Figures 1; 2 e; 3 e; 5; 6 c; 9 d; 10 c; 11 d; 12; 13g; 15
Specimens examined. Total 5 ♂: 1 ♂ holotype: BRAZIL, Rondônia State, Governador Jorge Teixeira Municipality, Fazenda Rancho Grande (10 ° 31 ' 48 ''S, 62 ° 48 '00''W, 165 m), 14–25 xi 1993, J. Wiseman leg. [DZRJ]; 4 ♂ paratypes: BRAZIL, Rondônia State: 1 ♂ paratype, same data as holotype but 1997, R. Rogers leg. [RWG]; 1 ♂ paratype, same data as holotype but Line 20, Lots 21, 23, 25, 12 x 1993, C.A. Bridges leg. [RWG]; 1 ♂ paratype (teneral), PERU, Madre De Dios Dep.: Hotel Amazonia, across from Atalaya, teneral (12 ° 52 ' 13 ''S, 71 ° 22 ' 34 ''W, 414 m), 27 vi 1993, RWG leg. [RWG]; 1 ♂ paratype (teneral), ECUADOR, Sucumbíos Prov.: Baeza-Lago Agrio road, 53 km NE Chaco, ponds {00°01’n, 76 ° 19 ’W}, 18 viii 1980, s.w. Dunkle Leg. [fsca].
Etymology. From the Latin flavus (adjective) meaning ‘yellow, golden, gold colored’ and pennis (noun) meaning ‘ wings ’, referring to the large golden basal spots of the wings.
Description of male holotype (variation of male paratypes in square brackets). Head. Eyes brown (color in live unknown). Prementum black with sides pale yellow, labial palps pale yellow with medial portion black (Fig. 1 b); labrum yellow with medial portion of distal margin narrowly black (Fig. 1 a); base of mandibles pale brown; clypeus, antefrons, and anterior 0.50 of postfrons yellow, posterior half of postfrons and vertex metallic blue; occipital triangle dark reddish brown with two paler brown postero-lateral spots; rear of head black [all dark brown or black areas pale brown in tenerals]. Thorax. Pronotum black, except for anterior margin of anterior lobe and two small medial rounded spots [and an additional lateral spot] on middle lobe pale yellow; pterothorax dark reddish brown to black with some metallic blue reflections [pale brown in tenerals] and yellow markings as follows: narrow stripe on dorsal carina, oval elongated spot on anterior 0.50 of mesepisternum, narrow stripe anterior to and on antealar sinus, small oval spot dorsal [forming a complete longitudinal stripe confluent with the yellow spot on anterior to antealar sinus] and ventral to medial portion of mesepisternal-mesepimeral suture, sinuous stripe along mesepimeron, sinuous stripe along metepisternum [mesepimeral and metespiternal stripes confluent, to almost entire side pale yellow in one teneral], and U-shaped spot on dorsal portion of metepimeron (Fig. 5 a). Venter of thorax dark reddish brown [entirely yellow in one teneral] with central and lateral areas pale yellow, with a low rounded tubercle (Figs. 5 a; 6 c). Legs black [pale brown in tenerals] except coxae and trochanters pale brown and basal inner surface of profemora pale yellow; 13 (right) or 14 (left) [13–16] long metatibial spurs longer than intervening spaces, which gradually increase in thickness and decrease in length distally (Fig. 2 e). Wings (as in Fig.
