Papuagrion tydecksjuerging, Orr, A. G. & Richards, S. J., 2016

Orr, A. G. & Richards, S. J., 2016, Three new species of Papuagrion Ris, 1913 (Odonata: Coenagrionidae) from the Hindenburg Wall region of western Papua New Guinea, Zootaxa 4072 (3), pp. 319-332 : 329-331

Papuagrion tydecksjuerging sp. nov.

( Figs 1 e; 2e, f; 3c; 4c; 5g, h, i; 6e, f; 9)

Material examined. Holotype ♂, ( SAMA 07-001415), Papua New Guinea, Western Province, Tupnonbil area, Yakulgabip (5.1202°S, 141.2582°E; 1,817 m a.s.l.) 17.ii.2013, leg. S.J. Richards. Paratypes: 3 ♂, same data as holotype but collected 20.ii.2013 ( SAMA 07-001416-17) and 24.ii.2015 ( SAMA 07-001418), 1 ♂ ( SAMA 07- 001418) Papua New Guinea, Western Province, Tupnonbil area, Bilbilokabip (5.1203°S, 141.2512°E; 1,770 m a.s.l.) 20.ii.2015, leg. S.J. Richards, 1 ♀ (immature) ( SAMA 07-001420) same data as last but collected 17.ii.2013.

Etymology. The specific epithet is a noun in apposition, named after Anke and Michael Tydecks-Jürging in gratitude for their generous support of research on New Guinea Odonata .

Description of holotype male. Head ( Fig.1 e): Labium pale ochreous with slight infuscation basally. Labrum dark sepia edged with ochreous yellow. Mandibles pale yellowish with light infuscation, this colour continuing as a pale dirty yellow-olive onto the genae and extending broadly along eye margin to level of antennal sockets where it is sharply truncated; also connected broadly across antefrons; anteclypeus completely dark brown with bluish tints; postclypeus dark brown with pair of obscure orange spots on each side; postfrons dark brown. Top of head largely matt black; small orange transverse mark abutting postfrons and extending back to meet anterior ocellus; paired small diagonal streaks between posterior ocelli and antennal sockets not reaching either; broad orange patch along central posterior margin, giving rise to small finger-like projection of orange on vertical pyramid between posterior ocelli. Eyes in life dark brown dorsally, pale olive green ventrally.

Thorax: Prothorax with shallow dorsal profile except for raised anterior lobe; midlobe weakly convex; hindlobe depressed, in dorsal view with centre deeply excavated along posterior margin and lateral ear-like lobes strongly elongated towards centre ( Fig. 2 e); anterior lobe greenish (visible in living specimen); remainder of thorax light brown with irregular orange streaks and greenish tints. Synthorax pale yellowish green with thin black dorsal line along median carina which continues to antealar triangles which have only obscure pale marks internally; light infuscation overlying much of mesepisternum, mesepimeron and metepisternum with clear green only along sutures; mesinfraepisternum dark brown; mesepimeron and venter pale with little infuscation. Legs short with short, moderately dense spines; coxae and most of trochanters pale nacreous blue-grey; femur, tibia and tarsus golden yellow with dark ‘knees’ at the end of each femur; tibial and femoral spines dark. Wings ( Fig. 3 c) long and narrow, slightly pointed apically; neuration typical for genus; Ac in forewing just beyond midpoint of Ax1 and Ax2; well beyond midpoint in hindwing; forewings Px 15,15; hindwings Px 13, 13; Pt black and about twice as long as broad, strongly moderately skewed parallelogram, set moderately back from apex with row of five crossveins between Pt and tip in both wings.

Abdomen long and robust; S1 dirty light green, brown dorsally, S2 with large pale green lateral patch and apical yellow ring, remainder dark brown; S3–9 dark brown, reddish at sides, with basal lateral yellow spots visible dorsally as pairs of basal flecks; S10 dark above with posterior half obscurely yellowish laterally. S3–8 laterally with obscure thin pale line along ventral margin; apex of S10 not raised dorsally. Appendages as shown in Figs 4 c, 5g,h,i. Upper branch of cercus in profile moderately stout and slightly tapered to rounded tip, curving slightly downward, in dorsal view strongly attenuated apically and forcipate, black; lower branch robust, very short and almost hidden behind paraproct, curved upward apically to a spine, reddish brown with tip of spine dark. Paraproct in profile very broad and short, with long, thin spine arising from midpoint reaching just short of level of cercus tip, yellowish with spine dark; in ventral view paraprocts ( Fig. 4 i) broad-based and rounded with moderately long, broad-based terminal spine. Anal plate, best seen in caudal view ( Fig. 4 g), very large, of a shallow ‘fishtail’ form, pale in colour; easily visible in ventral view and prominent in lateral view.

Measurements (mm): hindwing 27.5, abdomen + appendages 41.0.

