Pericnemis melansoni sp. nov., a new damselfly (Odonata: Coenagrionidae) from Compostela Valley Province, Mindanao Island, Philippines
Reagan Joseph T. Villanueva 1,
Milton Norman D. Medina 2 & Kim M. Jumawan3
1 D3C Gahol Apartment, Lopez Jaena St., Davao City, 8000 Philippines,
2,3 Research and Development Center,
Assumption College of Nabunturan, Nabunturan,Compostela Valley Province, 8800 Philippines
Email: 1 rjtvillanueva@gmail.com,2 milton_sept19@yahoo.com (corresponding author), 3 kim_xv3@yahoo.com
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3472.4110-2 | ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F97B179C-C45D-4DFD-9A10-403F5391581F
Editor: Albert G. Orr, Griffith
University, Nathan, Australia. Date of
publication: 26 April 2013 (online & print)
Manuscript details: Ms #
o3472 | Received 04 January 2013 | Final received 01 April 2013 | Finally
accepted 04 April 2013
Citation: Villanueva, R.J.T., M.N.D.
Medina & K.M. Jumawan (2013). Pericnemis melansoni sp. nov., a new damselfly (Odonata: Coenagrionidae) from Compostela Valley Province, Mindanao Island, Philippines. Journal
of Threatened Taxa 5(7): 4110–4112;
http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3472.4110-2
Copyright: © Villanueva et al.
2013. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 UnportedLicense. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this
article in any medium, reproduction and distribution by providing adequate
credit to the authors and the source of publication.
Funding: Research and Development
Center, Assumption College of Nabunturan, Compostela Valley Philippines
Competing Interest: The
paper is a product of a joint effort by the authors and the R&D of
Assumption College of Nabunturan - no other funding
agency/ies. Hence the copyright will be between JoTT, the authors, and R&D office of Assumption College
of Nabunturan.
Acknowledgements: The
authors are grateful for the funding support provided by the Assumption College
of Nabunturan Administration headed by Sr. Myrna Taganas, FMA, school president and Delfin Enargan, M.A., chairman of the Research Committee and
board members. We are indebted to Dr. Albert Orr who made constructive comments
and especially for executing Figures 1–2 and 5 and for arranging the
plate. We are thankful to the
Barangay Council and the people of San Vicente, and Barangay Council of Poblacion Nabunturan. Special
thanks are due to Mr. Dodong Daputanfor the assistance during several expeditions in Barangay San Vicente; to Michelle Deguilmo, Raffy Paig, Shaolu Edig, and Paolo Uri for field assistance and to Nannel Aranton for facilitating
the transportation and securing the needed permits.
For figures and
image -- click here
Villanueva
(2012) reviewed the Philippine members of the genus Amphicnemis. All species were transferred to three
newly established genera, or moved into the genus Pericnemis. In the present sense, five named species
are currently recognized as members of the genus Pericnemisin the Philippine archipelago.
The
island of Mindanao has one known species of Pericnemis,Pericnemis lestoides (Brauer, 1868). In addition, nearly a dozen species are
still to be described from the island. During a short biodiversity survey in CabalianCreek, Nabunturan, Compostela Valley Province
conducted by the second and third authors, specimens
of Pericnemis were collected. Voucher specimens were given to the
first author who confirmed they represented a species new to science. Due to the urgency of establishing the
known habitat of the present species as a protected area, it is described here
in advance of a complete treatment of the Philippine Pericnemis.
All material was collected by the second
and third authors. Measurements were made using calipers
and on the left side of the specimen. Terminology generally follows Westfall & May (1996). The holotypeand paratypes are all deposited in Father Melanson’s Museum of Natural History, Assumption College ofNabunturan, Nabunturan, Compostela Valley province, Mindanao Island, Philippines
(ACN).
Pericnemis melansoni sp. nov.
(Figs.
1–6, Image 1)
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:7F569089-7650-4E1F-8BFE-D42D69D62030
Material
examined
Holotype: Male, ACN-2012-hol-1, 22.xi.2012, Cabalian Creek, Nabunturan, Compostela Valley Province, Mindanao Island, Philippines,
K. Jumawan leg.
Paratypes: 6 males, 1 female, samedata as holotype, ACN-2012-Odo-Coe-X001-6m/1f.
