Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies, which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Anisoptera, but are 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. An ancient group, damselflies have existed since at least the Lower Permian, and are found on every continent except Antarctica.
The family Gryllidae contains the subfamilies and genera which entomologists now term true crickets. They belong to the Orthopteran subfamily Ensifera, having long, whip-like antennae and has been reduced in terms of the older literature, with taxa such as the spider-crickets and allies, sword-tail crickets, wood or ground crickets and scaly crickets elevated to family level. The type genus is Gryllus and the first use of the family name "Gryllidae" was by Walker.
The Calopterygidae are a family of 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, 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 Platycnemididae are a family of damselflies. They are known commonly as white-legged damselflies. There are over 400 species native to the Old World. The family is divided into several subfamilies.
Dictyopharidae is a family of bugs in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha belonging to the infraorder Fulgoromorpha. The family comprises nearly 760 species in more than 150 genera which are grouped into two subfamilies, Dictyopharinae and Orgeriinae.
Cupes is a genus of beetles in the family Cupedidae. The Cupedidae are typical “reticulate” or “net-winged” beetles with incompletely sclerotized elytra that produce the characteristic reticulate appearance.
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.
The Perilestidae are a family of damselflies commonly known as shortwings and twigtails. It is a small family of around 19 species. 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.
Vestalis gracilis, is a species of damselfly belonging to the family Calopterygidae. It is known commonly as the clear-winged forest glory or clear-winged flash-wing. It is native to Southeast Asia and surrounding regions.
Prehistoric Lepidoptera are both butterflies and moths that lived before recorded history. The fossil record for Lepidoptera is lacking in comparison to other winged species, and tending not to be as common as some other insects in the habitats that are most conducive to fossilization, such as lakes and ponds, and their juvenile stage has only the head capsule as a hard part that might be preserved. Yet there are fossils, some preserved in amber and some in very fine sediments. Leaf mines are also seen in fossil leaves, although the interpretation of them is tricky. Putative fossil stem group representatives of Amphiesmenoptera are known from the Triassic.
Zacallites is a genus of extinct damselflies in the family Zacallitidae. The genus was created for the species Zacallites balli from the Eocene Green River Formation of Colorado. Another species Zacallites cockerelli was also described from the same area in 2020.
Vestalis apicalis, or the black-tipped forest glory, is a species of damselfly belonging to the family Calopterygidae. It is found in India and Sri Lanka.
Atrocalopteryx is a genus of damselflies belonging to the family Calopterygidae. It was established in 2005 during a phylogenetic study of the family, and its definition is still unclear.
Vestalis submontana is a species of damselfly belonging to the family Calopterygidae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats of India.
Calopteryginae is a subfamily of broad-winged damselflies in the family Calopterygidae. There are about 17 genera and more than 160 described species in Calopteryginae.
Caliphaea is a genus of broad-winged damselflies in the family Calopterygidae. There are about five described species in Caliphaea.
Euphaea is a genus of damselflies in the family Euphaeidae. There are more than 30 described species in Euphaea, found mainly in Indomalaya.
Euphaea thosegharensis, Thoseghar torrent dart, is a species of damselfly in the family Euphaeidae. The species name thosegharensis is a toponym derived from the type locality in Thoseghar, Satara district, Maharashtra, India.
Euphaea pseudodispar, Satara torrent dart, is a species of damselfly in the family Euphaeidae. The species name pseudodispar is coined to remind its close resemblance to Euphaea dispar.
