Argia haberi Garrison & von Ellenrieder

Garrison, Rosser W. & Ellenrieder, Natalia Von, 2017, New species of the damselfly genus Argia from Mexico, Central America and Ecuador with an emphasis on Costa Rica (Insecta: Odonata: Coenagrionidae), Zootaxa 4235 (1), pp. 1-93 : 22-23

Argia haberi Garrison & von Ellenrieder , n. sp.

Figs. 26 (head, thorax, S1– 4 ♂); 75 (S7– 10 ♂); 124 (wings); 140 (genital ligula); 160 (appendages ♂); 171 (map); Table 4 (measurements).

Etymology. Named haberi (Latinized name) in honor of our friend and colleague William A. Haber, in recognition to his valuable contributions to the knowledge of Costa Rican odonates and his generous help in our studies.

Specimens examined. 4 ♂. Types. Holotype ♂: COSTA RICA , San José Prov.: km 118 on Pan American highway, Bosque del Tolomuco , in seeps and trickles through brushy pasture on forested hillside (9°28'18'' N, 83°41'48'' W, 1710 m), 27 iii 2006, F. Sibley leg. [ FSCA] . Paratypes: COSTA RICA , San José Prov.: 1 ♂, same data as holotype but [RWG] ; 1 ♂, same data as holotype but [ CSCA] ; 1 ♂, same data as holotype but [TWD].

A medium-sized largely blue species with slightly amber wings ( Fig. 124) and appendages ( Fig. 160) superficially similar to those of A. rhoadsi Calvert ( Fig. 161).

Description of male holotype. Head ( Fig. 26): Labium blue lined with black at base and with a small black medial spot connected to basal black, anteclypeus blue; postclypeus blue margined with black at base and with a basal black spot mediolaterally extending from base; base of mandibles and genae blue, antefrons blue; remainder of epicranium black with the following blue: large postocular spot confluent with eye, small triangular spot anterolateral to lateral ocellus, a wash of light brown on posterior most margin of occiput; antennae black, rear of head except for narrow pale margin bordering eye entirely black.

Prothorax black with following areas pale: posterior margin of anterior lobe, dorsolateral spot on middle lobe, laterobasal 0.10 of posterior margin of pronotum, propleuron except for brown notopleural suture. Pale areas of pterothorax blue, with broad black middorsal stripe about three times as wide as pale antehumeral stripe, the latter narrowing dorsally; black humeral stripe extending from anterior half of mesinfraepisternum and constricted above and widening irregularly with a thick posterior fork at upper fourth, anterior portion of stripe narrow connecting below antealar crest with middorsal stripe above and with a short ventrally directed finger on dorsal portion of obsolete interpleural suture; interpleural suture with narrow black stripe separating paler areas on side of thorax ( Fig. 26). Wings slightly amber (as in Fig. 124) with venation black; pterostigma dark brown, surmounting 1.5 cells in Fw, 2 cells in Hw; postnodals Fw 15/15, Hw 13/13; postquadrangular cells Fw 4/4, Hw 3/3; RP2 at Fw 7/7, Hw 6/6. Coxae and trochanters pale except for wash of black on medial portions of coxae and dorsum of trochanters; internal 0.50 base surface of femora and external surface of tibiae pale, remainder of legs and armature black.

Abdomen ( Figs. 26, 75) mostly black; S1 blue with a basal black ring at basal 0.50 and with black spot extending dorsally to apical 0.70; S2 black with a campanulate dorsal spot at basal 0.60, laterally with black separated below by blue, genital lobe slightly angulate, annulus black; S3 with distal 0.70 black, this receding above allowing for an extension of middorsal blue stripe ending at basal 0.40 of segment; S4–6 similar to S3 but basal blue further restricted basally; on S6, narrow upper offshoot of black at proximal 0.10 almost isolates dorsal blue, thus almost forming a middorsal spot; S7 black with a narrow blue ring; S8–9 blue except for narrow incomplete vertical black spot apically on intersegmental membrane on S8; S10 black, blue dorsally; torus pale, appendages black.

Genital ligula ( Fig. 140) with apical segment spatulate broadening basally with short lateral sclerotized lobes, ental surface of genital ligula concave; small inner fold present, sclerotized portion proximal to flexure lacking a microspinulate patch on ental surface on each side.

Torus large, transversely oval, swollen ventrally, occupying 0.50 ventral margin of torifer and not overlapping bilobed epiproct ( Fig. 160 c); area around epiproct and base of same black; cercus ( Figs. 160 a, c) short, quadrangular, about half as long as paraproct ( Fig. 160 b), outer margin convex, slightly bilobed apically, medial margin armed with a prominent decumbent tooth, slightly concave medially; medial margin linear, planate dorsomedially; paraproct unilobed, its ventral branch vestigial and much smaller than broadly triangular upper branch, its tip blunt, posterior margin linear.

Dimensions. Hw 22.9, abdomen 29.4, total length 37.7.

Female: Unknown.

Variation in paratypes. Little variation was observed in the series collected at the type locality. One male has reduced black on labrum; the other paratype has the black humeral stripe branched as in holotype but stripe is of uniform width medially. Pterostigma surmounting 1–2 cells; postnodals: Fw 15–16, Hw 13–14; postquadrangular cells Fw 4, Hw 3–4; RP2 at Fw 7–8, Hw 6–7. Dimensions. ♂: Hw 22.9 ± 0.4 [22.5–23.3], abdomen 29.4 ± 1.0 [28.3–30.2], total length 37.6 ± 1.1 [36.8–38.4].

Diagnosis. Appendage morphology superficially resembles that of A. rhoadsi ( Fig. 161), as both possess a quadrate cercus and a unilobate paraproct extending well beyond level of cercus. However, the decumbent tooth is not as prominent and is placed more basally in A. rhoadsi ( Fig. 161) compared with A. haberi ( Fig. 160). The torus in A. rhoadsi is more elongate and partially overlaps the epiproct ( Fig. 161 c), compared with the shorter nonoverlapping torus in A. haberi ( Fig. 160 c). The greatest difference is in the morphology of the genital ligula: terminal segment rectangular with two flagella and small poorly developed lateral lobes at flexure in A. rhoadsi ( Fig. 141) versus a spatulate terminal segment lacking flagella and with relatively larger lateral lobes in A. haberi ( Fig. 140). Although males of both species possess amber-colored wings, the pale coloration in A. rhoadsi ( Figs. 27, 76) is an aquamarine blue compared to a more intense violaceous blue in A. haberi ( Figs. 26, 75).

Remarks. Despite superficially similarity between A. haberi and A. rhoadsi , these two species with entirely different genital ligula morphology are probably not closely related.

Habitat. The four males known were found along seeps and trickles through brushy pasture on a forested hillside.

Distribution. So far known only from its type locality in San José Prov., Costa Rica ( Fig. 171).