Table Of ContentOdonalologica20(4):459-463 December I, 1991
TelebasisaureipennisJurzitza, 1980,ajuniorsynonymof
T. theodori(Navas, 1934)(Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae)
R.W.Garrison
1030Fondale Street, Azusa,CA91702-0821,UnitedStates
Received July22, 1991 / AcceptedSeptember21, 1991
Comparison oftheholotypeofArgia theodori with asmall series of Telebasis
aureipennisandillustration ofaparatypemaleshowthese2 spp.tobesynonyms.The
holotypeisdescribed,pertinentdiagnosticcharacters areillustrated,andacomparison
with T. carotaKennedyisprovided.
INTRODUCTION
Over the last several years, 1 have been working intensively on neotropical
species of the genus Argia in hopes ofunraveling this bewildering complex of
describedand undescribedspecies. Much work onthis genus hasbeen doneby
Mrs Leonora K. Gloyd over the last 40 years. During several visits to the
Universityof Michigan, 1havehadtheprivilege ofexamining therichholdingsof
thisgenus.Gloyd hadalready puttogetheracomplete listofallnamesusedunder
Argia, and several species ofthe genus were described by Longinos Navas.
Resolutionof names proposed by Navas has normallybeendifficult owing to
inadequate descriptions and concomitantunavailability oftypes.
Duringthe 1930’s, Gloyd hadtheforesighttoborrowseveraltypespecimens of
Argia namedby Navas while he was stillalive. Among this materialwas the
holotype femaleof Argia theodoridescribed by Navas in 1934from Caixlas
[sic], Brazil.
KENNEDY (1936: 811), in discussing T. carota Kennedy, stated:
’’AmongtypesofspeciesofArgialoaned the UniversityofMichiganforstudybyMrs.Gloyd,Navas
included theuniquefemaleholotypeofArgiatheodori Navas(1934).DoctorCalvert wasvisitingat
AnnArboratthetime(June,1935).Both heandMrs.Gloyddecided r/teoctonwasaTelebasiswithits
probablenearest describedrelative sanguinalis.Thepresentwritersawthespecimenatthattimebut
wasnotthen interested inTelebasis somadenocomparisonswiththepresentmaterial ofcarota.
FromNavas’descriptiontheodoriisthesamesizeascarota,hasthesamevenationbutisaspecieswith
460 R.W. Garrison
morered ontheoccipitalregionandhasadarkerabdomen. Itisfrom"Caixias”,Brazil,whichfrom
otherrecords in thesamearticle should be Caxias,Rio Grande do Sul.
JURZITZA(1980) described Telebasisaureipennis basedonthreemalesfrom
MisionesProv., Argentina, and stated thatthis species was closesttoT. carota
(’’DieneueArtstehtderTelebasiscarotaKennedy, 1936nahe;dieBestimmungs-
tabellevon ST.QUENTIN(1960)fiihrtzudieserArt hin”).Throughthekindness
of Dr Gerhard Jurzitza, I was ableto borrow one oftheparatype males in
1989 and made illustrations of various diagnostic characters (Figs 1-4). In
November, 1990,1visited theFloridaStateCollectionofArthropods(FSCA) at
theUniversityofFloridaatGainesvilleandDr MinterJ.Westfall,Jr.,loanedme
someNavastypematerial describedunderthegenusArgia. Among thesespeci-
mens was the holotype female of A. theodori, whose diagnostic characters I
illustratein Figures 5-6. 1alsoexaminedasmallunidentifiedseriesoffive male
and threefemale Telebasisfrom Brazil(Rio Vermelho, SantaCatarina, Brazil,
Jan. 1944. A. Mailer, coll.,Frank Johnson,donor).
Comparison ofthesespecimens withillustrationsImadeoftheparatypeofT.
aureipennis leavesnodoubtthattheyareconspecific, butafurthercomparisonof
themalewiththeholotype ofTelebasistheodoriconvincesmethatT.aureipennis
is ajuniorsynonymof T. theodori.Allspecimens sharethesamegeneral facies,
size, andappeartobe unique in havingflavescentwings, afeaturementionedin
the descriptions ofboth Navas(”Alaemembranalevissimeflavotincta...”)and
Jurzitza’s (’’Membran gelblich getdnt...”). The distribution of Telebasis
theodori includes Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina states, Brazil, and
Misiones Province, Argentina.
REDESCRIPTION OF TELEBASIS THEODORI
Becausetheoriginal descriptionofTelehasisiheodori isnotdetailed andis generallyunavailable
toodonatologists,I include a descriptionoftheholotypeand a coupletwith which to separate
femalesofT. Iheodori and T. caroia.
HOLOTYPE female.— Entire face pale orange, especially so on labrumwith
following areas black: a mediantriangular spot encompassing ocellar triangle
with a long narrow anterolateralarmextending frombehind lateralocellusto
and touching large subquadrate spot adjacent to compound eye, the same as
showninfig. 1 ofJURZITZA(1980); fronsangulate, rearofheadentirely pale.
