[Odonata-l] Odonata morphology, or, "name that sclerite"
Nick and Ailsa Donnelly
tdonelly at binghamton.edu
Fri Apr 20 11:35:57 PDT 2007
I have been puzzling over morphological terminology recently, as I prepare
illustrations of North American odonates. There is a tiny sclerite (I now
think it is a distinct sclerite) which does not seem to have a name, and I
am hoping that someone can tell me what it is. Also what is its derivation?
Most of the historic gurus of odonate morphology (Tillyard, Asahina, Whedon)
don't mention it at all.
In coenagrionid male damselflies, there is a small rounded-triangular
process at the base of the parapricts, in lateral view. I had assume this
was just part of the paraproct itself, and then I found that one of my
undescribed Fijian Nesobasis has this process enlarged and seemingly not
just a part of the paraproct after all. In North American coenagrionids,
this process is most conspicuous in Argia. I have also seen it in some
Platycnemidids, so it is not confined to coenagrionids. I have not noted it
in a cursory look at Lestes.
Can someone tell me what this darn thing is called?
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