Calopterygoidea

Male yellow bush dart Psilocnemis marginipes, copyright Jee & Rani Nature Photography.

Belongs within: Zygoptera.
Contains: Rhinocypha.

The Calopterygoidea are a group of damselflies characterised by broad, often colourful wings. In members of the family Calopterygidae, the wings are densely reticulate with numerous cross- and supplementary longitudinal veins, and have non-petiolate bases. Historically, this family has been recognised as the Agrionidae or Agriidae, a name that has also been used to encompass many, or all, of the damselflies. Modern classifications do not include this family with the type genus Agrion no longer being treated as a valid name. Other families include the Chlorocyphidae, an Old World tropical group with a narrow head, close eyes, and a produced, snout-like clypeus (Richards & Davies 1977).

<==Calopterygoidea [Agrioidea, Calopterygomorpha]
    |--Eosagrionidae FB03
    |--Dicteriastidae WO91
    |--Pseudolestes Kirby 1900 K00 [Pseudolestidae RD77]
    |    `--*P. mirabilis Kirby 1900 K00
    |--Heliocharitidae RD77
    |--Polythoridae WO91
    |    |--Euthore fasciata (Hagen 1853) FB03
    |    `--Cora ZP01
    |         |--C. chiribiquete Zloty & Pritchard 2001 ZP01
    |         |--C. munda ZP01
    |         `--C. terminalis ZP01
    |--Euphaeidae WO91
    |    |--Epallagites avus RJ93
    |    `--Euphaea SL89
    |         |--E. aspasia SL89
    |         |--E. bocki MacLachl. 1880 SL89
    |         |--E. variegata SL89
    |         `--E. yayeyamensis I92
    |--Chlorocyphidae [Libellaginidae] FB03
    |    |--Libellago Selys 1840 FB03
    |    |--Heliocypha fenestrata TH06
    |    `--Rhinocypha TH06
    |--Calopterygidae [Calopteryginae] W75
    |    |--Psolodesmus mandarinus McLachlan 1870 FB03
    |    |--Neurobasis TH06
    |    |    |--N. australis Selys 1897 TH06
    |    |    `--N. chinensis TH06
    |    |--Mnais FB03
    |    |    |--M. andersoni McLachlan 1873 FB03
    |    |    |--M. nawai TMS91
    |    |    `--M. pruinosa TMS91
    |    |--Micromerus Rambur 1842 SL89, BP02
    |    |    |--M. aurantiacus SL89
    |    |    |--M. snellemani SL89
    |    |    `--M. sumatranus SL89
    |    |--Calopteryx W75
    |    |    |--C. aequabilis W75
    |    |    |--C. maculata W75
    |    |    |--C. splendens W75
    |    |    `--C. virgo W75
    |    |--Vestalis SL89
    |    |    |--V. amaena SL89
    |    |    |--V. luctuosa SL89
    |    |    |--V. lugens [incl. V. coracina] SL89
    |    |    `--V. melania SL89
    |    `--Dysphaea Selys 1853 SL89, PN04
    |         |--D. dimidiata SL89
    |         |--D. limbata SL89
    |         |--D. lugens SL89
    |         `--D. sublimbata SL89
    `--Agriidae [Agrionidae, Agrioninae] RD77
         |--Onychargia atrocyana SL89
         |--Stenobasis oscillans SL89
         |--Allonevra insignis SL89
         |--Podolestes SL89
         |    |--P. chrysopus Selys Longchamps 1889 SL89
         |    `--P. orientalis SL89
         |--Trichocnemis membranipes [=Platycnemis membranipes] SL89
         |    |--T. m. membranipes SL89
         |    `--T. m. silenta SL89
         |--Disparonevra SL89
         |    |--D. notostigma SL89
         |    `--D. verticalis SL89
         |--Sympycna K01
         |    |--S. fusca K01
         |    `--S. paedisca K01
         |--Erythromma najas K01
         |    |--E. n. najas I92
         |    `--E. n. baicalensis Belyshev 1964 I92
         |--Agrion K01
         |    |--A. hastulatum K01
         |    |--A. hylas (Trybom 1889) I92
         |    |--A. pulchellum K01
         |    |--A. splendens RD77
         |    |--A. telluris S02
         |    `--A. virgo L02
         |--Psilocnemis SL89
         |    |--P. annulata SL89
         |    |    |--P. a. annulata SL89
         |    |    |--P. a. ciliata SL89
         |    |    |--P. a. serapica SL89
         |    |    `--P. a. subannulata SL89
         |    |--P. imbricata SL89
         |    `--P. marginipes [=Platycnemis marginipes, incl. Pl. lacteola, Psilocnemis striatipes] SL89
         |--Matrona basilaris Selys 1853 K00
         |    |--M. b. basilaris I92
         |    |--M. b. japonica Foerster 1897 I92
         |    `--M. b. nigripectus I92
         |--Bayadera brevicauda K00, I92
         |    |--B. b. brevicauda I92
         |    `--B. b. ishigakiana Asahina 1964 I92
         `--Pseudophaea decorata (de Selys 1853) [=Euphaea decorata] K00

