Table Of ContentInternationalJournalofOdonatology,2013
Vol.16,No.1,53–65,http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13887890.2012.749766
Two new species of Pyrrhargiolestes, with a key to the males
(Odonata:Argiolestidae)
VincentJ.Kalkman*a,StephenJ.Richardsb,candDanA.Polhemusd
aNaturalisBiodiversityCentre,POBox9517,NL-2300RALeiden,Netherlands;bHerpetology
Department,SouthAustralianMuseum,NorthTerrace,Adelaide,S.A.5000,Australia;cDepartmentof
TerrestrialVertebrates,MuseumandArtGalleryoftheNorthernTerritory,POBox4646,Darwin,NT0801,
Australia;dDepartmentofNaturalSciences,BishopMuseum,1525BerniceSt.,Honolulu,HI96817,USA
(Received10August2012;finalversionreceived8November2012)
TwonewspeciesbelongingtotheendemicNewGuineagenusPyrrhargiolestesaredescribedfromPapua
NewGuinea:P.lamingtonsp.nov.(holotype:MountLamington,OroProvince,dep.inRMNH)andP.
yelasp.nov.(holotype:RosselIsland,MilneBayProvince,dep.inUSNM).ThepresumedmaleofP.
aulicusisdescribedforthefirsttime.NewrecordsandremarksareprovidedforP.angulatus,P.kula,P.
sidoniaandP.tenuispinus.AkeytothemalesofallspeciesofPyrrhargiolestes,informationonhabitat
andamapoftheknowndistributionsaregiven.
Keywords: Odonata; dragonfly; Zygoptera;Argiolestidae; Pyrrhargiolestes; taxonomy; New Guinea;
PapuaNewGuinea
Introduction
In their revision ofArgiolestidae Kalkman & Theischinger (2012) divided up the species pre-
viously included in Argiolestes into seven genera. For four of these genera new names were
established; for the others names were already available.Among the newly established genera
is the genus Pyrrhargiolestes, currently containing five species: P. angulatus (Theischinger &
Richards, 2007), P. aulicus (Lieftinck, 1949), P. kula (Englund & Polhemus, 2007), P. sidonia
(Martin,1909)andP.tenuispinus(Lieftinck,1938).Inthepresentpapertwonewspeciesareintro-
duced,andtheputativemaleofP.aulicusisdescribedforthefirsttime.Akeytothemalesisgiven,
newdistributionalrecordsareprovided,andthedistributionofallspeciesismappedanddiscussed.
Materialandmethods
AllspecimensofthediscussedspeciespresentinRMNHhavebeenstudiedforthisrevision,as
wellasspecimensfromthecollectionslistedbelow,butdetailsonthematerialaregivenonlyfor
newrecords.NewmateriallistedhereforthefirsttimeisdepositedinRMNHunlessotherwise
*Correspondingauthor.Email:[email protected]
©2013WorldwideDragonflyAssociation
54 V.J.Kalkmanetal.
noted. Geographic coordinates are given only when present on original labels. Acronyms for
materialrepositoriesareasfollows:
BPBM: Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; MNHN: Muséum National
d’HistoireNaturelle,Paris,France;MSNG:MuseoCivicodiStoriaNaturale“GiacomoDoria”,
Genoa, Italy; RMNH: Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity Naturalis, former Leiden Zoology
collections, Leiden, the Netherlands; NTM: Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Terri-
tory,Darwin,Australia;USNM:NationalMuseumofNaturalHistory,SmithsonianInstitution,
Washington,DC,USA.
Systematicpart
Recognitionof PyrrhargiolestesKalkman&Theischinger,2012
InthefieldspeciesofPyrrhargiolestescanreadilybedistinguishedfromallNewGuineandam-
selfliesbythefollowingcombinationofcharacters:(1)wingsspreadwhileatrest;(2)legsand
thoraxwithorangetoredcolouration;(3)labrumcompletelymetallic;(4)spinesondorsumor
hind rim of S10 absent. In preserved specimens the orange to red colours on the legs and tho-
rax fade to a dull yellow to pale brown colour.As a result, specimens in museum collections
can best be distinguished from other New Guinean damselfly genera based on the combina-
tion of the following characters: (1) IR2 originating near the subnodus, starting clearly closer
to nodus than to arculus; (2) supplementary sectors between IR1 and RP2 and between RP2
and IR2 present; (3) labrum completely metallic; and (4) spines on dorsum or hind rim of S10
absent.
