Lestidae

Lestidae
Temporal range: Late Eocene–present
Female Austrolestes cingulatus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Suborder: Zygoptera
Superfamily: Lestoidea
Family: Lestidae
Calvert, 1901
Type genus
Lestes
Map showing global distribution of Lestidae
Distribution of Lestidae

Lestidae is a family of cosmopolitan, medium-sized to large, slender damselflies, known commonly as the spreadwings, spread-winged damselflies, or reedlings.

Fossil lestids are known from the Late Eocene onwards.

A male Lestes dryas in the "spread-winged" posture that gives the family its common name

Characteristics

While most damselflies rest with their wings folded together, most members of the family Lestidae hold them at an angle away from their bodies. The pterostigma (a single dark spot in the meshwork of the leading edge near the tip of each wing) is noticeably elongated. The quadrilateral (a part of the wing venation, close to the body) has an acute angle at the end. The body has a greenish, metallic shine. The superior anal appendages, commonly called claspers (body parts of male insect for clasping the female during copulation) of male spreadwings are long and strongly curved.

Breeding takes place in slow-moving or still water in stream backwaters, swamps, marshes and temporary pools. The nymphs have a long abdomen and a distinctive prementum (part of the lower lip). There is one generation per year in North American species.

Taxonomic history

Before Lestidae was recognised as a family, its genera were placed in the damselfly subfamily Agrioninae. In 1862, Selys treated Lestes as the second “legion” of Agrioninae. Calvert later used the subfamily name Lestinae for several genera in that group; the family name Lestidae is based on it.

Classification

The two subfamilies in Lestidae are Lestinae and Sympecmatinae. Damselflies in the Lestinae rest with their wings partly open, while those in the Sympecmatinae, the reedlings, ringtails, and winter damselflies, rest with their wings folded. In the past, taxonomy of the family has been disputed, with some authorities including twelve genera while others included eight genera. Current authorities accept nine genera make up the family Lestidae.

SubFamilyImageGenusExtant species
Sympecmatinae Fraser, 1951 Archilestes Selys, 1862
Indolestes Fraser, 1922
Sympecma Burmeister, 1839
Lestinae Calvert 1901 Austrolestes Tillyard, 1913
Chalcolestes Kennedy, 1920
Lestes Leach, 1815
Orolestes McLachlan, 1895
Platylestes Selys, 1862
Sinhalestes Fraser, 1951

Etymology

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

The genus name Lestes is derived from the Greek λῃστής (lēstēs, "robber" or "pirate"), likely referring to the predatory behaviour of species in this genus.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Calvert, P.P. (1901). "Fam. Odonata". In Godman, F.D.; Salvin, O. (eds.). Biologia Centrali-Americana. Vol. Insecta. Neuroptera (1892–1908). London: R.H. Porter. pp. 17–342, 342–410 [45]. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.730.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ Lestidae. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=102058
  4. ↑ "Family LESTIDAE". Australian Faunal Directory. Australian Biological Resources Study. 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  5. ↑ Silsby, Jill (2001). Dragonflies of the World. CSIRO Publishing. p. 91. ISBN 0643065121.
  6. ↑ Xia, Guoqing; Zheng, Daran; Krieg-Jacquier, Régis; Fan, Qiushuang; Chen, Yun; Nel, André (2022). "The oldest-known Lestidae (Odonata) from the late Eocene of Tibet: palaeoclimatic implications". Geological Magazine. 159 (4): 511–518. doi:10.1017/S0016756821001102. ISSN 0016-7568.
  7. ↑ John L. Capinera (2008). Encyclopedia of Entomology. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 1244. ISBN 978-1-4020-6242-1.
  8. ↑ Selys-Longchamps, E. (1862). "Synopsis des Agrionines, seconde légion: Lestes". Bulletin de la Classe des Science, Academie Royale de Belgique. 2 (in French). 13: 288-338 [291] – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  9. ↑ Dijkstra, Klaas-Douwe B.; Kalkman, Vincent J.; Dow, Rory A.; Stokvis, Frank R.; Van Tol, Jan (2014). "Redefining the damselfly families: A comprehensive molecular phylogeny of Zygoptera (Odonata)". Systematic Entomology. 39 (1): 68–96. doi:10.1111/syen.12035.
  10. ↑ Davies, D. A. L. (1981). A synopsis of the extant genera of the Odonata. Soc. Int. Odonatol. 3 : i-xiv 1-59
  11. ↑ Bridges, Charles A. (1994). Catalogue of the family-group, genus-group and species-group names of the Odonata of the world (3rd ed.). Urbana, Illinois: Charles A. Bridges. p. 951. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.15291.
  12. ↑ Paulson, D.; Schorr, M.; Abbott, J.; Bota-Sierra, C.; Deliry, C.; Dijkstra, K.-D.; Lozano, F. "World Odonata List". OdonataCentral. University of Alabama. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
  13. ↑ D’Antonio, Costantino; Vegliante, Francesca. "Derivatio nominis libellularum europæarum" (in Italian). Retrieved 24 August 2025.
  14. ↑ Endersby, Ian; Fliedner, Heinrich (2015). The Naming of Australia's Dragonflies. Eltham, Victoria, Australia: Busybird Publishing. ISBN 9781925260625.