Austrolestes
Genus of damselflies
title: "Austrolestes" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["lestidae", "zygoptera-genera", "odonata-of-oceania", "odonata-of-australia", "odonata-of-new-zealand", "taxa-named-by-robert-john-tillyard", "insects-described-in-1913", "damselflies"] description: "Genus of damselflies" topic_path: "geography/australia" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austrolestes" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Genus of damselflies ::
| image = Austrolestes annulosus.jpg | image_caption = Blue Ringtail (Austrolestes annulosus) | taxon = Austrolestes | authority = Tillyard, 1913 |type_species =Austrolestes cingulatus
Austrolestes is a genus of medium to large-sized damselflies in the family Lestidae.
Description
Austrolestes damselflies sit with their wings folded completely back. Males are usually bright blue and black, the females duller.
Distribution
Members of this genus are found in Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific islands.
Species
The genus Austrolestes includes the following species:
::data[format=table]
| Male | Female | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austrolestes aleison Watson & Moulds, 1979 | Western ringtail | south-western Australia | ||
| [[File:Slender ringtail damselfy Austrolestes analis male (31718210563).jpg | 120px]] | [[File:Slender ringtail.jpg | 120px]] | Austrolestes analis (Rambur, 1842) |
| [[File:Common blue damselfly02.jpg | 120px]] | [[File:Blue Ringtail, Austrolestes annulosus, female.jpg | 120px]] | Austrolestes annulosus (Selys, 1862) |
| Austrolestes aridus (Tillyard, 1908) | Inland ringtail | Australia | ||
| [[File:Austrolestes cingulatus male.jpg | 120px]] | [[File:Austrolestes cingulatus03.jpg | 120px]] | Austrolestes cingulatus (Burmeister, 1839) |
| [[File:KF Austrolestes colensonis 1.jpg | 120px]] | [[File:Austrolestes colensonis by Christopher Stephens.jpg | 120px]] | Austrolestes colensonis (White, 1846) |
| [[File:Northern Ringtail 3442.jpg | 120px]] | Austrolestes insularis Tillyard, 1913 | Northern ringtail | |
| [[File:Iota-Ringtail Austrolestes-io male.jpg | 120px]] | Austrolestes io (Selys, 1862) | Iota ringtail | |
| [[File:Blue damselfly (31562452651).jpg | 120px]] | [[File:20080211 Chelsea Damselfly On Oleander Leaf.jpg | 120px]] | Austrolestes leda (Selys, 1862) |
| [[File:Austrolestes minjerriba (49738407742).jpg | 120px]] | Austrolestes minjerriba Watson, 1979 | Dune ringtail | |
| [[File:Cup ringtail damselfly Austrolestes psyche (22219876471).jpg | 120px]] | [[File:Cup ringtail damselfy Austrolested psyche (37325196754).jpg | 120px]] | Austrolestes psyche (Hagen in Selys, 1862) |
| :: |
Etymology
The genus name Austrolestes is derived from the latin word auster meaning south wind, hence south; and the damselfly genus Lestes, which is from the Greek word λῃστής meaning a robber. In 1913, Robin Tillyard described the genus Austrolestes as having characters similar to the very large genus Lestes, which, unlike Austrolestes, sit with their wings outspread.
References
References
- Tillyard, R.J.. (1913). "On some new and rare Australian Agrionidae (Odonata)". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales.
- (2012). "Genus ''Austrolestes'' Tillyard, 1913". [[Australian Biological Resources Study]].
- "World Odonata List". [[University of Puget Sound]].
- Endersby, I.. (2012). "Watson and Theischinger: the etymology of the dragonfly (Insecta: Odonata) names which they published". Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::