A new Anisogomphus species?*

*May 20, 2016, this species was published as Anisogomphus neptunus Karube & Kompier, 2016

August 31 I visited Pia Oac and on the way there along the TL212 already caught a male
Anisogomphus tamdaoensis. I had caught a female of A. tamdaoensis at Pia Oac already late June and was happy to confirm a male about 7 km from the reserve. It was a little smaller than other males I have caught at Ba Vi and Tam Dao, but the appendages are identical. We can now safely assume this species to have a wide range in northern Vietnam.

However, when I visited the "illegal gold miners stream" in the reserve, where I had caught several and saw many Anisogomphus sp. in June and July, it was cloudy and nothing happened, apart from one Macromia moorei. So I went to the pass and, as we know from earlier posts, caught Anotogaster klossi. Then I decided to give the stream another go, now that the weather was a little better. When waiting there a gomphid of medium size dropped from the sky. It seemed to be another A. tamdaoensis, but flew off chasing an insect before I could get to it. A little later a similar, if not the same, gomphid perched on some leaves. I wanted to make sure, so caught it and before checking the appendages already had a thrill. It had a large yellow dorsal spot on S7, something absent in A. tamdaoensis, but something the females of June/July had all displayed. Indeed, this was an Anisogomphus species! So, likely the male of my mystery species.

I could find 20 species of Anisogomphus in the literature (including A. tamdaoensis). None fit the present species, although I have not been able to find the description of A. jinggangshanus Liu, 1991. The appendages are somewhat similar to A. anderi Lieftinck, 1948, but obviously different. For the moment it looks like this is a new and rather distinctive species!

Anisogomphus sp. novum (Anisogomphus neptunus). The indicator for the genus are the large spines on the femur

Note the large yellow spot on S7. The weird appendages are already visible.

In dorsal view. The superiors seem fused into a plate with three distinct parts.

The superiors have a large process that seems fused with the process of the other , so the appearance is created of a third central process.

Lateral view

And ventral view

This is the A. tamdaoensis, nice to verify the male. Compare general structure and spines on femur.

A. tamdaoensis in dorsal view. Typical appendages (although shared with A. chaoi and A. pinratani) and only narrow line on dorsal carina on S7.