Lestinogomphus obtusus Dijkstra

Dijkstra, Klaas-Douwe B., Kipping, Jens & Mézière, Nicolas, 2015, Sixty new dragonfly and damselfly species from Africa (Odonata), Odonatologica 44 (4), pp. 447-678 : 559-561

Lestinogomphus obtusus Dijkstra sp. nov. – Blunt-toothed Fairytail (Type Photo 29, Photo 43, Fig. 16)

Taxonomy

See general rationale for Lestinogomphus under L. calcaratus sp. nov.; Lempert’s (1988) “ Lestinogomphus sp. 1 ” from Liberia is presumed to be this species.

Material studied

Holotype ♂. RMNH.INS.504495 , Liberia, Nimba County, West Nimba Proposed Forest Reserve, side stream of Yiti 2.5km S of Bentor , mostly sandy (some rocky parts) stream in rainforest ( Photo 43), 441 m a.s.l. (7.5025 ° N 8.6969 ° W), 24 -ii- 2012, leg. K.- D.B. Dijkstra & M. Darpay, RMNH . Further material. LIBERIA (Grand Gedeh County): 1 ♀ ( RMNH.INS.501552 ), Putu Iron Ore Mining concession, stream 3 km SW of Duo Town, muddy stream in rainforest, 221 m a.s.l. (5.7086 ° N 8.1647 ° W), 30 -i- - 2011, leg. K.- D.B. Dijkstra & A. Dayeker, RMNH . Several larvae ( RMNH.INS.501627 ), Putu Iron Ore Mining concession, 2 km S of Slabbertsville camp , rocky stream in rainforest, 268–326 m a.s.l. (5.6449 ° N 8.1697 ° W), 14 -ii- 2011, leg. K.-D.B. Dijkstra & A. Dayeker, RMNH . 1 larva ( RMNH.INS.501643 ), Putu Iron Ore Mining concession, Jackson’s Camp , muddy, sandy and gravelly stream passing open camp, in rainforest, 242 m a.s.l. (5.6562 ° N 8.1902 ° W), 17 -ii- 2011, leg. K.-D.B. Dijkstra & A. Dayeker, RMNH .

Genetics

Three unique haplotypes (n = 4) distinct from other Lestinogomphus species ( Tree 5).

Male morphological diagnosis

Very small dragonfly (Hw 20.5 mm; n = 1) that recalls L. angustus by (a)the prominent pair of teeth near the base of the epiproct dorsum ( Fig. 16). However, (1) is one of the darkest Lestinogomphus known, with a broad black band on the fronto-clypeal suture and a thick black rim to the labrum, the pale area on the collar not extending posteriorly of the middorsal tooth, the black on the humeral and interpleural sutures forming a single broad band, while these are (partly) separate in most species as shown for L. calcaratus in Fig. 17, the black metapleural stripe is almost as wide, and the tibiae black without pale streaks; (2) S 10 is relatively long, its dorsal length about 2.1 × its apical height, rather than 1.7–2.2 ×; and (3) the subbasal teeth of the epiproct are short and blunt ( Fig. 16).

Etymology Latin “blunt” refers to the dulled teeth on the epiproct compared to L. angustus (masculine adjective). Range and ecology Only known from rainforest streams between 200 and 450 m a.s.l. in Liberia.