The genital ligulae of all species except P. angulatus were studied and scanning electron
microscope (SEM) images of P sidonia (Figure 4) and P. kula (see illustration in Kalkman &
Theischinger,2012)wereproduced.Theshapeofthegenitalligulaissimilaramongthespecies,
variationbeingrestrictedtoslightdifferencesinthewidthofthetwoapicallobes.Howeverthis
characterisdifficulttoquantifybecausethelobesareslightlyflexible,sothegenitalligulaisnot
usefulforspeciesidentificationinthisgroup.
Pyrrhargiolestesangulatus(Theischinger&Richards,2007)
(Figures1a,7)
Newrecords
Papua New Guinea, Simbu Province: 1 (cid:2): Crater Mountain Biological Research Station,Wara
Sera, G16 creek, 100m upstream in sunny clearing, 2004, leg. S. Oppel. – 2 (cid:2), 1 (cid:3), Crater
MountainBiologicalResearchStation,WaraSera,CreeknexttoWaraOo,25July2004,leg.S.
Oppel.–1(cid:3):Herowanavillage,WaraEnome,20November1998,leg.S.Richards.
TherecordsfromCraterMountainBiologicalResearchStation,SimbuProvince,Herowana,
EasternHighlandsandAseki,MorobeProvincewereoriginallypublishedasArgiolestessidonia
(Michalski,1995;Oppel,2005a,2005b,2006).Re-examinationindicatesthatthematerialinfact
represents the recently described P. angulatus (J. Michalski, pers. comm.). Not all the material
collected at Crater Mountain Biological Research Station and Herowana was studied, but it is
likelythattheremainderalsobelongstoP.angulatus,andP.sidoniaprobablydoesnotoccurat
thesesites.
Pyrrhargiolestesaulicus(Lieftinck,1949)
(Figures1b,2a,3,7)
TwonewPyrrhargiolestesspecies 55
Figure 1. CerciofmalePyrrhargiolestesindorsalview:(a)P.angulatus;(b)P.aulicus;(c)P.kula;(d)P.lamington
(holotype);(e)P.sidonia;(f)P.tenuispinus;(g)P.yela(paratype).
Specimensstudied
Holotype1(cid:3):Indonesia,Papuaprovince,WaterfallatBernhardCampB,150m,13April1939,
leg.J.Olthof,RMNH.
1 (cid:2): (NTM I008602); Papua New Guinea, West Sepik Province, Ok Binai Camp, 4.900S
141.8216E,425m,19February2010,leg.S.Richards.
Lieftinck(1949)describedthisspeciesbasedonasinglefemaleremarkingthat“Thisinteresting
specieshasnonearalliesbutresemblesthemembersofthesidoniagroup[=Pyrrhargiolestesin
thepresentsense]insomerespects,especiallyintheshapeofitswings,thenarrowpterostigma
56 V.J.Kalkmanetal.
Figure 2. Pyrrhargiolestesmales:(a)P.aulicus(maledescribedinthispaper);(b)P.lamington(holotype).
Figure 3. Pyrrhargiolestesaulicusmale,WestSepikProvince,PNG.Photo:S.J.Richards.
andindetailsofvenation”.Theuniformlypalelegs,whichareprobablyorangetoredinlife,and
thelargelyorange-yellowsynthoraxofthefemaleholotypeareotherindicationsthatthisspecies
shouldbeplacedinPyrrhargiolestes.ThemalefromWestSepikProvincematchestheholotype
femaleinwingvenation,sizeandproportions,andinhavingthelegsandsidesofthesynthorax
reddishthroughout.Themaindifferenceisthatinthemalethefrontofsynthoraxiscompletely
dark, whereas in the holotype female the posterior portion is dark while the anterior portion is
paleandprobablyreddishinlife.WethereforetentativelyassumethatthemalefromWestSepik
TwonewPyrrhargiolestesspecies 57
ProvinceisthehithertounknownmaleofP.aulicus,butvalidationofthishypothesiswillrequire
aseriesofproperlyassociatedmalesandfemalesfromthesamelocality.
Differentialdiagnosisofmale
ThistaxoncaneasilybedifferentiatedfromtheotherspeciesofPyrrhargiolestes,exceptP.lam-
ington,bythecompletelyorangesidesofthethorax.Althoughsimilarincolouration,P.lamington
hasalargedorsaltuberclelyingatabouttwo-thirdsthedistancefrombasetoapexofthecerci
whichisabsentinP.aulicus.
