Indolestes tenuissimus

Slender reedling
Slender reedling, Cairns, Queensland
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Suborder: Zygoptera
Family: Lestidae
Genus: Indolestes
Species:
I. tenuissimus
Binomial name
Indolestes tenuissimus
(Tillyard, 1906)[2]
Synonyms[3]
  • Lestes tenuissimus Tillyard, 1906

Indolestes tenuissimus is a species of damselfly in the family Lestidae,[4] commonly known as the slender reedling.[5] It is found in north-eastern Australia, New Guinea and on Aru.[5]

Its natural habitats are freshwater swamps, ponds and pools. The adult is a medium-sized damselfly (wingspan 50mm, length 45mm) with the thorax being mainly pale blue with darker patches. The abdomen is mid to dark grey on dorsal surfaces, lighter below, with segment ten forming a distinct pale band. The male superior anal appendages are sinuate.[5] In Australia, the distribution is in suitable habitat in the north-eastern part of the continent from the tip of Cape York Peninsula to central Queensland.[5] The taxon has been assessed in the IUCN Red List as being of least concern, and it appears in the Catalogue of Life.

Etymology

The genus name Indolestes combines the Latin Indus ("India") with Lestes, a genus name derived from the Greek λῃστής (lēstēs, "robber"). Original members of this genus were from India.[6]

The species name tenuissimus is the superlative form of the Latin tenuis ("thin"), meaning "thinnest", referring to its extremely long and slender abdomen.[2][7]

References

  1. ↑ Dow, R.A. (2017). "Indolestes tenuissimus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017 e.T87534435A87539954. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T87534435A87539954.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Tillyard, R.J. (1906). "New Australian species of the family Agrionidae (Neuroptera: Odonata)". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 31: 177–194 [179] – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  3. ↑ Paulson, D.; Schorr, M.; Abbott, J.; Bota-Sierra, C.; Deliry, C.; Dijkstra, K.-D.; Lozano, F. "World Odonata List". OdonataCentral. University of Alabama. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  4. ↑ "Species Indolestes tenuissimus (Tillyard, 1906)". Australian Faunal Directory. Australian Biological Resources Study. 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Theischinger, G; Hawking, J (2006). The Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies of Australia. Collingwood Vic.: CSIRO Publishing. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-64309-073-6.
  6. ↑ Endersby, Ian; Fliedner, Heinrich (2015). The Naming of Australia's Dragonflies. Eltham, Victoria, Australia: Busybird Publishing. ISBN 9781925260625.
  7. ↑ Endersby, Ian (2012). "Etymology of the Dragonflies (Insecta: Odonata) named by R.J. Tillyard, F.R.S." Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 134: 1–16.