Corduliidae

Corduliidae
Somatochlora viridiaenea (male)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Suborder: Anisoptera
Superfamily: Libelluloidea
Family: Corduliidae
Selys, 1850
Subfamilies
Map showing global distribution of Corduliidae
Distribution of Corduliidae

Corduliidae, also knowns as the emeralds, emerald dragonflies, or green-eyed skimmers, is a family of dragonflies. These dragonflies are usually black or dark brown with areas of metallic green or yellow, and most of them have large, emerald-green eyes. The larvae are black, hairy-looking, and usually semiaquatic. This family include species called "baskettails", "emeralds", "sundragons", "shadowdragons", and "boghaunters". They are not uncommon and are found nearly worldwide, but some individual species are quite rare. Hine's emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana), for example, is an endangered species in the United States.

Corduliidae are known to occasionally take quantities of their eggs at the tip of their stomach, before then sticking their eggs in mud or water using a sprout-like appendage that extends from their abdomens.

Genera

The following genera are currently placed in Corduliidae:

Fossil record

Fossils attributed to Corduliidae are known from the Eocene onward. Most fossil occurrences are from Europe, with additional records from Australia and North America.

Fossil genera

The following fossil genera are currently assigned to Corduliidae:

Etymology

The family name Corduliidae is derived from the type genus Cordulia, with the standard zoological suffix -idae used for animal families.

The genus name Cordulia is derived from the Greek κορδύλη (kordylē, "club" or "cudgel"), referring to the shape of the male abdomen.

References

  1. ↑ Selys-Longchamps, E. (1850). "Revue des odonates ou libellules d'Europe". Mémoires de la Société Royale des Sciences de Liège (in French). 6: 1-408 [66] – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  2. ↑ 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 (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. ISSN 1175-5334.
  3. ↑ "Family CORDULIIDAE". Australian Faunal Directory. Australian Biological Resources Study. 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  4. ↑ Marshall, Stephen A. (2006). Insects: their natural history and diversity; with a photographic guide to insects of eastern North America. A Firefly book (2. printing ed.). Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books. ISBN 978-1-55297-900-6.
  5. ↑ Paulson, D.; Schorr, M.; Abbott, J.; Bota-Sierra, C.; Deliry, C.; Dijkstra, K.-D.; Lozano, F. "World Odonata List". OdonataCentral. University of Alabama.
  6. 1 2 "Paleobiology Database: Corduliidae". Paleobiology Database. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  7. ↑ Endersby, Ian; Fliedner, Heinrich (2015). The Naming of Australia's Dragonflies. Eltham, Victoria, Australia: Busybird Publishing. ISBN 9781925260625.