Three new species of the genus Ceylonosticta Fraser, 1931 (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platystictidae) from Sri Lanka and the rediscovery of Ceylonosticta subtropica (Fraser, 1933)

Abstract

Three new species of Ceylonosticta are described and illustrated: Ceylonosticta nancyae sp. nov., Ceylonosticta rupasinghe sp. nov. and Ceylonosticta alwisi sp. nov. from Samanala Nature Reserve (Adam's Peak), Kuruwita-Erathna footpath, Ratnapura District, Sri Lanka. Ceylonosticta subtropica has been recorded for the first time after 83 years and the first depiction of its genital ligula is provided.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0B08A725-CE88-46E5-B5F8-768736DB8062

Keywords:

• Ceylonosticta
• Drepanosticta
• new species
• Odonata
• Platystictidae
• Sri Lanka
• dragonfly

Acknowledgements

This project was funded by the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), Sri Lanka [grant number WL/3/2/2015]. The authors thank: Nancy van der Poorten for advice, literature, and several critical reviews of the manuscript; Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), Sri Lanka and National Wildlife Research and Training Center (NWRTC), Giritale, Sri Lanka for issuing the necessary permit for this study; Benjamin W. Price of the Natural History Museum, London for help with specimens; Sadaruwan Hettiarachchi, Aravinda Bhoomi and Chamara Amarasinghe for camera apparatus; Yohan Buddika (Sabaragamuwa University, Sri Lanka) for mapping; Indika Peabotuwage (Guangxi University, People’s Republic of China) for drawings; and George van der Poorten, Madhava Meegaskumbura (Peradeniya University, Sri Lanka), Eben Goodale (Guangxi University, People’s Republic of China), Sandun J. Perera (Sabaragamuwa University, Sri Lanka), Uromi Manage Goodale (Guangxi University, People’s Republic of China), Sameera Karunarathna (Nature Explorations and Education Team, Sri Lanka), Kanishka Ukuwela (Rajarata University, Sri Lanka), Nayana Wijayathilaka (The Open University, Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, Sri Lanka), Gayani Senevirathne (The University of Chicago, United States), Thasun Amarasinghe (University of Indonesia), Suresh Wenuka Godakanda (Sabaragamuwa University, Sri Lanka), He Ruchuan (Guangxi University, People’s Republic of China) and Leena Priya Segaran (National University of Singapore) for their support and encouragement on this study. We also thank Klaas-Douwe B. Dijkstra (University of Stellenbosch, South Africa), Matjaž Bedjanič (Slovenia) and John C. Abbott (The University of Alabama, USA) for commenting on the first manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), Sri Lanka [grant number WL/3/2/2015].