Journal of Threatened Taxa |
www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 July 2022 | 14(7): 21421–21431
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893
(Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7792.14.7.21421-21431
#7792 | Received 17 December 2021 | Final
received 20 January 2022 | Finally accepted 27 June 2022
A new species of Protosticta Selys, 1885
(Odonata: Zygoptera: Platystictidae)
from Western Ghats, India
Kalesh Sadasivan
1, Vinayan P. Nair 2 & K. Abraham Samuel 3
1 Greeshmam, BN 439, Bapuji
Nagar, Medical College P.O., Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695011, India.
2 XV/446 A1, Nethaji
Housing Colony, Trichambaram, Taliparamba
P.O., Kannur, Kerala 670141, India.
3 Tropical Institute of Ecological
Sciences (TIES), Ecological Research Campus, K.K. Road, Velloor
P.O., Kottayam, Kerala 686501, India.
1,2,3 TORG (TNHS Odonate
Research Group), Travancore Nature History Society (TNHS), MBRRA, Mathrubhumi Road, Vanchiyoor,
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695035, India.
1 kaleshs2002in@gmail.com
(corresponding author), 2 vinayanpnair@gmail.com, 3 abrahamcms@gmail.com
Abstract: A new species of Protosticta Selys, 1885 is
described from Anamalai Hills of southern Western
Ghats in peninsular India. The new species is distinguished from its regional
congeners by the posterior lobe of the prothorax being devoid of spines;
anterior 1/3rd of S8 pale yellow, the marking not connected
dorsally; S9 completely black; caudal appendages short, sinuous, and only twice
the length of S10, cerci with a small blunt basal tooth; the tip of the
superior lobe of cerci not bilobed but straight, paraprocts
beveled at the tip, not clubbed; pterostigma of both
wings trapezoidal with maximum length less than twice the breadth, forewing
with nine & hindwing with eight postnodals, and
the structure of male genital ligula. The new species is described from Peechi Wildlife Sanctuary on the northwestern
flanks of the Anamalai hills. A key to the
identification of Protosticta of the
Western Ghats is provided based on mature males.
Keywords: Anamalai
Hills, damselfly, endemic species, Kerala, new description, Peechi
Wildlife Sanctuary.
Abbreviations: Ax—antenodal
crossveins | Fw—forewing | Hw—hindwing | Px—postnodal crossveins |
Pt—pterostigma | S1–10—abdominal segments | TL—total length of the specimen
including appendages | AL—abdominal length | FL—forewing length | HL—hindwing
length | TNHS—Travancore Nature History Society | TORG—Travancore Odonate
Research Group | KS—Kalesh Sadasivan.
ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:77FCEF52-A8B1-4B6B-9108-0FC561C0B784
Editor: Vincent Kalkman, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden,
Netherlands. Date of publication:
26 July 2022 (online & print)
Citation: Sadasivan,
K., V.P. Nair & A. Samuel (2022). A new species of Protosticta Selys, 1885 (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platystictidae) from Western Ghats, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 14(7): 21421–21431. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7792.14.7.21421-21431
Copyright: © Sadasivan
et al. 2022. Creative Commons Attribution
4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and
distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the
author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: None.
Competing interests: The authors
declare no competing interests.
Author details: Kalesh Sadasivan: A Plastic Surgeon by
profession, from Kerala. Founder member and Research Associate of Travancore
Nature History Society (TNHS), an NGO based in Trivandrum established in 2010.
A wildlife photographer and an amateur taxonomist with specific interest in
invertebrates–butterflies, odonates, cicadas and
ants. Vinayan P Nair: Zoology teacher at Government Vocational Higher
Secondary School, Payyoli, Kozhikode and Research
Associate at Travancore Nature History Society (TNHS), Trivandrum, Kerala.
Currently involved in studying taxonomy of odonates
of Western Ghats. Apart from odonates has specific
interests in moths, butterflies, ants, mantids and wasps. Abraham
Samuel: Retired Zoology Professor, Research Associate of Travancore
Nature History Society (TNHS) working on odonates of
Kerala. Founder member of TIES, Research Institute, Kottayam.
Author contributions: KS discovered the species in
field and wrote the manuscript. VPN did fieldwork and edited the drafts. AS helped
with the drafting and edits of the final manuscript.
