Lestes basidens, Belle, 1997

Belle, J., 1997, The genus Lestes (Odonata: Lestidae) Leach, 1815, in Surinam, Zool. Med. Leiden 71 (11), pp. 89-103 : 91-92

Lestes basidens spec. nov.

( figs 1 , 10-11 )

Material.— Surinam: District Nickerie, Sipaliwini (near airstrip, small pool in forest), ll.iii.1961, 4 ♂ (holotype and paratypes), D.C. Geijskes leg .

Male (holotype).— Total length ca. 40; abdomen 30; hind wing 20; costal edge of stigma in fore wing 1.4.

Head.— Labrum dark brown. Top of head black with a very slight blue lustre and small fanciful brown markings. Labium pale brown. Rear of head brown, darker below and slightly pruinosed.

Thorax.— Prothorax brown, brassy black on dorsum and slightly pruinosed. Dorsum of pterothorax with a pair of metallic bluish-green antehumeral stripes on whole length of mesepisternum; these stripes widened laterad at upper end, the lower portion almost parallel-sided and distant from median carina for about half its own width. Sides of pterothorax predominantly yellow-brown, the mesepimeron with a broad metallic green stripe which is suddenly constricted just below mid-height. Mesinfraepisternum brown along mesepisternum. Pectoral colour pattern shaped as shown in fig. 1 . Pterothorax largely pruinosed except dorsum.

Legs.— Hind femora brown-yellow with lengthwise a dark brown stripe along inner and anterior sides. Hind tibiae brown-yellow with brown anterior side. First and second femora and tibiae largely dark brown but inner side of femora and outer side of tibiae brown-yellow. Tarsi and claws dark brown.

Wings.— Hyaline. Venation dark brown. Stigma brown. Postnodal cross-veins (Pns) 12-13/10-11 in fore and hind wings, respectively. R3 branching at fourth Pn in left fore wing, at third Pn in left hind wing and between third and fourth Pns in right wings.

Abdomen.— Segments 1-7 with brassy dark brown dorsum, the lower sides of basal segments brown-yellow. Segments 8-10 dark brown and pruinosed. Segment 10 and caudal appendages dark brown, shaped as described in the key and as shown in figs 10-11.

Female unknown.

Variation.— The width of the dark antehumeral stripe varies in the paratypes. In one specimen it is reduced to a rather narrow stripe parallel to the mid-dorsal carina and as far therefrom as the stripe is wide. In another specimen the stripe widens regularly toward its upper end where it attains the mid-dorsal carina and occupies the mesepisternum for about four-fifths its local width.

Etymology.— The specific name basidens from "basis" and "dens", in reference of the strong basal tooth on the inner border of the male superior caudal appendages.

Figures

Fig. 1, Lestes basidens spec, nov.; 2, Lestes mediorufus Calvert; 3, Lestesforficula Rambur; 4, Lestes curvatus spec, nov.; 5, Lestes tenuatus Rambur; 6, Lestes tenuatus Rambur, lectotype; 7, Lestes edentatus spec, nov.; 8, Lestes trichonus spec, nov.; 9, Lestes sublatus Hagen in Selys. 1-9, pectoral colour pattern [12.5 X 0.63],

Figs 10-11, Lestes basidens spec, nov.; 12-13, Lestes edentatus spec. nov. 10,12, tenth abdominal segment and caudal appendages of male, dorsal aspect [12.5 x 2.5]; 11,13, the same, left lateral aspect [12.5 X 2.5].