Meeting Abstract

52.5  Tuesday, Jan. 5  Life on the Fly: Evolution and Ecology of the Endangered Helicopter Damselflies (Odonata: Pseudostigmatidae) INGLEY, S.J.*; BYBEE, S.M.; BRANHAM, M.A.; WHITING, M.F.; Univ. of Florida; Univ. of California, Irvine; Univ. of Florida; Brigham Young University sjingley@gmail.com

Helicopter damselflies (Odonata: Pseudostigmatidae) form a relatively small, yet dynamic group of endangered odonates (including the largest extant odonate, Megaloprepus caerulatus, with a wingspan of ~190 mm). This highly specialized group is found in primary-growth rainforest (Central and South America; one East African species) where they oviposit exclusively in phytotelmata and are specialist foragers on orb weaver spiders which are plucked from their web. Pseudostigmatids exhibit unique wing structure within Zygoptera, and within Pseudostigmatidae both broad and narrow wing forms exist. This unique wing structure may account for the unique behaviors present in this group. Oviposition, spider-feeding and wing form evolution are examined for the first time within an evolutionary context using modern phylogenetic methods of tree reconstruction and character optimization. Phylogenetic analyses were performed on a data set composed of 60 morphological characters and ~5.2kb of sequence data (Mitochondrial loci: 12S, 16S, COII, ND1; Nuclear loci: 28S, H3, EF1α). Findings include: monophyletic Pseudostigmatidae; Coryphagrion grandis (East African species) as sister to all Neotropical genera; and Pericnemis as sister to Pseudostigmatidae. The genera Mecistogaster and Pseudostigma are monophyletic while Microstigma forms a monophyletic group with Megaloprepus. Oviposition in phytotelmata evolved multiple times within Zygoptera, with several subsequent losses. Spider-feeding evolved once and is unique to Pseudostigmatidae. There are two separate origins of narrow wings within Pseudostigmatidae.