Epitheca

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Cladus: Odonatoptera
Cladus: Holodonata
Ordo: Odonata
Subordo: Epiprocta
Infraordo: Anisoptera
Superfamilia: Libelluloidea

Familia: Corduliidae
Subfamilia: Corduliinae
Genus: Epitheca
Species: E. bimaculata – E. canis – E. costalis – E. cynosura – E. marginata – E. petechialis – E. princeps – E. semiaquea – E. sepia – E. spinigera – E. spinosa – E. stella
Name
Epitheca Burmeister, 1839

Epitheca is a genus of dragonflies in the family Corduliidae. They are commonly known as baskettails. Baskettails' distinction is the specially adapted, upturned abdomen tip of the females which allows them to carry their egg masses in a small, orange-tinted globule.[1]

Some authorities spin off the North American baskettails into two new genera, Epicordulia and Tetragoneuria, but this has not gained widespread acceptance and most references place them under this genus.[2]

Species

The genus contains the following species:[3]

Epitheca bimaculata (Charpentier, 1825) – Eurasian baskettail
Epitheca canis (McLachlan, 1886) – beaverpond baskettail
Epitheca costalis (Selys, 1871) – slender baskettail or stripe-winged baskettail
Epitheca cynosura (Say, 1840) – common baskettail
Epitheca marginata (Selys, 1883)
Epitheca petechialis (Muttkowski, 1911) – dot-winged baskettail
Epitheca princeps Hagen, 1861 – prince baskettail
Epitheca semiaquea (Burmeister, 1839) – mantled baskettail
Epitheca sepia (Gloyd, 1933) – sepia baskettail
Epitheca spinigera (Selys, 1871) – spiny baskettail
Epitheca spinosa (Hagen in Selys, 1878) – robust baskettail
Epitheca stella (Williamson in Muttkowski, 1911) – Florida baskettail

Notes

"Baskettails".
Garrison, Rosser W.; von Ellenrieder, Natalia; Louton, Jerry A. (2006). Dragonfly Genera of the New World. The Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 157. ISBN 0-8018-8446-2.

Martin Schorr; Martin Lindeboom; Dennis Paulson. "World Odonata List". University of Puget Sound. Retrieved 11 August 2010.

References

"North American Odonata". University of Puget Sound. 2009. Archived from the original on 11 July 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
Genus Epitheca - Baskettails, BugGuide
Image of female baskettail sp. with egg mass on tip of tail