Epiophlebia laidlawi
Encyclopedia
The Himalayan Relict Dragonfly (Epiophlebia laidlawi) is one of two species of Epiprocta
in the family Epiophlebiidae. They are sometimes grouped as a suborder Anisozygoptera, considered as intermediate between the dragonflies and the damselflies, mainly because of the appearance the hind wings being very similar in size and shape to the forewings and held back over the body at rest as in the damselflies. This is now known to be in error however; in reality, the genus Epiophlebia
shares a more recent ancestor with dragonflies and became separated from these in and around of the uplifting Himalayas.
This species is found in the Eastern Himalayas
including Chittrey, Mt. Shivapuri, Kathmandu area, Solokhumbu region, all in Nepal
, where it breeds in streams between 6,000 and 11,500 ft (1,800–3,500m). The only other extant species in the genus, Epiophlebia superstes
, is found in Japan
. The two species have a similar physical appearance, black body with bright yellow stripes on the thorax and abdomen. The species name is after F. F. Laidlaw.
E. laidlawi flies at 3000 to 3650 m and has few predators. Alan Davies suggested in 1992 that they bred in waterfalls at 2000 m with the adults flying higher later. Breeding sites at lower altitudes were discovered later. Peter Northcott mentioned 1860-2380m in 1988 but Stephen Butler discovered larvae on Shivapuri at 1800m.
The larvae grow for five to six years and is believed to be the longest recorded for any odonate. Specimens may emerge after nine years in many cases. Stephen Butler notes that the larvae stridulate when disturbed. The larvae appear like those of the anisoptera but are unable to use the anisopteran jet-propulsion mode of escape but walk.
The adult flight is slow and rather uncoordinated. The discoidal cell in the forewing is uncrossed and foursided and the hindwing the crossvein is long making the cell distally wide. The arculus is situated between the primary antenodals. The male grasps the female behind the head as in the anisoptera. The female is not accompanied during egg laying. She lays eggs into plant tissue while sitting on the stem of a waterside plant. The eggs are laid from bottom to top in a regular zig-zag pattern. The preferred plants are usually bryophytes.
Epiprocta
Epiprocta is one of the two extant suborders of the Odonata . It was proposed relatively recently, having been created to accommodate the inclusion of the Anisozygoptera...
in the family Epiophlebiidae. They are sometimes grouped as a suborder Anisozygoptera, considered as intermediate between the dragonflies and the damselflies, mainly because of the appearance the hind wings being very similar in size and shape to the forewings and held back over the body at rest as in the damselflies. This is now known to be in error however; in reality, the genus Epiophlebia
Epiophlebia
The genus Epiophlebia is the sole member of the family Epiophlebiidae, which is itself the sole living representative of the Epiproctan infraorder Epiophlebioptera, and it contains only two species...
shares a more recent ancestor with dragonflies and became separated from these in and around of the uplifting Himalayas.
This species is found in the Eastern Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
including Chittrey, Mt. Shivapuri, Kathmandu area, Solokhumbu region, all in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, where it breeds in streams between 6,000 and 11,500 ft (1,800–3,500m). The only other extant species in the genus, Epiophlebia superstes
Epiophlebia superstes
Epiophlebia superstes is a species of dragonfly that is native to Japan....
, is found in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The two species have a similar physical appearance, black body with bright yellow stripes on the thorax and abdomen. The species name is after F. F. Laidlaw.
E. laidlawi flies at 3000 to 3650 m and has few predators. Alan Davies suggested in 1992 that they bred in waterfalls at 2000 m with the adults flying higher later. Breeding sites at lower altitudes were discovered later. Peter Northcott mentioned 1860-2380m in 1988 but Stephen Butler discovered larvae on Shivapuri at 1800m.
The larvae grow for five to six years and is believed to be the longest recorded for any odonate. Specimens may emerge after nine years in many cases. Stephen Butler notes that the larvae stridulate when disturbed. The larvae appear like those of the anisoptera but are unable to use the anisopteran jet-propulsion mode of escape but walk.
The adult flight is slow and rather uncoordinated. The discoidal cell in the forewing is uncrossed and foursided and the hindwing the crossvein is long making the cell distally wide. The arculus is situated between the primary antenodals. The male grasps the female behind the head as in the anisoptera. The female is not accompanied during egg laying. She lays eggs into plant tissue while sitting on the stem of a waterside plant. The eggs are laid from bottom to top in a regular zig-zag pattern. The preferred plants are usually bryophytes.