# Austrolestes

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***Austrolestes*** is a [genus](/source/Genus) of medium to large-sized [damselflies](/source/Damselfly) in the family [Lestidae](/source/Lestidae).[2]

## Description

*Austrolestes* damselflies sit with their wings folded completely back.[1] Males are usually bright blue and black, the females duller.

## Distribution

Members of this genus are found in [Australia](/source/Australia), [New Zealand](/source/New_Zealand) and [South Pacific islands](/source/Australasia).[3][4]

## Etymology

The genus name *Austrolestes* combines the prefix *austro-* (from Latin *auster*, meaning “south wind”, hence “southern”) with *[Lestes](/source/Lestes)*, a genus name derived from Greek λῃστής (*lēstēs*, “robber”). The name refers to a southern representative of that group.[5]

## Species

The genus *Austrolestes* includes the following species:[6]

Male Female Scientific name Common name Distribution Austrolestes aleison Watson & Moulds, 1979 Western ringtail south-western Australia Austrolestes analis (Rambur, 1842) Slender ringtail South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania. Austrolestes annulosus (Selys, 1862) Blue ringtail Australia Austrolestes aridus (Tillyard, 1908) Inland ringtail Australia Austrolestes cingulatus (Burmeister, 1839) Metallic ringtail Tasmania, Victoria and eastern New South Wales Austrolestes colensonis (White, 1846) Blue damselfly, kekewai New Zealand Austrolestes io (Selys, 1862) Iota ringtail south-western Australia and south-eastern Australia Austrolestes leda (Selys, 1862) Wandering ringtail eastern Australia Austrolestes minjerriba Watson, 1979 Dune ringtail northern New South Wales and southern Queensland Austrolestes psyche (Hagen in Selys, 1862) Cup ringtail south-eastern Australia

## Etymology

The genus name *Austrolestes* is derived from the latin word auster meaning south wind, hence south; and the damselfly genus *[Lestes](/source/Lestes)*, which is from the Greek word λῃστής meaning a robber.[1][7] In 1913, [Robin Tillyard](/source/Robert_John_Tillyard) described the genus *Austrolestes* as having characters similar to the very large genus *Lestes*, which, unlike *Austrolestes*, sit with their wings outspread.[1]

## References

1. Tillyard, R.J. (1913). ["On some new and rare Australian Agrionidae (Odonata)"](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2903653). *Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales*. **37** (1912): 404–479 [421]. [Bibcode:1913PLSNS..37..404T](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1913PLSNS..37..404T). [doi:10.5962/bhl.part.22352](https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.part.22352). – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.

1. ["Genus *Austrolestes* Tillyard, 1913"](https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/Austrolestes;LESTIDAE). *Australian Faunal Directory*. Australian Biological Resources Study. 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2017.

1. Günther Theischinger & John Hawking (2006). *The Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies of Australia*. CSIRO Publishing. ISBN 0-643-09073-8.

1. Annette Walker et al. (2000). *The Reed Handbook of Common New Zealand Insects*. Raupo Publishing (NZ). ISBN 0-7900-0718-5.

1. Endersby, Ian (2012). ["Etymology of the Dragonflies (Insecta: Odonata) named by R.J. Tillyard, F.R.S."](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277204891_Etymology_of_the_Dragonflies_Insecta_Odonata_named_by_RJ_Tillyard_FRS). *Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales*. **134**: 1-16.

1. Martin Schorr; Martin Lindeboom; Dennis Paulson. ["World Odonata List"](http://www.pugetsound.edu/academics/academic-resources/slater-museum/biodiversity-resources/dragonflies/world-odonata-list/). University of Puget Sound. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20100828091754/http://www.pugetsound.edu/academics/academic-resources/slater-museum/biodiversity-resources/dragonflies/world-odonata-list/) 28 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 11 August 2010.

1. Endersby, I. (2012). ["Watson and Theischinger: the etymology of the dragonfly (Insecta: Odonata) names which they published"](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/46371075). *Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales*. **145** (443 & 444): 34–53. [doi:10.5962/p.146542](https://doi.org/10.5962/p.146542). [ISSN 0035-9173](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0035-9173). – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Austrolestes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austrolestes) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austrolestes?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.