Acknowledgements: The authors wish to thank Prabhu PM, Wildlife Warden and Salish JM, Wildlife
Assistant, Peechi WLS for their help with the
logistics and field work. We thank the Kerala Forest Department for the
research permission for the surveys and fieldwork. We express our gratitude to
Toms Augustine, Subramanian KA, and Md. Jafer Palot for their encouragement. The authors would like to
thank members of Travancore Nature History Society (TNHS), Trivandrum, for
their field assistance and support. AS wishes to thank the TIES Kottayam and
TNHS Trivandrum for their help during the surveys for odonates.
Introduction
The genus Protosticta
Selys, 1885 consists of slender built damselflies
commonly known as reed-tails or shadow-damsels. They inhabit hill streams in
tropical, subtropical, and temperate jungles of the Indian subcontinent and southeastern Asia. In India, they are distributed in the
Western Ghats and northeastern region towards Myanmar
(Fraser 1933). The genus was described from Sulawesi (formerly the Celbes) in Indonesia, with Protosticta
simplicinervis Selys,
1885, as the type species. The genus has 53 extant species distributed from
Pakistan, through the Indian subcontinent to Indo-China and southeastern
Asian islands (Paulson et al. 2022). There are 15 species of Protosticta in the Indian region and 12 of them
inhabit the Western Ghats: P. gravelyi Laidlaw,
1915, P. hearseyi Fraser, 1922, P. sanguinostigma Fraser, 1922, P. antelopoides
Fraser, 1924, P. mortoni Fraser, 1924, P.
davenporti Fraser, 1931, P. rufostigma Kimmins, 1958, P.
ponmudiensis Kiran, Kalesh
& Kunte, 2015, and P. monticola
Emiliyamma & Palot,
2016 (Kiran et al. 2015; Emiliyamma & Palot 2016; Joshi et al. 2020). Protosticta
myristicaensis Joshi & Kunte,
2020; P. sholai Subramanian & Babu, 2020; and P. cyanofemora
Joshi, Subramanian, Babu & Kunte,
2020 were recently described from the Western Ghats (Joshi et al. 2020).
Odonates of this genus have relatively
small interspecific differences which are as follows: the coloration of the
head, thoracic and abdominal markings, the structure of the prothorax, and anal
appendages in the male. Diagnostic characters of females include the structure
of prothorax and anal appendages (van Tol 2009; Bedjanič et al. 2016; Joshi et al. 2020). During the faunal
exploration of Anamalais near the Palghat gap in the
southern Western Ghats, the authors came across an undescribed species
inhabiting the mid-elevation streams. This taxon is here described as new to
science. In addition, a key to the males of all known species of Protosticta from the Western Ghats is
provided. Image 1 shows the type locality of the new species.
Materials
and Methods
Damselflies were collected in the
field with an insect net and preserved in absolute ethanol as wet specimens. Nomenclature follows Subramanian & Babu (2017) and Paulson et al. (2022). Taxonomic keys to the species
have been modified based on Fraser (1933) and Joshi et al. (2020). The morphological description
follows Garrison et al. (2010). The known
distribution of the species follows Subramanian et al. (2018) and Joshi et al. (2020). The wing venation terminology
follows Riek & Kukalová-Peck
(1984). Measurements
and morphological details of all species mentioned and compared in the text are
based on specimens in voucher collections of TORG. Photographs of the specimens were
taken with Canon EOS 70D DSLR fitted with 180 mm macro lens and MPE 65 f 2.8 1–5x lens. The anal appendages have been
studied by dissecting them and illustrated by KS using a stereo-zoom microscope
(HEADZ Model HD81). Comparison of caudal appendages were done from fresh
material with the exception of P. antelopoides
and P. hearseyi, which were referred from
Fraser (1933), Emiliyamma & Palot
(2016), and Joshi et al. (2020). The superior division/fork of the male cerci
is termed as the superior lobe
and the inferior is termed the inferior lobe. The genital ligula of the
holotype is preserved and the illustration is based on another male paratype in
TORG collection.
Results
Protosticta anamalaica
sp. nov.
