The larva of Argia joergenseni Ris, 1913 (Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae)

Abstract

The genus ArgiaRambur, 1842, withover a hundredand ten describedspecies, is the most speciose genus ofSouthAmericancoenagrionid damselflies.About 38 of its species are also known from theirlarval stage (NOVELO-GUTIERREZ, 1992). Here, I describe and illustrate the previously unknown larvaofArgiajoergenseni Ris, 1913. This species is a common inhabitantof stony mountainstreams and rivers along the Yungas cloud forests of NW Argentina, where it is sympatric with A. jujuya Ris, 1913, A. translata (Hagen inSelys, 1865) and a hitherto undescribed Argia species. GEUSKES’ (1946) exhaustive description of the larva of A. translata is insufficient to diagnose it from the larva of A. joergenseni. Therefore, I describe and illustrate diagnostic structures ofA. translatahere as well.