''Megalagrion'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

damselflies Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies, which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Anisoptera, but are smaller and have slimmer bodies. Most species fold the wings along ...

in the family

Coenagrionidae The insect family Coenagrionidae is placed in the order Odonata and the suborder Zygoptera. The Zygoptera are the damselflies, which although less known than the dragonflies, are no less common. More than 1,300 species are in this family, making i ...

. It contains approximately 26 species, all of which are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. Megalagrion damselflies are the only native damselflies in

, and are referred to as " pinapinao" in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. Other native Hawaiian

dragonfly A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...

species include '' Anax strenuus'' and ''Nesogonia Blackburni,'' which are referred to as "pinao". Nymphal ''Megalagrion'' live in widely diverse habitats, including the expected streams and pools. ''Megalagrion'' also exploit some surprising habitats such as plant

leaf A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...

axils of the 'ie'ie vine,

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

faces and seeps, and even damp

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except t ...

litter Litter consists of waste products that have been discarded incorrectly, without consent, at an unsuitable location. Litter can also be used as a verb; to litter means to drop and leave objects, often man-made, such as aluminum cans, paper cups, ...

outside of the water. '' M. oahuense'' is the only species of damselfly whose

naiad In Greek mythology, the naiads (; grc-gre, ναϊάδες, naïádes) are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water. They are distinct from river gods, who ...

is terrestrial, living in damp leaf litter under banks of uluhe ferns until

metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation. Some inse ...

. Many species of ''Megalagrion'' are in danger due to habitat loss and predation by non-native fish such as

mosquitofish The western Mosquitofish (''Gambusia affinis'') is a North American freshwater fish, also known commonly, if ambiguously, as simply Mosquitofish or by its generic name, ''Gambusia'', or by the common name gambezi. Its sister species, the easte ...

. To protect them, non-native fish should never be released in Hawaiian streams. The genus contains the following species: *'' Megalagrion adytum'' - adytum swamp damselfly *'' Megalagrion amaurodytum'' *'' Megalagrion blackburni'' *'' Megalagrion calliphya'' *'' Megalagrion deceptor'' *'' Megalagrion dinesiotes'' *'' Megalagrion eudytum'' *'' Megalagrion hawaiiense'' *'' Megalagrion heterogamias'' *'' Megalagrion jugorum'' - Maui upland damselfly, (

Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...

, Critically Endangered) *'' Megalagrion kauaiense'' *'' Megalagrion koelense'' - Koele mountain damselfly *'' Megalagrion leptodemas'' - crimson Hawaiian damselfly *'' Megalagrion mauka'' *'' Megalagrion molokaiense'' - Molokai damselfly *'' Megalagrion nesiotes'' - flying earwig Hawaiian damselfly *'' Megalagrion nigrohamatum'' - nigrohamatum damselfly *'' Megalagrion oahuense'' - Oahu damselfly *'' Megalagrion oceanicum'' - oceanic Hawaiian damselfly *'' Megalagrion oresitrophum'' *'' Megalagrion orobates'' *'' Megalagrion pacificum'' - Pacific Hawaiian damselfly *'' Megalagrion paludicola'' - Kauai bog damselfly *'' Megalagrion vagabundum'' *'' Megalagrion williamsoni'' *'' Megalagrion xanthomelas'' - orangeblack Hawaiian damselfly

References

Coenagrionidae Endemic fauna of Hawaii Taxa named by Robert McLachlan (entomologist) Zygoptera genera {{Coenagrionidae-stub