Telosticta ulubaram, Dow & Orr, 2012

Dow, R. A. & Orr, A. G., 2012, Telosticta, A New Damselfly Genus From Borneo And Palawan (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platystictidae), Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 60 (2), pp. 361-397 : 390-391

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.5348617
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03DD87E5-FFF3-614C-FF0B-FDD7FAD49BD6
treatment provided by	Tatiana
scientific name	Telosticta ulubaram
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Telosticta ulubaram View in CoL , new species

( Figs. 9E View Fig , 10E View Fig , 11F, K View Fig , 12E View Fig , 13E View Fig , 14E View Fig , 21)

Material examined. — Holotype: male (SAR07_8_PST15), Upper Baram , stream near Merawa Timber camp, ca 1010 m, 12 Dec.2007, coll. RAD, to be deposited in RMNH.

Paratypes: All from Miri division, Sarawak all coll. RAD unless otherwise noted and currently in collection RAD, examples to be deposited in BMNH and ZRC: male (SAR05_PST1), Tama Abu Range , Bario area, tributary to Bario’s water catchment stream, ca 1100 m, 3 Apr.2005 ; male (SAR05_PST15), same location, trailside, 19 May 2005 ; male (SAR05_PST25), same area, trailside on way to “the Gap”, 20 May 2005; male (SAR07_8_PST14), data as holotype; 2 males (SAR07_8_PST84–85), Upper Baram , Long Banga water catchment area, tributary to Sungai Aro Lano, ca 900 m, 16 Dec.2007 ; 2 males (SAR07_8_PST62–63), same data, coll. G.T. Reels.

Diagnosis. — Readily distinguished from other species of Telosticta except for T. berawan , T. dayak , T. paruatia , and T. kajang by the form of its superior anal appendage, with a distinct deep cleft in the tip, easily visible in lateral view. It is easily distinguished from T. paruatia by having a much shorter interior projection, shaped like the head of an axe, on the superior appendage. It is distinguished from T. dayak and T. kajang by the shape of the tip of the superior appendage, and from the former by having longer antehumeral stripes. It is distinguished from T. berawan by the depth of the inner groove above the cleft in the tip of the superior appendages as seen in dorsal view, very deep in T. ulubaram with the bases of the two arms appearing as large rounded knobs, compared to shallow in T. berawan , with the tip of the appendage appearing narrow in dorsal view.

Etymology. — ulubaram , a noun in apposition, compounded from the Malay ulu (= upper) + baram, a place name. Named for the upper parts and headwaters of the Baram river: all the known sites for this species are in the watershed of the river, in the upper Baram area.

Description of holotype male. — Head: Labium pale. Basal 2/3 of labrum blue, black along free margin. Anteclypeus blue, postclypeus shining black. Mandible bases blue in corner by clypeus, black below. Vertex and frons bronzy black, occiput shining black. Ratio of width of compound eye to width of vertex measured at level of lateral ocelli ca 9/10. Transverse occipital carina with lateral extremities angulated and prominent. Ocelli whitish. Antenna with scape and basal 3/4 of pedicel greyish brown, rest dark brown.

Thorax: Prothorax, largely pale cream except small dark marks to rear of propleuron, a small central diamond shaped marking on the anterior pronotal lobe, a dark brown and black mark at the rear of the middle of the pronotal lobe and whole posterior pronotal lobe, which is black except for the lateral processes, which are grey, becoming paler towards tips, and long ( Fig. 9E View Fig ) with the tip almost at the level of the lower margin of the propleuron. Synthorax: Mesepisternum bronzy black, with a pair long blue antehumeral markings, occupying ca 2/3 of the length ( Fig. 10E View Fig ). Antealar triangles largely bluish-white near wing bases, black elsewhere. Mesepimeron bronzy black. Metepisternum largely occupied by a pale band, becoming blue towards wing bases, with a bronzy black wedge below, this extending from the wing bases to the metinfraepisternum but interrupted below the spiracle. Metepimeron mostly pale. Venter of synthorax pale. Legs: each with coxa and trochanter pale cream, femur yellowish cream, dark along extensor surface, with obscure grey markings, black above tibia. Tibia black below femur, then yellowish cream, black just above tarsus, which is mostly pale but black at either end and with brown claws. Wings: 13 Px in Fw, 12 Px in Hw. Arculus slightly distal to Ax2. Vein ab present. R 4 arising distal to subnodus, IR 3 joined to it by a short stalk. Pterostigma approximately trapezoidal with costal side slightly shorter than anal side, and proximal side slightly shorter than distal side, black with thin pale border, covering slightly more than one underlying cell.

Abdomen: Largely brown, darkening to rear. S1 whitish at side, dark brown and black above and behind posterior carina. S2 with a pale basal annulus broadly interrupted dorsally, laterally this extending to the posterior carina as a pale wedge, otherwise brown. S3–7 brown, becoming darker apically, with a narrow pale basal annulus. S8 black above, with a large pale blue ca rectangular marking occupying much of the dorsum ( Fig. 11F View Fig ), pale along the tergal margin except apically, this extended narrowly upwards basally to meet the dorsal marking ( Fig. 11K View Fig ). S9–10 black. Anal appendages ( Figs. 12E View Fig , 13E View Fig , 14E View Fig ) largely black except interiorly towards the tips and at the articulation of the inferior appendage. Superior appendage nearly 5/2 times the length of S10, with interior projection at just over 1/4 length ( Fig. 12E View Fig ) directed inwards and downwards so clearly visible below in lateral view ( Fig. 13E View Fig ), shaped like the head of an axe and forward slanted, with a sharp spur on the outer upper corner. Dorsal projection moderately developed as a rounded upward directed swelling, whole appendage bent strongly downwards from this point. Expanded dorsal-ventrally in distal 1/3, with a ‘U’ shaped cleft at tip, with the lower arm of the cleft shorter than the upper ( Fig. 13E View Fig ), on interior side above this cleft a deep grove separating the arms, with the tip of the upper arm appearing bulbous and strongly in-turned in ventral view ( Fig. 14E View Fig ). On the outer side the tip of the lower arm extended slightly outwards. Inferior appendage almost as long as superior, robust in lateral and ventral views, scoop only slightly expanded and tapering quite sharply towards tip, where upturned ( Fig. 14E View Fig ), with spine basally broad, directed inwards, upwards and to rear, the tip of this sharp and directed more to rear.

Measurements (mm): Abdomen without anal appendages 48, superior anal appendages ca 1.25, Hw 25.

Female. — Unknown

Variation in paratypes. — The antehumeral stripes are a little longer in some specimens. R 4 arises at or only just distal to the subnodus in a few specimens. Occasionally the pale marking along the tergal margin of S8 is completely separated from the dorsal marking. The pale dorsal markings on S9 are frequently absent, but in one individual from Long Banga, they are fused into a narrow basal transverse stripe.

Measurements (mm): Abdomen without anal appendages 48–50, Hw 24–26. Wings with 13–15 Px in Fw, 12–13 in Hw.

Biological notes. — T. ulubaram is found at small high gradient streams in mixed dipterocarp forest in mountainous terrain and has not been found below ca 900 m. Males perch at the stream edge at low densities.

Distribution. — Known from northeast Sarawak, from the upper Baram area of Miri Division and in the vicinity of Bario in the Tama Abu range (Kelabit Highlands; Fig. 21).