A study of Coeliccia cyanomelas Ris, 1912 (Odonata: Platycnemididiae)

Coeliccia cyanomelas is studied based on a large series of specimens from its whole distribution range. Intraspecies variations of color patterns on the thorax are discussed. Coeliccia sexmaculata Wang, 1994, Coeliccia mingxiensis Xu, 2006, and Coeliccia wilsoni Zhang & Huo, 2011 are all assigned as junior synonyms of Coeliccia cyanomelas. One ‘variety’ from Guizhou is…

The “African” genus Argiagrion is a Brazilian Leptagrion species and the “Philippine” Moroagrion a European Pyrrhosoma (Odonata: Coenagrionidae)

Argiagrion leoninum, known only from the female holotype alleged to be West African, is shown to be a junior synonym of the Brazilian species Leptagrion macrurum. Moroagrion danielli, known only from the male holotype thought to be from the Philippines, is a junior synonym of the European Pyrrhosoma nymphula. Argiagrion and Moroagrion were both monotypic…

The name-bearing types of Odonata held in the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe, with systematic notes on Afrotropical taxa. Part 2: Zygoptera and descriptions of new species

Orthographic details of 118 name-bearing types of Odonata and 11 ‘holotypes’ of forms, without nomenclatural status, are provided in two parts: the second and present paper deals with Zygoptera. The taxonomy of the gracilis-group of Chlorocypha and the Afrotropical members of Prodasineura and Aciagrion are discussed. Chlorocypha fabamacula is removed from synonymy with C. wittei;…

Inflation by venation and the bankruptcy of traditional genera: the case of Neodythemis and Micromacromia, with keys to the continental African species and the description of two new Neodythemis species from the Albertine Rift (Odonata: Libellulidae)

The Afrotropical ‘neodythemistine’ genera are an example of venation-biased classification in Odonata. This example is used to argue the bankruptcy of some traditional classifications in the order, particularly in the Libellulidae, and the need to apply alternative characters to define genera. Two groups of Afrotropical ‘neodythemistines’ are identified by male and female genitalia, supported by…

Taxonomy and identification of the continental African Gynacantha and Heliaeschna species (Odonata: Aeshnidae)

The taxonomy of the Gynacantha and Heliaeschna species from continental Africa is problematic, and available keys are unsatisfactory. ‘Traditional’ characters such as venation and ‘innovative’ ones like abdominal denticulation are evaluated and their variability is measured and discussed. G. quadrina is a synonym of G. africana and not of G. vesiculata, G. ochraceipes is regarded…

A synopsis of the genus Triacanthagyna (Odonata: Aeshnidae)

This synopsis of adult Triacanthagyna includes the revalidation of two species thought to be synonyms (T. nympha and T. obscuripennis), the description of a new species (T. williamsoni; type locality: Peru, Tingo María), keys to both sexes, illustrations of diagnostic characters, and distribution maps of all species. A phylogenetic assessment of the nine species is…