Calopteryx (damselfly)

Calopteryx is a genus of large damselflies belonging to the family Calopterygidae. The colourful males often have coloured wings whereas the more muted females usually have clear wings although some develop male (androchrome) wing characteristics. In both sexes, there is no pterostigma.^[1]

Calopteryx
Calopteryx virgo
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Odonata
Suborder:	Zygoptera
Family:	Calopterygidae
Tribe:	Calopterygini
Genus:	Calopteryx Leach, 1815
Synonyms
Agrion Fabricius, 1775 Agrionus Rafinesque, 1815 Emend. Agrium Agassiz, 1846 Emend. Sylphus Hagen, 1853 Anaciagrion Kennedy, 1920

Nomenclature

It was only in 1890, many years after Leach named the genus Calopyteryx, that it was widely recognized that Leach's name was a junior synonym of the Fabrician genus Agrion, established 40 years prior. The controversy surrounding which genus name has nomenclatural priority has never been formally resolved; the ICZN mandates that Fabricius' name has priority, but the majority of the world's odonate researchers maintain the use of Calopteryx.^[2]

Species

The genus contains the following species:^[3][4]

• Calopteryx aequabilis Say, 1839 – River Jewelwing^[5]
• Calopteryx amata Hagen, 1889 – Superb Jewelwing^[5]
• Calopteryx angustipennis (Hagen in Selys, 1853) – Appalachian Jewelwing^[5]
• Calopteryx balcanica Fudakowsky, 1930
• Calopteryx coomani (Fraser, 1935)
• Calopteryx cornelia Selys, 1853
• Calopteryx dimidiata (Burmeister, 1839) – Sparkling Jewelwing^[5]
• Calopteryx exul Selys, 1853 – Glittering Demoiselle^[6]
• Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis (van der Linden, 1825) – Copper Demoiselle^[7]
• Calopteryx hyalina Martin, 1909 – Clear-winged Demoiselle^[6]
• Calopteryx intermedia Selys, 1887
• Calopteryx japonica Selys, 1869
• Calopteryx laosica Fraser, 1933
• Calopteryx maculata (Palisot de Beauvois, 1805) – Ebony Jewelwing^[5]
• Calopteryx melli Ris, 1912
• Calopteryx mingrelica Selys, 1869
• Calopteryx oberthuri McLachlan, 1894
• Calopteryx orientalis Selys, 1887
• Calopteryx samarcandica Bartenev, 1912
• Calopteryx splendens (Harris, 1780) – Banded Demoiselle,^[8] Banded Agrion,^[9] Banded Jewelwing^[10] (inc. Calopteryx splendens taurica Selys, 1853)
• Calopteryx syriaca (Rambur, 1842) – Syrian Demoiselle^[6]
• Calopteryx transcaspica Bartenev, 1912
• Calopteryx virgo (Linnaeus, 1758) – Beautiful Demoiselle,^[8] Beautiful Jewelwing^[10]
• Calopteryx waterstoni Schneider, 1984
• Calopteryx xanthostoma (Charpentier, 1825) – Western Demoiselle^[7]

References

1. Dijkstra, Klaas-Douwe B. (2006). Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe. p. 65. ISBN 0-9531399-4-8.
2. Hämäläinen, M. (2021). "When 'a few trifling alterations' became ultra-radical changes in the nomenclature of Odonata – W.F. Kirby's (1890) catalogue of the World Odonata seen through the eyes of Edmond de Selys Longchamps" (PDF). pages 6-13 in Agrion vol. 25, WORLDWIDE DRAGONFLY ASSOCIATION. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
3. Martin Schorr; Martin Lindeboom; Dennis Paulson. "World Odonata List". University of Puget Sound. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
4. Lam, Ed. Damselflies of the Northeast. Forest Hills, NY:Biodiversity Press, 2004.
5. "North American Odonata". University of Puget Sound. 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
6. The Status and Distribution of Dragonflies of the Mediterranean Basin. IUCN. 2009. ISBN 978-2-8317-1161-4.
7. "Checklist, English common names". DragonflyPix.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
8. "Checklist of UK Species". British Dragonfly Society. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
9. Manning, Stanley Arthur (1974). The naturalist in south-east England: Kent, Surrey and Sussex. David & Charles. p. 164. ISBN 9780715361092.
10. Brian Nelson; Robert Thompson (2004). The Natural History of Ireland's Dragonflies. Ulster Museum. ISBN 978-0-900761-45-4.