| Euphaeoidea | |
|---|---|
| |
| Euphaea fraseri, male | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Suborder: | Zygoptera |
| Superfamily: | Euphaeoidea Jakobson & Bianchi, 19051 |
| Families2 | |
Euphaeoidea is a superfamily of damselflies comprising the families Euphaeidae, Lestoideidae and Pseudolestidae.32 Together they include 12 genera and about 90 recognised species distributed from southern Europe across tropical Asia to New Guinea and Australia.24
Members of the superfamily are predominantly stream-dwelling damselflies. They include the large, metallic gossamerwings (Euphaeidae), the Australian rockmasters and bluestreaks (Lestoideidae), and the distinctive monotypic family Pseudolestidae from Hainan Island, China.45
Taxonomic history
The families now placed in Euphaeoidea have long been recognised as close relatives. Morphological studies identified Euphaeidae and Lestoideidae as sister groups, while molecular analyses confirmed that Pseudolestidae belongs within the same evolutionary lineage.45
In 2026, Carter and colleagues recognised this lineage as the superfamily Euphaeoidea, comprising the families Euphaeidae, Lestoideidae and Pseudolestidae.3
Phylogeny
Relationships among living damselfly superfamilies, based on Carter et al. (2026).3
Families
The following families are currently placed in Euphaeoidea:2
- Euphaeidae Selys, 1853
- Lestoideidae Munz, 1919
- Pseudolestidae Fraser, 1957
Etymology
The superfamily name Euphaeoidea is derived from the type genus Euphaea, with the standard zoological suffix -oidea used for animal superfamilies.
The genus name Euphaea is presumably derived from the Greek εὐφαιής (euphaēs), meaning "splendid", "beautiful" or "radiant", likely referring to the striking appearance of these damselflies and the metallic colours displayed by many species.67
References
References
- Jakobson, G. G.; Bianchi, V. L. (1905). Orthoptera and Pseudoneuroptera of the Russian Empire and bordering countries [Прямокрылые и ложносетчатокрылые Российской империи и сопредельных стран] (in Russian). St. Petersburg: A.F. Devrien. pp. 952 [722]. ISBN 978-5-4460-2061-4.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - Paulson, D.; Schorr, M.; Abbott, J.; Bota-Sierra, C.; Deliry, C.; Dijkstra, K.-D.; Lozano, F. "World Odonata List". OdonataCentral. University of Alabama.
- 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.
- 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.
- Bybee, S. M.; Kalkman, V. J.; Erickson, R. J.; Frandsen, P. B.; Breinholt, J. W.; Suvorov, A.; Ware, J. L. (2021). "Phylogeny and classification of Odonata using targeted genomics". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 160: 1–15. Bibcode:2021MolPE.16007115B. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107115. hdl:11093/2768. PMID 33609713.
- Selys-Longchamps, E. (1853). "Synopsis des Caloptérygines". Bulletins de l'Académie royale des sciences, des lettres et des beaux-arts de Belgique (in French). 20 (Annexe): 1–73 [47] – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
- Brown, Roland Wilbur (1954). Composition of Scientific Words: A Manual of Methods and a Lexicon of Materials for the Practice of Logotechnics. [Washington].