Mecistogaster

Mecistogaster is a genus of large Neotropical damselflies in the family Coenagrionidae, commonly known as helicopter damsels. There are eleven species distributed from Mexico to Argentina.^[1]

Mecistogaster
Mecistogaster modesta
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Odonata
Suborder:	Zygoptera
Family:	Coenagrionidae
Genus:	Mecistogaster Rambur, 1842

Members of this genus have very long abdomens which they use to deposit their eggs in the water-filled rosettes of bromeliads growing on trees in the forest.^[2]

Species include:

• Mecistogaster amalia (Burmeister, 1839) – Amalia Helicopter^[3]
• Mecistogaster amazonica Sjöstedt, 1918
• Mecistogaster asticta Selys, 1860
• Mecistogaster buckleyi McLachlan, 1881 – Blue-tipped Helicopter^[4]
• Mecistogaster jocaste Hagen, 1869
• Mecistogaster linearis (Fabricius, 1776)
• Mecistogaster lucretia (Drury, 1773)
• Mecistogaster martinezi Machado, 1985 (nomen obscurum)
• Mecistogaster modesta Selys, 1860
• Mecistogaster ornata Rambur, 1842 – Ornate Helicopter^[5]
• Mecistogaster pronoti Sjöstedt, 1918 – Atlantic Helicopter^[6]

References

1. Irusta, J. B., & Lencioni, F. A. A. (2015). First record of Pseudostigmatidae (Insecta: Odonata) in the Northeast Region of Brazil. Check List, 11(2), 1565.
2. Silsby, Jill (2001). Dragonflies of the World. Csiro Publishing. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-643-10249-1.
3. von Ellenrieder, N. & Paulson, D. (2006). "Mecistogaster amalia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2006: e.T59739A12010532. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2006.RLTS.T59739A12010532.en.
4. von Ellenrieder, N. (2009). "Mecistogaster buckleyi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009: e.T159012A5306474. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009-2.RLTS.T159012A5306474.en.
5. von Ellenrieder, N. (2009). "Mecistogaster ornata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009: e.T158808A5276319. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009-2.RLTS.T158808A5276319.en.
6. von Ellenrieder, N. & Paulson, D. (2006). "Mecistogaster pronoti". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2006: e.T12921A3398561. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2006.RLTS.T12921A3398561.en.