| Synlestidae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Chlorolestes tessellatus | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Suborder: | Zygoptera |
| Superfamily: | Lestoidea |
| Family: | Synlestidae Tillyard, 1917 |
The Synlestidae are a family of damselflies commonly known as sylphs or malachites. They occur in Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia, Asia and the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean.
Description
These damselflies are 21 to 36 millimeters long, with slender abdomens. Species are generally metallic green to brown-tinged black in color.
Biology
Damselflies of this family are predators. The nymphs live in rivers and streams, and can be found in stagnant pools during the dry season.
Systematics
There are nine extant genera. There are also several extinct genera known from fossils.
Genera include:
- Chlorolestes Selys, 1862
- Chorismagrion Morton, 1914
- Ecchlorolestes Barnard, 1937
- Episynlestes Kennedy, 1920
- Megalestes Selys, 1862
- Nubiolestes Fraser, 1945
- Phylolestes Christiansen, 1947
- Sinolestes Needham, 1930
- Synlestes Selys, 1868
References
- Tillyard, R.J. (1917). The biology of dragonflies (Odonata or Paraneuroptera). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 396 . doi:10.5962/bhl.title.35170.
- "Family SYNLESTIDAE". Australian Faunal Directory. Australian Biological Resources Study. 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
- Dijkstra, K.D.B.; et al. (2013). "The classification and diversity of dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata). In: Zhang, Z.-Q. (Ed.) Animal Biodiversity: An Outline of Higher-level Classification and Survey of Taxonomic Richness (Addenda 2013)". Zootaxa. 3703 (1): 36–45. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3703.1.9. hdl:10072/61365.
- ^ Synlestidae. Identification & Ecology of Australian Freshwater Invertebrates. Murray-Darling Basin Authority.
- ^ Vasilenko, D. V. (2005). New damselflies (Odonata: Synlestidae, Hemiphlebiidae) from the Mesozoic Transbaikalian locality of Chernovskie Kopi. Paleontologicheskii Zhurnal 39(3), 280-83.
- Synlestidae. Australian Insect Families. CSIRO, 2016.
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Synlestidae |
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