Lestidae facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lestidae
Female Austrolestes cingulatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Odonata
Suborder:	Zygoptera
Family:	Lestidae Calvert, 1901

The Lestidae are a family of large, slender damselflies found all over the world. They are commonly known as spreadwings or spread-winged damselflies because of how they hold their wings.

This family has two main groups, called subfamilies: Lestinae and Sympecmatinae. Damselflies in the Lestinae group usually rest with their wings partly open. But those in the Sympecmatinae group, which include reedlings, ringtails, and winter damselflies, rest with their wings folded close to their bodies. Scientists sometimes disagree on the exact number of types (genera) in this family, with some saying there are twelve and others eight.

What Makes Spreadwings Special?

Most damselflies rest with their wings folded together, but most members of the Lestidae family hold their wings at an angle away from their bodies. This is why they are called "spreadwings."

A male Lestes dryas showing the "spread-winged" posture that gives the family its common name.

They have a special dark spot on their wings called a pterostigma. This spot is usually longer than in other damselflies. Another part of their wing, called the quadrilateral (a small section near the body), has a sharp angle at its end. Their bodies often have a shiny, metallic green color. Male spreadwings have long, curved body parts called claspers, which they use to hold the female during mating.

Life Cycle and Where They Live

Spreadwings lay their eggs in slow-moving or still water. This includes quiet parts of streams, swamps, marshes, and even temporary pools that might dry up later. The young damselflies, called nymphs, have long bodies and a unique lower lip (prementum). In North America, these damselflies usually have one generation born each year.

Different Kinds of Spreadwings

Here are some of the different types (genera) of spreadwings:

• Archilestes Selys, 1862
• Austrolestes Tillyard, 1913
• Chalcolestes
• Indolestes Fraser, 1922
• Lestes Leach, 1815
• Orolestes
• Platylestes
• Sinhalestes
• Sympecma

See also

In Spanish: Léstidos para niños