''Megalagrion'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

damselflies Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies (which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Epiprocta) but are usually smaller and have slimmer bodies. Most species fold the win ...

in the family

Coenagrionidae Coenagrionidae is a family of damselflies, also known as pond damselflies, in the order Odonata and the suborder Zygoptera. The Zygoptera are the damselflies, which although less known than the dragonflies, are no less common. More than 1,300 spec ...

. It contains approximately 26 species, all of which are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

. ''Megalagrion'' damselflies are the only native damselflies in

, and are referred to as "pinapinao" in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. Other endemic Hawaiian

Odonata Odonata is an order of predatory flying insects that includes the dragonflies and damselflies (as well as the '' Epiophlebia'' damsel-dragonflies). The two major groups are distinguished with dragonflies (Anisoptera) usually being bulkier with ...

are the dragonflies ''

Anax strenuus The giant Hawaiian darner (''Anax strenuus''), also known as the giant Hawaiian dragonfly or pinao, is a species of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae. It is one of two species of dragonfly that is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands (the other is '' ...

'' and '' Nesogonia blackburni'', which are referred to as "pinao". Nymphal ''Megalagrion'' live in widely diverse habitats, including the expected streams and pools. ''Megalagrion'' also exploit some surprising habitats such as plant

leaf A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the plant stem, stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leav ...

axils of the 'ie'ie vine,

waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...

faces and seeps, and even damp

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

litter Litter consists of waste products that have been discarded incorrectly, without consent, at an unsuitable location. The waste is objects, often man-made, such as aluminum cans, paper cups, food wrappers, cardboard boxes or plastic bottles, but ...

outside of the water. '' M. oahuense'' is the only species of damselfly whose

naiad In Greek mythology, the naiads (; ), sometimes also hydriads, are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water. They are distinct from river gods, who embodied ...

is terrestrial, living in damp leaf litter under banks of uluhe ferns until

metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth transformation or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and different ...

. Many species of ''Megalagrion'' are in danger due to habitat loss and predation by non-native fish such as

mosquitofish The western mosquitofish (''Gambusia affinis'') is a North American freshwater poeciliid fish, also known commonly, if ambiguously, as simply mosquitofish or by its generic name, ''Gambusia'', or by the common name gambezi. Its sister species ...

. To protect them, non-native fish should never be released in Hawaiian streams. The genus contains the following species: *'' Megalagrion adytum'' – adytum swamp damselfly *'' Megalagrion amaurodytum'' *'' Megalagrion blackburni'' *'' Megalagrion calliphya'' *'' Megalagrion deceptor'' *'' Megalagrion dinesiotes'' *'' Megalagrion eudytum'' *'' Megalagrion hawaiiense'' *'' Megalagrion heterogamias'' *'' Megalagrion jugorum'' – Maui upland damselfly, (

Maui Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...

, Critically Endangered) *'' Megalagrion kauaiense'' *'' Megalagrion koelense'' – Koele mountain damselfly *'' Megalagrion leptodemas'' – crimson Hawaiian damselfly *'' Megalagrion mauka'' *'' Megalagrion molokaiense'' – Molokai damselfly *'' Megalagrion nesiotes'' – flying earwig Hawaiian damselfly *'' Megalagrion nigrohamatum'' – nigrohamatum damselfly *'' Megalagrion oahuense'' – Oahu damselfly *'' Megalagrion oceanicum'' – oceanic Hawaiian damselfly *'' Megalagrion oresitrophum'' *'' Megalagrion orobates'' *'' Megalagrion pacificum'' – Pacific Hawaiian damselfly *'' Megalagrion paludicola'' – Kauai bog damselfly *'' Megalagrion vagabundum'' *'' Megalagrion williamsoni'' *'' Megalagrion xanthomelas'' – orangeblack Hawaiian damselfly

References

Coenagrionidae Endemic fauna of Hawaii Taxa named by Robert McLachlan (entomologist) Zygoptera genera {{Coenagrionidae-stub