Isophlebioptera

Bellabrunetia catherinae, copyright Ghedoghedo.

Belongs within: Euodonata.

The Isophlebioptera are a group of dragonflies known from the Triassic to Early Cretaceous of Eurasia. Most species are known only from wings, though the discovery of the more completely preserved Bellabrunetia catherinae from the Yixian Formation of China indicates that at least some exhibited a greater differentiation between fore and hind wings than modern dragonflies (Fleck & Nel 2002).

Synapomorphies (from Fleck & Nel 2002): Wings with vein RP3/4 slightly curved, more or less parallel to IR2, space between RP3/4 and MA distinctly expanded and transversed by several pectinated convex secondary branches of RP3/4; postdiscoidal space between MP and MA very narrow, primitively with only one row of cells between them; CuAa shortened, posterodistally indistinct (zig-zagged), distal space between MP and CuAa strongly expanded; all antenodal cross-veins between costal margin and ScP suppressed distad of Ax2 (reversed in some taxa). Hindwings with subdiscoidal space enlarged with bulged posterior margin, correlating with unique course of anal vein AA ('pseudo-anal loop').

<==Isophlebioptera
    |  i. s.: Italophlebia gervasuttii Whalley 1986 FN02
    |--Euthemis Pritykina 1968 [Euthemistidae] FN02
    `--+--Parazygoptera FN02
       |    |  i. s.: Cyclothemis [Cyclothemistidae] FN02
       |    |           `--C. sagulica Pritykina 1980 FN02
       |    |--Sphenophlebiidae FN02
       |    `--Euparazygoptera FN02
       |         |--Asiopteridae FN02
       |         `--Triassolestoidea FN02
       |              |--Triassolestes F71 [Progonophlebiidae, Triassolestidae FN02]
       |              |    `--T. epiphlebioides Tillyard 1918 F71
       |              `--Caraphlebia RP02 [Selenothemistidae FN02]
       |                   `--C. antarctica Carpenter 1969 RP02
       `--Isophlebiida FN02
            |  i. s.: Liadotypus Martynov 1937 [Liadotypidae] NB01
            |           `--*L. relictus Martynov 1937 NB01
            |--Archithemistidae FN02
            `--Isophlebioidea FN02
                 |--Isophlebiidae FN02
                 |    |--Anisophlebia Handlirsch 1908 FN02
                 |    |--Dinosamarura S02
                 |    `--Isophlebia Hagen 1866 FN02
                 |         `--I. aspasia Hagen 1866 FB03
                 `--Campterophlebiidae FN02
                      |--Bathmophlebia Pritykina 1970 FN02
                      |--Hypsomelana Pritykina 1968 FN02
                      |--Oreophlebia Pritykina 1970 FN02
                      |--Campterophlebia Bode 1905 FN02
                      |--Xantohypsa Pritykina 1970 FN02
                      |--Sogdophlebia Pritykina 1970 FN02
                      |--Hypsophlebia Pritykina 1970 FN02
                      |--Sagulia Pritykina 1970 FN02
                      |--Sarytashia Pritykina 1970 FN02
                      |--Gampsophlebia Pritykina 1980 FN02
                      |--Hypsothemis Pritykina 1968 FN02
                      |--Melanohypsa Pritykina 1968 FN02
                      |--Adelophlebia Pritykina 1980 FN02
                      |--Oshinia Pritykina 1985 FN02
                      |--Angaroneura Pritykina 1985 FN02
                      |--Dorsettia Whalley 1985 FN02
                      |--Karatawia Martynov 1925 [Karatawiidae] FN02
                      |--Pternopteron mirabile Pritykina 1970 FN02
                      |--Samarura gigantea RP02
                      |--Sibirioneura Pritykina 1985 FN02
                      |    `--S. amurica FN02
                      |--Bellabrunetia Fleck & Nel 2002 FN02
                      |    `--*B. catherinae Fleck & Nel 2002 FN02
                      `--Olonkia Pritykina 1985 FN02
                           `--O. elongata Pritykina 1985 FN02

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[FB03] Fleck, G., G. Bechly, X. Martínez-Delclòs, E. Jarzembowski, R. Coram & A. Nel. 2003. Phylogeny and classification of the Stenophlebioptera (Odonata: Epiproctophora). Annales de la Societe Entomologique de France 39 (1): 55-93.

[FN02] Fleck, G., & A. Nel. 2002. The first isophlebioid dragonfly (Odonata: Isophlebioptera: Campterophlebiidae) from the Mesozoic of China. Palaeontology 45 (6): 1123-1136.

[F71] Fletcher, H. O. 1971. Catalogue of type specimens of fossils in the Australian Museum, Sydney. Australian Museum Memoir 13: 1-167.

[NB01] Nel, A., O. Bethoux, G. Bechly, X. Martínez-Delclòs & F. Papier. 2001. The Permo-Triassic Odonatoptera of the “protodonate” grade (Insecta: Odonatoptera). Annales de la Société Entomologique de France (N.S.) 37 (4): 501-525.

[RP02] Rasnitsyn, A. P., & L. N. Pritykina. 2002. Superorder Libellulidea Laicharting, 1781. Order Odonata Fabricius, 1792. The dragonflies. In History of Insects (A. P. Rasnitsyn & D. L. J. Quicke, eds) pp. 97-104. Kluwer Academic Publishers: Dordrecht.

[S02] Sinitshenkova, N. D. 2002. Ecological history of the aquatic insects. In History of Insects (A. P. Rasnitsyn & D. L. J. Quicke, eds) pp. 388-426. Kluwer Academic Publishers: Dordrecht.