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Isostictidae is a small family of medium sized to large damselflies. They're restricted to Australia, New Caledonia and New Guinea. It contains 12 genera and more than 40 species. They resemble species in the threadtail family (Protoneuridae).

• Adult: The adults are small-medium in size with a length of 15-40mm. They have two antenodal crossveins, most postnodal crossveins aligned with crossveins behind them, quadrilateral cell almost rectangular, no supplementary intercalary longitudinal veins, and an anal vein fused with wing margin. Their antennae are 7-segmented.
• Larva: The larva has a labial mask short,flat, palps narrow, palpal setae present, premental setae variable, median lobe shallowly cleft; caudal gills saccoid to triquetral, strongly nodate.

Ecology

Adults of Isostictidae have many common names an d they are narrow-wings, pinflies, pins, pondsitters, and wiretails.

• Instream habitat: Isostictid damselfly nymphs occur in streams, rivers, and riverine pools. The adults occur along these habitats. The nymphs are found on submerged vegetation, willow roots, leaf packs and detritus.
• Feeding ecology: Nymphs and adults are predators.
• Habits: Nymphs of these damselflies are clingers. Adults like to rest on many different plants.
• Life history: Some females of some species lay their eggs in dry twigs over lentic freshwater. Other female species may lay their eggs on the bare rocks of waterfalls.

• Adult: The adults are small-medium in size with a length of 15-40mm. They have two antenodal crossveins, most postnodal crossveins aligned with crossveins behind them, quadrilateral cell almost rectangular, no supplementary intercalary longitudinal veins, and an anal vein fused with wing margin. Their antennae are 7-segmented.
• Larva: The larva has a labial mask short,flat, palps narrow, palpal setae present, premental setae variable, median lobe shallowly cleft; caudal gills saccoid to triquetral, strongly nodate.

Ecology

Adults of Isostictidae have many common names and they are narrow-wings, pinflies, pins, pondsitters, and wiretails.

• Instream habitat: Isostictid damselfly nymphs occur in streams, rivers, and riverine pools. The adults occur along these habitats. The nymphs are found on submerged vegetation, willow roots, leaf pac ks and detritus.
• Feeding ecology: Nymphs and adults are predators.
• Habits: Nymphs of these damselflies are clingers. Adults like to rest on many different plants.
• Life history: Some females of some species lay their eggs in dry twigs over lentic freshwater. Other female species may lay their eggs on the bare rocks of waterfalls.

References

• Australian Faunal Directory
• Identification and Ecology of Australian Freshwater Invertebrates

See also

• List of damselflies of the world (Isostictidae)

The Family Isostictidae is a member of the Superfamily Coenagrionoidea. Here is the complete "parentage" of Isostictidae:

• 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: Zygoptera Selys, 1854 - Damselflies
                                • Superfamily: Coenagrionoidea Kirby, 1890
                                  • Family: Isostictidae Fraser, 1955