Caledopteryx maculata Winstanley & Davies, 1982

Grand, Daniel, Marinov, Milen, Jourdan, Herve, Cook, Carl, Rouys, Sophie, Mille, Christian & Theuerkauf, Jörn, 2019, Distribution, habitats, phenology and conservation of New Caledonian Odonata, Zootaxa 4640 (1), pp. 1-112 : 14-15

Caledopteryx maculata Winstanley & Davies, 1982

( Fig. 5 )

Caledopteryx maculata Winstanley & Davies, 1982: 340 . Distribution ( Fig. 6 ). Endemic to Grande Terre. This species reaches 80 mm in wing span. It is recorded from more than 20 known localities, most of them on ultramafic soils in the south of the island. It is however recorded regularly from central New Caledonia sympatrically ( Winstanley & Davies 1982) with the more northern Caledopteryx sarasini , a very similar species. For years C. maculata was confused with C. sarasini .

Habitats. Caledopteryx maculata especially occurs in mid and upper parts of rocky bottomed creeks and small forest streams.

Biology and behaviour. Larvae may survive at low water levels, remaining under moss on vertical rocky walls through which water seeps. The adults emerge in the morning a few cm above the water surface in places with a strong current, the larvae having often climed from under a rock. One individual emerged around 12:45 h, in mid February 2011, on a rock in the creek near the Sanatorium, at the Col de la Pirogue near Païta. It was splashed by water, but this did not prevent it from taking flight 15 min later. Adults can fly far away from water. Several maturing individuals were observed on the way to the Pic Malaoui, at an altitude of 700 m. Winstanley & Davies (1982) reported males settling horizontally on prominent perches overlooking potential oviposition sites and often returning to the same perching site if disturbed. However, they appear to be non-territorial and often rest on vegetation along creek banks. Mating, which can occur just before sunset (observed once at 18:45 h) lasts more than twenty minutes.

Status. This species occurs mostly on ultramafic soils of the southern quarter of Grande Terre where it is threated by bushfires. Because of its restricted distribution, C. maculata must be considered as NT.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Caledopteryx maculata: a) male, b) female.

FIGURE 6. Records of Caledopteryx maculata.