Megalestes irma Fraser, 1926

Yu, Xin & Xue, Junli, 2020, A review of the damselfly genus Megalestes Selys, 1862 (Insecta: Odonata Zygoptera: Synlestidae) using integrative taxonomic methods, Zootaxa 4851 (2), pp. 245-270 : 261

Megalestes irma Fraser, 1926

( Figs. 3b ; 4b ; 5f, s ; 6l )

Megalestes irma Fraser, 1926: 32–33 [Gandtor, Sikkim]; Asahina 1985b: 5–8, figs. 11–18 [Sikkim; Nepal].

The first author examined the type specimens (2 m #m#, 1 f# Gandtor Sikhim, 5000–6000 ft, 1924-V-29, Fraser leg.) of this species and recorded the photos at BMNH in July 2017. This is a large species with paraprocts appearing unique ( Figs. 4b , 6l ) in having the basal tooth bent forward, which coincides with the description in Fraser (1926). The ligula resembles that of M. australis but without the terminal lateral lobes ( Fig. 5f, s ). The photos of M. irma in Gyeltshen et al. (2017) were actually of M. micans , which can be easily identified by the shape of the paraprocts and the basal tooth of the cerci (cf. Fig. 4 e–f, in Gyeltshen et al., 2017, for detailed discussion please see “ Megalestes micans Needham, 1930 ”). This species is known only from Sikkim and Nepal.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Caudal appendages of males (dorsal view). a) australis; b) irma, paratype; c) distans, from Yaan, Sichuan; d) distans from Dashahe, Guizhou; e) heros; f) omeiensis, paratype; g) kurahashii; h) major; i) haui; j) “palaceus”; k) micans, bd: basal disk; l) “chengi”; m) riccii; n) “maai”; o) “tuska,” from Damingshan, Guangxi; p) “tuska,” from Jinxiu, Guangxi. (Scale bar = 0.5 mm).

FIGURE 4. Caudal appendages of males (lateral view). a) australis; b) irma, paratype; c) distans, from Yaan, Sichuan; d) distans from Qingchengshan, Chengdu, Sichuan; e) heros; f) omeiensis, paratype; g) kurahashii; h) major; i) haui; j) “palaceus”; k) micans; l) “Chengi,” paratype; m) riccii; n) maai; o) tuska, from Damingshan, Guangxi; p) tuska, from Jinxiu, Guangxi. (Scale bar = 0.5 mm).

FIGURE 5. Genital ligula of males (lateral view) (a–m) and ventral view (n–ab). a) australis; b) distans; c) heros; d) omeiensis, paratype; e) major; f) irma, paratype; g) “palaceus”; h) haui; i) “Chengi”; j) maai; k) riccii; l) tuska; m) micans; n) australis, Hr: horn; o) distans, Tlb: terminal lateral lobe; p) heros; q) omeiensis, paratype; r) major; s) irma, paratype; t) kurahashii; u) “palaceus”; v) haui; w) micans, from Jinping, Yunnan; x) “Chengi”; y) maai; z) riccii, Blb: basal lateral lobe; aa) tuska, Mlb: middle lateral lobe; ab) micans, from Fengyangshan, Zhejiang. (Scale bar = 0.2 mm).

FIGURE 6. Line drawing of male paraprocts (lateral view). a) australis; b) distans; c) gyalsey; d) kurahashii; e) major; f) haui; g) heros; h) omeiensis; i) micans; j) micans; k) riccii; l) irma.