in weedy mountain-bogs and swampy lakes, the dull-coloured females being observed ovipositing in the soft stems of all kinds of semi-aquatic plants, such as Polygonum javanicum in Telaga Saät, Commelinaceae and Araceae in forestpools.

The adult male has not yet been discovered, which lends some countenance to the idea that it may have crepuscular or nocturnal habits.

Figures

Fig. 3— Anaciaeschna montivagans, sp. n. Male anal appendages, dorsal view and right side.