InternationalJournalofOdonatology Vol.15,No.3,September2012,223–228 Platycnemis doi sp. nov. from Huu Lien nature reserve in northernVietnam (Odonata: Platycnemididae) MattiHämäläinen* NetherlandsCentreforBiodiversityNaturalis,P.O.Box9517,2300RA,Leiden,TheNetherlands (Received10April2012;finalversionreceived1June2012) Platycnemisdoisp.nov.(holotype♂Vietnam,LangSonprovince,HuuLiennaturereserve,TanLai,Hang Chau,altitude200mabovesealevel,22June2010,depositedinRMNH,Leiden),isdescribedonthebasis ofaseriesofmalespecimens.Apreliminarydescriptionofthefemalebasedonaphotographtakeninthe fieldisincluded.Theaffinitiesofthenewspeciesarediscussed. Keywords: Odonata;Platycnemididae;Platycnemis;newspecies;Vietnam;HuuLien Introduction InJune2008,May2009andJune2010,togetherwithmyVietnamesecolleagueDoManhCuong and his junior co-workers, I made three separate field trips to Huu Lien nature reserve located withinalimestonemountainareainLangSonprovinceinnorthernVietnam.Themainobjective oftheseexpeditionswastofindtheenigmatic,largecalopterygid‘Echo’maximaMartin,1904,so farknownonlyfromasinglefemalespecimencollectedin1901(Martin,1904).Thetypelocality of this species and of another rare member of that family, Atrocalopteryx atrocyana (Fraser, 1935),isDongMo(ThanMoi),whichislocatedc.20kmeastfromHuuLien.TheDongMoarea lostitsforestsdecadesagoandthestreamsarebadlypolluted.InHuuLienafewgoodforested patcheswithunpollutedstreamsstillremain,althoughthisareaalsosuffersfromsmall-scaleillicit loggingbytheresidenthumanpopulation,despiteitsprotectedstatus.Althoughourattemptsto find‘E.’maximaatHuuLienwerenotsuccessful,wedidfindviablepopulationsofA.atrocyana, aswellasotherinterestingcalopterygoids,suchasVestalariamiao(Wilson&Reels,2001)andan unidentifiedRhinocyphaspecies,evidentlyclosetoRhinocyphahuai(Zhou&Zhou,2006).We alsorecordedatHuuLienseveralotherneworrarespecies:NihonogomphusschorriDo&Karube, 2011(Do&Karube,2011),Sieboldiusgigas(Martin,1904)andanundescribedCoelicciaspecies. Duringmymostrecentvisitthereon17–22June2010,Ifoundasmallpopulationofanew,rather inconspicuousplatycnemididspeciesalongasmallshadytrailonthewaytoMoAngwaterfalls. This new species, which exhibits characters unusual within the subfamily Platycnemidinae, is *Email:matti.hamalainen@helsinki.fi ISSN1388-7890print/ISSN2159-6719online ©2012WorldwideDragonflyAssociation http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13887890.2012.700503 http://www.tandfonline.com 224 M.Hämäläinen describedhere.ItisprovisionallyplacedinthegenusPlatycnemis,butitmayeventuallyrequire anewgenusofitsown. Platycnemisdoisp.nov. (Figures1–5) Specimensexamined Holotype(cid:2).Vietnam,LangSonprovince,HuuLiennaturereserve,TanLaivillage,atrailbeyond HangChaustreamonwaytoMoAngwaterfall,alt.c.220m[c.21◦ 39(cid:3) 44(cid:3)(cid:3) N,106◦ 22(cid:3) 18(cid:3)(cid:3) E], 22June2010,M.Hämäläinenleg.DepositedatRMNH(Leiden,theNetherlands). Paratypes.6(cid:2),samelocalityasholotype,21–22June2010,M.Hämäläinenleg. Etymology The species is named in honour of my good friend and colleague Captain Do Manh Cuong, in recognitionofhissignificantcontributionstoourknowledgeoftheVietnameseodonatefauna. Diagnosis A slender platycnemidine with a disproportionally long abdomen; the abdomen is nearly twice as long as the wings. Middle and hind tibiae slightly widened, white. Unusually among the Platycnemidinae, the inferior appendages are bifurcate at tip. Glans of genital ligula with long lateralrecurvedflagella,slightlyclubbedterminally. Descriptionofmaleholotype(cf.Figures1–4,showingparatypemales) Head. Labium pale, tips of lateral lobes brown. Labrum pale with the posterior border black andwithashort,black,triangularindentationinthemiddle,extendingone-thirdofthelengthof labrum.Anteclypeuslargelypale,postclypeusblack.Facecrossedbyabroad,obscure,palestripe asinFigure2a.Mostoffronsandheadaboveshiningblackwithafaintmetalliclustre.Tinypale