Lestes
| Lestes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| female Lestes sponsa | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Suborder: | Zygoptera |
| Family: | Lestidae |
| Genus: | Lestes Leach, 1815[1] |
Lestes is a widespread genus of damselflies in the family Lestidae.[2][3] Species occur throughout much of the world and are commonly known as spreadwings.[4][5]
Description
[edit]Species of Lestes are medium-sized to large, slender damselflies, typically coloured green, bronze or brown with a metallic sheen.[4][5] Unlike most damselflies, they usually rest with their wings held partly open, a characteristic that gives rise to the common name "spreadwings".[4]
The wings have an elongated pterostigma near the tip of the leading edge, a characteristic feature of the family Lestidae.[5] Males typically possess long, strongly curved appendages used to clasp females during mating.[4]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]Species of Lestes occur throughout much of the world, inhabiting ponds, marshes, swamps, lagoons and other still or slow-moving freshwater habitats.[4]
Taxonomy
[edit]Lestes is the largest genus in the family Lestidae. Modern studies support the recognition of Lestidae as a distinct family of damselflies, but suggest that relationships within the family may require further revision and that the broadly defined genus Lestes may be subdivided in the future.[6]
Etymology
[edit]The genus name Lestes comes from the Greek word λῃστής (lēistēs) meaning thief, referring to the predatory behaviour of damselflies.[7][8]
Species
[edit]The following species are currently placed in Lestes:[9]
| Male | Female | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | .jpg) | Lestes alacer Hagen, 1861 | Plateau Spreadwing[10] | Central America and North America |
| Lestes alfonsoi González & Novelo, 2001 | Central America. | |||
| Lestes amicus Martin, 1910 | Congo, Tanzania, Angola | |||
| Lestes angularis Fraser, 1929 | India | |||
| Lestes apollinaris Navás, 1934 | Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela | |||
| Lestes auripennis Fraser, 1955 | Madagascar | |||
| Lestes auritus Hagen in Selys, 1862 | Brazil | |||
 |  | Lestes australis Walker, 1952 | Southern Spreadwing[10] | North America |
.jpg) |  | Lestes barbarus (Fabricius, 1798) | Southern Emerald Damselfly,[11] Migrant Spreadwing[12] | Europe in a band across Spain, France, Italy and Greece to India and Mongolia. |
| Lestes basidens Belle, 1997 | Surinam | |||
| Lestes bipupillatus Calvert, 1909 | Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina | |||
 |  | Lestes concinnus Hagen in Selys, 1862 | Dusky Spreadwing | India, Southeast Asia as far as New Caledonia, and northern parts of Australia |
 |  | Lestes congener Hagen, 1861 | Spotted Spreadwing[10] | Canada and in the United States |
| Lestes curvatus Belle, 1997 | Surinam | |||
| Lestes debellardi De Marmels, 1992 | Surinam | |||
| Lestes dichrostigma Calvert, 1909 | Brazil | |||
.jpg) | _-_MacGregor_Point_Provincial_Park_01.jpg) | Lestes disjunctus Selys, 1862 | Northern Spreadwing[10] | United States and Canada. |
| Lestes dissimulans Fraser, 1955 | Cryptic Spreadwing | Angola; Benin; Botswana; Côte d'Ivoire; Chad; Congo-Brazzaville; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Gabon; Gambia; Ghana; Kenya; Liberia; Malawi; Mozambique; Namibia; Nigeria; Republic of South Africa; Senegal; Tanzania; Togo; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe | ||
 |  | Lestes dorothea Fraser, 1924 | Forest Spreadwing | south and northeast India to Thailand and Malaysia |
 | _female_(34515365954).jpg) | Lestes dryas Kirby, 1890 | Emerald Spreadwing,[10] Scarce Emerald Damselfly,[11] Robust Spreadwing,[12] Turlough Spreadwing[13] | central Europe and Asia from France to the Pacific and across North America |
_%E0%B4%AA%E0%B4%9A%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%9A_%E0%B4%9A%E0%B5%87%E0%B4%B0%E0%B4%BE%E0%B4%9A%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%9A%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%B1%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%BB_male.jpg) | _%E0%B4%AA%E0%B4%9A%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%9A_%E0%B4%9A%E0%B5%87%E0%B4%B0%E0%B4%BE%E0%B4%9A%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%9A%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%B1%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%BB_Female.jpg) | Lestes elatus Hagen in Selys, 1862 | India, Thailand and Sri Lanka. | |
