Rhipidolestidae Silsby, 2001

Bybee, Seth M., Kalkman, Vincent J., Erickson, Robert J., Frandsen, Paul B., Breinholt, Jesse W., Suvorov, Anton, Dijkstra, Klaas-Douwe B., Cordero-Rivera, Adolfo, Skevington, Jeffrey H., Abbott, John C., Herrera, Melissa Sanchez, Lemmon, Alan R., Lemmon, Emily Moriarty & Ware, Jessica L., 2021, Phylogeny and classification of Odonata using targeted genomics, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 160, pp. 107115-107115 : 10

Rhipidolestidae Silsby, 2001 stat. res.

(type genus: Rhipidolestes Ris, 1912 )

— medium sized to fairly large (hindwing 25–40 mm) damselflies with a slender appearance and relatively long legs. Wings clear with the exception of some species of Rhipidolestes , which have dark tips or extensive transverse bands. Wings with two Ax; numerous intercalated veins distally in radial fields. Arculus roughly at three-fourths of distance between wing base and node; quadrangle without cross-veins. R4 originates at subnode; IR3 originates slightly distal of subnode in Agriomorpha , Bornargiolestes and Burmargiolestes . In Rhipidolestes the node is much more distal in the wing with the arculus slightly distal than half of distance between wing base and node with R4 and IR3 originating about midway between second Ax and the node. Pterostigmata rectangular and slightly inflated, about one and a half to two times as long as broad; dark or (in some Rhipidolestes ) yellow or reddish. Head, thorax and abdomen black; face in many species with extensive yellow, red, or blue pattern; thorax with limited yellow pattern and pruinose in some species of Rhipidolestes ; abdomen with narrow pale rings anteriorly on the segments and segments 8 to 10 with dorsal blue pattern in Agriomorpha and some species of Rhipidolestes . Legs notably brightly colored pale yellow to red. Adult male cerci are pincer-shaped and typically narrowed about a fifth of their length from their apex, thus forming a finger-like point. Paraprocts can be both short and long, reaching about two-thirds the length of the cerci. Rhipidolestes males carry a sturdy dorsal spine posteriorly on abdominal segment 9. Genital ligula with setae on shaft; apex divided into two lobes, which in most species are broad and directed sideward. Nymphs of Agriomorpha , Bornargiolestes and Burmargiolestes not formally described. Nymphs of Rhipidolestes with relatively short stocky abdomen and saccoid abdominal gills with terminal filament of about a fourth to a third the length of the gills. Included genera: Rhipidolestes , Agriomorpha , Bornargiolestes and Burmargiolestes .