Nephepeltia flavipennis (Holotype: Brazil, Rondônia, Governador Jorge Teixeira Municipality, Fazenda Rancho Grande, 10°31'48''S, 62°48'0''W, 165 m, J. Wiseman leg., in MNRJ) is described from the Amazon region of W Brazil, Ecuador, and N Peru. A lectotype is designated for N. aequisetis Calvert, 1909. Nephepeltia chalconota is considered to be a junior subjective synonym of N. flavifrons Karsch...

Dragonfly wings are known as biological composites with high morphological complexity. They mainly consist of a network of rigid veins and flexible membranes, and enable insects to perform various flight manoeuvres. Although several studies have been done on the aerodynamic performance of Odonata wings and the mechanisms involved in their deformations, little is known about the influence of vei...

The order in which the 3 groups of winged insects (the Pterygota) diverged from their common ancestor has important implications for understanding the origin of insect flight. But despite this importance, the split between the Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), Ephemeroptera (mayflies), and Neoptera (the other winged orders) remains very much unresolved. Indeed, previous studies have obtain...

In polymorphic damselflies discrimination of females from males is complex owing to the presence of androchrome and gynochrome females. To date there is no evidence that damselflies use sensory modalities other than vision (and tactile stimuli) in mate searching and sex recognition. The results of the present behavioural and electrophysiological investigations on Ischnura elegans, a polymorphic...

Predictions of mating patterns in animals have focused on males and how they compete for fertilizations by controlling females. With reference to the Odonata, a taxon in which mating requires cooperation of the female, the active role that females play in mating decisions is often ignored, leading to the premature conclusion that male coercion of females is common. A critical review of the outc...