12. Tiphia (Tiphia) davidrajui Hanima & Girish Kumar sp. nov.

(Figs 144–156)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: BCD2B1C1-937C-4553-8434-2BE80701FFB4

Type material. Holotype, ♂, INDIA: Kerala, Kozhikode district, Sarovaram Biopark (11°16′6.96″N & 75°47′33.72″E, 6 m), 25.x.2019, Coll. K.P. Hanima Raveendran & Party, (ZSIK) Regd. No. ZSI/WGRC/IR/INV.18089. Paratypes: 7♂, same collection locality as that of holotype, (ZSIK) Regd. Nos. ZSI / WGRC /IR/INV.18090–18096; 1♂, Kasargode district, Ranipuram (12° 25′ 19″ N & 75° 21′ 06″ N, 925 m), 8.xi.2013, Coll. P.M. Rajan, (ZSIK) Regd. No. ZSI / WGRC /IR/INV.18904 ; 4♂, Kozhikode district, Sarovaram Biopark (11°16′ 6.96″N & 75°47′ 33.72″E, 6 m), 26.x.2018, Coll. K.P. Hanima Raveendran & Party, (ZSIK) Regd. Nos. ZSI / WGRC /IR/INV.18106 & 18894–18896 ; 1♂, Kozhikode district, Balusseri (11°26′20″N & 75°49′13″E, 33 m), 15.ii.2021, Coll. C. Binoy, (ZSIK) Regd. No. ZSI / WGRC /IR/INV.18902 ; 1♂, Kozhikode district, Ooleri (11°32′28″N & 75°50′40″E, 30 m), 12.xii.2018, Coll. Sandra Lishikumar, (ZSIK) Regd. No. ZSI / WGRC /IR/INV.18903 ; 1♂, Kozhikode district, Vilakottur (11°45′22″N & 75°39′06″E, 34m), 21.x.2018, Coll. K.P. Hanima Raveendran, (ZSIK) Regd. No. ZSI / WGRC /IR/INV.18905 ; 1♂, Malappuram district, Calicut University Campus (9°43′00″N & 76°57′51″E, 1003 m), 27.ii.2020, Coll. A.P. Ranjith, (ZSIK) Regd. No. ZSI / WGRC /IR/INV.18104 ; 1♂, Pathanamthitta district, Kochupampa, Goodrical range (9°15′53.12″N & 76°47′13.34″E, 1036 m), 1.xi.2021, Coll. P.M. Sureshan & Party, (ZSIK) Regd. No. ZSI / WGRC / IR/INV.19372 ; 1♂, Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala University Campus (8°30′11.52″N & 76°56′50.28″E, 34 m), 28.ix.2019, Coll. K.P. Hanima Raveendran & Party (ZSIK) Regd. No. ZSI / WGRC /IR/INV.18105 ; 2♂, Thiruvananthapuram district, Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve, Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kothiram (8°39′45″N & 77°09′00″E, 125 m), 17.i.2019, Coll. P.Girish Kumar, (ZSIK) Regd. Nos. ZSI / WGRC /IR/INV.18897 & 18898 ; 4♂, Thrissur district, Elanad (10°30′38.52″N & 76°52′50.52″E, 68 m), 5.v.2019, Coll. N. V. Ayisha Mawadda, (ZSIK) Regd. Nos. ZSI / WGRC /IR/INV.18097–18100 ; 3♂, Wayanad district, Karlad (11°38′56″N & 75°58′56″E, 752 m), 29.ii.2020, Coll. K. Anju, (ZSIK) Regd. Nos. ZSI / WGRC /IR/INV.18899–18901. 1♂, Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore district, Valparai, (10°19′38″N & 76°57′15″E, 1086 m) 1.i.2019, Coll. P. Girish Kumar, (ZSIK) Regd. No. ZSI / WGRC /IR/INV.18906. 3♂, West Bengal, South-24 Parganas district, Sagar Island, Phulbari (21°44′21″N & 88°07′04″E, 24 m), 21.iii.2018, Coll. Sunita Patra, (ZSIK) Regd. Nos. ZSI / WGRC /IR/INV.18101–18103.

