Family PSEUDOCORDULIIDAE
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 Pseudocordulidae contains the single endemic Australian genus Pseudocordulia with two closely-reated species confined to the rainforests of northern Queensland. The genus Pseudocordulia was previously regarded as belonging to the corduliid subfamily Gomphomacromiinae by Theischinger & Watson (1978, 1984) and Watson et al. (1991) however, Lohmann (1996) regards it as belonging to this new family. The adults are described and illustrated in Theischinger & Watson (1978) and Watson et al. (1991). The terrestrial larva is described by Watson (1982) and Theischinger & Watson (1984).
Diagnosis
Adult: medium-sized, largely bronze-black dragonflies with metallic reflections; antenodals of hindwing thickened; secondary antenodal absent between the primary antenodals Ax1 and Ax2; pterostigma elongate, about 3 times as long as wide, overlying 1-2 crossveins; arculus aligned with Ax2 in both wings; discoidal triangle of hindwing recessed, separated by about half length of arculus; forewing with 1 cu-a; hindwing usually with 2, rarely 3 cu-a; anal loop elongate, oval; hypertriangle without crossveins; all tibiae keeled; abdomen long and slender; tergite 1 without a ventral process or tubercle; anterior lamina of male secondary genitalia large, with processes; hamule elongate, with toothed hook apically; female sternite 9 with medial carina and sternite 10 with lateral carinae (Theischinger & Watson 1978; Bechly 1996).
Larva: terrestrial; strongly flattened, densely hirsute; body with fringe of long, strongly curved setae; head short, unusually wide; eyes large, strongly protruding; labial palps with 4 to 7 large, rounded to subtriangular teeth lacking setae; ligula rounded; premental setae very strong; antennae reduced, concealed beneath eyes; pro- and mesosternum deeply excavated to take folded pre- and postmentum; prothorax narrower than head, extremely flat; pro- and mesofemora distinctively flattened, widened and slightly bowed, metafemora straight; claws small; wing sheaths reaching to abdominal tergite 4; abdominal tergites without lateral spines (Theischinger & Watson 1984).
General References
Bechly, G. 1996. Morphologische Untersuchungen am Flügelgeäder der rezenten Libellen und deren Stammgruppenvertreter (Insecta; Pterygota; Odonata) unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Phylogenetischen Systematik und des Grundplanes der Odonata. Petalura, Special volume 2: 1-402
Lohmann, H. 1996. Das phylogenetische System der Anisoptera (Odonata). Entomologische Zeitschrift 106: 209-252, 253-266, 360-367
Theischinger, G. & Watson, J.A.L. 1978. The Australian Gomphomacromiinae (Odonata: Corduliidae). Australian Journal of Zoology 26: 399-431
Theischinger, G. & Watson, J.A.L. 1984. Larvae of Australian Gomphomacromiinae, and their bearing on the status of the Synthemis group of genera (Odonata: Corduliidae). Australian Journal of Zoology 32: 67-95
Watson, J.A.L. 1982. A truly terrestrial dragonfly larva from Australia (Odonata: Corduliidae). Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 21: 309-311
Watson, J.A.L., Theischinger, G. & Abbey, H.M. 1991. The Australian Dragonflies. A guide to the identification, distributions and habitats of Australian Odonata. Canberra and Melbourne : CSIRO vii 278 pp.