Redescription of Ceriagrion mourae with notes on its position in the genus Ceriagrion (Odonata: Coenagrionidae)

Rafał Bernard,Miroslawa Dabert,Bogusław Daraż

doi:10.1080/13887890.2018.1464524

Abstract

The poorly known Ceriagrion mourae is redescribed based on the first material from Zambia and compared with the similar C. banditum, C. junceum and C. suave. Molecular data place C. mourae as a sister taxon to the clade (C. bakeri (C. banditum, C. junceum)). Genetic distances between the above-mentioned species are similar at c.7–9% (K2P). Analysis of all published Ceriagrion COI sequences revealed a barcoding gap (c.2–6.5%) in the pairwise distance distribution and grouped African sequences according to the known species, except C. suave and C. glabrum. C. mourae was only found at a pool on a temporary stream, which differed from others in the study area by its combination of vegetation and shading. The Zambian locality and two earlier known sites in Mozambique and Tanzania are scattered across the plains and low hills of eastern and southern central Africa.

Highlights

Africa still amazes us: 60 new species of dragonflies and damselflies were described in one paper recently, showing our poor knowledge of Afrotropical biodiversity, even in such a spectacular and easy to study group as Odonata (Dijkstra, Kipping, & Mézière, 2015)
The authors described three new species of Ceriagrion, of which C. banditum Kipping & Dijkstra and C. junceum Dijkstra & Kipping occur in southern central Africa, in the zoogeographical region of Zambezia
This region is one of the main diversity centres of Odonata in the Afrotropics and the diversity centre of Ceriagrion in Africa (Dijkstra et al, 2011, 2015). This status was strengthened by our discovery of a further species, C. mourae Pinhey, 1969, in central Zambia

Summary

Introduction

Africa still amazes us: 60 new species of dragonflies and damselflies were described in one paper recently, showing our poor knowledge of Afrotropical biodiversity, even in such a spectacular and easy to study group as Odonata (Dijkstra, Kipping, & Mézière, 2015). The authors described three new species of Ceriagrion, of which C. banditum Kipping & Dijkstra and C. junceum Dijkstra & Kipping occur in southern central Africa, in the zoogeographical region of Zambezia This region is one of the main diversity centres of Odonata in the Afrotropics and the diversity centre of Ceriagrion in Africa (Dijkstra et al, 2011, 2015). This status was strengthened by our discovery of a further species, C. mourae Pinhey, 1969, in central Zambia. We (a) redescribe C. mourae and diagnose it relative to its most similar congeners, (b) discuss the species’ phylogenetic position, and (c) provide the first biological and ecological data

Methods

Results

Conclusion