Diagnoses and discussion of the group 1 and 2 Brazilian species of Heteragrion, with descriptions of four new species (Odonata: Megapodagrionidae)

Abstract

Heteragrion is the most speciose and complex genus of neotropical Megapodagrionidae, with 47 species and one subspecies, and many of them are poorly defined. To improve the knowledge of the Brazilian species of the genus, 179 specimens of 13 of the 17 described species were examined. Four new species are described in tribute to the 40 thanniversary of the rock band Queen: Heteragrion freddiemercuryi (Holotype: Peruíbe (24º 22' 48" S & 47º 04' 40" W—10 m), São Paulo State—09-III-2000); H. brianmayi (Holotype and allotype: Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar—Núcleo Caraguatatuba, Caraguatatuba (23º 35' 36" S & 45º 25' 07" W—61 m), São Paulo State—05-II-2000 and 10-III-2002); H. rogertaylori (Holotype and allotype: Fazenda Trabiju, Pindamonhangaba (22º 50' 40" S & 45º 31' 01" W—651 m), São Paulo State—26-III-1999); and H. johndeaconi (Holotype and allotype: Alto Paraíso de Goiás (14º 10’ 55" S & 47º 38’ 36" W—1198 m), Goiás State—18-VI-2008 and 17-VI-2008), holotypes, allotypes and most paratypes deposited in FAAL.Diagnostic illustrations of all species studied are provided. Color photographs of live individuals of H. brianmayi, H. aurantiacum, H. consors, H. mantiqueirae, H. tiradentense and H. triangulare are also presented.

List of Odonates from the Floresta Nacional de São Francisco de Paula (FLONA - SFP), with two new distribution records for Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

“…2.2. Heteragrion luizfelipei Machado, 2006 This species (Figure 3b) have its current distribution restricted to southern and southeastern Brazil, from São Paulo (Machado, 2006), and Paraná to its southern limit in the Santa Catarina state as reported by Lencioni (2013). Here we expand the distribution around 250 km southwards in the Rio Grande do Sul state.…”

Checklist of the dragonflies and damselflies from Guyana (Insecta: Odonata), with new records from the country

“…De Marmels (1987) examined the holotype of Heteragrion silvarum Sjöstedt, 1918, and commented on its similarity with H. melanurum described from Guyana, from which the holotype differs only by the absence of a dark dash between the eye and the base of the antenna. Examined specimens of H. silvarum from Brazil show variability in the extension of the dark areas on the head and spots in that position, indicating that these two names most likely represent synonyms, and therefore, following Lencioni (2013) the older name H. silvarum is used here.…”

<p>Odonata (Insecta) from Nova Xavantina, Mato Grosso, Central Brazil: Information on species distribution and new records</p>

“…Considering that Brazil is the largest country in South America, the number of species may be much higher, since only 29% of the Brazilian territory has been surveyed for species of Odonata (De Marco and Vianna 2005). However, nowadays this percentage could be much higher, since there are a growing number of new records and new species being described (Pinto and Lamas 2011;Lencioni 2013).…”