(Image 2D, 3, 5A–C,H,I)
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9BF1E41F-334A-43B3-9BAE-62771B908473
Material Examined
Holotype: TORG 1001, 26.xi.2021, male,
Ponmudi Hill, Peechi
Wildlife Sanctuary, Thrissur District, Kerala, India. 950 m, coll. Kalesh Sadasivan. Currently with
TORG collections, Trivandrum, Kerala.
Paratype: (TORG 1002, 26.xi.2021, female,
same data as of the holotype.
Holotype and paratype, both wet
specimens, will be deposited in the insect collection facility of Zoological
Survey of India (ZSI), Kozhikode.
Additional material studied: TORG 1003, male; TORG 1004 &
1005, females—all wet specimens in ethanol, bearing the same collection details
as the holotype no. TORG 1001. These will be retained as voucher specimens in
TORG collections. Two males and females were observed and photographed in the
field but not collected, at the type locality.
Etymology: The species is named ‘anamalaica’ after the Anamalai hills, on which lies Peechi
Wildlife Sanctuary, the type locality.
Suggested common name: The Anamalai
Reedtail is the common name suggested for this species
based on its distribution in the Anamalai Hills.
Description of male holotype
(TORG 1001) (Image 1, 2,
3, 5A–E, 5 H & I)
Head (Image 3A,C,E). Eyes
anteriorly greyish-blue, antero-dorsally black, greenish-brown postero-dorsally, and infero-laterally
greenish-white. Mandible bluish-white, its inferior border, black, up to a
third of its height. Labium pale translucent brown and anteriorly brown. Labrum is pale bluish-white, slightly darker compared to
the antefrons, its entire free edge bordered in black
which extends to one-fourth of the height of the labrum.
Genae blackish-brown. Vertex dark bronze. Anteclypeus pale bluish-white. Postclypeus
bronze metallic lustre. Antefrons and postfrons with dark metallic bronze lustre, extending into
the ocular margin. Occiput matte brownish-black with an occipital bar having
bronze tinge. Post-ocular lobe black. Ocelli waxy white. Antennae basal segment
and half of the first segment translucent white, rest of the segments dark
brownish-black. Sparse brownish hairs on the lateral aspect of the anteclypeus and free edge of the labrum.
Long pale brown hairs along the inferior border of anteclypeus
and on the labium.
Prothorax (Image 3E). The anterior
lobe is almost half the length of middle lobe, posterior lobe is almost 2/3rd
the length of the middle lobe. The general colour is brown but the notopleural suture and adjoining aspect of the anterior
lobe are suffused in black. The junction of the anterior and middle lobe is
demarcated in a suffused blackish band that extends vertically along the
middorsal aspect. Superior two-thirds of propleuron
are brown while its inferior third is pale brownish-white. There are no expansions
or spines on the lobes of the prothorax. On ventral view, there is a central
band of black on its posterior edge, between the coxae. The foreleg coxae,
trochanter, femur, and tibia are pale brownish-white. The lateral aspect of the
femur and tibia are stippled in brown. The spines, ends of the femur near the
tibiofemoral joint, and the claws black.
Synthorax (Image 3C–E). General
colour is brown marked with pale yellowish-white and black. On dorsal view, mesostigmal plate black. Mid-dorsal carina brown anteriorly
and the posterior fourth is blackish. On the lateral view, the mesepisternum is shiny bronze and the mesepimeron
brown. Mesinfraepisternum centrally dark
brownish-black, superior fourth brown and inferior fourth brownish-white;
markings suffused. Metepisternum with superior half
pale yellowish-white, inferior half brown which turns black anteriorly. Metepimeron with the superior half of the anterior 3/4th
brown, the rest pale yellowish-white. Metinfraepisternum
brown and inferiorly margined in pale brownish-white. Metathoracic spiracle
brown. On ventral view, venter of the metathorax is pale brownish-white, the
rest matte black. The mid and hindleg coxae, trochanter, femur, and tibia are
pale brownish-white. The lateral (extensor) aspect of the femur and tibia are
stippled in brown. Spines, ends of the femur near the tibiofemoral joint, and
the claws dark brownish-black. Flexor aspect pale amber brown.
Wings (Image 5B,C). Hyaline; Pt
of both wings brown occupying less than one and one-third cells, trapezoidal;
anterior border slanting posteriorly; posterior border vertical thus making the
superior border shorter than the inferior; inferior border almost straight. Pt
length at its middle twice its breadth. Anal bridge absent. Ax--–2
in all wings. Px– Fw 9 and Hw 8. The number of cells between the bifurcation of R2 and
origin of IR2 in Fw is 1 and in Hw
is 2.
