Copera kervillei, Morton, 1924

K. J. Morton, 1924, The Dragon-flies (Odonata) of Palestine, based primarily on collection made by Dr. P. A. Buxton, with Notes on the Species of the Adjacent Regions., Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 1924, pp. 25-44 : 30-31

Copera kervillei Martin. Under the name of Psilocnemis kervillei , Rene Martin has described (l.c. p. 214) adult and a younger condition of a curious little dragon-fly taken by Gadeau de Kerville near lac de Homs, Syria, 19th May , which added quite a new feature to the Odonata of the Western Palaearctic region. Nothing more seems to have been recorded regarding it, but Dr. Ris has kindly communicated to me a ♂ which he had on hand from the Munich Museum, and

which, although larger than Martin’s types, and from Eregli, Asia Minor, a locality somewhat remote from the original one, he considers is very probably the same as Martin’s species, agreeing as it does in most essentials with Martin’s rather short description. Dr. Ris adds that although the proportions of the antennae are much more as in Coeliccia , the neural characters (quadrangles and origin of A *) agree better with Copera . The insect indeed seems to combine some characters of Coeliccia , Copera and Platycnemis , and in its pruinose state bears a superficial resemblance to a small Pseudagrion pruinosum . It may be useiul to give a description of this Eregli example.

♂ (adult). Almost entirely pruinose. Labium yellow, median lobe infuscated. Labrum yellowish with black central virgule. Anteclypeus, genae, base of mandibles and back of head yellowish. Antennae black, two basal joints with pale narrow apical ring; 1st joint short, 2nd twice as long, 3rd longer than other two combined, proportions approximately 1: 2:4. Prothorax pruinose above. Thorax pruinose to 2nd lateral suture whitish yellow beneath. legs externally pruinose, whitish blue on inner side; tibiae not dilated. Abdomen dorsally pruinose with yellowish sutures; segments 1 and 3 yellowish laterally, other segments narrowly pale along ventral carinae; 10 yellowish beneath slightly infuscated. App. sup. black above with narrow yellow margins; app. inf. mostly yellow, apex black ( fig. 1, dorso-lateral view).

Wings: pterostigma dark orange bordered with strong black veins, covering about one cell; outer side very oblique. Arculus slightly distal to 2nd Anq. Costal side of quadrangle about 1/6 shorter than anal side in f.-w. and about A in h.-w. Two antenodal discoidal cells. Cuq at a level1 halfway between 1st and 2nd Anq. A * from A proximal to Cuq rathcr more than the length of the latter. M 3 beginning proximal to nodus; Rs (Ms) at sub-nodal cross-vein. In f. - w. M2about 6 cells, iIP 8 cells distal from nodus; M4 reaching anal margin at 10 1/2 cells, Cu l 7 1/2 cells, Cu2 4 1/2 cells distal from nodus. In h. - w. M3about 5 cells, M1a 8 cells distal from nodus: M 4 reaching anal margin at 9 cells, Cu1 at 7 1/2 cells, Cu2 4 cells, distal from nodus. Post-nodals, f. - w. 11, h. - w. 10. Length of h. - w. 22 mm. (base to nodus 7 1/2, nodus to pterostigma 12 1/2). Length of abdomen 30 mm.