spotsbesidethelateralocelli.Scape(firstsegment)ofantennaeblack,withitsuppersurfacepale, pedicel(secondsegment)paleinthelowerhalf,butbrownintheapicalhalf;flagellumbrown. Figure 1. Platycnemisdoisp.nov.,habitusofmale(aparatype). Platycnemisdoisp.nov.fromnorthernVietnam 225 Figure 2. Platycnemisdoisp.nov.,male:(a)head,frontalview;(b)thorax,lateralview;(c)legs.InkdrawingsbyDo ManhCuong. Figure 3. Platycnemisdoisp.nov.,maleanalappendages:(a)dorsalview;(b)obliquelateralview.Scanningelectron micrographsbyDirkGassmann. Figure 4. Platycnemisdoisp.nov.,glansofgenitalligula:(a)ventralview;(b)lateralview;(c)tipoflateralflagellum. ScanningelectronmicrographsbyDirkGassmann. 226 M.Hämäläinen Figure 5. Platycnemisdoisp.nov.,femalespecimenphotographedinnatureon21June2010. Thorax. ProthoraxmattblackwithpalegreenishmarkingsasinFigure2b.Synthoraxbronzy- blackwithintricate,paleyellowishmarkingslaterallyasinFigure2b.Metepisternumwithonly smallpalemarksanteriorly.Venterofsynthoraxblackwiththeapicalpartpaler.Legswithcoxae mainlyblack;withyellowapicalpatchinforelegandwithyellowbordersinmidandhindlegs. Inforelegstrochanterspale,femoragreyishbrown,excepttheupperhalfoftheanteriorsidepale; tibiaegreyishbrown.Middleandhindlegswithfemorablack,withanarrowpaleringnearthe base.Middleandhindtibiaemoderatelyflattenedanddilated,whitewithblacksetae(Figure2c). Wings. Hyaline. Pterostigma a greyish brown trapezium, the costal side shorter than the anal side.ArculusslightlydistaltoAx2.Quadrangleanelongaterectangle. Abdomen. Proportionally slender (Figure 1). Black with pale markings as follows. S1 with a pale greenish half ring dorsally near the apex, a pale greenish lateral band expanded upwards and downwards near the apex of the segment. S2 with pale greenish markings as follows: a tinydotmid-dorsallyatthebase,anarrow,obscurelateralstripeontheapicalhalf,anobscure streak on lower edge, not reaching the apex of the segment. S3 with a narrow pale greenish dorsal half ring near the base, the colour extending slightly apically at the mid-dorsal line; an obscurepalemarkingonthelowersidenearthebase.S3–6withdistinct,paleyellowish,complete, subapicalrings;theringsextendaroundtheentiresegment,butdorsallyarepartlyobscuredby theintrusionofpalebrownishcolour;laterallytheringsbecomegraduallylongerinsuccessive segments; S7–9 black, except for a pale greenish, triangular subapical marking on lower side ofS7.S10withdorsumbroadlycreamywhite,dorsallythebasalbordernarrowlyblack,theblack colourextendingtowardsapexventrolaterally.SeenlaterallytheapicalridgeofS10blackinthe lowerhalfofthesegment. Analappendagescreamywhitish,inferiorsventrallydarkenedatbase.Theextremetipsofinfe- riorsblack.AppendagesshapedasinFigures3a,b.Superiorsdistinctlyshorterthaninferiors.Tips ofinferiorsdistinctlybifurcate,theupperbranchsomewhatsmallerandnarrowerthanthelower. Genital ligula (not examined in holotype, but in a paratype, cf. Figures 4a–c). Glans bearing twolong,lateral,recurvedflagella.Tipofflagellumexpandedtoformapeculiarlyscoopedclub, bearing numerous tiny backward-pointing spines (Figure 4c). Such spines are also present in groupsoftwotofouralongthedistalpartoftheflagellum.Terminallobeofglansrecurvedand producedtoformtwonarrowandlongflagella,appressedtotheshaftandnotbearingprominent smallspines. Platycnemisdoisp.nov.fromnorthernVietnam 227 Measurements(mm). Totallength39,forewing19,hindwing18,abdomen33.Abdomen/hind wingratio1.83. Variationinmaleparatypes Therearenoobviousdifferencesinthecolourpattern,butthereissomevariationinsizeandin therelativelengthofabdomenandwings. Measurements (mm). Hind wing 16.5–19.0, abdomen 30.0–34.5. Abdomen/hind wing ratio 1.71–1.91. Preliminarydescriptivenotesonthefemale,basedonaphotograph A single female specimen was observed at the same site as the males. It was photographed (Figure 5), but