Archiargiolestes parvulus (Watson, 1977)
Archiargiolestes parvulus (Watson, 1977)
MIDGET FLATWING
Family Megapodagrionidae
This is a Western Australian endemic damselfly.
Midget Flatwings can be found at Manning Lake near Fremantle in WA. I saw them at the edge of a swampy area adjacent to the lake.
The 3 WA Flatwing damselflies are difficult to distinguish. Location, wing venation and male anal appendages can be used in conjunction to distinguish between them
The veins in the forewings of the genus Archiargiolestes differ from the other Western Australian genus Miniargiolestes. The Ac vein is found almost midway between Ax1 and Ax2 in Archiargiolestes. whereas the Ac vein is much closer to the Ax2 vein in Miniargiolestes.
The pterostigmas in the wings of mature specimens are black.
Anal appendages of male Midget Flatwings
Midget Flatwings as their common name suggests are tiny. Here is a photo of one in the same frame as a pair of slender Ringtail damselflies which are themselves quite small.