Family TELEPHLEBIIDAE
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
This family includes the genera Acanthaeschna, Antipodophlebia, Austroaeschna, Austrophlebia, Dendroaeschna, Notoaeschna, Spinaeschna and Telephlebia that were formerly included in the Brachytroninae (Aeshnidae) by Theischinger (1982, 1985) and Watson et al. (1991).
The fauna is well documented. Tillyard (1916) provided descriptions of larvae while Hawking & Theischinger (1999) give an illustrated key to the larvae of New South Wales species. Theischinger (1982, 1985) revised Austroaeschna, Notoaeschna, Spinaeschna and Telephlebia.
Diagnosis
Adult: eyes confluent; antennae 6 or 7-segmented; usually more than 2 crossveins between primary antenodal crossveins in the forewing and 1 or 2, in hindwing; median space free of crossveins; glans penis with or without flagella; segments 8 and 9 of female either enlarged or not enlarged; ovipositor well developed.
Larva: prementum flat, lying below head when closed; no premental setae; premental ligula convex, with median cleft; labial palps with or without end-hook; paplpal setae absent; no spine at base of movable hook, dorsal surface of movable hook smooth; antennae 5-7 segmented; tarsi of all legs 3-segmented; no distal tibial spurs or hooks; abdomen very elongate; sharp lateral spines on some segments, including segment 9; mid dorsal spines mostly absent; epiproct pointed, except for Dendroaeschna conspersa irregularly truncate, never bifid (Hawking & Theischinger 1999).
General References
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.
Theischinger, G. 1982. A revision of the Australian genera Austroaeschna Selys and Notoaeschna Tillyard (Odonata: Aeshnidae: Brachytroninae). Australian Journal of Zoology Supplementary Series 87: 1-67
Theischinger, G. 1985. A revision of the Australian genus Telephlebia Selys (Odonata: Aeshnidae: Brachytroninae). Australian Journal of Zoology 33: 245-261
Tillyard, R.J. 1916. Life-histories and descriptions of Australian Aeschninae, with a description of a new form of Telephlebia by Herbert Campion. Journal of the Linnean Society of London, Zoology Zool. 33: 1-83 pls 1-9