Libelluloidea

Libelluloidea; Temporal range:
	Orthetrum sabina
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Odonata
Infraorder:	Anisoptera
Clade:	Cavilabiata
Superfamily:	Libelluloidea; Leach, 1815
Families
	Aeschnosomatidae; Austrocorduliidae; Corduliidae; Gomphomacromiidae; Idionychidae; Idomacromiidae; Lauromacromiidae; Libellulidae; Macromidiidae; Macromiidae; Neophyidae; Pseudocorduliidae; Synthemistidae;
Synonyms
	Anauriculida Bechly, 1996; Eurypalpidomorpha Bechly, 2003; Italoansida Bechly, 1996;

Libelluloidea is a superfamily of dragonflies.^[2] It contains 13 families:^[3]^[2]

Aeschnosomatidae Goodman, Abbott, Bybee, Ehlert, Frandsen, Guralnick, Kalkman, Newton, Pinto & Ware, 2025
Austrocorduliidae Bechly, 1996
Corduliidae Selys, 1850
Gomphomacromiidae Tillyard & Fraser, 1940
Idionychidae Tillyard & Fraser, 1940
Idomacromiidae Tillyard & Fraser, 1940
Lauromacromiidae Goodman, Abbott, Bybee, Ehlert, Frandsen, Guralnick, Kalkman, Newton, Pinto & Ware, 2025
Libellulidae Leach, 1815
Macromidiidae Goodman, Abbott, Bybee, Ehlert, Frandsen, Guralnick, Kalkman, Newton, Pinto & Ware, 2025
Macromiidae Needham, 1903
Neophyidae Tillyard & Fraser, 1940
Pseudocorduliidae Lohmann, 1996
Synthemistidae Tillyard, 1911

Some taxonomic history

In 2025 a significant revision of this superfamily using morphological and molecular techniques added three families and restored six families.^[3] Since 2013 the following dragonfly families have been considered invalid or potentially disputed:^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]

Cordulephyidae
Oxygastridae
Hemicorduliidae
Urothemistidae

Fossils

The following extinct fossil taxa are also included in Libelluloidea:^[7]^[8]

†Austrolibellula Petrulevičius & Nel, 2003^[8]
†Araripelibellulidae Bechly, 1996
†Araripephlebiidae Bechly, 1998
†Bolcacorduliidae Gentilini, 2002
†Eocorduliidae Bechly, 1996
†Palaeomacromiidae Petrulevičius, Nel & Muzón, 1999 (=Bolcathemidae Gentilini, 2002)
†Valdicorduliidae Bechly, 1996
†Urolibellulidae Zeiri, Nel, & Garrouste, 2015

This superfamily is one of two extant groups in the large, ancient clade Cavilabiata, in addition to Cordulegastroidea.^[9] The oldest known member is Araripelibellula brittanica from the Berriasian of England.^[10]

References

^ Leach, W. E. (1815). "Entomology". In Brewster, D. (ed.). The Edinburgh Encyclopedia. Vol. 9 (reprint 1830 ed.). Edinburgh: William Blackburn. pp. 57–172 [136]. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.30911.
^ ^a ^b Paulson, D.; Schorr, M.; Abbott, J.; Bota-Sierra, C.; Deliry, C.; Dijkstra, K.-D.; Lozano, F. "World Odonata List". OdonataCentral. University of Alabama.
^ ^a ^b Goodman, Aaron; Abbott, John C.; Bybee, Seth M.; Ehlert, Juliana; Frandsen, Paul B.; Guralnick, Rob; Kalkman, Vincent J.; Newton, Lacie; Pinto, Ângelo Parise; Ware, Jessica L. (2025-10-09). "Systematic and taxonomic revision of emerald and tigertail dragonflies (Anisoptera: Synthemistidae and Corduliidae)". Systematic Entomology. doi:10.1111/syen.70000.
^ Dijkstra, Klaas-Douwe B.; Bechly, Günter; Bybee, Seth M.; Dow, Rory A.; Dumont, Henri J.; Fleck, Günther; Garrison, Rosser W.; Hämäläinen, Matti; Kalkman, Vincent J.; Karube, Haruki; May, Michael L.; Orr, Albert G.; Paulson, Dennis R.; Rehn, Andrew C.; Theischinger, Günther; Trueman, John W. H.; Van Tol, Jan; von Ellenrieder, Natalia; Ware, Jessica (2013). "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)". Zootaxa. 3703 (1): 36–45. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3703.1.9. hdl:10072/61365. ISSN 1175-5334.
^ Ware, J., May, M., & Kjer, K. (2007). Phylogeny of the higher Libelluloidea (Anisoptera: Odonata): an exploration of the most speciose superfamily of dragonflies. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 45(1), 289–310.
^ Carle, F. L., Kjer, K. M., & May, M. L. (2008). Evolution of Odonata, with special reference to Coenagrionoidea (Zygoptera). Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny, 66(1), 37–44.
^ ^a ^b Sroka, Steven D.; Howells, Thomas F.; Nel, André (2023). "A new transitional "libelluloid" family of odonates with Mesozoic affinities in the Eocene Green River Formation of Utah, USA". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 68 (2): 337–342. doi:10.4202/app.01072.2023.
^ ^a ^b Petrulevičius, Julián F.; Nel, André (2003). "A new libelluloid dragonfly (Insecta: Odonata: Italoansida) from the late Paleocene of Argentina". Geobios. 36 (4): 401–406. doi:10.1016/S0016-6995(03)00039-1. ISSN 0016-6995.
^ Lin, Qi-Bin; Huang, Di-Ying; Nel, A. (2007). "A new family of Cavilabiata from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation, China (Odonata: Anisoptera)". Zootaxa. 1469 (1): 59–64. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1469.1.4. ISSN 1175-5334.
^ "PBDB Taxon". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2024-08-24.

