Larvae of Epipleoneura manauensis Santos and Roppaneura beckeri Santos with a key to the genera of known Neotropical Protoneuridae larvae (Odonata: Zygoptera)

The larva of Epipleoneura manauensis is described and illustrated based on last-stadium larvae and exuviae of reared larvae collected in a black-water stream in Manaus, Amazonas State, Brazil. The larva of Roppaneura beckeri is described and illustrated based on exuviae of reared larvae collected from the water accumulated in the axils (phytotelmata) of Eryngium floribundum…

Rediscovery of Mesagrion leucorrhinum (Zygoptera: Megapodagrionidae): a “formal” description of female and ultimate stadium of larva with notes on habits

Adult female and ultimate stadium larva of Mesagrion leucorrhinum are formally described and illustrated based on material from three locations in Antioquia, Meta and Cundinamarca Departments, Colombia. The species is sexually dimorphic. The ♀ is distinguishable from other related genera by a pair of notches in the prothoracic anterior lobe and shares with Heteropodagrion and…

Ovipositor morphology and egg laying behaviour in the dragonfly Lestes macrostigma (Zygoptera: Lestidae)

Lestes macrostigma is a stenotopic dragonfly species of Western Palaearctic distribution that has high conservation status almost throughout its range. It inhabits mainly brackish water with a typical plant species, sea club-rush Bolboschoenus maritimus. Due to the absence of special investigations, the nature of this insect–plant association is not clearly understood, but it was supposed…

The life history of a temperate zone dragonfly living at the edge of its range with comments on the colonization of high latitudes by Neotropical genera of Zygoptera (Odonata)

Of the many Zygopteran genera that occur in the Neotropics, only five (Hetaerina, Archilestes, Lestes, Argia, and Ischnura) are represented north of 40°N in North America, and only three of these (Hetaerina, Archilestes, and Argia) probably had a tropical origin. In the two genera of Lestidae (Archilestes and Lestes) the life history of temperate-zone populations…

The name-bearing types of Odonata held in the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe, with systematic notes on Afrotropical taxa. Part 2: Zygoptera and descriptions of new species

Orthographic details of 118 name-bearing types of Odonata and 11 ‘holotypes’ of forms, without nomenclatural status, are provided in two parts: the second and present paper deals with Zygoptera. The taxonomy of the gracilis-group of Chlorocypha and the Afrotropical members of Prodasineura and Aciagrion are discussed. Chlorocypha fabamacula is removed from synonymy with C. wittei;…

Odonata of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, South China, part 1: Zygoptera

Extensive surveys for odonates were completed in protected areas throughout Guangdong Province, south China during the period 1997-2005. Previously unreported data from these surveys is presented here and, together with published data, is used to catalogue the zygopteran fauna of Guangdong. Checklists are provided for the Zygoptera of Guangdong, Macau and Hong Kong. Sinosticta debra…

The dry season governs the reproduction of three pseudostigmatid zygopterans in Costa Rica (Odonata: Pseudostigmatidae)

The large Neotropical zygopterans Megaloprepus caerulatus, Mecistogaster linearis and M. ornata (Pesudostigmatidae) were surveyed during five years, and striking differences in their reproduction patterns were shown: (1) At two study sites in seasonal, tropical semi-dry forests in Pacific Costa Rica, adult M. ornata could be observed throughout the year, occasionally during the dry season up…

Openwing perching in some Zygoptera (Odonata): a response to Klaus Reinhardt

Herein I respond to a critique of my paper on wing positions in Zygoptera. The author of that critique suggested that most of the hypotheses presented in that paper were flawed and questioned some of the facts brought to bear on them. In addition, he presented his own ideas in support of hypotheses I had…