Phylogeny of Neotropical Protoneuridae (Odonata: Zygoptera) and a preliminary study of their relationship with related families

Abstract

A cladistic analysis of Neotropical Protoneuridae was performed on a data matrix of 48 morphological characters and 43 terminal taxa. Representatives of Paleotropical Protoneuridae, Platycnemididae and Isostictidae were included to test their relationships with Neotropical Protoneuridae. Coenagrionidae was chosen as the outgroup, but alternative analyses with Platycnemididae as the outgroup were also performed. Protoneuridae appears as a polyphyletic clade, with its Paleotropical component being more closely related to Platycnemididae and Isostictidae. Neotropical Protoneuridae appear as a monophyletic clade; included genera considered monophyletic or valid monotypic taxa are

<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;">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) </span></span>

“…The monophyly of Libellulidae is strongly supported (Bybee et al 2008;Dumont et al 2010;Fleck et al 2008b;Ware et al 2007). Although a few clusters of related genera have been identified, no overall divisions are apparent (Fleck et al 2008a;Ware et al 2007;2008;Pilgrim & von Dohlen 2007). Of many named subfamilies, only Urothemistidae Lieftinck, 1954(= Macrodiplactidae Fraser, 1957 is sometimes recognized as a family (e.g.…”

“…Studies incorporating other morphological features, such as those of genitalia and larvae, may help overcome this (e.g. Fleck et al 2008a;Pessacq 2008;Rehn 2003;von Ellenrieder 2002), as increasingly are genetic studies (e.g. Bybee et al 2008;Dumont et al 2010).…”

Redefining the damselfly families: a comprehensive molecular phylogeny of Zygoptera (Odonata)

“…Dijkstra & Vick, ; Ware et al , ; Pilgrim & von Dohlen, ; Fleck et al , ; Blanke et al , ). The same applies, perhaps more so, in Zygoptera (O'Grady & May, ; Carle et al , ; Pessacq, ), in which systematic challenges remain in groups with the most simplified venation (mostly Coenagrionoidea) and those characterized by the potentially highly homoplasious insertion of supplementary longitudinal veins (mostly Megapodagrionidae).…”

The Australian monsoon tropics as a barrier for exchange of dragonflies (Insecta: Odonata) between New Guinea and Australia

“…The exception is the group comprising the Old World representatives of Protoneuridae, which are here placed in the family Disparoneuridae. The New World representatives of this family, including the type genus Protoneura, have been shown to belong to the Coenagrionidae and do not seem to be closely related to the Old World Protoneuridae (Carle et al, 2008;Pessacq, 2008) necessitating the use of the available family group name, Disparoneuridae. With the exception of Brachytroninae which might be polyphyletic all of the families and subfamilies have shown to be monophyletic (see Table 1).…”