Petalura pulcherrima Tillyard plate LXII

''Petalura pulcherrima'' is a species of Australian

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 ...

in the family

Petaluridae The petaltails of the family Petaluridae are apparently the most ancient of the extant true dragonflies (infraorder Anisoptera), having fossil members from as early as the Jurassic (over 150 million years ago). Modern petalurids include only 11 ...

, commonly known as a beautiful petaltail. It is a very large and slender dragonfly, mostly black or dark brown with yellow markings and its eyes widely separated on top of its head. It has clear wings and a very long, narrow

pterostigma The pterostigma (plural: pterostigmata) is a group of specialized cells in the outer insect wing, wings of insects, which are often thickened or coloured, and thus stand out from other cells. It is particularly noticeable in dragonfly, dragonfli ...

. ''Petalura pulcherrima'' is endemic to coastal rainforests and monsoon-forest streams of Cape York in Queensland, Australia. Like other species of the genus ''Petalura'', its larvae live in burrows beside rainforest streams, with an opening above water level. ''Petalura pulcherrima'' appears similar to '' Petalura ingentissima'' which is larger still and is also found in coastal north-eastern Queensland. ''Petalura pulcherrima'' is rarely seen. The IUCN Red List considers it to be a vulnerable species, with fragmentation of its habitat by human interference a major factor.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1939863 Petaluridae Odonata of Australia Insects of Australia Endemic fauna of Australia Endangered fauna of Australia Taxa named by Robert John Tillyard Insects described in 1913 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot

See also

References