Paraphlebia duodecima Calvert, 1901

Ortega-Salas, Héctor, González-Soriano, Enrique & Jocque, Merlijn, 2022, Untangling the waterfall damsels: a review of the Mesoamerican genus Paraphlebia Selys in Hagen, 1861 (Odonata: Thaumatoneuridae) with descriptions of 11 new species, Zootaxa 5089 (1), pp. 1-66 : 11-12

Paraphlebia duodecima Calvert, 1901

Figs. 5 (head ♂ Bw), 17 (thorax ♂ Bw), 34 (abdomen ♂), 40–41 (wings ♂ Bw ♂ Hw), 69, 85 (appendages ♂ Bw), 101, 119, 125 (posterior lobe of prothorax ♂ Bw ♀), 150 (map), 153–154 (habitus ♂ Bw ♂ Hw).

Paraphlebia duodecima Calvert 1901: 60–61 (♂ holotype and ♀ paratype description; Guatemala, Alta Verapaz); Calvert 1913: 238 (description of HW field between CuA and posterior margin); Kimmins 1970: 197 (type catalogue); Garrison & von Ellenrieder 2019: 58 (MCZ paratypes data); Ortega-Salas et al 2020 (IUCN Red List).

Type series. Holotype. GUATEMALA • 1 ♂; [Baja Verapaz], [San Antonio Purulhá], “Purula, Vera Paz” [ Purulhá ]; [15.22°N, 90.23°W]; [1700 m]; 1879–1880; G. C. Champion leg.; [examined, BMNH]; NHMUK 013324348 .

Paratypes. GUATEMALA • 1 ♂; [Alta Verapaz], [San Juan Chamelco], “Sabo” [ Sabob ]; [15.349°N, 90.183°W]; [880 m]; 1879–1880; G. C. Champion leg.; [examined, BMNH] • 1 ♂; [Alta Verapaz], [San Juan Chamelco], “Sabo” [ Sabob ]; [15.349°N, 90.183°W]; [880 m]; 1879–1880; G.C. Champion leg.; [not examined, MCZ]; MCZENT12163 .

Other material examined. GUATEMALA • 1 ♂; Alta Verapaz, San Pedro Carchá, Tomtem, Rancho Lourdes Pino Paraiso ; 15.520°N, 90.200°W; 1550 m; 30 Mar 2002; R. González leg.; UVGC • same data but 1 ♂; Senahú, Sepacuite ; [15.435°N, 89.751°W]; 560 m; 20 Mar 1902; R.F. Griggs leg.; USNM • same data but 6 ♂♂; Baja Verapaz, San Antonio Purulhá, Escurridero 200 m al N del camino. A 3.8 km al E de la garita municipal de Purulhá ; 15.245°N, 90.191°W; 1700 m; 21 Jul 2016; H. Ortega-Salas & C. Raieli leg.; IBUNAM; IBUNAM:CNIN: OD23046 to 23051 • same data but 5 ♂♂; Riachuela Colorada , 4 km SE of Purulhá; [15.226°N, 90.210°W]; 4 Jun 1973; T. Donnelly leg.; TWD; IBUNAM:CNIN:OD23030 to 23034 • same data but 8 ♂♂ 1 ♀; San Marcos, San Rafael Pie de la Cuesta, Refugio del Quetzal , escurrideros y nacimientos de agua; 14.938°N, 91.875°W; 1809.7 m; 27 Jul 2018; H. Ortega-Salas & J.A. López-Coyoy leg.; IBUNAM; IBUNAM:CNIN:OD23095 to 23103 .

Description of male

Small to large size individuals. Males dimorphic, dark morph characterized by presence of a black tip, the black area small, never covering more than 0.15 of wing length, the hyaline morph has larger pale areas on the body and no black markings on the wings.

Head. Chiefly black, labrum dark glossy blue, postclypeus turquoise in hyaline wing males with lateral and posterior black spots, pale colouration restricted to anterior border or absent on back-tipped males; frons turquoise in hyaline wing males with pale colouration restricted to lateral edges or absent on back-tipped males; vertex with two pale spots anterolateral to lateral ocelli; occiput with pale occipital bar complete or reduced to one medial and two lateral spots; eyes black in life; antennae scape black or with distal pale ring or pale on the half laterad, pedicel and flagellum black becoming dark brown distally.