Diagnosis
This
species is closest to Pericnemis lestoides among its known congeners in the
Philippines. The male differs from
that species in having a simple posterior lobe of the pronotumwithout a pointed middle portion, and in having the lower branches of the cerci
longer than the upper branches; in P. lestoides both
branches of the cerci are of similar length. The posterior pronotallobe of the female of P. melansoni is divided
into distinct middle and lateral parts.
Etymology
A
noun in genitive case, after Fr. Louis Joseph Arthur Melanson(1879–1941) who founded the Les Filles ‘de
Marie-de-L’ Assomption or the FMA congregation which
runs the Assumption College of Nabunturan.
Description
of male
Labium and mandibles pale, a little
darker on the apices of mandibles. Remainder of head black except for pale
streaks as follows; around outer margin of the labrum; across anteclypeus; transverse streak across frons a little
narrowed in the midline, around borders of genae and
along anterior portion of scape and pedicle.
Thorax:Prothorax metallic green. Anterior lobe short
and erect. Median lobe broad
and dome shaped with broad shallow groove running across the lateral
aspect. Posterior lobe (Figs. 3–4)
short and simple, its free margin rounded with unspecialized lateral
corners.
Synthorax metallic green and pale laterally. Mesepisternum entirely metallic green. Mesinfraepisternum mostly metallic green. Mesepimeron metallic green except for pale posterior margin. Metepisternum pale except for metallic green patch adjacent to wing base. Metepimeronpale. Legs pale except for black
spines, black streaks on extensor surface of femur, around joint of femur and
tibia and on extensor surface of tibia.
Wings
hyaline with black veins. Venation as for the genus, with 14 and 12 postnodals(Px) in fore wing and hind wing, respectively. R4 at subnodus. R3 situated just off subnodus,
IR3 at Px8 and Px6 in forewing and hind wing, respectively. Pterostigma brown with pale margins, squarish with
costal side a little shorter than subcostal side.
Abdomen
brownish-black, pale ventrally. S1-2 shiny black dorsum, pale laterally. S3-6 brownish, a
little darker on dorsum. S7-10 black except for pale ventro-lateral
aspect of S10. Cerci bifid,
(Figs. 1–2) pale except for blackened apices and brownish bases. Upper branch of cercus with basal 1/8thbroader than remainder in lateral view, ending in a blunt inwardly
directed tooth. Lower branch of
cercus clearly longer than upper branch; lower branches closely approximated
apically. Paraproctsvery short, broad and blunt, light brown.
Measurements [millimeters]. Hind wing: 27; abdomen + cerci: 48
Female
Similar
to male except for broad brownish streak on the outer margin of labrum and
whitish streak along eye margins. Prothorax brown,
blackish streaks on median pronotal lobe. Posterior pronotallobe (Figs. 5–6) sub-rectangular with middle part clearly separated from
triangular lateral part. Synthorax tri-colored, mesepisternumdark metallic green, mesepimeron and posterior margin
of mesepisternum orange, except for black streak on mesepimeron. Remainder of synthorax yellowish. Abdomen with S3-S6
black.
Measurements [in mm]. Hind wing: 29; abdomen: 43.
Variation:
No notable variation evident except for the size of male paratypeswhich range from hind wing (mm): 24–28 and abdomen: 40–48.
Discussion
This
species differs from most other Philippine Pericnemis,
as yet undescribed by having a slender tubercle on the
first segment of its genital ligula. This character is shared only with P. lestoides (see Villanueva 2012).
Pericnemis melansoni sp. nov. is the second described
species of Pericnemis on the island of
Mindanao. It is distinguished from
its close relative P. lestoides (also found in
Mindanao) in lacking an elongate posterior lobe of prothorax. In the present species, the lower
branches of the cerci are longer than the upper branches whereas in P. lestoides the branches are of equal length. Lieftinck (1957)
illustrated the female of P. lestoides which differs from the female of the present species by
having more distinct middle and lateral parts on the posterior lobe of the prothorax.
References
Lieftinck, M.A. (1957). On some old types of coenagrionine Odonata described from the Philippine Islands, with
notes on allied species. Zoologische Mededelingen 35: 161–175.
Villanueva,
R.J.T. (2012). Review of
the Philippine taxa formerly assigned to the genus Amphicnemis Selys. Part I: Overview and descriptions of three
new genera (Odonata: Coenagrionidae).Zoologische Mededelingen 86(8):
579–604.
Westfall, M.J. & M.L. May (1996). Damselflies of North America. Scientific Publishers, Gainesville,
x+649pp.