Neopetalia punctata (Hagen in Selys, 1854)
Neopetalia punctata is the only species in this monotypic genus of New World dragonflies. Easily recognized by four reddish blotches present on the costal margin of the wings and yellowish orange pterostigmata (Carle and Louton, 1994), these medium sized dragonflies are restircted to Chile and Argentina (Garrison et al., 2006).
Medium-sized Chilean dragonfly with four brownish read splotches on the costal margin of the wing, known for weak, fluttery flight above silt bottomed streams and seeps (Carle and Louton, 1994; Carle, pers. comm).
Medium-sized Chilean dragonfly with four brownish read splotches on the costal margin of the wing, known for weak, fluttery flight above silt bottomed streams and seeps (Carle and Louton, 1994; Carle, pers. comm).
The colouration on the wings may be a form of mimicry. Austropetaliidae (sensu Carle ad Louton, 1994) also posses splotches on the wings, and until 1994 these taxa were all commonly grouped together. Carle and Louton (1994) and Carle (pers. comm.) have suggested that these splotches are used by Neopetalia to mimic austropetaliids, whose splotches are considered to be warning patterns signifying that they may be distasteful.
This species has been sequenced several times. Gene fragments include 12S and 16S mitchondrial ribosome, 18S and 28S nuclear ribosome.
Larvae superficially resemble Cordulegaster. Adults have red spots on their wings, and so were considered to be close relatives to Austropetaliidae, who also have spots on their wings, until work by Carle and Louton (1994). Since then, molecular data has supported Neopetaliidae as sister to the Cordulegastridae, within the Libelluloidea (e.g., Carle et al., 2009; Letsch, unpublished; Ware et al., 2007; Misof, 2001).
This species has been sequenced several times. Gene fragments include 12S and 16S mitchondrial ribosome, 18S and 28S nuclear ribosome.NMNH collections:331101; present also in the Rutgers University collection. GenBank Accession Numbers: AF266085, EF631247, EF631338, EF631452, EF31563, FJ009964, FJ00021, EU477684.
Body size: 57-58 mm (Garrison et al., 2006). Neopetalia punctata is distinct due to its 4 reddish blotches on the costal side of its wings. The body of Neopetalia is unusually hairy, and the 5-8 abdominal terga have tufts of long black hair (Carle and Louton, 1994). Larvae posess 5-6 irregular labial teeth with no dorsomedial setae, and a scoop-like prementm (Carle and Louton, 1994).
Cowley, 1934 nom. subst. pro Petalia HAGEN in SELYS, 1854, nec Petalia XXX (for further information see Carle and Louton, 1994 and Bechly, 1996). Originally described as Petalia by Selys 1854, the genus was later redescribed by Cowley as Neopetalia. Neopetaliidae was erected by Tillyard and Fraser, in 1940. The family became monogeneric after Carle and Louton (1994), who created the Austropetaliidae to place the remaining taxa with spotted wings, which are now considered to be closely related to other aeshnoid taxa. Neopetalia was placed with what is now considered Zoranea in the legion Cordulegaster by Selys in 854, but subsequent additions of several aeshnoid taxa to the family, such as Phyllopetalia, which also possess wing spots, led to decades of invalid taxonomic assumptions (Selys, 1858; 1869; 1878; Fraser 1929; 1957; 1960; Tillyard and Fraser, 1940; Schmidt, 1941; Davies and Tobin, 1985). Recent works have reclassified the taxon (Carle and Louton, 1994; Garrison et al., 2006) and phylogenetic analyses support its new placement (Misof et al., 2001; Misof et al., 2002; Misof et al., 2003; Ware et al., 2007; Letsch, 2007; Ware et al., 2008, Fleck et al., 2008). Neopetalia is currently considered to be sister to the non-cordulegastrid Libelluloidea.
Ecology and Distribution
New World, Southern Chile and SW Argentina
Flight season: October-January. Females were observed patrolling around plants near a waterfall in Chile (Frank Carle, personal communication). Flight style is fluttery, and adults are frequently seen flying 5-15 metres above seeps (Carle and Louton, 1994).
Silt bottomed streams and seeps less than 1/2 meter wide and 10 cm deep (Carle and Louton, 1994).
Females oviposit alone, not in tandem (Frank Carle, pers. comm.). The tenth sternite is expanded to a crude splash plate in females, potentially for use during oviposition (Carle and Louton, 1994)