Descriptionofmale
Head. Labiumpalebrownthroughout;widerthanlong.Labrummetallicblackwithbluegloss;
mandiblesandgenaeshiningblack.Anteclypeuscream-white;postclypeusmetallicblackexcept
forposterolateralcornerswhichareyellow-brown,fromthereadirtyyellowlinerunstotheeye
margins;remainderofheadincludingantennaematteblack.
Thorax. Prothoraxreddishbrownbutorangeinlife;synthoraxorangewithablackdorsum.–
Legsincludingcoxaeandtrochantersyellow-orange(brightorangeinlife);tracesofblacknear
knees,spinesorange-brown.Innersideoffemoraclearlyflattened.Femoraoffirst,second,and
thirdpairoflegswith8,9,and13spinesontheiroutersidesrespectively.Tibiaeoffirstpairof
legswith5largeand5smallspinesonoutersides;tibiaeofsecondandthirdpairsoflegswith
11and10spinesontheiroutersidesrespectively;thesespinesnearthekneesc.3timesaslong
asthespacebetweenspinesbasallybutbecomingincreasinglyshortertowardstarsus.–Wings
hyaline,venationbrowntoblack.FwandHwofequallengthandwith2Ax;Fwwith18–19Px;
Hwwith16–17Px.ArculusslightlydistaltolevelofAx2;discoidalcellinFwlong,costalside
about1.2timesaslongdistalside.AcatorslightlydistaltoAx1.Twocellsbetweendiscoidalcell
andsubnodus.Ptbrown.NocellsbeyondPtdivided.MostlyonecellrowbetweenCuAandhind
marginofHw.SupplementarysectorsbetweenIR1andRP2andbetweenRP2andIR2present.
Abdomen. S1–3orange-brownwithposteriorblackring;S4withblackdorsumbutventrolat-
erallyorange-brown;S5–10black.S9andS10broadandflattened;hindmarginofS10without
spines,mid-dorsalposteriorhalfofS10slightlydepressed.Bothcerciandparaproctsblack.Cerci
as in Figure 1b without large spines but with a series of small spines on the outside; tip bent
inwardwith,ontheinnerside,apalebrownmembrane.Paraproctsaboutonequarterthelength
ofcerci,endinginaninwardandslightlyupwardpointingtooth.Shapeofgenitalligulastrongly
resemblingthatofP.sidonia,notshowinganyclearlydefinabledifferences.
Measurements (mm). Total length 42, abdomen 33, Fw 28; Pt in Fw 1.2 (costal length), 1.8
(greatestlength);PtinHw1.2(costallength),1.9(greatestlength).
Distributionandecologicalnotes
Thetwocollectinglocationsareabout330kmapart,soP.aulicusseeminglyhasalargerange.
ItisremarkablethatalthoughextensivecollectingofOdonatawasdoneatbothsiteswherethe
specieshasbeenrecorded,inbothcasesonlyasinglespecimenwascollected.Thisspecieshas
strikingcoloursanditthereforeseemsthatitoccurseitherinverylowdensitiesorbehavesina
waywhichmakesitlesslikelytobenoticed.
58 V.J.Kalkmanetal.
Pyrrhargiolesteskula(Englund&Polhemus,2007)
(Figures1c,7)
Newrecords
PapuaNewGuinea:1(cid:2),1(cid:3)(copula):CentralProvince,MamaiEstate,nearPortGlasgow,22
January1965,leg.unknown.–1(cid:2):MilneBayProvince,GoodenoughIsland,Eslopes,900m,
27October1953,leg.unknown.–5(cid:2),8(cid:3):MilneBayProvince,ModewaBay,25mileswest
of Samarai, Camp 17, 10.65S 150.35E, 15–21 December 1956, leg. 5thArchbold Expedition.
The material from Modewa Bay is labelled with a number which refers to the camp-site and
informationonthelocalityistakenfromBrass(1959).
The specimen from Goodenough Island was originally published as P. sidonia by Lieftinck
(1956)butEnglund&Polhemus(2007)correctedthistoP.kula,whichisconfirmedhere.
Pyrrhargiolesteslamingtonsp.nov.
(Figures1d,2b,7)
Etymology
Namedafterthemountainwherethespeciesoccurs.Usedasanouninappositiontothegeneric
name.
