Rhionaeschna haarupi (Ris 1908)

Aeshna (Hesperaeschna) haarupi
Tables 1, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 14; PI. XVIII; Map 1.
1908. Aeschna haarupi Ris, Deutsch. ent. Ztschr. 1908, p. 523, fig. 4 (apps. $, T-spot, thoracic pattern). 1
1909. Aeschna haarupi Martin, Coll. Zool. Selys-Longchamps Cat. Syst Descr. fasc XX, p. 212, fig. 219 (apps.). 2
1947. Aeshna haarupi Calvert, Notulae Naturae Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 194,
p. 9. 3 1909. Aeshna haarupi Calvert, Ann. Cam. Mus. Pittsb. 6, p. 232. 4 Probably
not this species.
Material studied. — Argentina: Mendoza, May 11, 1908, 1 $ with green paper labels "11/5/1908 Mendoza Jenseni Ris" and "Aeschna Haarupi Ris," both probably in Foerster's hand, Oct. 27, 1906, 1 2, "from Morton" with label "Aeschna haarupi Ris 2 " in Morton's hand, Ch[acras] de Coria, December 12, 1907 (but an inner green paper label in a hand unknown to me seems to read "I 12 1907"), 1 2 topotypic; all the preceding in Mus. Zool. Univ. Mich.; Tafi del Valle (province of Tucuman?), 10.xii.47, Golbach, 1 $, coll. F. C. Fraser. Total 2 2,2 2.
A. C. Jensen-Haarup, collected at Pedregal and Chacras de Coria the material described by Ris. 1 Jorgensen gives the altitude and location of the former as 696 m., swamps 17 km. east of Mendoza, and of the latter 936 m., " 9 miles more southerly (from Mendoza) both at the first range, Precordillera de Mendoza" (Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1913, p. 274). Gannett states the altitude of Mendoza as 2376 feet = 724 m. (Monthly Bull. Internat. Bur. Amer. Repubs., U. S. Dept. Inter. Wash., 1904, p. 56).
Distribution. — Not known outside the provinces of Tucuman and Mendoza, Argentina.
Altitudinal Range as above.
$. Area bordering the stem of the T-spot of the frons whitish, which is wider than the stem and is followed by a grey blue spot sharply distinct from the yellow on the side of the frons bordering the eye margin ; sides of the stem converging strongly cephalad. Frons less angularly produced forward than in cornigera.
Thoracic stripes pass from whitish yellow ventrally to greenish blue dorsally ; antehumerals converging upward and reaching almost to the antealar sinus, a small blue spot between its upper end and the sinus and one in the sinus ; mesepimeral with a shallower ventral and a deeper dorsal emargination on its anterior margin ; metepimeral with a circular emargination near the middle of its anterior margin.
Abdominal ground color blackish, pale spots blue or green, antero-dorsal AD very small on segment 2, present on 3-7, apparently interrupted mid-dorsally; medio-dorsal MD on 2-8, postero-dorsal PD on 3-10, not confluent with its fellow of the opposite side except on 10 ; post medio-dorsal PMD on 3-8, but faded or absent in the Tafi d. Valle $ ; antero-lateral AL on 3-8, mediolateral ML on 3-8, apparently not confluent with other spots (Mendoza), or confluent with MD on 3-5 (T.d.V.) ; postero-lateral PL on 3-10, confluent with PD on 3 and 8-10 (Men.) or not confluent (T.d.V.) ; ventral surfaces of 9 behind the parameres and of 10 bluish or even bright blue.
Auricles of abdominal segment 2 of the Mendoza male bluish, margins black or dark brown, 3 teeth on the hind margin, the most lateral much shorter and less acute than the other two ; in the Tafi del Valle male the third most lateral tooth is absent from both auricles, on the right auricle the other two teeth are normal, while on the left auricle the second tooth is split into two subequal slender teeth.
Spines of the anterior lamina reaching caudad as far as the level of the apex of the meso-posterior angle of the hamular process * and almost to the level of the hind end of the hamular lobe. The parallel mesal margins of the hamular processes not acute but almost rectangular anteriorly, posteriorly curving away from each other. Hamular lobes slightly shorter than the processes, truncated laterad and caudad posteriorly. The posterior hamules with pale hairs.