Variation in paratype males. Orange marking on head may be slightly more or less developed than in holotype, infuscation on synthorax is lighter in younger specimens and abdomen is sometimes more reddish brown with broader yellow basal markings; Pt sometimes dark reddish brown rather than black. Anal plate varies slightly in shape with broad ‘V’ of posterior margin of the ‘fishtail’ slightly more obvious in some specimens. Px 13–15 in forewings, 12–14 in hindwings. Forewing 25.5–28.0 mm; hindwing 39.0–42.0 mm. Fig. 9 shows a paratype male in life.

Description of paratype female. Head: As in holotype male except darker tones on front of face paler brown and no obvious pale edge to labrum; orange dorsal marking a little more extensive than in holotype but within range of male paratypes; paired orange spots on postclypeus very obscure.

Thorax: Prothorax generally as in male but overall lighter brown; hindlobe in dorsal view with centre deeply excavated along posterior margin and lateral ear-like lobes strongly elongated towards centre posterior lobe as in male; two very small widely separated peg-like projections arising from base of excavation which are absent in the male ( Fig 2 f). Synthorax marked as in male with colours duller and dark areas blending less distinctly. Wings as in male; forewings Px 13, 13; hindwings Px 13, 13; Pt reddish brown.

Abdomen robust; S1 yellowish laterally with dorsum and hind margin dark brown; S2 reddish brown with thin basal yellow ring and lateral yellowish streaks; S3–9 reddish brown, becoming darker posteriorly, each segment with basal yellowish ring and apical dark ring both becoming narrower posteriorly; S10 uniform brown. Cerci short and strongly tapered, black, slightly shorter than S10 along its dorsal margin; paraproct shallow, yellowish brown. Anal plate shaped quite similarly to that of male but much smaller and less flared, posterior margin with a distinct median notch; reddish brown ( Fig. 6 e). Ovipositor well developed with numerous strong teeth along ventral margin; tip of valves surpassing hind margin of S10 and stylus extending well beyond tip of cercus ( Fig. 6 f). Valve pale yellowish with slight infuscation on ventral margin; stylus dark.

Measurements (mm): hindwing 27.5, abdomen + appendages 36.4.

Diagnosis. A large heavily built coenagrionid with relatively long abdomen. It is separated from close relatives such as P. digitiferum Lieftinck, 1949 , as illustrated in Figs. 196–198, 202 of Lieftinck (1949) and P. auriculatum Lieftinck, 1937 , as illustrated in Figs. 27–28 of Lieftinck (1937) and Fig. 192 of Lieftinck (1949), by the elongated Pt and the form of the posterior lobe of the prothorax in both sexes and the anal appendages in the male. The ovipositor of the female is relatively elongate and strongly denticulate compared with most other members of the genus.

Habitat and behaviour Papuagrion tydecksjuerging was found at both Bilbilokabip and Yakulgabip (see ‘habitat’ notes for previous two species for description of habitat at these sites). It was the most frequently encountered Papuagrion species during the survey and was abundant both in open, heavily disturbed areas and in dense Pandanus stands. Most individuals were found perched in the sun on grass stalks and on low foliage less than 1.5 m high; they were rarely seen in flight. This species was not observed at lower altitudes (330–900 m a.s.l.) in the Ok Tedi catchment near Tabubil despite intensive surveys there.

Figures

FIGURE 1. (a) P. chrysosoma holotype ♂ dorsal view head and thorax; (b) P. chrysosoma holotype ♂, oblique frontal view of head; (c) P. marijanmatoki holotype ♂ dorsal view head and thorax; (d) P. marijanmatoki paratype ♀ dorsal view head; (e) P. tydecksjuerging holotype ♂ dorsal view head.

FIGURE 2. Dorsal view of prothorax: (a) P. chrysosoma holotype ♂; (b) P. chrysosoma paratype ♀; (c) P. marijanmatoki holotype ♂; (d) P. marijanmatoki paratype ♀; (e) P. tydecksjuerging holotype ♂; (f) P. tydecksjuerging paratype ♀.

FIGURE 3. Right wings of: (a) P. chrysosoma holotype ♂; (b) P. marijanmatoki holotype ♂; (c) P. tydecksjuerging holotype ♂.

FIGURE 4. Lateral view male appendages: (a) P. chrysosoma holotype ♂; (b) P. marijanmatoki holotype ♂; (c) P. tydecksjuerging holotype ♂.

FIGURE 6. Dorsal view female terminalia showing anal plate: (a) P. chrysosoma; (c) P. marijanmatoki; (e) P. tydecksjuerging. Lateral view of female ovipositor: (b) P. chrysosoma; (d) P. marijanmatoki; (f) P. tydecksjuerging.

FIGURE 9. P. tydecksjuerging paratype ♂ in life.