Specimensstudied
PapuaNewGuinea:Holotype(cid:2):OroProvince,Popondetta,MountLamington,25m,June1966,
leg. G. Lippert & P. Shenahan, deposited in RMNH. Written on envelope: “(cid:2), sp. n. sidonia
group, Mt. Lamington, Popondetta, BISH”. Printed labels: (1) “New Guinea, SE, Popondetta,
25m,VI.66”;(2)“G.Lippert,collectorBISHOP”;(3)“P.Shanahan,CollectorBISHOP”.
Differentialdiagnosisofmale
This species can easily be differentiated from the other species of Pyrrhargiolestes, except for
P.aulicus,bythecompletelyorangesidesofthethorax.ThemaleofPyrrhargiolesteslamington
has a large dorsal tubercle at about two-thirds of the distance from the base to the apex of the
cerci,whichisabsentinP.aulicus.
Descriptionofholotypemale
Head. Labiumpalebrownthroughout;wider(1.3mm)thanlong(1.0mm),mediancleftabout
onequarteroflengthoflabiumandslightlydeeperthanwide.Labrummetallicblackwithblue
gloss;mandiblesandgenaeshiningblack.Anteclypeuscream-white;postclypeusmetallicblack
withgreen-bluegloss;sidesoffaceuptosocketsofantennaeglossybrown-black,thisglossyarea
runningupalongtheeyestodorsumofthehead;fronsandremainderofheadincludingantennae
mattblack.
Thorax. Sidesofprothoraxbrown,medianlobeofpronotumdarkbrown,anteriorandposterior
lobe black; synthorax orange with front black. – Legs including coxae and trochanters yellow-
orangebutprobablybrightorangeinlife;tracesofblacknearknees,spinesorange-brown.Inner
sideoffemoraclearlyflattened.Femoraoffirst,secondandthirdpairoflegswith8–9,8and10
TwonewPyrrhargiolestesspecies 59
Figure 4. GenitalligulaofPyrrhargiolestessidonia.
spinesontheiroutersides,respectively.Tibiaeoffirstpairoflegswith6largeand8smallspines
onouterside;tibiaeofsecondandthirdpairsoflegswith9and10–11spinesontheouterside,
respectively;spinesnearthekneesc.3timesaslongasspacebetweenspinesbasally,becoming
increasingly shorter towards tarsus. – Wings hyaline, venation brown to black. Fw and Hw of
equallength.FwandHwwith2Ax;Fwwith18–19Px;Hwwith16Px.Arculusslightlydistal
tolevelofAx2;discoidalcellinFwlong,costalsidealmost1.3timesaslongasdistalside.Acat
orslightlydistaltoAx1.Twocellsbetweendiscoidalcellandsubnodus.Ptbrown.Atmostone
cellbeyondPtdivided.OnerowofcellsbetweenCuAandhindmarginofHw.Supplementary
sectorsbetweenIR1andRP2andbetweenRP2andIR2present.
Abdomen. S1–3 orange-brown with posterior black ring; S4–5 with brown-black dorsum but
ventrolaterallybrown;S6–10black.S9andS10laterallydepressed;hindmarginofS10without
spines, mid-dorsal posterior half of S10 slightly depressed. Paraprocts black, cerci black with
distalhalfbrown-black.CerciasinFigure1d,withoutlargespinesbutwithouterborderbearing
4 to 6 small spines; small but characteristic dorsal tubercle present at two-thirds distance from
base.CerciS-shapedinlateralview,withbasestraight,bendingdownathalfwaypointandthen
curvingupwardsatapex.Paraproctsblack,aboutonequarterthelengthofcerci;curvinggently
downwardwhenviewedlaterally.ShapeofgenitalligulastronglyresemblingthatofP.sidonia,
notshowinganyclearlydefinabledifferences.
Measurements (mm). Total length 41, abdomen 34, Fw 27; Pt in Fw 1.6 (costal length), 1.9
(greatestlength);PtinHw1.6(costallength),1.9(greatestlength).