Abdomen (Image 2D, 3A). General
colour dark blackish-brown and marked in pale yellowish-white as follows: S1
laterally pale yellowish-white smudged in brown; S2 below a diagonal connecting
the anterosuperior to the posteroinferior edges; S3–7
marked with very thin basal annuli, ventral part of them extending posteriorly
than laterally; the mark on S7 extending thinly ventrally on its anterior
thirds; the annuli of S3 conspicuously thinner (reduced to almost half) than on
the rest of the segments. Annuli on S7 & S8 incomplete dorsally. S8 annulus
is the largest of the annuli and on the ventrolateral aspect stops just short
of its distal margin. S9 & S10 are fully black. Genital ligula as
illustrated bearing very minute setae on either side of the shaft of the distal
end of the first segment (Image 5 D, E), based on male paratype (TORG 1003).
Caudal appendages (Image 3F,G, 5H,I) Coloured
black, the thinner tips of cerci and paraprocts
brown. Length twice that of S10 on dorsal view. Cerci widest at the base;
furnished with a small triangular tooth at the basal fourth of the cerci;
middle third uniformly tapering and curved inwards. The distal third expands
into the forcipate tip, with a superior and inferior lobe. The superior lobe is
thick, with the tip straight and blunt, not incurved. The inferior lobe is thin
and slightly shorter than the superior lobe. Outer margin of cerci sinuous
with a depression/concavity at the origin of the superior lobe of cerci. Paraprocts uniformly curved inwards; long,
ending just short of the distal end of the inferior lobe of the cerci. Paraprocts with tip bevelled dorso-ventrally
and truncated not bulbous.
Measurements (mm). Total length (TL) 38.5 mm,
abdominal length (AL) 33 mm, Fw length (FL) 19 mm, Hw Length (HL) 18 mm.
Description of female paratype
(TORG 1002) (Image 2E, 5F,G).
Head (Image 4B–E) Exactly as in
the male. Labrum pale blue, its distal free margin
jet black, this black extends to about half of its height in the midline.
Mandible pale blue and its free end (distal third) jet black, the borders
between the colours smudged. Anteclypeus pale
bluish-white; postclypeus shiny bronze. Rest of the
head the genae, vertex bronze. Occiput as in males.
Eyes bluish as in males but slightly greener. Ocelli and antennae as in males.
Prothorax (Image 4E) as in males, no
spines or ornamentations.
Synthorax (Image 4A–E) as in males.
Wings (Image 4A). Hyaline; Pt
of both wings brown occupying less than one and one-third cells, trapezoidal;
anterior border slanting posteriorly; posterior border vertical thus making the
superior border shorter than the inferior; inferior border much more convex
than in male. Pt length at its middle twice its breadth. Anal bridge absent. Ax--–2 in all wings. Px– Fw 10 and Hw 10. The number of
cells between bifurcation of R2 and origin of IR2 in Fw
1 and Hw 1.
Abdomen (Image 4A). Segments S1–S7
coloured as in the male, but shinier bronze with the caudal end of each segment
almost black. Segment 8 bears the lateral triangular pale yellowish-white
patch. Lateral aspect of S9 including its middle third reddish-brown, rest of
it dark brown. Segment 10 dark brownish-black. S8 is twice the length of
S10, while S9 is thrice the length of S10.
Caudal appendages (Image 5F,G). Cerci
brownish-black, broader at the base, 0.6 times the length of S10, triangular in
lateral view with a superior border slightly concave, tip blunt; paraprocts reduced, rounded brown, less than a third of the
length of cerci; dorsal half of valve of ovipositor brown, ventral half dark
brown, terebra brown, triangular, twice as long as
cerci; ovipositor brown, ending in a brownish-black style reaching just beyond
cerci and valve.
Measurements (mm). Total length (TL) 34.5 mm,
abdominal length (AL) 27 mm, Fw length (FL) 19 mm, Hw Length (HL) 18 mm.
Variation in paratypes. In males, the variation was
observed in the size total length (TL) 36.55 ±2.90 (n = 2).
