| Rhipidolestidae | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Suborder: | Zygoptera |
| Superfamily: | Calopterygoidea |
| Family: | Rhipidolestidae |
Rhipidolestidae is a family of damselflies in the order Odonata, superfamily Calopterygoidea. [1]
Odonata is an order of predatory flying insects that includes the dragonflies and damselflies. The two groups are distinguished with dragonflies usually being bulkier with large compound eyes together and wings spread up or out at rest, while damselflies 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.
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.
Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies 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.
The Pterygota are a subclass of insects that includes all winged insects and the orders that are secondarily wingless.
The emperor dragonfly or blue emperor is a large species of hawker dragonfly of the family Aeshnidae. It is the bulkiest dragonfly in most of Europe, including the United Kingdom, although exceeded by the magnificent emperor and in length by females of the golden-ringed dragonfly.
Coenagrionidae or are a family of damselflies, also known as pond damselfies, in the order Odonata and the suborder Zygoptera. The Zygoptera are the damselflies, which although less known than the dragonflies, are no less common. More than 1,300 species are in this family, making it the largest damselfly family. The family Coenagrionidae has six subfamilies: Agriocnemidinae, Argiinae, Coenagrioninae, Ischnurinae, Leptobasinae, and Pseudagrioninae.
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 Lestidae are a rather small family of cosmopolitan, large-sized, slender damselflies, known commonly as the spreadwings or spread-winged damselflies.
Epiprocta is one of the two extant suborders of the Odonata. Crown group Epiprocta first appeared during the Early Jurassic. It was proposed relatively recently, having been created to accommodate the inclusion of the Anisozygoptera. The latter has been shown to be not a natural suborder, but rather a paraphyletic collection of lineages, so it has been combined with the previous suborder Anisoptera, the well-known dragonflies, into the Epiprocta. The old suborder Anisoptera is proposed to become an infraorder within the Epiprocta, whereas the "anisozygopterans" included here form the infraorder Epiophlebioptera.
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.
Pruinescence, or pruinosity, is a "frosted" or dusty-looking coating on top of a surface. It may also be called a pruina, from the Latin word for hoarfrost. The adjectival form is pruinose.
Chlorocyphidae is a family of damselflies, commonly known as jewels. These are colorful species native to the Old World tropics, where they occur along forest streams. They are most diverse in Southeast Asia.
For others uses see Frederick Fraser (disambiguation)
The Odonatoptera are a superorder of ancient winged insects, placed in the probably paraphyletic group Palaeoptera. The dragonflies and damselflies are the only living members of this group, which was far more diverse in the late Paleozoic and contained gigantic species, including the griffinflies of the order Meganisoptera. This lineage dates back at least to the Bashkirian, not quite 320 million years ago.
Libelluloidea is a superfamily of dragonflies.
Metapterygota is a clade of winged insects containing order Odonata and Infraclass Neoptera. They share morphological characteristics of a loss of caudal filaments and a subimago stage. Genetically the clade is supported by similarities in the mitochondrial genomes.
Lestoidea is a genus of damselflies in the family Lestoideidae, commonly known as bluestreaks. Its species are endemic to north-east Queensland, Australia, where they inhabit rainforest streams.
Calopterygoidea is a superfamily of damselflies in the order Odonata.