Description of the last instar larva of Neoneura kiautai Machado (Odonata: Protoneuridae)

Abstract

The Neotropical genus Neoneura Selys, with 29 described species (Garrison et al., 2010) is the largest one within Protoneuridae. Its species are distributed from southern North America to northern Argentina, but the region of the Amazonas River shows the highest diversity (Machado, 2005). The immature stages of the genus are poorly known, with only the larvae of N. carnatica Selys, 1886, N. fulvicollis Selys, 1886, N. joana Williamson, 1917, and N. maria (Scudder, 1866) described (Needham, 1939; De Marmels, 2007; Geijskes, 1954; Westfall, 1964), representing 14% of the known species. The larva of N. aaroni Calvert, 1903 is included in the key of Westfall and May (2006), but it was not formally described. The larva of N. ethela Williamson, 1917 is currently being described (Souza & Pepinelli, pers. comm.). All known Neoneura larvae possess one pair of premental setae and a well marked nodus on the caudal lamellae.Here we describe the last instar larva of Neoneura kiautai Machado, 2007 based on specimens collected in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, therefore increasing the known distribution area of this species formerly known only from Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo States (Machado, 2007).