Andaeschna occidentalis Bota-Sierra, 2019

Bota-Sierra, Cornelio Andrés, Sandoval-H, Juliana & Palacino-Rodríguez, Fredy, 2019, Description of a new species of Andaeschna (Odonata: Aeshnidae) from the Western Colombian Andes, Zootaxa 4615 (3), pp. 594-600 : 595-599

Andaeschna occidentalis Bota-Sierra sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:69FC193B-F322-4521-A2A2-FE58055120C6

Examined material: All material deposited at CEUA: Holotype. ♂, CEUA 113433, 3 January 2019, COLOMBIA, Risaralda Department, Tatamá National Park, Pueblo Rico Municipality, Monte Bello Township, Cerro Montezuma, 5.255 05, -76.11566; 2,533 m a.s.l., Leg: C. Bota, F. Palacino, and J. Sandoval-H . Allotype ♀, (this teneral was found dead) same as holotype but: CEUA 113432 , 20 September 2018, stream towards Minas de Cuarzo , 5.228 61, -76.09806; 1450 m a.s.l., Leg: A. Quintero, C. Bota, J. Sandoval-H, and J. D. Sánchez-R . Paratypes: 2 ♂♂, same data as holotype but CEUA 113437 and CEUA 113480 . Other examined material: (♂ in poor condition, found lacking head and S5–S10) as holotype but Santa Cecilia Township , Alto Amurrupá Reserve, Ranas de Cristal Stream, 5.320 33, -76.17357; 620 m a.s.l., 24 September 2018, Leg : B. Cárdenas, J. Sandoval-H, J. D. Sánchez-R., and C. Bota

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Etymology: The genus Andaeschna was found, so far, exclusively on the eastern slope of the Andes. The discovery of this species in the western slope, at the Colombian Cordillera Occidental, adds novel evidence on the biogeographic history of the genus. Named after its western distribution, occidentalis , from Latin occidēns (west) + -ālis (from), which means from the west.

Description of holotype: Head turquoise but two spots on postclypeus, margins of antefrons and postclypeus, anteclypeus, labrum, labium, and ventral portion of rear of head brown; frontal portion of vertex, antennae, occipital triangle and dorsal portion of rear of head black; eyes deep blue with black pseudopupillae ( Fig. 2 a–d).

Thorax. Turquoise, but the thoracic sutures, the venter and the portion above the coxae, brown; two black lateral lines, one behind mesinfraepisternum and one behind metinfraepisternum ( Fig. 2 a–d). Legs black, but femora rufous with black tips, spurs on femurs small, on tibia as long as the space between them, except the external row on apical half of protibiae which are flat, oval and mobile like scales ( Fig. 2 a–d).

Wings. Infumate with black veins and brown pterostigma; left FW with 22 Ax, right FW with 20; HW with 13 Ax, left FW with 11 Px, right FW with 13 Px; HW with 16 Px; second reinforced antenodal the 10 th in left FW, the 9 th in right FW, in HW the 7 th; cells inside the anal loop 11; anal triangle of HW three celled ( Fig. 4a ).

Abdomen. Turquoise, but S1 and S2 with lateral spot, distal border of S1, a thin line across the auricles on S2, and abdominal venter, brown; posterior borders of S2–S9, middorsal carinae of S3–S10, dorsolateral carinae S2–S8, one dorsolateral spot on posterior half of S2–S5 and two on S6–S7, one ventrolateral spot on posterior half of S3– S7, cerci, and epiproct black; S8–S10 mostly black with some lateral turquoise areas ( Figure 2a, d ); supplementary lateral keels on S5–S9. S1 sternum flat with black denticles. Auricles with three denticles. Spines of anterior lamina with a dorsal small process and a ventral long one ending in a black tip (Fig. 3c, e). Hamuli black, with tip pointed, ventral portion of hamuli longer than hamular fold (Fig. 3c, e). Genital lobe smooth and slightly elevated (Fig. 3c, e). Distal segment of vesica spermalis with mediolongitudinal fold of ventral lobe which has a sclerotized anterior border with a row of denticles along its margin, lateral lobe sclerotized distally with bilobed dorsal tubercles at tip in lateral view (Fig. 3a–b), in dorsal view subquadrate, divided by a middorsal groove with two distal pointed tips in the middle. Cerci petiolated and ending in a small divergent pointed tip ( Fig. 2 e–g); epiproct triangular, with a slightly lifted convex tip ( Fig. 2 e–g) Measurements (mm): TL 75, Ab 56, FW 53, HW 51.

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Variation among male paratypes: one specimen presents two latero dorsal spots on S5; Ax in FW 18–23, in HW 13–14; Px in FW 12–15, in HW 13–16; second reinforced antenodal in FW 8–10, in HW 7–8; cells inside the HW anal loop 8–11; anal triangle of HW four and six celled ( Figure 4 b–c).

Measurements (mm): TL 75–83, Ab 56–62, FW 50–53, HW 48–51.

Allotype (teneral): Body brown (probably the natural coloration was lost since the specimen was found dead), with lighter brown legs and black posterior margins on S2–S9. Left FW with 20 Ax, right FW with 19, left HW with 13 Ax, right HW with 12; left FW with 13 Px, right FW with 12, HW with 15 Px; second reinforced antenodal in left FW the 9th and in right FW the 8th, in HW the 7th; cells inside anal loop 12 in left and 11 in right HW; Venter of S10 with sclerotized posterior bar with denticles in a band of more or less uniform width; Cercus slightly longer than S10 (Fig. 4d–e), in dorsal view its widest portion approximately one fourth of its length, with a subquadrate tip (Fig. 4e) Measurements (mm): TL 68, Ab 50, FW 57, HW 55.

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Diagnosis: The black tibiae and abdominal terga turquoise dorsally with black carinae group this species with A. andresi and A. unicolor . Males can be distinguished from both of them by the unique shape of the distal segment of vesica spermalis with lateral lobe sclerotized distally with bilobed tubercles at tip in lateral view ( Fig. 2a ). Also, the convex tip of epiproct ( Fig. 2 f–g) separates it from A. andresi . The turquoise frons without black spots ( Fig. 2c ) and narrowly lanceolate tips on cerci ( Fig. 2 e–g) differentiate it from A. unicolor . Females can be distinguished from A. andresi and A. unicolor by their smaller cerci (slightly smaller than S9) and subquadrate tip ( Fig. 4 d–e).

Distribution: This is the only species of the genus recorded on the western slope of the Andes, from where it is known only from three localities not far apart on the Pacific slope of the Cordillera Occidental, in Risaralda Department ( Colombia), between 700 and 2,550 meters above sea level ( Fig. 1 ).

Notes on habitat and biology: Two of the five known specimens were found dead, both of them in rocky primary forest streams. One of them (the teneral female) was floating on a side pool with leaf litter that could be the larval habitat, but no exuviae or larvae where found in the pool. The other three males were caught while flying over a bushy area on the top of the Montezuma peak at noon on a sunny day of the dry season.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Map showing the localities where the genus Andaeschna has been recorded; the localities where A. occidentalis was collected are detailed.

FIGURE 2. Holotype: a, lateral view; b, frontal view; c, fronto dorsal view; d, fronto lateral view. Male paratype S10 and caudal appendages: e, lateral view; f, dorsal view; and g, ventral view. sl.t.: slightly lifted tip.

FIGURE 4. Variation on anal triangle cells: a, holotype, b and c, paratype. Female paratype d, S8–S10 and cerci lateral view; and e, S9– S10 and cerci dorsal view.