20.500.12556/DiRROS-31851 The final instar larva of the Sri Lankan endemic Platysticta apicalis Kirby (Odonata: Platystictidae, Platystictinae), including comparisons with known larvae of other platystictid subfamilies The final stadium larva of Platysticta apicalis Kirby is described, based principally on a female exuvia collected in the wild, from near Deniyaya, southern Sri Lanka. Identification was by supposition, based on the proximity a teneral adult evidently recently emerged from the exuvia. Other exuviae of both sexes from the same site were also examined, judged to be of the same species, and used to augment the description. This is the first description of the larva of a member of the subfamily Platystictinae, and also describes the larval stage of the type genus of the family. In general form the larva of P. apicalis closely resembles all known members of the subfamilies Protostictinae and Palaemnematinae with a broad roughly heart shaped head, well tracheated saccoid gills and a flat prementum with convex lateral margins. In some details, such as the palmate molar crest of the left mandible, the moderately projected ligula and the longish well-spaced coronate setae on the margin of the ligula it most closely resembles species of the New World Palaemnema Selys, but despite the extreme conservatism in larval morphology exhibited by the family, it has several characters not seen elsewhere. This is in agreement with some, but not all, studies of relationships within the family based on analysis of adult DNA, which recognise Platystictinae and Palaemnematinae as sister groups. damselfly nymph naiad larval taxonomy Sri Lanka tropical Asia kačji pastirji taksonomija larvalni stadij biogeografija Šri Lanka tropska Azija Zygoptera true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Neznano 2026-08-12 07:57:14 2026-08-12 07:57:14 2026-08-13 03:48:32 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 str. 523–538 no. 3 Vol. 5862 Avg. 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno apc 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 2026-08-06 591.9 1175-5326 10.11646/zootaxa.5862.3.7 287407363 https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5862.3.7 1 ac94f553-9612-11f1-af5a-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=49492 RAZ_Orr_Albert_G._W._2026.pdf RAZ_Orr_Albert_G._W._2026.pdf 1 92A9F0EBF57A144995083C43094A861B b590660c4394851fc216ff4936856ee63c77aa6322d519b7dd5e18fd2a7a6849 eefe9929-9612-11f1-af5a-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=49493 Nacionalni inštitut za biologijo 0 0 0