Megapodagrion megalopus, Selys, 1862

DeMarmels, Jurg, 1992, Dragonflies (Odonata) From The Sierras Of Tapirapeco And Unturan, In The Extreme South Of Venezuela, Acta Biologica Venezuelica 14 (1), pp. 57-78 : 60

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.3266063

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4391159

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/0B24F87C-FFBB-FFB5-FF7B-B418C11F214C

treatment provided by

Jeremy

scientific name

Megapodagrion megalopus
status

 

Megapodagrion megalopus View in CoL (SELYS, 1862)

Figures 11-12 View Plate II

Material. 7♂, 1 ♀, Base Camp GoogleMaps .

Remarks. All specimens were taken in the forest, far from water, flying close to the ground or sitting on sticks or stemlets of low growing plants. The larval habitat is unknown. but might not be lotic.

Megapodagrion Selys sensu stricto is monoty pic. Those species included in Allopodagrion Forster , currentlv considered a subgenus of the former, differ in many important features from M. megalopus . Therefore I think that full generic rank for Allopodagrion , as originally assigned to by Forster (1910), is clearly justified. The strongest argument for doing so is given by penis morphology: The penis of Megapodagrion is lestine (Fig. 11-12), while that of Allopodagrion is typically megapodagrionine ( Figs. 13-14 View Plate II ) with two conspicuos cornua as have, for example, Dimeragrion Calvert, Heteragrion Selys , Oxystigma Williamson, Philogenia Selys and Sciotropis Racenis. Petiolation of wings ceases far distad from cux in Megapodagrion , but very close to, or even proximally of cux in Allopodagrion . Megapodgrion has two supplementary sectors between IR2 and R3 and two more between R3 and IR3 whiIe Ailopodagrion has only one in each space. The fore wings are shorter than the hind wings in Megapodagrion but equal or longer in Allopodagrion . Adult Megapodagrion are mottled with brown, the two apical abdominal segments are in thtl male densely covered with white pruinescence Adult Allopodagrion are black with blue patches on the mesepisterna, which might be covered by blue pruinescence, tip of abdomen has no pruinescence. The larval habitat of Megapodagrion is unknown, but adults are found in lowland rain forest away from running water flying close to the ground. All species of Allopodagrion are instead breeding in small mountain creeks in partly open or closed forest and do not abandon the water courses. It seems, therefore, that besides of the long legs, Allopodagrion does not share more characters with Megapodagrion than with Philogenia or with any other of the compared genera

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