Plathemis is a small genus of dragonflies in the family Libellulidae. It has been considered a synonym of Libellula, subgenus, or separate genus by different authorities. Recent phylogenetic analysis has supported its status as either a subgenus or a full genus.[1][2]

Plathemis
Immature male common whitetail (Plathemis lydia)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Infraorder: Anisoptera
Family: Libellulidae
Genus: Plathemis
Hagen, 1861


Species edit

It contains two species:

Male Female Scientific name Common Name Distribution
    Plathemis lydia (Drury, 1770) common whitetail or long-tailed skimmer North America
  Plathemis subornata (Hagen, 1861) desert whitetail United States (Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Kansas, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington.), Mexico


References edit

  1. ^ Artiss T, Schultz TR, Polhemus DA, Simon C (2001). "Molecular phylogenetic analysis of the dragonfly genera Libellula, Ladona, and Plathemis (Odonata: Libellulidae) based on mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I and 16S rRNA sequence data". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 18 (3): 348–61. doi:10.1006/mpev.2000.0867. PMID 11277629.
  2. ^ Kambhampati, Srinivas; Charlton, Ralph E. (1999). "Phylogenetic relationship among Libellula, Ladona and Plathemis (Odonata: Libellulidae) based on DNA sequence of mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene". Systematic Entomology. 24 (1): 37–49. doi:10.1046/j.1365-3113.1999.00066.x. S2CID 83165475.

External links edit