Rediscovery of Oxyagrion bruchi Navás, 1924 from Argentina, with a description of its larva (Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae)

Abstract

The exclusively South America genus Oxyagrion Selys, includes 23 species of predominantly red coenagrionid damselflies. Oxyagrion bruchi was described by Navás (1924) based on a single male specimen collected in Alta Gracias, Córdoba province, Argentina. The species was never recorded again, the type is lost (Costa 1978) and its taxonomic status was deemed doubtfull (Muzón & von Ellenrieder 1998,1999). In her Revision of the genus Oxyagrion, Costa (1978) suggested that specimens described by Ris (1918) from Bolivia (Coroico and Río Zongo) as Oxyagrion terminale "form B", were in fact O. bruchi, seemingly the most similar species, based on Nava`s (1924) original description.Several larvae of a species of Oxyagrion from Salta province, were reared to adult. They conform in every way to Nava´s (1924) original description and we believe that they represent bona fide O. bruchi. Examination of material deposited in the MLP and FML collections revealed more specimens of the same taxon, from Salta, Tucumán and Córdoba provinces and some teneral specimens were later collected at a different locality in Salta province. The larvae of 14 species of Oxyagrion have thus far been described (Needham & Bullock 1943, Bulla 1973a, Costa 1988, Costa et al 2000) from which six share parts of the distribution range of O. bruchi.