ARNOLDIA (RHODESIA) SERIES OF MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS NATIONAL MUSEUMS OF SOUTHERN RHODESIA

THE FEMALE OF NOTIOTHEMIS JONESI RIS (—) by ELLIOT PINHEY The tetrathemine species Notiothemis jonesi Ris (1919) is found very locally but of wide distribution from Zululand northwards to Kenya. In recent years further localities have been found by the Author in Rhodesia and Mozambique. These include the Matopo hills near Bulawayo; the Vumba Mountains, near Umtali, in the Witchwood Valley; and on Mount Gorongoza. J. A. Whellan has mentioned that he has found it in an additional Salisbury locality, namely the National Park at Ewanrigg. In the Matopo hills locality its extreme localization is typified. Despite the fact that there are several available streams in these hills (which extend for about 60 miles to the south of Bulawayo), N. jonesi has only been found on one of these, below Silorse Mountain. Although this is essentially a permanent stream the severe droughts of recent years has reduced it, for much of the year, to a few isolated pools which evidently exist through underground seepage of the main stream. Only one of these pools normally has N. jonesi on it, even when the stream is running above ground. Here this species can usually be found in the mornings of February to May, September and October; possibly other months, but it is a wary not readily noticeable at times. The only recorded female (Pinhey, 1961: 125) was a damaged one taken on a stream feeding Lake Nguelo at Amani, East Usambara Mountains, Tanzania. In the past two years two more females, both collected in copula, have been captured in the Matopo hills, during the Author's visits there, one on 8th October, 1967, this pair being captured by D. K. B. Wheeler, the other on 22nd September, 1968. The Amani female had lost the head during capture. Both the Matopo females are coated on the thorax with white pruinosity, masking the clear-cut mesepisternal markings of the male and of the Amani female: these are black with small green inner ventral triangle and a green stripe above humeral suture which extends inwards at its dorsal end to the mid-dorsal suture. Female. Labium in the October ♀ yellow with posterior lobe black in centre, this black slightly projecting on to the inner margins of the lateral lobes; thence anteriad Received 31st October 1968

1 with linear black at these margins, very slightly expanded at the anterior end. The September ♀, although equally pruinosed, may be slightly less adult, and it has the black on the labium entirely reduced to a minute anterior spot on the posterior lobe. Rest of face and frons ochreous, with narrower black basal stripe on frons than in the males. Thoracic pattern as in males but obscured dorsally by the white pruinosity and with the lateral bands brown, not black. Metasternum unmarked with black. All femora with the black reduced, whereas in the male only the fore femora are pale internally. Wings hyaline with black venation and pterostigmata. Hindwing with mere trace of faint basal amber in subcostal and cubital spaces. Forewing with 9 Ax, except the right forewing of the October ♀ which has 10 Ax. Anal loop of hindwing with 8 cells (September) or 9 cells (October).

Fig. 1. Vulvar scales in ventral view, in situ. Fig. 2. Bursa and vulvar scales from dorsal (inner) aspect, showing the three sterigmata.

Abdomen black, stouter than in male, with yellow maculae on basal segments more extensive. Segment 7 with the broad greenish-white saddle as in the male, segments 8-10 and cerci all black. Vulvar lip on segment 8 with deep V-notch (fig. 1). Bursa with three sterigmata, a flask-shaped ventral lamella antevaginalis and two dorsal strap-like lamellae postvaginalis. Measurements (September ♀ first):— Abdomen 18.5, 20.5, hindwing 24, 24 mm. Locality. Silorse stream, Matopos, Bulawayo.

SUMMARY Two females of N. jonesi Ris, each captured in copula, are described in detail.

References PINHEY, E. C. G. 1961. A Survey of the (Order Odonatd) of Eastern Africa. British Museum {Nat. Hist.) 214 pp.

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