The petaltails of the family Petaluridae are among the most ancient of the extant true dragonflies (infraorder Anisoptera),[2] having fossil members from as early as the Jurassic, over 150 million years ago.
Modern petalurids include only 11 species, one of which, the Australian Petalura ingentissima, is by some measurements the largest of living dragonflies, having a wingspan of up to about 160 mm (6.3 in) and a body length of about 125 mm (4.9 in) (Tetracanthagyna plagiata of another family can match or exceed its wingspan). Another large Australian species is Petalura gigantea, commonly known as the giant dragonfly. In the United States, two species are found, Tanypteryx hageni in the west and Tachopteryx thoreyi in the east. The larvae live primarily in stream banks, mostly in burrows, but the larvae of the eastern US species, Tachopteryx thoreyi, the gray petaltail, live in depressions under wet leaves.[3] The semiaquatic habitat of the larvae makes the petaltails unique in the modern dragonfly families.
^Dijkstra, K.D.B.; et al. (2013). "The classification and diversity of dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata). In: Zhang, Z.-Q. (Ed.) Animal Biodiversity: An Outline of Higher-level Classification and Survey of Taxonomic Richness (Addenda 2013)". Zootaxa. 3703 (1): 36–45. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3703.1.9. hdl:10072/61365.
^Kohli, M., Letsch, H., Greve, C., Béthoux, O., Deregnaucourt, I., Liu, S., Zhou, X., Donath, A., Mayer, C., Podsiadlowski, L., Gunkel, S., Machida, R., Niehuis, O., Rust, J., Wappler, T., Yu, X., Misof, B., & Ware, J. (2021). Evolutionary history and divergence times of Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) revealed through transcriptomics. IScience, 24(11), 103324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2021.103324
^Paulson, Dennis R. (2009). Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-12281-6.
The petaltails of the family Petaluridae are among the most ancient of the extant true dragonflies (infraorder Anisoptera), having fossil members from...
dragonfly. The compound eyes meet at the top of the head (except in the Petaluridae and Gomphidae, as also in the genus Epiophlebia). Also, they have three...
which is extinct. The superfamily includes the following five families: Petaluridae Aeshnidae Gomphidae Austropetaliidae Aktassiidae Wikispecies has information...
wing span of 165 mm (6.5 in), and Petalura ingentissima (Anisoptera: Petaluridae) with a body length of 117 mm (4.6 in) (some sources 125 mm (4.9 in))...
Australian Biological Resources Study. 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2017. "Petaluridae". What Bug is That - The Guide to Australian Insect Families. CSIRO....
This is a list of species of damselflies and dragonflies recorded in Australia. Common names of species are linked, beside their scientific names. The...
This is a list of dragonflies (Odonata) of Canada. Aeshna canadensis, Canada darner Aeshna clepsydra, mottled darner Aeshna constricta, lance-tipped darner...
or south-eastern petaltail, is a species of dragonfly in the family Petaluridae from southeastern Australia. Males have body length of 6–7.5 cm (2.4–3...
Petalura is a genus of very large dragonflies in the family Petaluridae. Species of Petalura are brown or black with yellow markings and usually clear...
or giant western dragonfly, is a species of dragonfly in the family Petaluridae, originating from Western Australia. It resides near the south-western...
(New Zealand bush giant dragonfly) is a giant dragonfly of the family Petaluridae, endemic to New Zealand. Its Māori name, kapokapowai (or kapowai) means...
Zealand mountain giant dragonfly) is a giant dragonfly in the family Petaluridae, endemic to New Zealand. The Māori name for giant dragonflies, kapokapowai...
have small, widely separated compound eyes, a trait they share with the Petaluridae and with damselflies. The eyes are blue, turquoise, or green. The thorax...
petaltail, is an endangered Australian species of dragonfly from the family Petaluridae. This species originates from south-eastern Queensland and prefers swamp...
Petalura pulcherrima is a species of Australian dragonfly in the family Petaluridae, commonly known as a beautiful petaltail. It is a very large and slender...
known as the black petaltail, is a species of dragonfly in the family Petaluridae. It is native to the Pacific Northwest of the North America and is one...
Wolfe, L.S. (1949). Studies of the genus Uropetala selys (Odonata: Petaluridae) from New Zealand. University of New Zealand. Sirvid, P. (February 2018)...
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