''Cryptophaea'' is a small

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

Euphaeidae Euphaeidae, sometimes incorrectly named Epallagidae and commonly called gossamerwings, is a family of damselflies in the odonate superfamily Calopterygoidea. The family is small, consisting of around 78 species living species in nine genera occu ...

Taxonomy

The genus was

circumscribed In geometry, a circumscribed circle for a set of points is a circle passing through each of them. Such a circle is said to ''circumscribe'' the points or a polygon formed from them; such a polygon is said to be ''inscribed'' in the circle. * Circum ...

by the Finnish

entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

Matti Hämäläinen in 2003 to accommodate several species of damselflies in the family

that were previously misclassified or newly discovered. The genus was created based on specimens from Thailand that were initially misidentified as ''Schmidtiphaea schmidi'' Asahina, 1978. The

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

of the genus is ''Cryptophaea saukra'', described from specimens collected in

Doi Suthep Doi Suthep (ดอยสุเทพ), is a mountain ("doi") west of Chiang Mai, Thailand. It is in elevation and is one of the twin peaks of a granite mountain. The other peak is known as Doi Pui and is slightly higher (). Doi Suthep is from ...

Chiang Mai province Chiang Mai is the largest Provinces of Thailand, province (''changwat'') of Thailand by area. It lies in Northern Thailand#Regional classification of northern Thailand, upper northern Thailand and has a population of 1.78 million people. It ...

, Thailand. ''Cryptophaea'' is distinct from '' Bayadera'', which has a shorter abdomen, shorter wing petiolation, and only one crossvein in the cubital space. It also differs from '' Schmidtiphaea'', which has fore and hind wings of equal length and the pterostigma of the hind wing broader and placed more apically.

Description

''Cryptophaea'' damselflies are characterised by their small and slender

thorax The thorax (: thoraces or thoraxes) or chest is a part of the anatomy of mammals and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main di ...

, narrow clear wings, and long abdomen. The abdomen is significantly longer than the wings, with an abdomen-to-wing length ratio ranging from 1.4 to 1.5. The

forewing Insect wings are adult outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. They are found on the second and third thoracic segments (the mesothorax and metathorax), and the two pairs are often referred to as the forewings and hindwi ...

s are slightly longer than the

hindwing Insect wings are adult outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. They are found on the second and third thoracic segments (the mesothorax and metathorax), and the two pairs are often referred to as the forewings and hindw ...

s but share a similar shape and width, measuring 5–6 mm at their broadest point. The wings are attached to the body by long petioles, which extend about two-thirds of the way from the base to the arculus (a crossvein between the radius and cubitus near the base of the wing) in the forewing, and about three-fourths of the way in the hindwing. The cubital space, an area in the wing, contains 3–6 crossveins (small veins crossing the main ones). One of the primary veins, R2, stays in contact with another vein, R+M, for a short distance after it starts. The

nodus This glossary of entomology describes terms used in the formal study of insect species by entomologists. A–C A synthetic chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide, toxic to vertebrates. Though ...

, a prominent point in the wing, is located closer to the base than to the middle. Another vein, R3, starts 2–4 cells away from the nodus. The IA (intercalary anterior) vein runs parallel to the wing's edge, separated by only a single row of cells. The

discoidal In embryology, cleavage is the division of cells in the early development of the embryo, following fertilization. The zygotes of many species undergo rapid cell cycles with no significant overall growth, producing a cluster of cells the same size ...

cell, a long, narrow cell in the wing, is at least four times longer than it is wide, but only about one-third the length of the median space due to the long petiolation. This cell can either be entire or have one crossvein. The

pterostigma The pterostigma (plural: pterostigmata) is a group of specialized cells in the outer wings of insects, which are often thickened or coloured, and thus stand out from other cells. It is particularly noticeable in dragonflies, but present also in ...

, a colored, thickened cell on the wing edge, is nearly the same shape in both wings, though it is slightly shorter in the hindwing. The legs, particularly the fore

femora The femur (; : femurs or femora ), or thigh bone is the only bone in the thigh — the region of the lower limb between the hip and the knee. In many four-legged animals the femur is the upper bone of the hindleg. The top of the femur fits in ...

(thighs) and

tibia The tibia (; : tibiae or tibias), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two Leg bones, bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outsi ...

e (shins) in males, are very hairy. Male damselflies of this genus have anal appendages that are twice the length of the tenth abdominal segment (S10), with the superior appendages being strongly bent inwards and downwards, and the inferior appendages being short and sharply pointed.

Distinguishing features

''Cryptophaea'' is distinguished from other euphaeid genera by several characteristics, including: *small and slender thorax *narrow

hyaline A hyaline substance is one with a glassy appearance. The word is derived from , and . Histopathology Hyaline cartilage is named after its glassy appearance on fresh gross pathology. On light microscopy of H&E stained slides, the extracellula ...

wings *very long abdomen (abdomen/wing length ratio 1.4–1.5) *long petiolation of wings *multiple crossveins in the cubital space (3–6) *IA vein running parallel to the wing border

Species

* '' Cryptophaea saukra'' Hämäläinen, 2003 * '' Cryptophaea vietnamensis'' (van Tol & Rozendaal, 1995) * '' Cryptophaea yunnanensis'' (Davies & Yang, 1996)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2068204 Euphaeidae Zygoptera genera Taxa described in 2003