Neodythemis katanga Dijkstra & Kipping

Dijkstra, Klaas-Douwe B., Kipping, Jens & Mézière, Nicolas, 2015, Sixty new dragonfly and damselfly species from Africa (Odonata), Odonatologica 44 (4), pp. 447-678 : 629-630

Neodythemis katanga Dijkstra & Kipping sp. nov. – Katanga Junglewatcher

(Type Photo 49, Photos 63–64, Fig. 30)

Taxonomy

Dijkstra & Vick (2006) illustrated this as » N. preussi Katanga «. Genetically and morphologically very close to N.preussi , the taxon is probably its southern counterpart, but differs in sufficient detail to be described as a new species, and treated as such by Dijkstra & Clausnitzer (2014).

Material studied

Holotype ♂. RMNH.INS.505522 , Congo-Kinshasa, Katanga , Upemba National Park, Lusinga valley 3 km E of park headquarters ( Photo 64), 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 . Further material. CONGO-KINSHASA ( Katanga ): 5 ♂ ( RMNH.INS.505456 ), 1 ♀ ( RMNH.INS.505459 ), Upemba National Park, source area of Lusinga near park headquarters , spring streams in gallery forest and adjacent bog, dam and channel, 1760 – 1800 m a.s.l. (8.93 ° S 27.23 ° E), 11–15 - xi- 2011, leg. K.-D.B. Dijkstra, RMNH . 1 ♂, Kapanga, v- 1933, leg. G.F. Overlaet, MRAC. 2 ♀, Kabinda, xii- 1952, leg. Ch. Seydel, MRAC. 2 ♂ 2 ♀, Kabongo, xii- 1952, Ch. Seydel , MRAC. 1 ♂, Lulua, Kapelekese Riv. , 1933, leg. G.F. Overlaet, MRAC . ZAMBIA (Northwestern Province): 1 ♂ 1 ♀, Sakeji Mission School, E of Ikelenge , seepages and spring brook in dense gallery forest, 1390 m a.s.l. (11.2320 ° S 24.3093 ° E), 24 -xi- 2014, leg. J. Kipping, CJKL .

Genetics

One unique haplotype (n = 3) nearest to six of N. preussi (n = 10).

Male morphological diagnosis

Similar to N. preussi by (a) fairly small size, Hw 26.0–28.0 mm (n= 8); (b)the largely yellow labium; (c) the broad and complete pale ante-humeral stripes; (d) 14–15 Ax in Fw; (e) Fw discoidal field of 1 cell-row both at and distal to the node, 2–3 cells wide on wing border; (f) 0 cross-veins in Fw triangle and 0–1 in Hw; (g) 1 Cux in Fw and 2 in Hw; (h) 3–4 cells in Hw anal loop; (i)the hook of hamule raised and thus visible in lateral view; and (j) the thickened apex of cerci ( Fig. 30). However, has (1) a narrow black stripe running through the metastigma towards the middle leg; (2) the metepimeron posteriorly only rarely black ( Fig. 30); (3) the pale spots of S 7 merged across the dorsal carina; and (4) cerci with a more slender apex and less pronounced ventral angle, which the tip of the epiproct surpasses clearly ( Fig. 30).

Etymology Named after Katanga province where the species was discovered (noun in apposition). Range and ecology

Confused with N. preussi that it seems to replace south of the central African rainforests, occurring at greater elevation between about 900 and 1 800 m a.s.l. at forested spring areas surrounded by grass- or woodland in Katanga and northern Zambia ( Map 10).