unfortunately was not captured. The eyes were green with darker longitudinal stripes.Thecolourpatternofthethorax,withpalegreenishmarkings,resembledthatofthemale. ThesubapicalpaleringsonS3–7werepalebluish,andunlikethemaletheringonS7iscomplete. Segment10andcercipale. Habitatandnotesonbiology Thepopulationwasobservedinshadyevergreenforestalongatrailascendingalowlimestone hill,c.20–30mfroma1to2mwidestreamwithamoderatelyfastcurrent.Thespecimenswere seen only in heavily shaded places along a short 10 to 15m long section of the trail and in its immediatevicinity.Theywereinconspicuousandperchedonvegetationclosetotheground.When disturbed they flew weakly for a few metres. Other damselfly species observed along the same trailincludedCoperamarginipes(Rambur,1842),Coperaciliata(Selys,1863),anundescribed Coelicciaspecies,Vestalisgracilis(Rambur,1842),Rhinocyphasp.(cf.huai)andAtrocalopteryx atrocyana. Discussion ThefamilyPlatycnemididaeispresentlydividedintotwosubfamilies:PlatycnemidinaeandCal- icnemidinae, based on the grouping by Fraser (1957). Four genus-group names are available in the first subfamily: Platycnemis Burmeister, 1839 (type species Libellula pennipes Pallas, 1771), Copera Kirby, 1890 (a replacement name for the preoccupied name Psilocnemis Selys, 1863;typespeciesPlatycnemismarginipesRambur,1842),ProplatycnemisKennedy,1920(type speciesPlatycnemishovaMartin,1908),PseudocoperaFraser,1922[typespeciesPseudocopera arachnoides Fraser, 1922; a taxon synonymized with Copera ciliata (Selys, 1863) byAsahina, 1984]. Proplatycnemis and Pseudocopera are currently regarded as synonyms of Platycnemis andCopera,respectively.However,thegenerictaxonomyofthesubfamilyPlatycnemidinaestill remainsunsettled.ThemostrecentcontributiononthismatterwasDijkstraetal.(2007),reviewing theAfrotropicalspeciesofPlatycnemidinae. CurrentlyDAWN(DamselflyWorkersatNaturalis)–aresearchgroupattheNetherlandsCentre for Biodiversity Naturalis in Leiden, is conducting a study of the phylogenetic affinities of the platycnemidinedamselflies,basedonmoleculardata.Thisstudywillmostprobablyresultina newgenericclassificationwithinthesubfamily.AmalespecimenofPlatycnemisdoihasalready beenanalysedinthisstudy. 228 M.Hämäläinen In order to assign a formal name to this new species, it is here provisionally placed in the genus Platycnemis, because the structure of the glans of the genital ligula, with both terminal andlateralflagella,resemblesmostcloselythatofaPlatycnemisspecies(especiallythosefrom Madagascar);inCoperaspeciesthelateralflagellaaremissing.Lateralflagellaarealsopresent intheOrientalPlatycnemisphasmovolansHämäläinen,2003(cf.scanningelectronmicrographs inHämäläinen,2003).Thenewspeciesalsohasauniquecharacter,thebifurcatetipofthemale inferiorappendage,whichdoesnotexistinanyotherknownPlatycnemisorCoperaspecies,and tendstosuggestasignificantdivergencefromknownrelatedtaxa. Acknowledgements IamgratefultoDoManhCuong,K-D.Dijkstra,DirkGassmann,SamiKarjalainen,AlbertOrrandAkihikoSasamoto forprovidinghelporrelevantinformationduringdifferentphasesofthisstudy. References Asahina,S.(1984).‘Coperaannulata(Selys)’composedoftwodifferentspecies!ChôChô,7(7),2–10. Dijkstra,K.–D.B.,Clausnitzer,V.&Martens,A.(2007).TropicalAfricanPlatycnemisdamselflies(Odonata:Platyc- nemididae)andthebiogeographicalsignificanceofanewspeciesfromPembaIsland,Tanzania.Systematicsand Biodiversity,5,187–198. Do,M.C.&Karube,H.(2011).Nihonogomphusschorrisp.nov.fromHuuLienNatureReserve,LangSonProvince, Vietnam(Odonata:Gomphidae).Zootaxa,2831,63–68. Fraser,F.C.(1957).AreclassificationoftheOrderOdonata.Sydney:RoyalZoologicalSocietyofNewSouthWales. Hämäläinen,M.(2003).Platycnemisphasmovolanssp.nov.–anextraordinarydamselflyfromLaoswithnotesonits EastAsiancongeners(Odonata:Platycnemididae).Tombo–ActaOdonatologicaJaponica,46,1–7. 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