Family AUSTROPETALIIDAE

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Introduction

The Austropetaliidae was established for the archaic Aeshnoidea formerly placed in Neopetaliidae (Carle & Louton 1994; Carle 1996) and originally included the Australian genera Archipetalia Tillyard and Austropetalia Tillyard. However, Lohmann (1996) included Archipetalia in a separate monotypic family Archipetaliidae. The Austropetaliidae is a small family restricted to Australia, Chile and Argentina (Carle 1996) and includes two Australian species in the endemic Australian genus Austropetalia.

Hawking & Theischinger (1999) give an illustrated key to the larvae of the New South Wales species of Austropetalia.

Diagnosis

Adult: eyes separated or just touching in mid-dorsal line; a row of red-brown spots along costal region of wings; primary antenodal crossveins distinct, secondary antenodals not necessarily aligned; median space free; triangular spaces similar in fore and hind wing, triangles moderately elongate along wing axis; anal loop rudimentary; base of hindwing strongly angulated in male, auricles well developed; ovipositor complete, endophytic (Carle & Louton 1994; Carle 1996).

Larva: prementum flat, elongate, lying below head when closed, lacking premental setae, palps slender, median lobe cleft; antennae 7-segmented; tarsi 3-segmented; no distal tibial spurs or hooks; abdomen elongate, somewhat flattened; abdominal segments 2-8 with expanded lateral lobes, absent on segment 9 (Hawking & Theischinger 1999).

General References

Carle, F.L. 1996. Revision of Austropetaliidae (Anisoptera: Aeshnoidea). Odonatologica 25(3): 231-259

Carle, F.L. & Louton, J.A. 1994. The larva of Neopetalia punctata and establishment of Austropetaliidae fam. nov. (Odonata). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 96(1): 147-155

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.

Lohmann, H. 1996. Das phylogenetische System der Anisoptera (Odonata). Entomologische Zeitschrift 106: 209-252, 253-266, 360-367

Common Name References

Theischinger, G., Hawking, J. & Orr, A. 2021. The Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies of Australia. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing 2nd edn. (Redspots)

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