Diphlebia
| Rockmasters | |
|---|---|
| |
| Tropical rockmaster | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Suborder: | Zygoptera |
| Family: | Lestoideidae |
| Genus: | Diphlebia Selys, 1869[1] |
| |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Diphlebia is a genus of damselflies in the family Lestoideidae.[2][3] They are commonly known as rockmasters. The species in this genus are found in Eastern Australia, except for one species that can be found in New Guinea. The males are vividly patterned. They are blue or bluish green and black in colour. Their blue colour also gives them the name azure damselflies.These damselflies are very large and thick.[4] They rest with their wings spread out. Their wings are usually blackish brown or have white markings. These damselflies have several present antenodal crossveins. The two basal crossveins extend across costal and subcostal spaces.[5]
Diphlebia larvae are wide and flat. They have long saccoid gills enabling them to breathe underwater. The inner tooth of their labial palps is elongated. The specific characters of the larvae are mid-ventral, distal width, basal width, and length of median lobe.
Taxonomy
[edit]The genus was originally named Dineura by Selys in 1859,[6] but this name was preoccupied by Dineura Dahlbom, 1835 (Hymenoptera). Selys therefore introduced the replacement name Diphlebia in 1869. The type species is Amphipteryx lestoides Selys, 1853, designated by monotypy.[2]
Until recently Diphlebia was a member of the family Diphlebiidae.[7]
Etymology
[edit]The genus name Diphlebia is derived from the Greek δίς (dis, "twice" or "double") and φλέψ (phleps, "vein"), likely referring to distinctive wing venation.[6][1][8]
Species
[edit]Diphlebia includes five species that are found in eastern Australia and New Guinea. The following are the species:[3]
- Diphlebia coerulescens Tillyard, 1913 - sapphire rockmaster
- Diphlebia euphoeoides Tillyard, 1907 - tropical rockmaster
- Diphlebia hybridoides Tillyard, 1912 - giant rockmaster
- Diphlebia lestoides (Selys, 1853) - whitewater rockmaster
- Diphlebia nymphoides Tillyard, 1912 - arrowhead rockmaster
References
[edit]- ^ a b Selys-Longchamps, E. (1869). "Secondes additions au synopsis des Caloptérygines". Bulletin de la Classe des Science, Académie Royale de Belgique (in French). 27: 645–680 [662] – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
- ^ a b c "Genus Diphlebia Selys, 1869". Australian Faunal Directory. Australian Biological Resources Study. 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ a b Paulson, D.; Schorr, M.; Abbott, J.; Bota-Sierra, C.; Deliry, C.; Dijkstra, K.-D.; Lozano, F. "World Odonata List". OdonataCentral. University of Alabama. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
- ^ "DIPHLEBIIDAE - Azure Damselflies". Brisbane Insects and Spiders. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
- ^ Günther Theischinger; John Hawking (2006). The Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies of Australia (PDF). CSIRO Publishing. ISBN 0-643-09073-8. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
- ^ a b Selys-Longchamps, E. (1859). "Additions au synopsis des Caloptérygines". Bulletin de la Classe des Science, Academie Royale de Belgique. 2 (in French). 7: 437-451 [450] – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
- ^ Dijkstra, Klaas-Douwe B.; Bechly, Günter; Bybee, Seth M.; Dow, Rory A.; Dumont, Henri J.; Fleck, Günther; Garrison, Rosser W.; Hämäläinen, Matti; Kalkman, Vincent J.; Karube, Haruki; May, Michael L.; Orr, Albert G.; Paulson, Dennis R.; Rehn, Andrew C.; Theischinger, Günther; Trueman, John W.H.; Van Tol, Jan; von Ellenrieder, Natalia; Ware, Jessica (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. ISSN 1175-5334.
- ^ Endersby, Ian; Fliedner, Heinrich (2015). The Naming of Australia's Dragonflies. Eltham, Victoria, Australia: Busybird Publishing. ISBN 9781925260625.
