Hemiphlebia mirabilis
| Hemiphlebia mirabilis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Family: | Hemiphlebiidae |
| Genus: | Hemiphlebia |
| Species: | H. mirabilis |
| Binomial name | |
| Hemiphlebia mirabilis Selys, 1869 | |
Hemiphlebia mirabilis, the ancient greenling, is a species of damselfly in family Hemiphlebiidae. It is very small with a long, metallic-green body and clear wings. It is the only member of its genus and family.[1] It is endemic to south-eastern Australia. Its natural swamp habitat is threatened by habitat loss.[2]
Distribution and habitat
The ancient greenling has been recorded from a small number of scattered sites, including on King Island and in Mount William, Tasmania; in Wilsons Promontory National Park and near Yea, Victoria; and in Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park in south-eastern South Australia. Its recorded habitat includes permanent freshwater ponds, riverine lagoons and swamps that may dry out seasonally.[3] A favoured site discovered in 2008, Long Swamp in the Discovery Bay Coastal Park of south-western Victoria, contains extensive areas of twig-rush (Baumea sp.) which is seasonally flooded but dries out by late summer[4]
Conservation
The greenling's conservation status was raised from Vulnerable to Endangered in 2008 because of the limited area of habitat occupied, as well as the small and scattered character of the populations, at least some of which were in decline.[3]
References
- ↑ Odonata Specialist Group 1996. Hemiphlebia mirabilis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 9 August 2007.
- ↑ Hawking, J. (2008). Hemiphlebia mirabilis. In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 25 March 2011.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hawking (2008).
- ↑ Richter, Reiner (2010-06-18). "Discovery of New Populations of Hemiphlebia mirabilis (Ancient Greenling)". Author. Retrieved 2011-03-26.
- Theischinger, Günther; & Hawking, John (2006). The Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies of Australia. CSIRO Publishing. ISBN 0-643-09073-8.
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