Description of the last instar larva of Cannaphila insularis funerea (Carpenter, 1897) (Anisoptera: Libellulidae), with notes on the habitat of the species

Abstract

Cannaphila Kirby is a neotropical genus with three species; C. insularis Kirby, 1889, C. mortoni Donnelly, 1992, and C. vibex (Hagen, 1861). The first one includes two subspecies; C. i. insularis and C. i. funerea (Carpenter, 1897). Cannaphila i. funerea occurs from southern USA (Texas) to Colombia (Garrison 1986). Reports from The Antilles are exclusive from Cuba. According to Needham et al. (2000) the subspecies C. i. insularis from Hispaniola and Jamaica is also present in Isla de Pinos (Cuba). Cannaphila i. funerea is widely distributed in Cuba, with its frequent habitats being lagoons and ponds with abundant herbaceous vegetation, flying over lentic streams (Alayo 1968, Trapero & Naranjo 2003).
Up to now the only bona fide last instar larva described for the genus was that of C. vibex. Klots (1932) provided a description of larvae collected in Puerto Rico and Cuba which she identified as Brachymesia by supposition and which Limongi (1989) indicated most likely belonged to C. i. funerea. Here we describe the last instar larva of C. i. funerea, compare it to C. vibex and to the immature larvae described by Klots (1932), and provide general data on the habitat of the larva.