The anterior hamules, including the hamular processes and hamular lobes, and the posterior hamules are omitted from our figure 240, plate XVIII.
Superior appendages longer than abdominal segments 9 + 10, widened gradually from base to .36 of their length, thence of nearly uniform width (.74 mm.) almost to apex which is truncated obliquely caudad and laterad, ending in
* To determine the distinctness of the spines of the anterior lamina, on Sept. 8, 1951, I passed a fine diverging bristle in a fine camel's hair brush under the right spine of the Mendoza male (original of our fig. 240, pi. XVIII), from the middle line of the genital fossa so that I could see it on the lateral side of the spine. I did not succeed in doing this in the Tafi del Valle male, as the spines here were apparently pressed too closely on the adjoining parts to permit the bristle to go between them. There is nothing in Ae. (H.) manni even approaching such a spine under which a bristle could be thrust. The following day, I made a similar attempt with a male of Ae. (H.) psilus from Costa Rica, but the rudimentary spines of the anterior lamina are much too short and too closely applied to adjacent parts to pass the fine bristle under them. an acute point at the outer (lateral) margin; margins entire, more than the middle third of the inner margin almost straight and almost parallel to the outer margin ; the superior almost median longitudinal carina beginning at .53 of the appendage length, almost straight until near the truncation of the apex where it curves laterad into the acute point; in profile view the apex bent ventrad, acute, hardly hooked. Viewed in profile, each superior appendage is a little concave superiorly in the basal half, whence the superior carina is markedly convex and curves downward at the apex into the terminal point which projects slightly below the mostly convex inferior margin; no inferior basal projection.
Inferior appendage reaching to A6-A3 of the length of the superiors, triangular in dorsal or ventral view, its apex .17-. 13 as wide as its base, rounded, with two upturned almost straight denticles at tip.
Wings clear (Tafi d. Valle) or faintly yellow at base barely to the first antenodal (Mendoza), costa yellow to stigma, other veins mostly brown, stigma brown ochre (Mendoza) or pale brown (T. d. Valle) surmounting less than 23 cells, membranule white, distal half dull black.
2 . Differs from the male as follows : Anterior surface of the frons in the Mendoza 2 as described for the Tafi d. Valle $ ; face pale yellow in the Chacras de Coria 2 which has the sides of the stem of the T-spot concave, the stem bordered by wider yellow in both females. Epimeral stripes wider (Table 3). Black or dark brown areas on the abdomen narrower; antero-dorsal AD and antero-lateral AL pale spots confluent on segments 3 and 4, medio-dorsal MD on 8 a small dot (Mendoza) or a small transverse streak (Chacras d. Coria), post medio-dorsal PMD somewhat obscured, reddish brown on 3-7, confluent with postero-dorsal PD on 8 and 9, medio lateral ML confluent with postero-lateral PL on 3-8 (Mendoza), not confluent (Chacras d. Coria). Anal appendages shorter than abdom. segments 9 + 10, maximum width .57-.65 mm., at mid length, straight, margins symmetrical, apex acute and central (Mend.), or inner margin more convex than outer (Ch. d. C). Genital valves reaching caudad to slightly beyond segment 9. Wings faintly yellow at base almost to the second antenodal.
Dimensions. — Abdomen (excluding appendages) S 36-38 mm., 2 35-41, sup. apps. 8 4.74-4.91, 2 2.86-3.11, hind wing S 38, 2 38-39, stigma of front wing, costal margin S 2.45-2.62, 2 3.11-3.27 mm. Front wings with 13-15 antenodals, 9-11 postnodals, hind wings with 8-11 anteand 11-12 post-nodals.
The much more extensive material of this species originally described by Ris l showed a wider range of yellow coloring on the wings than in the present lot.
The females of haarupi and of comigera planaltica are much alike and are sympatric. They differ in that haarupi females have the pale area on each side of the dark stem of the T-spot of the frons wider than the stem and the anal appendages usually much shorter, 2.85-3.5
mm., while c. planaltica females have the pale area narrower than the dark stem of the T-spot and the anal appendages usually much longer, 3.52-6.80 nun.