''Archaeophya'' is a small
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of
dragonflies
A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threaten ...
belonging to the family
Gomphomacromiidae.
Species of ''Archaeophya'' are large dragonflies with metallic bodies, dark with yellow spots and clear wings. They only occur in eastern
Australia.
Species
The genus contains the following two species:
*''
Archaeophya adamsi
''Archaeophya adamsi'', commonly known as Adam's emerald dragonfly or horned urfly, is a species of dragonfly belonging to the family Gomphomacromiidae.
This is an Australian endemic and one of the rarest dragonflies in the country. It breeds in ...
'' – horned urfly
*''
Archaeophya magnifica
''Archaeophya magnifica'' is a species of dragonfly in the family Gomphomacromiidae,
known as the magnificent urfly.
It is a large, metallic-black dragonfly with yellow markings and clear wings.
It is endemic to north-east Queensland, Australia. ...
'' – magnificent urfly
Note about family
There are differing views as to the family that ''Archaeophya'' best belongs to:
* It is considered to be part of the
Gomphomacromiidae family at the
Australian Faunal Directory
The Australian Faunal Directory (AFD) is an online catalogue of taxonomic and biological information on all animal species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as ...
* It is considered to be part of the
Synthemistidae
The Synthemistidae are the family of dragonflies commonly known as tigertails, or sometimes called southern emeralds. This family is sometimes treated as a subfamily of Corduliidae.
This is an ancient dragonfly family, with some species occurr ...
family in the World Odonata List at the Slater Museum of Natural History
* It is considered to be part of the
Corduliidae
The Corduliidae, also knowns as the emeralds, emerald dragonflies or green-eyed skimmers, is a family of dragonflies. These dragonflies are usually black or dark brown with areas of metallic green or yellow, and most of them have large, emerald-gr ...
family at
Wikispecies
Wikispecies is a wiki-based online project supported by the Wikimedia Foundation. Its aim is to create a comprehensive open content catalogue of all species; the project is directed at scientists, rather than at the general public. Jimmy Wales ...
See also
*
List of Odonata species of Australia
This is a list of species of damselflies and dragonflies recorded in Australia.
Common names of species are linked, beside their scientific names.
The list is split into two groups: damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) and other dragonflies (i ...
References
Gomphomacromiidae
Synthemistidae
Anisoptera genera
Odonata of Australia
Endemic fauna of Australia
Taxa named by Frederic Charles Fraser
Insects described in 1959
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