Onychogomphus undecim 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 : 580-584

Onychogomphus undecim Dijkstra sp. nov. – Katanga Claspertail (Type Photo 36, Photos 47, 49–50, Fig. 21)

Taxonomy

Dijkstra (2007) reviewed the taxonomy of the supinus -group of Onychogomphus Selys, 1854 , which probably deserves generic status, but whose species are extremely homogeneous structurally. The genetics and coloration of the present species are, however, distinct and it was treated as such by Dijkstra & Clausnitzer (2014).

Material studied

Holotype ♂. RMNH.INS.505480 , Congo-Kinshasa, Katanga , Upemba National Park, source area of Lusinga near park headquarters , spring streams in gallery forest and adjacent bog, dam and channel ( Photo 50), 1760–1800m a.s.l. (8.933°S 27.199°E), 11-xi-2011, leg. K.-D.B. Dijkstra, RMNH .

Further material. CONGO-KINSHASA ( Katanga ): 2♂ ( RMNH.INS.505474 , RMNH.INS.505485 ), as holotype, RMNH. 2♂ ( RMNH.INS.505572 ), Upemba National Park, Kabwekanono, source area of Kafwi , stream through gallery forest and bogs in open grassy plains, 1770–1820m a.s.l. (8.933°S 27.166°E), 16-xi-2011, leg. K.-D.B. Dijkstra, RMNH. 1♀ ( RMNH.INS.505520 ), Upemba National Park, Lusinga valley 3 km E of park headquarters , stream with patches of gallery and swamp forest, open swamp and arable fields, 1570–1590 m a.s.l. (8.93°S 27.23°E), 13-xi-2011, leg. K.-D.B. Dijkstra, RMNH. 4♂ 4♀ ( RMNH.INS.505663 ), Kundelungu National Park, Lutshipuka , small river with some gallery forest and falls in miombo woodland ( Photo 47), 1500–1530 m a.s.l. (10.557°S 27.958°E), 22–26-xi-2011, leg. K.-D.B. Dijkstra, RMNH .

Genetics

Four unique haplotypes (n= 6) are distinct but nearest to O. supinus Hagen in Selys, 1854.

Male

morphological diagnosis

Typical of the supinus -group by (a) the rather straight cerci in lateral view with a strong inward-directed apical and subapical tooth visible in dorsal view; and (b) the elongate dorsal process at midlength of each branch of the epiproct ( Fig. 21). Nearest to the potentially sympatric O. supinus and O.kitchingmani by (c) the entirely pale face; (d) the black humeral stripe being narrower than the pale stripes bordering it; and (e) the tibiae with pale streaks. However, has (1) greater size, Hw 27.0–30.0 mm (n =5) rather than 24.0–27.0 mm (n =4); (2) an entirely pale costa contrasting with the black Pt, rather than a black costa anterior to a pale Pt; and (3) the foliations on S8 about one-sixth as deep as the segment is high, and deeper than those on S9, the latter with a concave border ( Fig. 21). The character of the costa and Pt is unique in the group, but recalls the genera Ceratogomphus Selys, 1854 and Crenigomphus Selys, 1892 .

Etymology

Latin “eleven” refers to species’ discovery on the 11th day of the 11th month of the year 2011 (indeclinable numeral).

Range and ecology

Open streams and small rivers between about 1 500 and 1 800 m a.s.l. on the Kibara and Kundelungu Plateaus of Katanga .