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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 wings along the body when at rest, unlike dragonflies which hold the wings flat and away from the body. Damselflies have existed since the Late Jurassic, and are found on every continent except Antarctica. All damselflies are predatory insects: both nymphs and adults actively hunt and eat other insects. The nymphs are aquatic, with different species living in a variety of freshwater habitats including acidic bogs, ponds, lakes and rivers. The nymphs moult repeatedly, at the last moult climbing out of the water to undergo metamorphosis. The skin splits down the back, they emerge and inflate their wings and abdomen to gain their adult form. Their presence on a body of water indicates that it is relatively unpolluted, but their dependence on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dragonflies
A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of dragonflies are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threatens dragonfly populations around the world. Adult dragonflies are characterised by a pair of large, multifaceted, compound eyes, two pairs of strong, transparent wings, sometimes with coloured patches, and an elongated body. Many dragonflies have brilliant iridescent or metallic colours produced by structural coloration, making them conspicuous in flight. An adult dragonfly's compound eyes have nearly 24,000 ommatidia each. Dragonflies can be mistaken for the closely related damselflies, which make up the other odonatan infraorder ( Zygoptera) and are similar in body plan, though usually lighter in build; however, the wings of most dragonflies are held flat and away from the body, while damselflies hold their wings folded at rest, alo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pseudostigmatidae
The Pseudostigmatidae are a family of tropical damselflies, known as helicopter damselflies, giant damselflies, or forest giants. The family includes the largest of all damselfly species. They specialize in preying on web-building spiders, and breed in phytotelmata, the small bodies of water held by plants such as bromeliads. Range The species traditionally placed in Pseudostigmatidae are all Neotropical. Two range as far as northeastern Mexico: ''Mecistogaster ornata'' occurs in Tamaulipas and ''Pseudostigma aberrans'' in both Tamaulipas and Nuevo León. In 2006, Molecular phylogeny, molecular phylogenetic analysis confirmed that the African damselfly ''Coryphagrion grandis'', previously often classified within Megapodagrionidae or in a monotypic family Coryphagrionidae, belonged within family Pseudostigmatidae, close to genus ''Mecistogaster'', as was proposed already ten years before. This finding suggests that the family dates back to before the breakup of the supercont ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Calopterygidae
Calopterygidae is a Family (biology), family of damselfly, damselflies, in the suborder Zygoptera. They are commonly known as the broad-winged damselflies, demoiselles, or jewelwings. These rather large damselflies have wingspans of 50–80 mm (compared to about 44 mm in the common bluetail damselfly, ''Ischnura elegans''), are often metallic-coloured, and can be differentiated from other damselflies by the broader connection between the wings and the body, as opposed to the abrupt narrowing seen in other damselfly families. The family contains some 150 species. The Calopterygidae are found on every continent except Antarctica. They live along rivers and streams.Córdoba-Aguilar, A. & Cordero-Rivera, A. (2005)Evolution and ecology of Calopterygidae (Zygoptera: Odonata): status of knowledge and research perspectives.''Neotrop. Entomol'' 34(6), 861-879. Etymology The name is derived from Greek ''kalos'' meaning beautiful and ''ptery'' meaning winged. Characteristics The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Synlestidae
The Synlestidae are a family of damselfly, damselflies commonly known as sylphs or malachites.Synlestidae. Identification & Ecology of Australian Freshwater Invertebrates. Murray-Darling Basin Authority. They occur in Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia, Asia and the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean.Vasilenko, D. V. (2005) New damselflies (Odonata: Synlestidae, Hemiphlebiida ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Calopteryx Virgo
The beautiful demoiselle (''Calopteryx virgo'') is a species of damselfly belonging to the family Calopterygidae. It is found in Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia, and are often found nearby fast-flowing waters. Subspecies There are currently five known subspecies: *''Calopteryx virgo britannica'' Conci, 1952 *''Calopteryx virgo festiva'' (Gaspard Auguste Brullé, Brullé, 1832) (eastern Mediterranean) *''Calopteryx virgo meridionalis'' Edmond de Sélys Longchamps, Sélys, 1853 (western Mediterranean and south-west France) *''Calopteryx virgo padana'' Conci, 1956 (northern Italy) *''Calopteryx virgo virgo'' (Linnaeus, 1758) File: Calopteryx virgo meridionalis.jpg, ''Calopteryx virgo meridionalis'' File:Calopteryx virgo meridionalis MHNT.jpg, ''C. v. meridionalis''. Mounted specimen Description Eggs and larvae Females can lay up to 300 eggs at a time on floating plants, such as water-crowfoot. Like the banded demoiselle, they often submerge underwater to do so, and th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 large compound eyes together and wings spread up or out at rest, while damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are usually more slender with eyes placed apart and wings folded together along body at rest. Adult odonates can land and perch, but rarely walk. All odonates have aquatic larvae called naiads or nymphs, and all of them, larvae and adults, are carnivorous and are almost entirely insectivorous, although at the larval stage they will eat anything that they can overpower, including small fish, tadpoles, and even adult newts. The adults are superb aerial hunters and their legs are specialised for catching prey in flight. Odonata in its narrow sense forms a subgroup of the broader Odonatoptera, which contains other dragonfly-like insects ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Platystictidae
