{{Short description|Family of insects}} {{Automatic taxobox |name=Corduliidae |image=Somatochlora viridiaenea(Male , Japan , 2019.09.14).jpg |image_caption= ''Somatochlora viridiaenea'' (male) |taxon=Corduliidae |authority=Selys, 1850<ref name="Selys 1850"/> |subdivision_ranks=Subfamilies |subdivision= * Cordulephyinae * Corduliinae * Idomacromiinae * Neophyinae }}
'''Corduliidae''', also knowns as the '''emeralds''', '''emerald dragonflies''', or '''green-eyed skimmers''', is a family of dragonflies.<ref name="Dijkstra 2013"/><ref name=AFD/> 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 endangered species in the United States.
Corduliidae are known to occasionally take quantities of their eggs at the tip of their stomach, before then sticking their eggs in mud or water using a sprout-like appendage that extends from their abdomens.<ref name="Marshall 2006" />
==Selected genera== Genera included in this family are:<ref name=WOL/> * ''Antipodochlora'' {{small|Fraser, 1939}} – dusk dragonfly * ''Cordulia'' {{small|Leach, 1815}} – American emeralds * ''Corduliochlora'' {{small|Marinov & Seidenbusch, 2007}} * ''Cordulisantosia'' {{small|Fleck & Costa, 2007}} * ''Dorocordulia'' {{small|Needham, 1901}} – little emeralds * ''Epitheca'' {{small|Burmeister, 1839}} – baskettails * ''Guadalca'' {{small|Kimmins, 1957}} * ''Helocordulia'' {{small|Needham, 1901}} – sundragons * ''Hemicordulia'' {{small|Selys, 1870}} - emeralds * ''Heteronaias'' {{small|Needham & Gyger, 1937}} * ''Metaphya'' {{small|Laidlaw, 1912}} – emeralds * ''Navicordulia'' {{small|Machado & Costa, 1995}} * ''Neurocordulia'' {{small|Selys, 1871}} – shadowdragons * ''Paracordulia'' {{small|Martin, 1906}} * ''Rialla'' {{small|Navás, 1915}} * ''Somatochlora'' {{small|Selys, 1871}} – striped emeralds * ''Williamsonia'' {{small|Davis, 1913}} – boghaunters
==Etymology== The family name ''Corduliidae'' is derived from the type genus ''Cordulia'', with the standard zoological suffix ''-idae'' used for animal families. The genus name ''Cordulia'' is derived from the Greek κορδύλη (''kordylē'', "club" or "cudgel"), referring to the shape of the male abdomen.<ref name="Endersby & Fliedner 2015"/>
==References== <references> <ref name="Selys 1850">{{Cite journal|last=Selys-Longchamps|first=E.|year=1850 |title=Revue des odonates ou libellules d'Europe|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16236415 |journal=Mémoires de la Société Royale des Sciences de Liège |language=French|volume=6 |pages=1-408 [66]|via=Biodiversity Heritage Library}}</ref>
<ref name="Dijkstra 2013">{{Cite journal |last=Dijkstra |first=Klaas-Douwe B. |last2=Bechly |first2=Günter |last3=Bybee |first3=Seth M. |last4=Dow |first4=Rory A. |last5=Dumont |first5=Henri J. |last6=Fleck |first6=Günther |last7=Garrison |first7=Rosser W. |last8=Hämäläinen |first8=Matti |last9=Kalkman |first9=Vincent J. |last10=Karube |first10=Haruki |last11=May |first11=Michael L. |last12=Orr |first12=Albert G. |last13=Paulson |first13=Dennis R. |last14=Rehn |first14=Andrew C. |last15=Theischinger |first15=Günther |date=2013 |title=The classification and diversity of dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata). In: Zhang, Z.-Q. (Ed.) Animal Biodiversity: An Outline of Higher-level Classification and Survey of Taxonomic Richness (Addenda 2013) |url=https://mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.3703.1.9 |journal=Zootaxa |language=en |volume=3703 |issue=1 |pages=36–45 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.3703.1.9 |issn=1175-5334}}</ref>
<ref name=AFD>{{Cite web |url=https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/Corduliidae |title=Family CORDULIIDAE |date=2022 |website=Australian Faunal Directory |publisher=Australian Biological Resources Study |access-date=1 May 2026}}</ref>
<ref name="Marshall 2006">{{Cite book |last=Marshall |first=Stephen A. |title=Insects: their natural history and diversity; with a photographic guide to insects of eastern North America |date=2006 |publisher=Firefly Books |isbn=978-1-55297-900-6 |edition=2. printing |series=A Firefly book |location=Buffalo, NY}}</ref>
<ref name=WOL>{{World Odonata List}}</ref>
<ref name="Endersby & Fliedner 2015">{{cite book |last1=Endersby |first1=Ian |last2=Fliedner |first2=Heinrich |title=The Naming of Australia's Dragonflies |date=2015 |publisher=Busybird Publishing |location=Eltham, Victoria, Australia |isbn=9781925260625 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283318421_The_Naming_of_Australia's_Dragonflies}}</ref> </references>
{{Wikispecies|Corduliidae}} {{Commons category}}
{{Odonata|3}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q504497}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Corduliidae Category:Libelluloidea Category:Odonata families Category:Odonata of Australia Category:Taxa named by Edmond de Sélys Longchamps Category:Insects described in 1850