Devadatta is a genus of damselflies in the family Devadattidae.[2][3] Species of Devadatta inhabit forest streams in Southeast Asia, with the greatest diversity occurring in Borneo.[4] The family Devadattidae contains only the genus Devadatta and about 13 described species.[5][3]
Members of the genus are medium-sized damselflies characterised by their broad wings and distinctive wing venation. They are typically found in shaded forest habitats and are often associated with small streams.[4]
Devadatta was formerly included in Amphipterygidae, but morphological and molecular studies showed that the traditional concept of that family grouped together several unrelated lineages. Modern classifications therefore recognise Devadatta as the sole genus of the family Devadattidae.[2][6]
Taxonomic history
Devadatta was traditionally placed within Amphipterygidae, a family that formerly included several geographically isolated genera from Asia, Africa and the Americas.[7][2] Morphological studies supported the distinctiveness of Devadatta, while molecular analyses failed to support a close relationship between the genera historically included in Amphipterygidae.[8][9][2]
Dijkstra et al. (2014) concluded that these lineages are best treated as separate families and established Devadattidae for the genus Devadatta.[2] Subsequent phylogenomic analyses supported the recognition of Devadattidae as a distinct family of damselflies.[6]
Species
The following species are currently placed in Devadatta:[3]
- Devadatta aran Dow, Hämäläinen & Stokvis, 2015
- Devadatta argyoides (Selys, 1859)
- Devadatta basilanensis Laidlaw, 1934
- Devadatta clavicauda Dow, Hämäläinen & Stokvis, 2015
- Devadatta cyanocephala Hämäläinen, Sasamoto & Karube, 2006
- Devadatta ducatrix Lieftinck, 1969
- Devadatta glaucinotata Sasamoto, 2003
- Devadatta kompieri Phan, Sasamoto & Hayashi, 2015
- Devadatta multinervosa Fraser, 1933
- Devadatta podolestoides Laidlaw, 1934
- Devadatta sokoh Dow, Hämäläinen & Stokvis, 2015
- Devadatta tanduk Dow, Hämäläinen & Stokvis, 2015
- Devadatta yokoii Phan, Sasamoto & Hayashi, 2015
Etymology
The family name Devadattidae is derived from the type genus Devadatta, with the standard zoological suffix -idae used for animal families.
The genus name Devadatta was introduced by Kirby in 1890 as a replacement name for Tetraneura Selys, 1859, which was preoccupied.[1] Kirby did not explain the derivation of the name. It is probably derived from the Sanskrit देवदत्त (Devadatta), meaning “given by the gods” or “god-given”.
References
- ^ a b Kirby, W.F. (1890). A Synonymic Catalogue of Neuroptera Odonata, or Dragonflies. With an Appendix of fossil species. London: Gurney & Jackson. pp. 202 [111]. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.5534.
- ^ a b c d e f Dijkstra, Klaas-Douwe B.; Kalkman, Vincent J.; Dow, Rory A.; Stokvis, Frank R.; et al. (2014). “Redefining the damselfly families: a comprehensive molecular phylogeny of Zygoptera (Odonata)”. Systematic Entomology. 39 (1): 68–96. Bibcode:2014SysEn..39…68D. doi:10.1111/syen.12035.
- ^ a b c Paulson, D.; Schorr, M.; Abbott, J.; Bota-Sierra, C.; Deliry, C.; Dijkstra, K.-D.; Lozano, F. “World Odonata List”. OdonataCentral. University of Alabama. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
- ^ a b Dow, Rory A.; Hämäläinen, Matti; Stokvis, Frank R. (2015). “Revision of the genus Devadatta Kirby, 1890 in Borneo based on molecular and morphological methods, with descriptions of four new species (Odonata: Zygoptera: Devadattidae)”. Zootaxa. 4033 (3): 301–349. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4033.3.1. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 26624409.
- ^ “Devadatta“. GBIF. Retrieved 2020-10-27.
- ^ a b Bybee, S. M.; Kalkman, V. J.; Erickson, R. J.; Frandsen, P. B.; Breinholt, J. W.; Suvorov, A.; Ware, J. L. (2021). “Phylogeny and classification of Odonata using targeted genomics”. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 160: 1–15. Bibcode:2021MolPE.16007115B. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107115. hdl:11093/2768. PMID 33609713.
- ^ Bridges, Charles A. (1994). Catalogue of the family-group, genus-group and species-group names of the Odonata of the world (3rd ed.). Urbana, Illinois: Charles A. Bridges. p. II.1. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.15291.
- ^ Rehn, A.C. (2003). “Phylogenetic analysis of higher-level relationships of Odonata”. Systematic Entomology. 28 (2): 181–239. Bibcode:2003SysEn..28..181R. doi:10.1046/j.1365-3113.2003.00210.x.
- ^ Bybee, S.M.; Ogden, T.H.; Branham, M.A.; Whiting, M.F. (2008). “Molecules, morphology and fossils: a comprehensive approach to odonate phylogeny and the evolution of the odonate wing”. Cladistics. 24 (4): 477–514. doi:10.1111/j.1096-0031.2007.00191.x. PMID 34879634.
Further reading
- Kalkman, V. J. (2013). Studies on phylogeny and biogeography of damselflies (Odonata) with emphasis on the Argiolestidae (PhD). Leiden University. hdl:1887/22953.