The Px
is always 10 less than in both sexes but an occasional aberrant may have 11,
unilaterally in Fw of females (n = 6).
Diagnosis The new species is distinguished
from its congeners in the Western Ghats by the combination of posterior lobe of
prothorax devoid of spines and its posterior border not expanded; anterior 1/3rd
of S8 pale yellow and the marking not connected dorsally; S9 completely black;
pterostigma dark brown, trapezoidal with a length twice the breadth, and Fw and Hw with 10 or less Px; cerci with a small blunt basal protuberance; paraprocts not clubbed at apices, the outer fork of cerci
not bilobed, its tip being straight and not incurved.
Habitat and Ecology
The species was first collected
from a mid-elevation semi-evergreen forest at 950 m bordering a secondary
grassland in Peechi Wildlife Division on the western
flanks of Anamalais in November 2021 (Image 2A). The
females were first discovered perched on dark trunks of trees at heights less
than 2 m above the forest floor (Image 2C). They flew to higher levels of the
trunk when disturbed. The males were also found in the same habitat on tree
trunks (Image 2B). The females generally outnumbered the males (males: female,
1:2). A small shallow perennial seepage (50 cm wide, 10 cm depth) was found
within 150 m of the forest where the males and females were first sighted.
Males were seen perched on the low fringing vegetation and twigs (<10 cm
high) very close to the edge of the water defending their very small
territories (roughly 25 cm2). Males from adjacent territories were
seen fighting head-on to protect their waterfront. The females were seen
perched on dark shady pockets of the vegetation along the edges of the hill
stream. Tenerals were also seen during the last week
of November 2021. The damselflies sought shelter in the adjacent forest in
windy weather.
Discussion
Based on the structure of the
male cerci, structure & coloration of prothorax, shape & colour of Pt,
colour & pattern of eyes, labrum, mandibles,
femur, and spot in S8 the new species can be easily separated from its
congeners.
The new species of Protosticta is easily differentiated from P. antelopoides and P. ponmudiensis
by the
absence of any spines on its prothorax.
The recently described P. myristicaensis
is small (TL
<25 mm), has postclypeus bright blue and mandibles
brown, while the new species is larger (TL >38 mm) postclypeus
bronze colour and mandibles blue with black margins
in P. anamalaica sp. nov.;
anterior 1/3rd or more of S8 marked with bright turquoise-blue, the
markings connected dorsally (S8 marking pale yellowish-white and incomplete
dorsally in P. anamalaica); apical fork of
cerci deeply incised more than 1/3rd of the total length and cerci
with a small tubercle at the middle of the apical fork (shallow incision with
no such tubercles in P. anamalaica).
From P. gravelyi
and P. mortoni, the new species is diagnosed
by the shallowly incised apical lobe of cerci, while the other two have them
deeply incised more than 1/3rd of the total length. In addition, P.
gravelyi has a hexagonal black marking covering
the central portion of posterior lobe and a small portion of the middle lobe on
the prothorax and P. mortoni has anterior and
middle lobes of prothorax blue while no such marks or blue colour
is seen in P. anamalaica, which has a brown
prothorax with the notopleural suture and adjoining
part of the anterior lobe suffused in black.
Protosticta hearseyi
another small
species (TL <30 mm), has blue prothorax and the caudal appendages are
characterized by the very short inferior lobe of cerci, and superior lobe not
expanded, while P. anamalaica has brownish
prothorax and the inferior lobe of cerci only a little short of the
superior.
P. davenporti and P. rufostigma
has a different structure of male caudal appendages with the distal end of
the superior lobe of cerci being consciously expanded on dorsal view, while it
appears straight and rounded in the new species. The color of the prothorax is
also different with the anterior and middle lobes of prothorax pale yellow,
posterior lobe partially or completely black, while it is brown with black
suffusion in the new species. The Pt in P. rufostigma
is almost squarish with the length always less than twice the breadth, while
the length of Pt is twice the breadth in P. anamalaica.
The markings in S8 connected dorsally in P. davenporti
and P. rufostigma (S8 marking pale
yellowish-white and incomplete dorsally in P. anamalaica).