 | Lestes eurinus Say, 1839 | Amber-winged Spreadwing[10] | Northeastern North America | |
| Lestes falcifer Sjöstedt, 1918 | Venezuela | |||
| Lestes fernandoi Costa, De Souza & Muzón, 2006 | Brazil | |||
_-_MacGregor_Point_Provincial_Park.jpg) | Lestes forcipatus Rambur, 1842 | Sweetflag Spreadwing[10] | Canada and the United States | |
 | Lestes forficula Rambur, 1842 | Rainpool Spreadwing[10] | Caribbean Sea, Central America, North America, and South America | |
| Lestes garoensis Lahiri, 1987 | India | |||
| Lestes helix Ris, 1918 | Peru, Venezuela | |||
| Lestes henshawi Calvert, 1907 | Costa Rica, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela | |||
| Lestes ictericus Gerstäcker, 1869 | Tawny Spreadwing | Benin; Côte d'Ivoire; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Gambia; Kenya; Malawi; Mali; Mozambique; Republic of South Africa; Senegal; South Sudan; Sudan; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe | ||
_(42923927762).jpg) |  | Lestes inaequalis Walsh, 1862 | Elegant Spreadwing[10] | eastern Canada and the United States |
| Lestes japonicus Selys, 1883 | Japan, Korean Peninsula, Eastern Russia | |||
| Lestes jerrelli Tennessen, 1997 | Ecuador | |||
| Lestes jurzitzai Muzon, 1994 | Brazil | |||
 | Lestes macrostigma (Eversmann, 1836) | Dark Emerald Damselfly[14] or Dark Spreadwing[12] | Europe into Central Asia and the Middle East | |
 | Lestes malabaricus Fraser, 1929 | Sri Lanka, South India and Andaman Islands | ||
| Lestes malaisei Schmidt, 1964 | Myanmar | |||
| Lestes minutus Selys, 1862 | Brazil, Trinidad, Venezuela | |||
 | Lestes nigriceps Fraser, 1924 | Cambodia | ||
 |  | Lestes nodalis Selys, 1891 | Northeast India, Thailand and China. | |
| Lestes numidicus Samraoui, Weekers & Dumont, 2003 | Algeria | |||
| Lestes ochraceus Selys, 1862 | Benin; Côte d'Ivoire; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Gabon; Gambia; Ghana; Kenya; Malawi; South Sudan; Tanzania; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe | |||
 | Lestes pallidus Rambur, 1842 | Angola; Botswana; Cameroon; Cape Verde; Chad; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ethiopia; Gambia; Ghana; Kenya; Malawi; Mali; Mauritania; Mozambique; Namibia; Niger; Nigeria; Republic of South Africa; Senegal; Somalia; Sudan; Tanzania; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe | ||
 |  | Lestes patricia Fraser, 1924 | Western Ghats in India | |
| Lestes paulistus Calvert, 1909 | Brazil | |||
| Lestes pictus Hagen in Selys, 1862 | Brazil | |||
| Lestes pinheyi Fraser, 1955 | Pinhey's Spreadwing | Angola; Botswana; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Gabon; Ghana; Malawi; Namibia; Nigeria; Tanzania; Zambia; Zimbabwe | ||
 |  | Lestes plagiatus (Burmeister, 1839) | Highland Spreadwing | Angola; Botswana; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Kenya; Malawi; Mozambique; Nigeria; Republic of South Africa; Swaziland; Tanzania; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe |
| Lestes praecellens Lieftinck, 1937 | Malaysia | |||
 |  | Lestes praemorsus Hagen in Selys, 1862 | India to China and south to New Guinea | |
| Lestes praevius Lieftinck, 1940 | Sabah | |||
| Lestes pruinescens Martin, 1910 | Madagascar | |||
| Lestes quadristriatus Calvert, 1909 | Brazil | |||
 |  | Lestes rectangularis Say, 1839 | Slender Spreadwing[10] | eastern Canada and the United States |
| Lestes regulatus Martin, 1910 | Ethiopia | |||
| Lestes scalaris Gundlach, 1888 | Caribbean | |||
| Lestes secula May, 1993 | Panama | |||
 | Lestes sigma Calvert, 1901 | Chalky Spreadwing[10] | Central America and North America | |
| Lestes silvaticus Schmidt, 1951 | Madagascar | |||
| Lestes simplex Hagen, 1861 | Mexico | |||
| Lestes simulatrix McLachlan, 1895 | Madagascar | |||
| Lestes spatula Fraser, 1946 | Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay | |||
 | .jpg) | Lestes sponsa (Hansemann, 1823) | Emerald Damselfly,[11] Common Spreadwing[12][13] | central Europe and Asia from Spain to the Pacific |
| Lestes spumarius Hagen in Selys, 1862 | Antillean Spreadwing[10] | Caribbean Sea and North America. | ||
| Lestes sternalis Navás, 1930 | Colombia | |||
 | Lestes stultus Hagen, 1861 | Black Spreadwing[10] | United States | |
.jpg) | .jpg) | Lestes temporalis Selys, 1883 | Japan | |
 | Lestes tenuatus Rambur, 1842 | Blue-striped Spreadwing | Central America, Ecuador | |
| Lestes thoracicus Laidlaw, 1920 | emerald-striped spreadwing | Bangladesh, India, and Thailand | ||