Diagnosis. Dorsal side of propodeum with rectangular shaped areola; median extension of clypeus bidentate; fore wing hyaline; marginal cell of fore wing greatly longer than second cubital cell in lateral extension; metanotum with sparsely arranged punctures.

Description. Holotype, ♂. Body length 7.09 mm. Paratypes, ♂. Body length 5.93–9.01 mm.

Colour. Black with other areas as follows: Antennae beneath yellowish brown (Fig. 150); inner side of fore and mid tibia and tarsi yellowish brown (Fig. 144); middle part of mandible and preapical denticle yellowish brown (Fig. 146).

Head. HW 2.09 × least distance between eyes; lower front with adjacent punctures and upper front with sparse punctures (Fig. 145); mandible with preapical denticle (Fig. 146); median extension of clypeus bidentate (Fig. 146); POD 2.23 × LOD and 0.89 × OOD; length of scape: pedicel: Fu 1: Fu 2: Fu 3: Fu 4: Fu 5: Fu 6: Fu 7: Fu 8: Fu 9: Fu 10: Fu 11 = 0.227: 0.105: 0.110: 0.119: 0.119: 0.122: 0.124: 0.124: 0.125: 0.125: 0.128: 0.129: 0.223 (Fig. 150).

Mesosoma. Dorsal side of pronotum anteriorly with strong transverse carina (Fig. 148); metanotum with irregularly scattered punctures (Fig. 148); tegula 1.4 × its middle width (Fig. 148); dorsal side of propodeum with rectangular shaped areola with length of areola 1.24 × its basal width and 1.23 × its apical width (Fig. 148); area outside areola striate and imbricate (Fig. 148); fore wing hyaline with marginal cell greatly longer than second cubital cell in apical extension (Fig. 151); lateral side of pronotum with transdiscal groove, aciculations on upper part above the groove and ridges below the groove (Fig. 149); mesopleuron with irregularly scattered large and small punctures (Fig. 149); upper part of lateral side of propodeum with strong, moderately spaced rugulae completed to posterior half and lower part with imbricate sculptures (Fig. 149). Length of mesosoma: 1.72 mm.

Metasoma. Preapical band of Gt 1 with coarse, deep punctures (Fig. 152); Gt 1 without anterior transverse carina; Gs 5 with lateral denticle (Fig. 153). Length of metasoma: 2.56 mm.

Genitalia. Paramere shaped like spatula and covered with long and short setae; digitus slightly curved and pointed at apex; cuspis with punctures and apically curved; aedeagus with apical portion rounded and basally with a stalk and a conical projection (Figs 154–156).

Discussion. As per the key of Allen (1975), this new species comes close to Tiphia capillata Allen & Jaynes in having mandible with preapical denticle; fore wing hyaline; marginal cell of fore wing greatly longer than second cubital cell; Gs 6 without tuft of dense setae apically but it differs from T. (T.) capillata in the following features: areola of dorsal side of propodeum rectangular in shape (in T. (T.) capillata, areola of dorsal side of propodeum key stone in shape); areola with its base 0.98 × and median length 1.2 × apical width (in T. (T.) capillata, areola with its base 1.13 × and median length 1.25 × apical width); metanotum with sparsely arranged punctures and without median broad conical projection (in T. (T.) capillata, metanotum with closely arranged punctures and with median broad conical projection); dorsal side of propodeum outside areola striate and reticulate and without punctures (in T. (T.) capillata, dorsal side of propodeum outside areola glossy and with minute sparse punctures); tegula dark brown (in T. (T.) capillata, tegula reddish translucent); inner side of fore and mid tibia yellowish brown, other parts of legs black (in T. (T.) capillata, tibia and tarsi of all three pairs of legs largely yellowish).

Distribution. India: Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal.

Etymology. The species is named in honor of Mr. David V. Raju, a well known naturalist from Kerala, for his dedication to the study of natural history and taxonomy of Indian Odonata.