Cordulephya
Genus of dragonflies
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cordulephya is a genus of dragonflies in the family Austrocorduliidae,[2][3] endemic to eastern Australia.[4] Species are small to tiny, black or purplish-black with yellowish markings. Unusually for Anisoptera, they rest with their wings folded above the body, similar to some damselflies.[4][5] They are commonly known as shutwings.
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| Cordulephya | |
|---|---|
| |
| Cordulephya pygmaea | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Infraorder: | Anisoptera |
| Family: | Austrocorduliidae |
| Genus: | Cordulephya Selys, 1870[1] |
 | |
| Range of Cordulephya in eastern Australia | |
Species
The genus includes four recognised species:[3][6]
- Cordulephya bidens Sjöstedt, 1917 – tropical shutwing
- Cordulephya divergens Tillyard, 1917 – clubbed shutwing
- Cordulephya montana Tillyard, 1911 – mountain shutwing
- Cordulephya pygmaea Selys, 1870 – common shutwing
Taxonomy
Cordulephya was originally grouped within the broad family concept that included the corduliines.[1] It was subsequently placed in the family Corduliidae, a treatment widely used throughout much of the twentieth century.[7] Some classifications have recognised a separate family, Cordulephyidae, for the shutwings.[8] Later reviews were uncertain of its family relationships, and the genus was treated as incertae sedis within the superfamily Libelluloidea.[9] Phylogenetic studies have since clarified its relationships, and Cordulephya is now placed in the family Austrocorduliidae.[2]