Pyrrhargiolestessidonia(Martin,1909)
(Figures1e,4,7)
Newrecords
Papua New Guinea: 1 (cid:2): Central Province, Brown River, NW of Port Moresby, 11 November
1970,leg.R.Straatman.–1(cid:2):CentralProvince,OwenStanleyRange,Goilaia,Tapini,Tororo,
5200ft.,22February1958,leg.H.H.Brandt.–6(cid:2),1(cid:3):CentralProvince,OwenStanleyRange,
Goilaia, Tapini, Kiambavi, 5000 ft., February 1958 (?), leg. H.H. Brandt. – 1 (cid:2), 1 (cid:3): Morobe
Province,Wau,1200m,22July1962,leg.J.H.Sedlacek,ex.col.Bishop.–2(cid:2):MorobeProvince,
60 V.J.Kalkmanetal.
Figure 5. AnalappendagesofmalePyrrhargiolestesyelafromlateral(left)anddorsal(right).Drawing:D.A.Polhemus.
Wau, 1300m, 23 October 1963, leg. G. – 1 (cid:2): Morobe Province, Bulolo, 1984, leg. unknown,
coll.J.Michalski.–(cid:2),1(cid:3):OroProvince,Popondetta,MountLamington,25m,June1966,leg.
G.Lippert&P.Shenahan.–1(cid:2):FinisterreRange,Naych,3000–6000ft,May1958,leg.H.H.
Brandt.
WehavebeenunabletofindalocalitynamedNaychintheFinisterreRange.Allothercollection
localitiesforP.sidoniaarefromsouthoftheRamuandMarkhamvalleys,makingtherecordfrom
theFinisterreRangeremarkableandsuggestingthateitheradifferentverycloselyrelatedspecies
isinvolved,orthatthespecimenismislabelled.
Pyrrhargiolestestenuispinus(Lieftinck,1938)
(Figures1f,7)
ThisspeciesisknownfromasmallseriesofmalesandfemalescollectedinJulyandSeptember
1893 at 1300m at Moroka,Astrolabe Range, Papua New Guinea, by L. Loria and sent by him
to the MSNG (Lieftinck, 1938, 1956). It seems likely that one male and one female of this
seriesweretakenbyRenéMartinwhousedthemincorrectlyasthebasisforaredescriptionof
Metagrion obscurum (Selys, 1878) (Martin, 1909), a synonym of Metagrion ornatum (Selys,
1878) (Lieftinck, 1935). The RMNH has one male and one female labelled “ex Mus. Paris”
(handwritingLieftinck)and“ArgiolestesobscuraS.,NouvelleGuinée”.Itseemslikelythatthese
arethespecimensusedbyMartin(1909)forhisredescriptionofM.obscurumandthatthesewere
latertakenbyLieftinckanddepositedintheRMNH.InadditiontothesespecimenstheRMNH
has two males (including the holotype) and one female which were sent to M. Lieftinck from
theMSNG(Lieftinck,1938).Theremainderoftheoriginalseries(fourmalesandonefemale)is
probablystillintheMSNG.
Inboththeholotypeandtheparatypemaleavailableforstudythelowerapicalflangeofthe
cercusendsinaspine.Thisspineislackinginthemalelabelled“ArgiolestesobscuraS.,Nouvelle
Guinée”.Thiscouldbeduetointraspecificvariation,oritcouldbethatthesespecimens(male
andfemale)arenotfromthetypelocalityandrepresentanundescribedspecies.Intheabsence
offurtherinformationitisconsideredbettertoregardthemasP.tenuispinusforthepresent.
ThegenitalligulaisvisibleinoneofthespecimenspresentintheRMNHanditsgeneralshape
correspondswiththatofP.sidonia.
Pyrrhargiolestesyelasp.nov.
(Figures1g,5,7)
TwonewPyrrhargiolestesspecies 61
Etymology
Thename“yela”isderivedfromthetraditionalMelanesiannameforRosselIslandandisused
asanouninappositiontothegenericname.
Specimensstudied
Papua New Guinea: Holotype (cid:2): Milne Bay Province, Rossel Island, Woa River and rocky
tributaries,fromheadofestuaryto4kmupstream(11.3435S154.1184E,0–150m),31August–1
September2002,leg.D.A.Polhemus,depositedinUSNM.
Paratypes:2(cid:2):MilneBayProv.,RosselIsland,southslopesofMountRossel(11.36S154.23E),
16October1956,leg.5thArchboldExpedition.Writtenonenvelope:“B,2(cid:2),Argiolestessp.n.,
Camp13,16.x.1956,RosselI.”.InformationonlocalityistakenfromBrass(1959).