| Lestes tikalus Kormoondy, 1959 | Guatemala | |||
| Lestes trichonus Belle, 1997 | Surinam | |||
| Lestes tricolor Erichson, 1848 | British Guyana | |||
 | Lestes tridens McLachlan, 1895 | Spotted Spreadwing | Angola; Botswana; Côte d'Ivoire; Congo-Brazzaville; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ethiopia; Gabon; Kenya; Liberia; Mozambique; Namibia; Nigeria; Republic of South Africa; Somalia; Tanzania; Togo; Zambia; Zimbabwe | |
| Lestes umbrinus Selys, 1891 | Myanmar | |||
| Lestes uncifer Karsch, 1899 | Sickle Spreadwing | Cameroon; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Gabon; Kenya; Malawi; Mozambique; Republic of South Africa; Somalia; Tanzania; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe | ||
| Lestes undulatus Say, 1840 | Chile, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile | |||
 | Lestes unguiculatus Hagen, 1861 | Lyre-tipped Spreadwing[10] | United States | |
| Lestes urubamba Kennedy, 1942 | Peru | |||
 | Lestes vidua Hagen, 1861 | Carolina Spreadwing[10] | United States | |
 | .jpg) | Lestes vigilax Hagen in Selys, 1862 | Swamp Spreadwing[10] | United States |
 |  | Lestes virens (Charpentier, 1825) | Small Emerald Damselfly,[14] Small Spreadwing[12] | Algeria; Morocco; Tunisia |
 |  | Lestes virgatus (Burmeister, 1839) | Smoky Spreadwing | Angola; Botswana; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ethiopia; Kenya; Malawi; Mozambique; Nigeria; Republic of South Africa; Rwanda; Tanzania; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe |
.jpg) | .jpg) | Lestes viridulus Rambur, 1842 | Emerald-striped Spreadwing | India |
Fossils
[edit]The fossil record of the genus Lestes extends from the Late Eocene to the present, with fossils known from Europe and Asia, indicating a long history and broad distribution.[15]
- †Lestes aquisextana
- †Lestes arvernus
- †Lestes brisaci
- †Lestes ceresti
- †Lestes conexus
- †Lestes datangensis
- †Lestes dianacompteae
- †Lestes forsterii
- †Lestes irenea
- †Lestes leucosia
- †Lestes ligea
- †Lestes lutzi
- †Lestes peisinoe
- †Lestes plicata
- †Lestes regina
- †Lestes sieblosiformis
- †Lestes statzi
- †Lestes vicina
- †Lestes zalesskyi
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Leach, W.E. (1815). "Entomology". In Brewster, D. (ed.). The Edinburgh Encyclopedia. Vol. 9 (reprint 1830 ed.). Edinburgh: William Blackburn. pp. 57–172 [137]. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.30911.
- ↑ "Lestes Leach, 1815". GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. GBIF Secretariat. 2023. doi:10.15468/39omei. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
- ↑ Davies, Allen; Tobin, Pamela (1984). "The dragonflies of the world: A systematic list of the extant species of Odonata. Vol. 1. Zygoptera, Anisozygoptera". Societas Internationalis Odonatologica Rapid Communications (Supplements). 3 (1): 1–127.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Silsby, Jill (2001). Dragonflies of the World. CSIRO Publishing. p. 91. ISBN 0643065121.
- 1 2 3 Theischinger, Günther; Hawking, John (2021). The Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies of Australia (2nd ed.). Melbourne, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. ISBN 9781486313747.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Costantino D’Antonio and Francesca Vegliante. "Derivatio nominis libellularum europæarum" (in Italian). Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ↑ Endersby, Ian; Fliedner, Heinrich (2015). The Naming of Australia's Dragonflies. Eltham, Victoria, Australia: Busybird Publishing. ISBN 9781925260625.
- ↑ Paulson, D.; Schorr, M.; Abbott, J.; Bota-Sierra, C.; Deliry, C.; Dijkstra, K.-D.; Lozano, F. "World Odonata List". OdonataCentral. University of Alabama.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Dragonfly Society of the Americas. "North American Odonata: The Odonata of North America". Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 "British Dragonfly Society". British Dragonfly Society. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "DragonflyPix". DragonflyPix. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- 1 2 Brian Nelson; Robert Thompson (2004). The Natural History of Ireland's Dragonflies. Ulster Museum. ISBN 978-0-900761-45-4.
- 1 2 Jacques d'Aguilar; Jean-Louis Dommanget; René Préchac (1986). Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain, Europe and North Africa. Collins.
- ↑ "The Paleobiology Database". Retrieved 1 June 2026.
