Tag Archives: Mecistogaster

Mecistogaster pronoti Sjöstedt

Atlantic Helicopter Damselfly (Mecistogaster pronoti)

The Atlantic Helicopter Damselfly was described in 1918, it is still known only from the type specimen, a female, that was discovered in the pristine Mata Atlântica, the Atlantic Forest somewhere in the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil.

The species reaches a length of about 6 cm, its head is black except for the labium which is yellow, the prothorax is mainly black with some pale yellow markings, the thorax itself is blackish brown in front and yellowish further back, the upperside of the abdomen is blackish brown with a blue gloss, the underside is yellowish. The legs are black and yellow. [1]

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The type locality is now completely deforested, it is long lost and so is the Atlantic Helicopter Damselfly.

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References:

[1] Yngve Sjörsted: Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der schwedischen entomologischen Reise des Herrn Dr. A. Roman in Amazonas 1914-1915. Arkiv för Zoologi 2(16): 1-54. 1918

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edited: 12.01.2019