Differentialdiagnosisofmale
CloselyrelatedtoP.kulaandP.sidoniaandlikethesehasadarkpatternonthesidesofthethorax
andalowerapicalflangeonthecercuswhichissmoothlycurvedandendsinaspine.Separated
fromP.kulaandP.sidoniabyhavingonlyonerowofcellsbetweentheCuAandthehindborder
ofHwandinhavingtheposteriorthree-fourthsofthelabiumpale(yellow-brown).
Descriptionofholotypemale
Head. Labiumpaleorange-brownthroughout;widerthanlong,mediancleftslightlydeeperthan
wide. Labrum metallic black with blue gloss; mandibles and genae shining black.Anteclypeus
cream-white;postclypeusmetallicblackwithgreengloss;sidesoffaceuptosocketsofantennae
glossyblack,thisglossyarearunningupalongtheeyestodorsumofthehead;fronsandremainder
ofheadincludingantennaemattblack.
Thorax. Prothoraxblackwithpalebrownareaonmedianandanteriorlobeofpronotum;syntho-
raxwithmesepisternum,mesepimeronandmetepisternummattblackwithanarrowpaleorange
bandrunningjustabovetheintersegmentalsuturefromnearthehindborderofthesynthoraxto
justpastthemetastigma.Lowerhalfofmetepimerondullorange,upperhalfdirtybrown.Legs
includingcoxaeandtrochantersyellow-orangebutprobablybrightorangeinlife;sometracesof
blacknearknees.Innersidesoffemoraclearlyflattened.Spinesorange-brown.Femoraoffirst,
second,andthirdpairoflegswith9,10and12spinesontheiroutersidesrespectively.Foretibiae
with4largeand9smallspinesonoutersides;middleandhindtibiaewith10and10spineson
their outer sides respectively; spines near the knees c.3 times as long as space between spines
basally,becomingincreasinglyshortertowardstarsus.–Wingshyaline,venationbrowntoblack.
FwandHwofequallength.FwandHwwith2Ax;Fwwith19Px;Hwwith16–17Px.Arculus
at or slightly distal to level ofAx2; discoidal cell in Fw long, costal side almost 1.2 times as
longasdistalside.AcslightlydistaltoAx1.Threecellsbetweendiscoidalcellandsubnodus.Pt
brown. No cells beyond Pt divided. Mostly one row of cells between CuA and hind margin of
Hw.SupplementarysectorspresentbetweenIR1andRP2andbetweenRP2andIR2.
Abdomen. S1–5brown;S6–10darkbrowntoblack;S9andS10laterallydepressed;hindmargin
ofS10withoutspines.Cerciblack;paraproctsbrown-black.CerciasinFigures1gand5,elongate
andslender,whenviewedlaterally,stronglybowedinbasalhalfindorsalviewthennearlystraight
in distal half, with 4–6 small spines on the outer side. Lower apical flange well developed and
62 V.J.Kalkmanetal.
Figure 6. HabitatwhereholotypeofPyrrhargiolestesyelawascollected.Photo:D.A.Polhemus.
endinginapicalpointedspine,upperapicalflangesmallandrudimentary,apexofcercusitself
broadlyrounded(Figures1g,5).Paraproctsaboutonequarterthelengthofcerciand,seendorsally,
endingindistinctapicallypointeddenticle;thisdenticlegentlycurveddownwhenviewedlaterally.
ShapeofgenitalligulastronglyresemblingthatofP.sidonia,notshowinganyclearlydefinable
differences.
Measurements(mm). Totallength39,abdomen31,Fw27.
Variation
Thetwoparatypesmatchcloselywiththetype.Bothhaveafaintwhitespotalongtheeyesatthe
heightoftheclypeussuggestingthatinyoungerspecimensapalelinerunsfromtheeyestothe
clypeus.
Measurements (mm). Fw 29; Pt in Fw 1.5 (costal length), 1.8 (greatest length); Pt in Hw 1.6
(costallength),2.0(greatestlength).
Distributionandecologicalnotes
ArgiolestesyelaisendemictotheislandofRossel,alsoknowntothelocalMelanesianpeopleof
theregionasYela,theeasternmostislandintheLouisiadeArchipelago.
TheWoaRiveratthetypelocalityisabroad,clearriverwitharockybed(Figure6),flowing
down from the eastern slopes of Mt Mbo through primary lowland rain forest. The river was
reached above the head of its estuary via a trail from an anchorage in Yonga Bay, and then
followedupstreamforseveralkilometres,toapointwhereitbecameconfinedbetweenbedrock