The S8 with the basal markings
unconnected dorsally is a feature common to P. sholai, P. sanguinostigma, P. cyanofemora, P. monticola,
and the new species. The recently
described P. sholai has S9 laterally marked with a large
yellow at the anterior border, reaching more than 2/3rd of the
segment and paraprocts thin, long, and clubbed at
apices, while it is unmarked and the paraprocts are
not clubbed in P. anamalaica. Further, the mandibles are black and postclypeus bright blue in P. sholai,
while mandibles are blue with black margins and postclypeus
bronze in P. anamalaica. The downcurved cerci
with a long robust basal spine, the bilobed tip of the superior lobe of cerci,
and the brown equatorial band of eyes are characters of P. sanguinostigma, which the new species lack.
Besides, the blood-red colour of the Pt and an elongated spot in S8 are also
characteristics that P. anamalaica lacks. Protosticta cyanofemora, has eyes and flexor surface of
femur bright blue (greyish-blue eyes and pale brownish legs in P. anamalaica). The mandibles and postclypeus
are black in P. cyanofemora while the mandible is pale blue
with a black margin, and postclypeus is bronze coloured in P. anamalaica. The prothorax purple, marked
extensively with black in P. cyanofemora, while it is brown with a black
smudge in P. anamalaica. The caudal appendage of the new species is similar to P. cyanofemora,
but is
shorter. The caudal appendages are more uniformly curved and only
twice the length of S10 in P. anamalaica, while it is comparatively
straighter and thrice the length of S10 in P. cyanofemora. The outer margin of the superior
lobe of cerci in P. cyanofemora
is relatively
straight compared to the conspicuously convex margin of P. anamalaica. In field P. anamalaica superficially resembles P. monticola, from which it is diagnosed by
the long Pt (length > twice the breadth) and the higher Px
(always >10) in both wings of the latter. The caudal appendages are more
uniformly curved and only twice the length of S10 in P. anamalaica, while it is comparatively
straighter and thrice the length of S10 in P. monticola. Moreover, the tip of the
superior lobe of the tip of cerci is incurved in P. monticola,
while it is straight in P. anamalaica. The two species are also niche separated, P. monticola
is a montane
species seen >1,600 m of the subtropical temperate forests while the new
species is from the mid-elevations below 1,000 m as far as known in the
tropical semievergreen forest belt. See Table 1 for a
comparison of morphometric characters of the closely similar P. monticola, P. cyanofemora, and P. anamalaica.
Conclusion
The species P. anamalaica sp. nov. is an
inhabitant of the first-order streams of mid-elevation forests of Anamalais in the Western Ghats. These species from
seepages, streamlets, and hill streams are the most vulnerable in the wake of
climate change (Rogers et al. 2020). As per Nair et al. (2021), the checklist
of odonates of Western Ghats currently stands at 207
species with 80 endemics. The state of Kerala has 181 odonate
species with 68 endemics (Nair et al. 2021). Thus, the addition of P. anamalaica raises the Odonata species diversity of
Western Ghats to 208 species with 81 endemics, and that of Kerala to 182
species with 69 endemics. The discovery of a new species reiterates the
fact that more systematic exploration of this biodiversity hotspot should be
carried out in the southern Western Ghats, especially in the light of
increasing anthropogenic influences and habitat transformations.
Key to species of Protosticta Selys,
1885 from Western Ghats based mature males modified from Joshi et al. (2020)
1 The posterior lobe of
prothorax with spines
.......................................................................................................................................
2
- Posterior lobe of prothorax without
spines (Image 3E)
......................................................................................................................
3
2 The posterior lobe of
prothorax with a pair of long, divaricate horn-like spines; S7 faintly marked
at base or unmarked; paraprocts
bifid at apex
...................................................................................................................................................................
P. antelopoides
- Posterior lobe of prothorax
with a pair of short lateral spines and internally two medial spines;
S7 with extensive blue
markings;
paraprocts
twisted and curved inwards, not bifid at apex
..........................................................................................
P. ponmudiensis
3 Anterior 1/3rd or
more of S8 bright turquoise blue, connected dorsally
..........................................................................................
4
- Anterior 1/3rd of
S8 yellow or blue, not connected dorsally (Image 5I)
............................................................................................
9
4 Apical fork of cerci deeply
incised more than 1/3rd of the total
length .............................................................................................
