Taxonomic Revision of Eastern Part of Western Palaearctic Cordulegaster Using Molecular Phylogeny and Morphology, with the Description of Two New Species (Odonata: Anisoptera: Cordulegastridae)

Abstract

Taxonomy of the genus Cordulegaster Leach in Brewster, 1815 in the Eastern part of the Western Palaearctic is poorly resolved. A two-step approach was applied: sequences of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA fragments were used to sort specimens; poorly known or new taxa with their phenotypic variation were described. The existence of two traditional groups (boltonii- and bidentata-group) was confirmed. Cordulegaster coronata Morton, 1916, however, belongs to a different group. Molecular-analysis supported three known and one new species (C. heros Theischinger, 1979, C. picta Selys, 1854, C. vanbrinkae Lohmann, 1993, and C. kalkmani sp. nov.) in the boltonii-group. In the bidentata-group, all specimens from West-Turkey belonged to C. insignis Schneider, 1845, all specimens further east to a complex of four closely related species, which we name charpentieri-complex (C. amasina Morton, 1916, stat. rev., C. mzymtae Bartenev, 1929 C. charpentieri (Kolenati, 1846), stat. rev. and C. cilicia sp. nov.). The following taxa: C. insignis nobilis Morton, 1916, syn. nov., C. nachitschevanica Skvortsov and Snegovaya, 2015, syn. nov. C. plagionyx Skvortsov and Snegovaya, 2015, syn. nov. and the Caucasian subspecies C. insignis lagodechica Bartenev, 1930, syn. nov., were synonymized with C. charpentieri. Finally, we provide a key for all Western Palaearctic Cordulegaster.

Notes on Cordulegaster kalkmani in East Turkey (Odonata: Cordulegastridae)

“…6). Cordulegaster picta occurs west, north, and north-east of the Anatolian Diagonal in Georgia and Azerbaijan (Schröter et al 2015;Schneider et al 2021;Boudot et al 2021). Available literature includes a record of C. picta in north-western Iran (Rastegar et al 2013).…”

“…6, orange dot, east of Erciş), Van province, two females were found by V.J. Kalkman in 2003 and one was described as a paratype voucher for this species ( Schneider et al 2021). Although suitable habitats are still present at this locality, we were unable to find C. kalkmani there.…”

“…These specimens were collected in 2007and 2003, respectively. Together with C. heros Theischinger, 1979, C. picta Selys, 1854, and C. vanbrinkae Lohmann, 1993, it belongs to the C. boltonii (Donovan, 1807)-group (clade), a complex group of species confined to the eastern part of the West Palaearctic (Verschuren 1989;Boudot 2001;Froufe et al 2014;van Pelt 2020;Schneider et al 2021Schneider et al , 2022. The habitat selection, behavioural aspects, range of phenotypical variation, and interaction of C. kalkmani with other taxa remained unknown.…”

“…Together with C. heros Theischinger, 1979, C. picta Selys, 1854, and C. vanbrinkae Lohmann, 1993, it belongs to the C. boltonii (Donovan, 1807)-group (clade), a complex group of species confined to the eastern part of the West Palaearctic ( Verschuren 1989; Boudot 2001; Froufe et al . 2014; van Pelt 2020; Schneider et al . 2021, 2022).…”

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Populations of Cordulegaster kalkmani Schneider et al, 2021 were found in the Kars and Bitlis provinces of East Turkey (i.e., western Armenian Highlands), in July 2022. This species was found at elevations from 1 800 to 2 200 m a.s.l.

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