Family UROTHEMISTIDAE
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 Urothemistidae was formerly regarded as a group of Libellulidae by Watson et al. (1991) until accorded family status by Bechly (1996). It is represented in Australia by three genera: Aethriamanta, Macrodiplax and Urothemis containing a total of four species.
The adults are keyed in Watson et al. (1991) while Hawking & Theischinger (1999) give illustrations to larvae of Aethriamanta circumsignata Selys and Macrodiplax cora (Brauer).
Diagnosis
Adult: temples swollen; tibiae of males without keels; base of hindwing rounded in both sexes; sectors of arculus diverging from their origin; distal antenodal of forewings always complete; antenodals widely spaced, 6-7 in forewings and 5 in hindwing; primary antenodals present but atrophied and inconspicuous; anal-triangle absent in male; anal loop well developed; discoidal cells entire, subtrigone of forewing one or three celled; discoidal cell of hindwing completely recessed to level of arculus; ovipositor well developed.
Larva: prementum ladle-shaped, with 2 distinct groups of premental setae; labial palps with palpal setae, without dentations; pronotum laterally not shelf-like; wings pads parallel; metasternum with transverse sulci fused along long seam; abdomen variously shaped often with segment 10 sunken into segment 9, sometimes sharply pointed; with or without mid-dorsal spines, lateral spines on segments 8 and 9 (Hawking & Theischinger 1999).
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
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.
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.