3 e) with a large golden basal spot, extending to level of last Ax in Fw, and to level of nodus in HW; costal side of Fw triangle broken, with distal portion as long as 0.66 of [0.66 to equal to] basal portion; two cells between subtriangle and posterior margin of wing; one cell at base of Fw discoidal field; radial planate of Fw and Hw consisting of three cells; anal loop with eight cells. Pt reddish brown dorsally, pale brown ventrally [pale yellow in tenerals]. Ax: 6 in Fw [5–6]; 5 in Hw [5]; Px: 6 (right) and 5 (left) in Fw [5–6]; 5 in Hw [5]. Abdomen. Black with paired dorso-lateral yellow spots (Figs. 5 b–d) along basal 0.75 [0.80 to entire length in one teneral] of S 2, 0.55 [0.75 to entire length in one teneral] of S 3, 0.45 [0.66 to entire length in one teneral] of S 4, 0.20 [0.50 to entire length in one teneral] of S 5, 0.10 [0.10–0.75] of S 6, and 0.50 [0.60–0.66] of S 7. Anterior lamina with a low medial u-incision in anterior view (Fig. 12 a) and anterior surface bearing strong bristles, shorter than posterior hamule in lateral view (Fig. 10 c); posterior hamule inner branch hooked (Fig. 9 d) and about as high as rounded outer branch in lateral view (Fig. 10 c); genital lobe about as high as posterior hamule (Fig. 10 c). Vesica spermalis with a long medio-ectal distal sclerotized process, distinctly longer than latero-ectal triangular sclerotized processes (Fig. 11 d). Caudal appendages dark reddish brown. Cerci curved ventrally along basal 0.60 and dorsally along distal 0.40, bearing numerous blond hair-like setae at blunt apex and ending on a small spine; basal 0.60 with a ventral row of 15–17 black denticles [14–18], comprising a basal group of 7 (left) or 8 (right) [6–10] smaller denticles and a distal group of 8 (left) or 9 (right) [7–9] distal denticles [in one paratype denticles form a continuous row and increase gradually in size distally] along a carina which forms a triangular tooth at its end in lateral view (Fig. 13 g); in dorsal view approximately gradually converging along basal 0.60, and slightly diverging along distal 0.20 (Fig. 12 b). Epiproct extending to 0.80 [0.73–0.83] of cerci length, abruptly narrowing at about mid-length to about 0.33 of its basal width, slightly bifid at tip (Fig. 12 c).
Dimensions. Fw Pt length 1.25 [1.15–1.40] {1.27 ± 0.08, n= 5}; Hw Pt length 1.35 [1.2–1.5] {1.34 ± 0.1, n= 5}; Fw length 16.4 [15.3–17.2] {16.32 ± 0.67, n= 5}; Hw length 15.4 [14.4–16.5] {15.42 ± 0.71, n= 5}; maximum Hw width 5.2 [5–5.3] {5.16 ± 0.1, n= 5}; abdomen length 13 [13–14.2] {13.53 ± 0.5, n= 3}; total length 23.5 [21.7–23.5] {22.9 ± 0.85, n= 3}; cercus length 1.2 [1.15–1.25] {1.19 ± 0.04, n= 4}; epiproct length 1 [0.9–1] {0.95 ± 0.04, n= 4}.
Diagnosis. Males of Nephepeltia flavipennis can be distinguished from their congeners by inner branch of posterior hamule about as high as outer branch (Fig. 10 c; clearly higher than outer branch in other species, Figs. 10 a–b, d–h), medio-ectal sclerotized distal process of vesica spermalis distinctly longer than latero-ectal processes (Fig. 11 d; shorter than latero-ectal processes or absent in other species, Figs. 11 a–c, e–f), and cerci tips with a short apical spine directed dorsally (Figs. 5 d; 12 b; 13g; with a long apical spine oriented as apex in other species, Figs. 13 a–f, h–i). The well defined basal golden spot of wings surpassing triangle (Fig. 3 e) is only shared by some specimens of N. phryne; in other species wings are hyaline or have a small basal diffuse yellowish spot on Hw, and in N. phryne wings can be hyaline, have a well defined golden basal spot extending from base of wings to base of triangle or to last Ax, or a diffuse golden spot along costal area to first Px not reaching hind margin of wings, or be almost entirely diffusely golden, or smoky from triangle to tip of wings, or entirely smoky. Males of N. flavipennis can always be easily distinguished from those of N. phryne by their low rounded tubercle on thoracic venter (Figs. 5 a; 6 c; thoracic venter with a conical spine about twice as long as wide in N. phryne, Fig. 8), which is shared with males of N. aequisetis, N. berlai, and N. flavifrons. Spurs of inner row of male hind tibiae of about uniform placement and length (Fig. 2 e) are shared with N. aequisetis, N. berlai, and N. phryne (Fig. 2 a–b, g; closely set and peg-like at medial 0.33 in N. leonardina and short and more closely set at basal 0.50–0.75 in N. flavifrons, Figs. 2 c–d, f). Female and larva are still unknown.
Distribution. Nephepeltia flavipennis is thus far only known from the Amazon region in W Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador (Fig. 15), where adult males were collected near vegetated ponds. The male from Peru was hovering in a clearing near a pond, its flight resembling that of a Gynothemis or Macrothemis (RWG pers. comm.).