Pseudagrion woodlarkensis sp. nov., a new damselfly species from Woodlark Island, Papua New Guinea, is described and male and female characters are illustrated. The new species differs from all regional congeners by having a predominantly yellow thorax with bold black stripes, and males can be clearly distinguished from all Papuan Pseudagrion species by the complex…
A new species of the endemic New Guinean genus Lanthanusa is described from the Trauna River Valley in Western Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea. Characters of the male are illustrated and affinities of the new species are discussed. Some characters of the type species of Lanthanusa, L. cyclopica, are reassessed and a revised key to…
Pseudagrion lorenzi sp. nov. is described from New Britain island, Papua New Guinea. Male and female characters are illustrated by means of scanning electron microscopy. A differential diagnosis with Pseudagrion civicum Lieftinck, 1932 from New Guinea and Pseudagrion incisurum Lieftinck, 1949 from the Solomon Archipelago is provided. The female of P. incisurum is described for…
Two new species of the New Guinean megapodagrionid genus Argiolestes are described: A. tuberculiferus (holotype ♂ Papua New Guinea, Simbu Province, 6°43′S, 145°05′E; 900 m, 14 xii 2003) and A. verrucatus (holotype ♂ Papua New Guinea, Sandaun Province, 4°48′S, 141°39′E; 1,700-2,100 m, 08 ix 2004). We further provide additional descriptions and ecological data of new…
The Odonata fauna of Papua New Guinea is species-rich, but human population growth and resulting modification of primary rainforests may lead to a loss of valuable habitat and species diversity. In this study, I compared the odonate assemblages of a natural tropical rainforest and a modified forest in order to assess the loss that could…
I sampled odonates in pristine lower montane rainforest in Papua New Guinea over several months, recording habitat characteristics for all encounters with adult odonates. Using ordination techniques such as cluster analysis and canonical correspondence analysis I then classified the odonate fauna into assemblages correlated with environmental factors. Within the 2.5 km2 study area I found…
The larva of Papuagrion is described and illustrated for the first time based on two specimens collected near Goroka, Papua New Guinea. The larvae were identified by matching the mitochondrial marker COI with that of an adult specimen collected at the same locality. The larvae were found in the leaf axils of Pandanus trees which…
Papuagrion carcharodon, a new coenagrionid from the rainforest of Papua New Guinea’s Simbu Province, is described (holotype: 06°43′S, 145°05′E; 900 m a.s.l., 27 March 2004, to be deposited at Naturalis, Leiden). This new species is similar to P. ekari and P. pesechem but may be distinguished from both by the tooth-shaped lower branch of the…
Neurobasis awamena, a new calopterygid species from the southern highlands of New Guinea (holotype: Pimaga area, 6°30′S, 143°30′E, 27 vii 1994, deposited at Naturalis, Leiden) is described and figured. It is distinguished from the widespread N. australis by its longer legs, irregular teeth on the male cerci, and the sharp demarcation of the iridescent color…
Information on the origin of distribution patterns shown by freshwater invertebrates in the Indo-Australian Archipelago is poor. Here we present a molecular based hypothesis of the phylogenetic relationships of Argiolestidae, a family of damselflies found throughout the tropical parts of the Eastern Hemisphere. We use this to address the following questions: (1) did Argiolestidae colonize…