Heteragrion mitratum atroterminatum Donnelly, 1992

Bota-Sierra, Cornelio Andrés & Novelo-Gutiérrez, Rodolfo, 2017, The genus Heteragrion (Odonata: Zygoptera) in Northwestern Colombia, with the description of Heteragrion tatama sp. nov., Zootaxa 4347 (3), pp. 553-571 : 564

Heteragrion mitratum atroterminatum Donnelly, 1992

Material Examined. COLOMBIA: 4♂♂ and 1♀, Department Risaralda, Municipality of Pueblo Rico, Santa Cecilia Township , Alto Amurrupá Reserve , Ranas de Cristal stream, 5.32033°N 76.17357°W 620m a.s.l., 19 September 2016 . Leg: C. Flórez, B. Cardenas and C. Bota. Same data but: 1♂, 23 September 2016 . 2♂♂ and 1 ♀, 31 January 2017, Leg: J. Sandoval and C. Bota. 2♂♂ and 1 ♀, 16 February 2017. Department Valle del Cauca, PNN Farallones de Cali, Municipality Dagua, Anchicayá Hidroelectric facilities, 3.54664°N 76.87921°W 570m a.s.l., 7♂♂, 13–19 October 2017, Leg: C. Flórez and C. Bota. COSTA RICA , Heredia Province, vicinity of San Ramon, 8 km SE San Ramon, Rio Bijagual, 500m a.s.l., Finca de Edgar Corrales ( Agua Silvestris ), 3♂♂, 27 March 2004, Leg: Edgar Corrales. PANAMA , Province Darién, Río Perresénico, Rancho Frío field station, 8.01982°N 77.73257°W 80m a.s.l., 2♂♂ and 1 ♀, 17 November 2014 . Leg: D. Delgado, A. Ramírez and R. Novelo. Same data but: 1♂ and 1 ♀, Province Panamá Oeste, Campana, Río Maria , 8.63367°N 80.02517°W 325m., 26 April 2015 . 2♂♂, Veraguas Province, Santa Fe District, Quebrada Pera at road towards Río Luis , 252m, 16 September 2016, Leg: J. Daigle.

Remarks. This subspecies was described by Donnelly (1992) from Panama and Costa Rica specimens, based exclusively on the coloration pattern, which is darker than in H. m. mitratum ( Fig. 7a–f ), specially the last abdominal segments (S8–S10) which are completely black in the males ( Fig. 7e ), as compared to other subspecies which only present black on dorsum of S10 ( Williamson 1919). Donnelly was not able to find any significant difference in male caudal appendages. Here, we examined representatives of populations located on the western slope of the Cordillera Occidental, whose male cercus morphology and female intersternite morphology also coincide with those of H. m. mitratum , but their face coloration pattern ( Fig. 3 k–l ) are different from both H. m. atroterminatum (dark stripe extending from posterior border of head to frontal angle of frons in males, Fig. 7e ), and H. m. mitratum (dark stripe more similar but with two projections from vertex to the antennal base in males); these specimens are darker than H. m. mitratum in general coloration pattern, as described for H. m. atroterminatum , with S8–10 black, and a yellow apical stripe on S8 ( Fig. 7c–d ), making these populations according to Donnelly´s diagnosis a variation of H. mitratum , closer to H. m. atroterminatum than to H. m. mitratum . Female intersternite ( Fig. 4 k–m ) on these H. m. atroterminatum populations perfectly match the illustrations by De Marmels (2004) from Venezuelan populations of H. m. mitratum , as well as those of the Magdalena Valley, and the Panamanian populations of the subspecies H. m. atrolineatum . With this finding, we expand the geographical range of H. m. atroterminatum to Colombia ( Fig. 2 ). As mentioned under H. aequatoriale , further studies are needed to determine if these differences in coloration pattern are just variability within the same species or if they are effective reproductive barriers.

Biology: This species inhabits small forest streams with waterfalls in foothills. A pair was observed in copula on the vegetation of a stream at Parque Nacional Farallones de Cali in Anchicayá area. The pair was already in copula at 12:22pm and remained like that until 12:26pm ( Fig. 7d ), then they began ovipositing in submerged live leaves, the male remained beating its wings during the whole time they were ovipositing. At 12:50pm the male abandoned the female (maybe because of our constant disturbance with the camera), and the female remained ovipositing alone at least until 12:56pm, time when we had to leave ( Fig. 7c , videos recorded by Camilo Flórez on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiZmzWmg53o and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRg2fEKl93c).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Recorded localities in Colombia for H. calendulum, H. m. mitratum, H. m. atroterminatum and H. tatama.

FIGURE 3. Face color pattern. H. aequatoriale, males: a, Cordillera Central, Santo Domingo; b, Cordillera Occidental, Jericó; c, Cordillera Occidental, Anchicayá; d, Cordillera Central, Carmen de Viboral; e, Cordillera Occidental, PNN Tatamá; f, Cordillera Central, San Luis; g, Cordillera Central, Amalfí; h, female, Cordillera Occidental, PNN Tatamá. H. calendulum: i, male, Santa Cecilia; j, female, Santa Cecilia; k, male Holotype (UMMZ), La Cristalina. H. peregrinum: l, female Paratype (RWG), La Cristalina. H. m. atroterminatum: m, male, Anchicayá; n, female, Santa Cecilia. H. tatama: o, male, PNN Tatamá; p, female, PNN Tatamá. Picture k, by Dr. O´Brien and l, by Dr. Garrison.

FIGURE 4. Dorsum of prothorax: a, H. aequatoriale female, PNN Tatamá. H. calendulum Santa Cecilia, b, male; c, female. d, H. m. atroterminatum female, Santa Cecilia. H. tatama PNN Tatamá, e, female; f, male. Female prothoracic intersternite: g, H. aequatoriale, PNN Tatamá; H. calendulum: h, Santa Cecilia; i, Rancho Frío (Panama); j, H. erythrogastrum, La Cristalina; k, H. m. atroterminatum, Santa Cecilia; H. m. mitratum: l, La Cristalina; m, La Fría (Venezuela); n-o, H. peregrinum, female Paratype La Cristalina; p, H. tatama, PNN Tatamá. Pictures l-o by Dr. Garrison.

FIGURE 7. Heteragrion mitratum mitratum, Maceo: a, female; b, male. H. m. atroterminatum: Anchicayá, pair: c, oviposition; d, copula. Panama, Río Indio: e, male; f, female (Photographs e and f by Benoit Guillon and Dennis Paulson respectively).