Philosinidae
| Philosinidae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Rhinagrion viridatum, Cambodia | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Suborder: | Zygoptera |
| Superfamily: | Philogangoidea |
| Family: | Philosinidae Kennedy, 1925[1] |
| Genera[2] | |
 | |
| Distribution of Philosinidae | |
Philosinidae is a small family of damselflies in the superfamily Philogangoidea.[3][2] Members of the family occur mainly in Southeast Asia, where they inhabit forest streams.[4] They are medium-sized to large damselflies with long, narrow wings that are typically held open at rest, a posture shared with several related families formerly included in Megapodagrionidae.[4]
Description
Philosinids are medium-sized to large damselflies with long, narrow wings that are usually held open when at rest.[4] Adults are typically dark in colour with conspicuous yellow, orange, red or blue markings, and some species develop a bluish pruinosity with age.[4]
The wings are clear in most species, although Philosina buchi has a diffuse dark patch near the wing tips.[4] The wings possess numerous fine veins near their outer margins, giving them a densely reticulated appearance.[4]
The larvae possess distinctive caudal gills in which the paired paraprocts are thickened and surround the smaller central epiproct, forming a tubular structure.[4]
Taxonomic history
The lineage was historically included within Megapodagrionidae. In 1925, Kennedy recognised Philosininae as a distinct subfamily, and in a 1959 revision of Megapodagrionidae, Janis Rácenis retained Philosininae as one of five subfamilies within that family.[1][5]
Subsequent molecular phylogenetic studies showed that Philosina and Rhinagrion form a distinct lineage within Calopterygoidea. The group was therefore elevated to family rank as Philosinidae.[4]
In 2026, Payton Carter and colleagues recognised Philogangidae and Philosinidae as the superfamily Philogangoidea, based on phylogenomic studies that resolved the two families as a distinct lineage of damselflies.[3]
Genera
The following genera are currently placed in Philosinidae:[2]
- Philosina Ris, 1917
- Rhinagrion Calvert, 1913
Etymology
The family name Philosinidae is derived from the type genus Philosina, with the standard zoological suffix -idae used for animal families.
Ris stated that the genus name Philosina was chosen because it recalls the related genus Philoganga, whose general appearance it resembles.[6] The exact derivation of the name was not explained by the author.[6]
References
- 1 2 Kennedy, Clarence Hamilton (1925). "New genera of Megapodagrioninae, with notes on the subfamily". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 67 (7): 289–312 [306].
- 1 2 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 1 May 2026.
- 1 2 Carter, Payton; Goodman, Aaron; Abbott, John; Bota Sierra, Cornelio; Bybee, Seth M.; Dow, Rory A.; Fomekong Lontchi, Judicael; Frandsen, Paul B.; Gonzalez Mozo, Laura; Guralnick, Rob; Hämäläinen, Matti; Joshi, Shantanu; Kohli, Manpreet K.; Lupiyaningdyah, Pungki; Montana, Katherine O.; Newton, Lacie; Onsongo, Violet; Orr, Albert G.; Pinto, Ângelo Parise; Sanchez-Herrera, Melissa; Sutherland, Laura N.; Theischinger, Gunther; Ware, Jessica L.; Zhang, Haomiao; Kalkman, Vincent J. (2026). "The classification and diversity of extant dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata)". International Journal of Odonatology. 29: 95–124. doi:10.48156/1388.2026.1917385.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Dijkstra, Klaas-Douwe B.; Kalkman, Vincent J.; Dow, Rory A.; Stokvis, Frank R.; Van Tol, Jan (2014). "Redefining the damselfly families: A comprehensive molecular phylogeny of Zygoptera (Odonata)". Systematic Entomology. 39 (1): 68–96. doi:10.1111/syen.12035.
- ↑ Rácenis, Janis (1959). "Notas taxonómicas sobre la familia Megapodagrionidae (Odonata: Zygoptera) con la sinopsis de las especies venezolanas". Acta Biológica Venezuélica (in Spanish). 2: 335–367.
- 1 2 Ris, Friedrich (1917). "Eine neue Agrioniden-Gattung der „Légion Podagrion" (Odonata) aus China". Tijdschrift voor Entomologie (in German). 60: 185–191.