Platystictidae is a family of damselflies, commonly known as shadowdamsels. They look very similar to the threadtail damselfly family ( Protoneuridae). They can mostly be found throughout Asia, Central America, and South America. Most members of this family live in dense forests in the tropics where they are found around streams. Their wings are narrow and their abdomen slender and elongated. The adults probably do not disperse far as many species are known from a single location or have small ranges and there are probably other species as yet undescribed. The oldest members of the family belong to the genus '' Mesosticta'' from the Cenomanian aged Burmese amber Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, during the latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian ages of the mid-Cretaceous period. Th ... of Myanmar. Taxonomy Platystictidae has 10 genera with over 200 spec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Platystictoidea
Platystictidae is a family (biology), family of damselfly, damselflies, commonly known as shadowdamsels. They look very similar to the threadtail damselfly family (Protoneuridae). They can mostly be found throughout Asia, Central America, and South America. Most members of this family live in dense forests in the tropics where they are found around streams. Their wings are narrow and their abdomen slender and elongated. The adults probably do not disperse far as many species are known from a single location or have small ranges and there are probably other species as yet undescribed. The oldest members of the family belong to the genus ''Mesosticta'' from the Cenomanian aged Burmese amber of Myanmar. Taxonomy Platystictidae has 10 genera with over 200 species and is the only family in the superfamily Platystictoidea. See also * List of damselflies of the world (Platystictidae) References {{Taxonbar, from1=Q2215068, from2=Q21076668 Platystictidae, Odonata familie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Perilestidae
The Perilestidae are a family of damselflies commonly known as shortwings and twigtails.Haber, W. and Wagner, DPerilestidae: Shortwings.Dragonflies and Damselflies of Ecuador. It is a small family of around 19 species.Neiss, U. G. and Neusa, H. (2010)The larva of ''Perilestes attenuatus'' Selys, 1886 (Odonata: Perilestidae) from Amazonas, Brazil.''Zootaxa'' 2614 53-58. All extant species are native to the Neotropical realm. In the past ''Nubiolestes'' of Africa was included in this family, but this is doubted. ''Palaeoperilestes electronicus'' is an extinct species described from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, during the latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian ages of the mid-Cretaceous period. Th .... These damselflies are short-winged and have very long, slender, color-banded abdomens. They live in dense forest habitat and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lestidae
The Lestidae are a rather small family of cosmopolitan, large-sized, slender Damselfly, damselflies, known commonly as the spreadwings or spread-winged damselflies. Characteristics While most Zygoptera, damselflies rest with their wings folded together, most members of the family Lestidae hold them at an angle away from their bodies. The pterostigma (a single dark spot in the meshwork of the leading edge near the tip of each wing) is noticeably elongated. The quadrilateral (a part of the wing venation, close to the body) has an acute angle at the end. The body has a greenish, metallic shine. The superior anal appendages, commonly called claspers (body parts of male insect for clasping the female during copulation) of male spreadwings are long and strongly curved. Breeding takes place in slow-moving or still water in stream backwaters, swamps, marshes and temporary pools. The nymphs have a long abdomen and a distinctive prementum (part of the lower lip). There is one generation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hemiphlebiidae
Hemiphlebiidae is a family of damselflies. It contains only one extant species, the ancient greenling, native to Southern Australia and Tasmania. The fossil record of the group extends back to the Late Jurassic, making them the oldest known crown group damselflies. Taxonomy Extant genus * '' Hemiphlebia'' Selys, 1869, Australia, Extant. Extinct genera * †'' Burmahemiphlebia'' Zheng et al. 2017 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) 99 Ma * †'' Electrohemiphlebia'' Lak et al. 2009 Charentese Amber, France, Cretaceous (Albian-Cenomanian) 105-99 Ma * †'' Enteropia'' Pritykina and Vassilenko 2014 Shar Teg, Mongolia, Late Jurassic (Tithonian) 145 Ma. * †'' Jordanhemiphlebia'' Kaddumi 2009 Jordanian Amber, Jordan, Early Cretaceous (Albian) 112.6 to 99.7 Ma *†'' Jurahemiphlebia'' Bechly, 2019 Solnhofen Limestone, Germany, Late Jurassic (Tithonian) 145 Ma. * †'' Kachinhemiphlebia'' Zheng 2020 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) 99 Ma * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Platycnemididae
The Platycnemididae are a Family (biology), family of damselfly, damselflies. They are known commonly as white-legged damselflies. There are over 400 species native to the Old World.Dijkstra, K. D. B., Kalkman, V. J., Dow, R. A., Stokvis, F. R., & Van Tol, J. (2014)Redefining the damselfly families: a comprehensive molecular phylogeny of Zygoptera (Odonata).''Systematic Entomology'', 39(1), 68-96. The family is divided into several subfamilies. Genera There are about 50 genera of Platycnemididae.Theischinger, G., Gassmann, D., & Richards, S. J. (2015)''Macrocnemis gracilis'', a new genus and species of Idiocnemidinae (Zygoptera: Platycnemididae) from Papua New Guinea.''Zootaxa'', 3990(3), 429. Genera include: * ''Allocnemis'' Selys, 1863 * ''Arabicnemis'' Waterston, 1984 * ''Arabineura'' Schneider & Dumont, 1995 * ''Archboldargia'' Lieftinck, 1949 * ''Arrhenocnemis'' Lieftinck, 1933 * ''Asthenocnemis'' Lieftinck, 1949 * ''Caconeura'' Kirby, 1890 * ''Calicnemia'' Strand, 1928 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
