Overview
The insect family Corduliidae contains the emerald dragonflies or green-eyed skimmers. These dragonflies are usually black or dark brown with areas of metallic green or yellow, and most of them have large, emerald-green eyes. The larvae are black, hairy-looking, and usually semi-aquatic.
Members of this family include baskettails, emeralds, river cruisers, sundragons, shadowdragons, boghaunters, and other creatively-named dragonflies. They are not uncommon and are found nearly worldwide, however, some individual species are quite rare. Hine's Emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana), for example, is an endangered species in the United States.
Some genera:
- Archaeophya
- Cordulia ? American emeralds
- Dorocordulia ? little emeralds
- Epitheca ? baskettails
- Helocordulia ? sundragons
- Idionyx
- Neurocordulia ? shadowdragons
- Somatochlora ? striped emeralds
- Williamsonia ? boghaunters
Taxonomy
The Family Corduliidae is a member of the Superfamily Libelluloidea. Here is the complete "parentage" of Corduliidae:
- Domain: Eukaryota
Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Animalia
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Branch: Protostomia
Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
- Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa
A.M.A. Aguinaldo et al., 1997 ex T. Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
- Superphylum: Panarthropoda
Cuvier
- Phylum: Arthropoda
Latreille, 1829 - Arthropods
- Subphylum: Mandibulata
Snodgrass, 1938
- Infraphylum: Atelocerata
Heymons, 1901
- Superclass: Panhexapoda
- Class: Insecta
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Insects
- Subclass: Dicondylia
- Infraclass: Pterygota
- Winged Insects
- Superorder: Odonatoptera
- Order: Odonata
Fabricius, 1793 - Dragonflies and Damselflies
- Suborder: Epiprocta
- Infraorder: Anisoptera
- Dragonflies
- Superfamily: Libelluloidea
Rambur, 1842
- Family: Corduliidae Kirby, 1890 - Emeralds
- Superfamily: Libelluloidea
Rambur, 1842
- Infraorder: Anisoptera
- Dragonflies
- Suborder: Epiprocta
- Order: Odonata
Fabricius, 1793 - Dragonflies and Damselflies
- Superorder: Odonatoptera
- Infraclass: Pterygota
- Winged Insects
- Subclass: Dicondylia
- Class: Insecta
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Insects
- Superclass: Panhexapoda
- Infraphylum: Atelocerata
Heymons, 1901
- Subphylum: Mandibulata
Snodgrass, 1938
- Phylum: Arthropoda
Latreille, 1829 - Arthropods
- Superphylum: Panarthropoda
Cuvier
- Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa
A.M.A. Aguinaldo et al., 1997 ex T. Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
- Branch: Protostomia
Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Kingdom: Animalia
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
The Family Corduliidae is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Subfamily (8): Cordulephyinae · Corduliinae · Gomphomacromiinae · Idionychinae · Idomacromiinae · Macromiinae · Neophyinae · Synthemistinae
- Genus (50): Aeschnosoma · Antipodochlora · Apocordulia · Archaeophya · Austrocordulia · Austrophya · Choristhemis · Cordulephya · Cordulia · Didymops · Dorocordulia · Epicordulia · Epitheca · Epophthalmia · Eusynthemis · Gomphomacromia · Guadalca · Helocordulia · Hemicordulia · Hesperocordulia · Heteronaias · Idionyx · Idomacromia · Lathrocordulia · Lauromacromia · Libellulosoma · Macromia · Macromidia · Metaphya · Micromidia · Navicordulia · Neocordulia · Neophya · Nesocordulia · Neurocordulia · Oxygastra · Paracordulia · Pentathemis · Phyllomacromia · Procordulia · Pseudocordulia · Pseudogomphus · Rialla · Santosia · Somatochlora · Syncordulia · Synthemiopsis · Synthemis · Tetragoneuria · Williamsonia
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 562 species and subspecies in the Family Corduliidae.
Genera
Aeschnosoma
Antipodochlora
Antipodochlora is a genus of dragonfly in family Corduliidae. It contains the following species: [more]
Apocordulia
Archaeophya
Archaeophya is a small genus of dragonflies belonging to the family Corduliidae. They are large dragonflies with metallic bodies, dark with yellow spots and clear wings. They only occur in eastern Australia. [more]
Austrocordulia
Austrocordulia is a genus of dragonfly in family Corduliidae. It contains the following species: [more]
Austrophya
Choristhemis
Cordulephya
Cordulia
Didymops
Dorocordulia
Epicordulia
Epitheca
Epophthalmia
Eusynthemis
Gomphomacromia
Guadalca
Helocordulia
Hemicordulia
Hemicordulia is a genus of in family Corduliidae. It contains the following species (incomplete): [more]
Hesperocordulia
Heteronaias
Idionyx
Idomacromia
Idomacromia is a genus of in family Corduliidae. It contains the following species: [more]
Lathrocordulia
Lathrocordulia is a genus of in family Corduliidae. It contains the following species: [more]
Lauromacromia
Libellulosoma
Libellulosoma is a genus of in family Corduliidae. It contains the following species: [more]
Macromia
Macromia is a genus of in family Macromiidae. It contains the following species: [more]
Macromidia
Macromidia is a genus of in family Corduliidae. It contains the following species: [more]
Metaphya
Micromidia
Navicordulia
Neocordulia
Neophya
Nesocordulia
Nesocordulia is a genus of in family Corduliidae. It contains the following species: [more]
Neurocordulia
Neurocordulia is a genus of in family Corduliidae. It contains the following species: [more]
Oxygastra
Paracordulia
Pentathemis
Phyllomacromia
Phyllomacromia is a genus of in family Corduliidae. It contains the following species: [more]
Procordulia
Pseudocordulia
Pseudogomphus
Pseudogomphus is a genus of fungi in the Gomphaceae family. A monotypic genus, it contains the single species Pseudogomphus fragilissimus, found in Gabon. [more]
Rialla
A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia. [more]
Santosia
Somatochlora
Somatochlora is a genus of in the family Corduliidae. Members of this genus are medium-sized dragonflies with dark bodies and a metallic green lustre. The abdomens of males are distinctive, with the first two segments bulbous-shaped, the third constricted, and the rest of the abdomen club-shaped with a straight ending. The exception is S. boisei, which is shaped like a Cordulia species. There are usually two crossveins between the hind wing base and the triangle, where Cordulia have only one crossvein. [more]
Syncordulia
Synthemiopsis
Synthemis
Tetragoneuria
Williamsonia
Williamsonia is also a genus of corduliid dragonflies [more]
At least 9 species and subspecies belong to the Genus Williamsonia.
More info about the Genus Williamsonia may be found here.
Sources
- The text on this page is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It includes material from Wikipedia retrieved Wednesday, April 25, 2012.
- The distribution map on the Distribution tab comes from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and is used with permission.
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