[Leach_1815_encyclopaedia-1] Leach, W. E. (1815). "Entomology". In Brewster, D. (ed.). The Edinburgh Encyclopedia. Vol. 9 (reprint 1830 ed.). Edinburgh: William Blackburn. pp. 57–172 [136]. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.30911.

[World_Odonata_List-2] Paulson, D.; Schorr, M.; Abbott, J.; Bota-Sierra, C.; Deliry, C.; Dijkstra, K.-D.; Lozano, F. "World Odonata List". OdonataCentral. University of Alabama.

[Goodman_2025-3] Goodman, Aaron; Abbott, John C.; Bybee, Seth M.; Ehlert, Juliana; Frandsen, Paul B.; Guralnick, Rob; Kalkman, Vincent J.; Newton, Lacie; Pinto, Ângelo Parise; Ware, Jessica L. (2025-10-09). "Systematic and taxonomic revision of emerald and tigertail dragonflies (Anisoptera: Synthemistidae and Corduliidae)". Systematic Entomology. doi:10.1111/syen.70000.

[Dijkstra_2013-4] Dijkstra, Klaas-Douwe B.; Bechly, Günter; Bybee, Seth M.; Dow, Rory A.; Dumont, Henri J.; Fleck, Günther; Garrison, Rosser W.; Hämäläinen, Matti; Kalkman, Vincent J.; Karube, Haruki; May, Michael L.; Orr, Albert G.; Paulson, Dennis R.; Rehn, Andrew C.; Theischinger, Günther; Trueman, John W. H.; Van Tol, Jan; von Ellenrieder, Natalia; Ware, Jessica (2013). "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)". Zootaxa. 3703 (1): 36–45. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3703.1.9. hdl:10072/61365. ISSN 1175-5334.

[ware-5] Ware, J., May, M., & Kjer, K. (2007). Phylogeny of the higher Libelluloidea (Anisoptera: Odonata): an exploration of the most speciose superfamily of dragonflies. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 45(1), 289–310.

[Carle_2008-6] Carle, F. L., Kjer, K. M., & May, M. L. (2008). Evolution of Odonata, with special reference to Coenagrionoidea (Zygoptera). Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny, 66(1), 37–44.

[Stroka_2023-7] Sroka, Steven D.; Howells, Thomas F.; Nel, André (2023). "A new transitional "libelluloid" family of odonates with Mesozoic affinities in the Eocene Green River Formation of Utah, USA". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 68 (2): 337–342. doi:10.4202/app.01072.2023.

[Argentina_2003-8] Petrulevičius, Julián F.; Nel, André (2003). "A new libelluloid dragonfly (Insecta: Odonata: Italoansida) from the late Paleocene of Argentina". Geobios. 36 (4): 401–406. doi:10.1016/S0016-6995(03)00039-1. ISSN 0016-6995.

[Lin_2007-9] Lin, Qi-Bin; Huang, Di-Ying; Nel, A. (2007). "A new family of Cavilabiata from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation, China (Odonata: Anisoptera)". Zootaxa. 1469 (1): 59–64. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1469.1.4. ISSN 1175-5334.

[PBDB_2024-10] "PBDB Taxon". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2024-08-24.

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