Prothorax(Fig. 6) entirely pale with hintof darkermedianline atjuncture of
middlelobes and with a pale area oneither sidefollowed morelaterally by a
diffuselongitudinal darkline; anteriormargin ofhind lobe with a pairof short
anterolateral digits appressed against median lobe. Synthorax entirely pale,
more so laterally, with a narrow black middorsal stripe adjacent to antealar
crest and middorsal thoracic carina(Fig. 5), its upperend barely touching
antealarcrest, itslowerend diverging anterolaterally encompassing medial0.5
SynonymyofTelebasis aureipemisand T. theodori 461
Figs1-7. Tefebasisspp.:(1)Caudal appendagesofparatypemale T.aureipennis(Argentina:Misiones
Prov.,ParqueNac. Iguazu,PestacamentoCalaratas,12Nov. 1975,G. Jurzitza),leftlateralview;—
(2) same,dorsalview; —(3) same,obliquelateroposteriorview; —(4) same,dorsolateral viewof
synthorax;—(5)T.theodori,holotypefemale,dorsolateral view ofsynthorax;—(6)same,dorso-
lateralviewofprothoraxandmesostigmalplates;—(7)T.carotafemale(Peru:JunlnDept.,Satipo,6
Jan. 1941,P. Paprzycki, det. L.K.Gloyd 1976),dorsolateral view ofprothorax and mesostigmal
plates.
ofmesostigmal plate. Mesostigmal plate triangular, withstrongly raisedposte-
riormargin. Legs entirely pale, armature black.
Wings slightly flavescent, venationdullorangebrown,slightly darkerdistally,
462 R.W. Garrison
pterostigma dullorangebrown. Postnodals;forewing 13/13,hindwing 11/[right
hindwing missing]; postquadrangular cells3inallwings, 1R originating at6th
2
postnodal crossvein inforewings, at 5th inlefthindwing.
Abdomenentirelyorange,annulislightlydarker,adiffusemedianbrownspot
on segment 1; cerci orange brown. Vulvulae of ovipositor extending slightly
beyond segment10.
Hind wing 19mm, abdomen 26.5mm.
Holotype with following labels:(1) small palegreenlabel:’’Caxias/(Brasil)/
X1I-1932[not 1931 as stated in original description]”all inNavas’ hand, — (2)
larger pale greenrectangular label;’’Argia/theodori 9 Nav. [handwritten]/?.
Navas S.J. det.[printed]”, —(3) rectangular pale pink label;’Typus” inNavas’
hand.In FloridaState Collectionof Arthropods, Gainesville.
Mrs L.K. Gloyd kindly gaveme a pair of Telebasis carota, from whichthe
femalesofT. theodoricanbereadily distinguished by the following couplet:
I Entireepicraniumblackexceptfornarrowpaleanterolateral lineextendingfromlateral ocellus,
rear ofheadblack;synthoraxwithblackmiddorsal stripecontinuous,notinterruptedmediallyby
middorsal thoraciccarinaorantealarcrest;mesostigmalplatewithposteriormarginarcuate,not
raised,separatedfromposteromedialtubercle(Fig.7).NapoandOrienteprovinces, Ecuador,and
Junln Dept., Peru carota
I' Entireepicraniumpaleexceptforareawithinocellartriangle,largesubquadrateblackspotnextto
compoundeye, andnarrowline extendingbehindlateral ocellusconnectingwithquadratespot;
rearofhead pale,synthoraxwithblackmiddorsal stripewidelyinterruptedbymiddorsal thoracic
carina and antealar crest (Fig.5); mesostigmalplatetriangular,itsposteriormarginlinear and
stronglycostate(Fig.7). SouthernBrazil and Misiones Province,Argentina theodori
KENNEDY(1936:815), inciting theNavaspaper,stated: ..Navas describes
as Argia Theodori, sp. nov. from ’Caixias’, Brazil, a female Telebasis which
Calvert and Mrs Gloyd, who examined the type loaned to the University of
Michigan, decidedwas aspecies otherwiseundescribedbutnear Telebasissan-
guinalisCalv.”1havenot seenfemalesof T.sanguinalis, butbody colorationand
head maculationofmalesprecludes conspecificitybetweenthesetwospecies. The
epicranium ofmale(andmostlikely female) T.sanguinalis is mostlyblackwith
only aredarealateraltotheocellartriangle.Therearofthehead isblackandthe
extensor surfacesofthefemoraareblack.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I thank Drs WINTER J. WESTFALL, Jr, and SIDNEY W. DUNKLE ofthe International
OdonataResearchInstitute,Gainesville,Florida,forallowingmetoexaminethetypeofT. theodori,
formakingavailable specimensofthe genus,andforcriticism ofthemanuscript.Generous thanks
also go to MARK O’BRIEN and Dr BARRY O’CONNOR, Associate Curator and Curator,
respectively, ofthe University of Michigan,Ann Arbor, forproviding me with fundinghelpin
workingovertherichOdonatacollection atthatinstitution. 1alsooweagreatdebtofgratitudeand
thankstoMrs LEONORAK.GLOYD,who,overtheyears, has patientlyanswered mynumerous
questionsonArgiaandhas guidedme downthecorrect pathsmanytimesduringmyresearch.
Synonymyof Telehasisaureipennisand T. iheodori 463
REFERENCES
JURZITZA,G., 1980.Telebasis aureipennisspec.nov. ausIguazü, Misiones, Argentinien(Zygo-
ptera: Coenagrionidae).Odonalologica9(2): 185-187.
KENNEDY, C.H., 1936. Telebasis flammeola,T. carota and T. livida, new dragonfliesfrom
Ecuador. Ann. ent.Soc. Am.29(4):804-815.
NAVAS, L., 1934. Insectossuramericanos, Novena[octava onreprint]Serie. Revta Acad. den.
Madrid 31; 155-184.
ST.QUENTIN,D.,I960. ZurKenntnis derAgrioninae(Coenagrioninae)Südamerikas (Odonata).
Bein, neolrop. Fauna 2:45-64.
