Family ISOSTICTIDAE

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Introduction

The Isostictidae is a small family restricted to Australia, New Caledonia and New Guinea and neighbouring islands. It contains 12 genera and more than 40 described species (Watson 1974; Davies 1981; Davies & Tobin 1984; Bridges 1994). Isostictids resemble protoneurids in venation, but differ in larval structure. The taxonomic problems alluded to by Houston & Watson (1988) have to a large extent been sorted out by Watson (1991). Watson (1991) has described the two species of Eurysticta previously referred to as (Eurysticta sp. "c" and sp. "k" of Watson, 1974), the one species of Austrosticta sens. lat. referred to as (Austrosticta sp. "m" of Watson, 1974) in a new genus Lithosticta , a new species of Neosticta (Neosticta sp. "f" of Watson, 1974), a new genus Labidiosticta for Phasmosticta vallisi Fraser, and a new genus Rhadinosticta for the Australian Isosticta banksi, Isosticta handschini and Isosticta simplex Martin in an otherwise New Caledonian genus. Hawking & Theischinger (1999) give an illustrated key to the New South Wales representatives of Rhadinosticta, Labidiosticta and Neosticta. An alternative classification was proposed by Bechly (1996) who considered the Isostictidae to be a subfamily of Protoneuridae.

Diagnosis

Adult: two antenodal crossveins; most postnodal crossveins aligned with crossveins behind them; quadrilateral cell almost rectangular; no supplementary intercalary longitudinal veins; CuP reduced; anal vein fused with wing margin.

Larva: labial mask short, flat, palps narrow, palpal setae present, premental setae variable, median lobe shallowly cleft; caudal gills saccoid to triquetral, strongly nodate.

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

Bridges, C.A. 1994. Catalogue of the family-group, genus-group and species-group names of the Odonata of the world. Urbana, Illinois : C.A. Bridges xiv 951 pp.

Davies, D.A.L. 1981. A synopsis of the extant genera of the Odonata. Societas Internationalis Odonatologica, Rapid Communications 3: i-xiv 1-59

Davies, D.A.L. & Tobin, P. 1984. The dragonflies of the world: a systematic list of the extant species of Odonata. Vol. 1. Zygoptera and Anisozygoptera. Societas Internationalis Odonatologica, Rapid Communications Suppl. 3: i-ix 1-127

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.

Houston, W.W.K. & Watson, J.A.L. 1988. Odonata. pp. 33-132 in Houston, W.W.K. (ed.). Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Ephemeroptera, Megaloptera, Odonata, Plecoptera, Trichoptera. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 6 xi 316 pp.

Watson, J.A.L. 1974. The distributions of the Australian dragonflies (Odonata). Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 13: 137-149

Watson, J.A.L. in Watson, J.A.L. et al. 1991. New genera, species and subspecies. pp. 20-51 in Watson, J.A.L., Theischinger, G. & Abbey, H.M. (eds). The Australian Dragonflies. Melbourne : CSIRO vii 278 pp.

Common Name References

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

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