Odonata families

Calopterygidae is a family of damselflies, in the suborder Zygoptera. They are commonly known as the broad-winged damselflies, demoiselles, or jewelwings. These rather large damselflies have wingspans of 50–80 mm (compared to about 44 mm in the common bluetail damselfly, Ischnura elegans), are often metallic-coloured, and can be differentiated from other damselflies by the broader connection between the wings and the body, as opposed to the abrupt narrowing seen in other damselfly families. The family contains some 150 species.

Coenagrionidae is a family of damselflies, also known as pond damselflies, 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 it the largest damselfly family. The family Coenagrionidae has six subfamilies: Agriocnemidinae, Argiinae, Coenagrioninae, Ischnurinae, Leptobasinae, and Pseudagrioninae.

The Gomphidae are a family of dragonflies commonly referred to as clubtails or club-tailed dragonflies. The family contains about 90 genera and 900 species found across North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa. The name refers to the club-like widening of the end of the abdomen (abdominal segments 7 through 9). However, this club is usually less pronounced in females and is entirely absent in some species.

The chasers, darters, skimmers, and perchers and their relatives form the Libellulidae, the largest family of dragonflies. It is sometimes considered to contain the Corduliidae as the subfamily Corduliinae and the Macromiidae as the subfamily Macromiinae. Even if these are excluded (as Silsby does), there remains a family of over 1000 species. With nearly worldwide distribution, these are the most commonly encountered dragonflies.

Aeshnidae, also called aeshnids, hawkers, or darners, is a family of dragonflies, found nearly worldwide, with more than 50 genera and over 450 species.

Corduliidae, also knowns as the emeralds, emerald dragonflies, or green-eyed skimmers, is a family of dragonflies. These dragonflies are usually black or dark brown with areas of metallic green or yellow, and most of them have large, emerald-green eyes. The larvae are black, hairy-looking, and usually semiaquatic. This family include species called "baskettails", "emeralds", "sundragons", "shadowdragons", and "boghaunters". They are not uncommon and are found nearly worldwide, but some individual species are quite rare. Hine's emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana), for example, is an endang

The Lestidae are a rather small family of cosmopolitan, large-sized, slender damselflies, known commonly as the spreadwings or spread-winged damselflies.

The Cordulegastridae are a family of Odonata (dragonflies) from the suborder Anisoptera. They are commonly known as spiketails. Some vernacular names for the species of this family are biddie and flying adder. They have large, brown or black bodies with yellow markings, and narrow unpatterned wings. Their bright eyes touch at a single point, and they can be found along small, clear, woodland streams, flying slowly 30 to 70 cm above the water. When disturbed, however, they can fly very rapidly. They usually hunt high in forest vegetation, and prefer to capture prey resting on leaves or bra

thumb|Malagasy featherleg (Proplatycnemis hova) thumb|Proplatycnemis alatipes female The Platycnemididae are a family of damselflies. They are known commonly as white-legged damselflies. There are over 400 species native to the Old World. The family is divided into several subfamilies.

The petaltails, also called graybacks, of the family Petaluridae are among the most ancient of the extant true dragonflies (infraorder Anisoptera), having fossil members from as early as the Jurassic, over 150 million years ago. A 2024 molecular phylogeny found that the petaltails comprise two clades, a Gondwanan clade and a Laurasian clade. Their divergence time was estimated at 160 million years ago.

Chlorocyphidae is a family of damselflies, commonly known as jewels or heliodors. These are colorful species native to the Old World tropics, where they occur along forest streams. They are most diverse in Southeast Asia.

Austropetaliidae is a small family of dragonflies occurring in Chile, Argentina and Australia. Members of Austropetaliidae can be medium-sized to large dragonflies.

Megapodagrionidae is a family of damselflies. They are commonly called flatwings for their habit of spreading out their wings horizontally when at rest.

Platystictidae is a family of damselflies, commonly known as shadowdamsels. They look very similar to the threadtail damselfly family (Protoneuridae). They can mostly be found throughout Asia, Central America, and South America.

Euphaeidae, sometimes incorrectly named Epallagidae and commonly called gossamerwings, is a family of damselflies in the odonate superfamily Calopterygoidea. The family is small, consisting of around 78 species living species in nine genera occurring in the Palearctic, Australasia, and Asia. The family contains two subfamilies, Euphaeinae, encompassing all the living species and a single fossil genus, and the extinct Eodichromatinae, encompassing fossil genera from the Eocene to late Oligocene. Euphaeid species are large and mostly metallic-coloured, looking similar to species of damselflies i

Synthemistidae is a family of dragonflies commonly known as tigertails, or sometimes, southern emeralds. This family is part of the superfamily Libelluloidea.

Isostictidae is a family of small to medium-sized damselflies restricted to Australia, New Caledonia, and New Guinea. It contains 12 genera and more than 40 species. Members of this family resemble species in the former threadtail family (Protoneuridae).

Macromiidae is a family of dragonflies. The family contains species known as cruisers or skimmers. They are known to fly over bodies of water and roads. They are similar to Aeshnidae in size, but with green eyes that barely meet at the top of their head.

The Pseudostigmatinae are a subfamily of tropical damselflies belonging to the family Coenagrionidae, known as helicopter damselflies, giant damselflies, or forest giants. The subfamily includes the largest of all damselfly species. They specialize in preying on web-building spiders, and breed in phytotelmata, the small bodies of water held by plants such as bromeliads.

The Perilestidae are a family of damselflies commonly known as shortwings and twigtails. It is a small family of around 19 species. All extant species are native to the Neotropical realm. In the past Nubiolestes of Africa was included in this family, but this is doubted. Palaeoperilestes electronicus is an extinct species described from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber.

REDIRECT Amphipteryx

The Lestoideidae are a family of damselflies occurring in South-east Asia, New Guinea and Australia. The family comprises two genera and nine species.

The Synlestidae are a family of damselflies commonly known as sylphs or malachites. They occur in Sub-Saharan Africa, Australia, Asia and the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean.

The Polythoridae are a family of damselflies. They are found in New World tropics. The family contains 58 species.

The Dicteriadidae are a small family of damselflies with only two species in two monotypic genera. The family is endemic to South America.

The Chlorogomphidae are a family of Odonata (dragonflies) from the suborder Anisoptera, native to Asia.

REDIRECT Pseudolestes

Hemiphlebiidae is a family of damselflies. It contains only one extant species, the ancient greenling, native to south-eastern Australia and Tasmania. The fossil record of the group extends back to the Late Jurassic, making them the oldest known crown group damselflies.

Argiolestidae is a family of flat-wing damselflies in the order Odonata. There are at least 20 genera and more than 160 described species in Argiolestidae.

REDIRECT Neopetalia