Thorax. Prothorax: chiefly black, anterior lobe with pale dorsomedial spots; middle lobe with lateral narrow pale lines; posterior lobe with lateral pale spots, see Figs. 101 , 119 for morphology (posterior margin sometimes with a small medial convex section or notch). Pterothorax: chiefly black, with diffuse green metallic reflections over dark colouration on mesepisternum and mesepimeron: see Fig. 17 (back-tipped male) for colour pattern (on hyaline wing males second pale line four-fifths of the metepisternum width, metepimeron entirely turquoise); sternum pale; legs pale: coxa with medial black spots; femora black on extensor surface and with black ring on distal joint; tibiae with black ring on proximal joint and black lines on distal one-fifth of flexor surface or entirely black; tarsi dark brown to black; claws reddish.

Wings. Hyaline, with or without an apical black tip, when present, very small, covering less than 0.15 of wing length, never reaching proximal edge of pterostigma; vein that descends from nodus on FW always closer to the first than second post-quadrangular Vx; HW field between CuA and posterior margin with at least one supplementary sector in at least one wing, CuA in HW usually not forked, at most with one supplementary sector. Px: FW 36–43, HW 31–37.

Abdomen. Chiefly black; S1 with pale lateral or ventrolateral spots; S2 with pale ventrolateral horizontal lines; S3–7 usually with pale basolateral spots; S9–10 and cerci pruinose on dorsum in mature individuals.

Caudal appendages. Cerci: see Fig. 69 . Paraprocts: rudimentary, never armed with well-defined upper and lower branches; superior lobe completely absent; inferior lobe in lateral view smoothly rounded.

Measurements. Abdomen: 38–49, FW: 33–42, HW: 32–42.

Description of female

Head. As in male.

Thorax. Prothorax: mostly pale; second line wider than in male, covering two-thirds of metepisternum posteriorly to anterior half of its length; see Fig. 125 for morphology (posterior margin of posterior lobe can be entire); depression mesad to mesostigmal lobe in mesostigmal plate angulated.

Wings. Hyaline, with a slightly amber tint. Px: FW 37, or 39; Px: FW 35, or 37.

Abdomen. S1–7 as in male but pale markings more extensive; S8 dorsal pale spot absent; S9 pale dorsal spot mushroom shaped, widened posteriorly; Ovipositor ending beyond tip of cerci.

Measurements. Abdomen: 38, FW: 34.7, HW: 33.8.

Diagnosis. This species is similar to the sympatric P. kauil and the allopatric P. zoe and is diagnosed under the latter.

Natural history. This species is restricted to small streams and seepages in heavily shaded places in mountain cloud forest. In San Marcos it was found in waterfall-sprayed walls.

Distribution. Central Guatemala: spread along the central mountain ranges, Sierra de los Chuchumatanes and Sierra de las Minas. It has been collected in San Marcos, Alta Verapaz and Baja Verapaz departments from 560– 1800 m.a.s.l.

Remarks. Little known species. To our knowledge, in addition to the type series only a few specimens deposited at the FSCA, UNAM and UVG have been collected.

Figures

FIGURES 2–11. Paraphlebia spp. colour pattern of head, frontal view.

FIGURES 95–104. Paraphlebia spp. caudal appendages and posterior lobe of prothorax. Caudal appendages lateral view (95–97); posterior lobe of prothorax dorsolateral view (98–100); lateral view (101–104).

FIGURES 117–128. Paraphlebia spp. posterior lobe of prothorax dorsal view.

FIGURES 12–19. Paraphlebia spp. colour pattern of head and thorax. Head frontal view (12–19); thorax lateral view (14– 19).

FIGURES 67–72. Paraphlebia spp. caudal appendages. (a) dorsal view; (b) mediodorsal view. W – maximum width of mediodorsal flange, w – maximum width of the distal lobe.