5
- Apical fork of cerci shallow incised, much less than 1/3rd of total length (Image
3F) ........................................................................ 7
5 Cerci with a small tubercle at middle of
the apical fork; length of abdomen + caudal appendages <25 mm
.................. P. myristicaensis
- Cerci without such a
tubercle at its center; length of abdomen + caudal appendages >25 mm
........................................................ 6
6 Prothorax with a hexagonal
black marking covering central portion of posterior lobe and small portion of
middle lobe; cerci with a
prominent laterally pointed
basal spine; paraprocts with an inner stout spine at base
........................................................ P. gravelyi
- Anterior and middle lobes of
prothorax colored blue, no hexagonal black mark; cerci with a small laterally
pointed basal spine;
paraprocts
without an inner stout spine at base
...................................................................................................................
P. mortoni
7 Prothorax completely blue;
length of abdomen + caudal appendages <30 mm; inferior lobe of cerci very
short, superior lobe not
expanded
.............................................................................................................................................................................
P. hearseyi
- Anterior and middle lobes of
prothorax pale yellow, posterior lobe partially or completely black; length of
abdomen + caudal
appendages >30 mm;
inferior lobe of cerci more than 1/3rd length of superior lobe, the
latter expanded ....................................... 8
8 Dorsum of middle portion of posterior lobe
of prothorax completely black extending as two points to the dorsum of middle
lobe;
inner fork of cerci thin and small,
superior lobe rounded at apices and more than twice the length of inferiror ............... P. davenporti
- Dorsum of posterior lobe of
prothorax black, laterally brown; middle lobe of prothorax with a small dorsal
faint black spot; inner
fork of cerci thick,
superior lobe ending in a quadrangle, less than twice the length of inferior
.................................... P. rufostigma
9 S9 completely black or marked
only at ventral border; posterior border of prothorax not expanded; paraprocts not clubbed at
apices
................................................................................................................................................................................................
10
- S9 laterally marked with a
large yellow at anterior border, reaching more than 2/3rd of the
segment, not connected apically in both
sexes; posterior border of
prothorax expanded; paraprocts thin, long and clubbed at apices
................................................. P. sholai
10 Pt red; Cerci with a prominent and robust basal spine; tip of superior lobe of cerci bilobed
.................................... P. sanguinostigma
- Pt black or brown; cerci
with a small blunt basal protuberance, inwardly pointed; tip of outer fork of
cerci not bilobed ................ 11
11 Pt rectangular with length
more than twice the breadth; Px in all wings
always 11 or more; caudal appendages thrice the length of S10;
outer margin of cerci
including the superior lobe comparatively straighter on dorsal view
............................................................. 12
- Pt trapezoid with length
twice the breadth (Image 5A); Px in all wings 10 or
less (Image 5B,C); caudal appendages only twice the length
of S10 (Image 5H, I); outer
margin of cerci sinuous; tip of superior lobe of cerci straight on dorsal view
.......... P. anamalaica sp. nov.
12 Eyes blue; femur bright blue
internally; S8 with a bright blue annule extended
laterally 2/3rd of its length; tip of superior lobe of cerci
straight
..........................................................................................................................................................................
P. cyanofemora
- Eyes grey and brown; femur pale yellow
internally; S8 black dorsally, ventro-laterally yellow extends to the distal end; tip of
superior
lobe of cerci bent inward at apices
.....................................................................................................................................
P. monticola
Table1. Comparison of
morphometric characters of Protosticta monticola, P. cyanofemora and P. anamalaica
sp. nov., based on data from Emiliyamma
& Palot, 2016, Joshi et al. (2020) and TORG
specimens.
|
|
Character of males,
measurements in mm |
P. monticola |
P. cyanofemora |
P. anamalaica sp. nov. |
|
1 |
Total Length (TL) |
41.0–44.0 |
37.3 |
38.5 |
|
2 |
Abdominal length (AL) |
33.0–35.0 |
37.0 |
33.0 |
|
3 |
Fw length (FL) |
23.0–24.0 |
22.6–23.0 |
19.0 |
|
4 |
Hw Length (HL) |
21.0–22.0 |
21.9–22.2 |
18.0 |
|
5 |
Post nodal count Fw, Hw (Px) |
12, 11 |
13, 11–12 |
9, 8 |
For images - -
click here (for full PDF)
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