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[BP02] Bologna, M. A., & J. D. Pinto. 2002. The Old World genera of Meloidae (Coleoptera): a key and synopsis. Journal of Natural History 36 (17): 2013–2102.

[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.

[I92] Iwahashi, J. (ed.) 1992. Reddo Deeta Animaruzu: a pictorial of Japanese fauna facing extinction. JICC: Tokyo.

[K00] Kirby, W. F. 1900. On a small collection of Odonata (dragonflies) from Hainan, collected by the late John Whitehead. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, series 7, 5: 530–539, pl. 12.

[K01] Klapálek, F. 1901. Neuropteroidák [Neuropteroiden]. In: Horváth, G. (ed.) Zichy Jenő Gróf Harmadik Ázsiai Utazása [Dritte Asiatische Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy] vol. 2. Zichy Jenő Gróf Harmadik Ázsiai Utazásának Állattani Eredményei [Zoologische Ergebnisse der Dritten Asiatischen Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy] pp. 203–221. Victor Hornyánszky: Budapest, and Karl W. Hierseman: Leipzig.

[L02] Latreille, P. A. 1802. Histoire Naturelle, générale et particulière des crustacés et des insectes vol. 3. Familles naturelles des genres. F. Dufart: Paris.

[PN04] Petrulevičius, J. F., & A. Nel. 2004. A new damselfly family from the Upper Palaeocene of Argentina. Palaeontology 47: 109–116.

[RD77] Richards, O. W., & R. G. Davies. 1977. Imms' General Textbook of Entomology 10^th ed. vol. 2. Classification and Biology. Chapman and Hall: London.

[RJ93] Ross, A. J., & E. A. Jarzembowski. 1993. Arthropoda (Hexapoda; Insecta). In: Benton, M. J. (ed.) The Fossil Record 2 pp. 363–426. Chapman & Hall: London.

[SL89] Selys Longchamps, E. de. 1889. Odonates de Sumatra comprenant les espèces recueillies à Pulo Nias par M. le D.^r E. Modigliani. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova, Serie 2^a, 7: 444–484.

[TH06] Theischinger, G., & J. Hawking. 2006. The Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies of Australia. CSIRO Publishing: Collingwood (Victoria).

[TMS91] Tsurusaki, N., M. Murakami & K. Shimokawa. 1991. Geographic variation of chromosomes in the Japanese harvestman, Gagrellopsis nodulifera, with special reference to a hybrid zone in western Honshu. Zoological Science 8: 265–275.

[W75] Waage, J. K. 1975. Reproductive isolation and the potential for character displacement in the damselflies Calopteryx maculata and C. aequabilis (Odonata: Calopterygidae). Systematic Zoology 24 (1): 24–36.

[WO91] Watson, J. A. L., & A. F. O’Farrell. 1991. Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies). In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers vol. 1 pp. 294–310. Melbourne University Press: Carlton (Victoria).

[ZP01] Zloty, J., & G. Pritchard. 2001. Cora chiribiquete spec. nov., a new damselfly species from Colombia (Zygoptera: Polythoridae). Odonatologica 30 (2): 227–232.

Last updated: 30 May 2022.