Family AUSTROPETALIIDAE
Compiler and date details
W.W.K. Houston, Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra, ACT, Australia J.A.L. Watson, CSIRO Entomology, Canberra, ACT, Australia Updated (1999) by A.A. Calder, CSIRO Entomology, Canberra, ACT, Australia
Introduction
The Austropetaliidae was established for the archaic Aeshnoidea formerly placed in Neopetaliidae (Carle & Louton 1994; Carle 1996) and originally included the Australian genera Archipetalia Tillyard and Austropetalia Tillyard. However, Lohmann (1996) included Archipetalia in a separate monotypic family Archipetaliidae. The Austropetaliidae is a small family restricted to Australia, Chile and Argentina (Carle 1996) and includes two Australian species in the endemic Australian genus Austropetalia.
Hawking & Theischinger (1999) give an illustrated key to the larvae of the New South Wales species of Austropetalia.
Diagnosis
Adult: eyes separated or just touching in mid-dorsal line; a row of red-brown spots along costal region of wings; primary antenodal crossveins distinct, secondary antenodals not necessarily aligned; median space free; triangular spaces similar in fore and hind wing, triangles moderately elongate along wing axis; anal loop rudimentary; base of hindwing strongly angulated in male, auricles well developed; ovipositor complete, endophytic (Carle & Louton 1994; Carle 1996).
Larva: prementum flat, elongate, lying below head when closed, lacking premental setae, palps slender, median lobe cleft; antennae 7-segmented; tarsi 3-segmented; no distal tibial spurs or hooks; abdomen elongate, somewhat flattened; abdominal segments 2-8 with expanded lateral lobes, absent on segment 9 (Hawking & Theischinger 1999).
General References
Carle, F.L. 1996. Revision of Austropetaliidae (Anisoptera: Aeshnoidea). Odonatologica 25(3): 231-259
Carle, F.L. & Louton, J.A. 1994. The larva of Neopetalia punctata and establishment of Austropetaliidae fam. nov. (Odonata). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 96(1): 147-155
Hawking, J. & Theischinger, G. 1999. Dragonfly larvae (Odonata). A guide to the identification of larvae of Australian families and to the identification and ecology of larvae from New South Wales. Albury : Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology Vol. 24 iv 218 pp.
Lohmann, H. 1996. Das phylogenetische System der Anisoptera (Odonata). Entomologische Zeitschrift 106: 209-252, 253-266, 360-367