CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Protoneuridae and Coenagrionidae familiar status has been recently challenged by molecular and morphological phylogenetic analysis. There is coincidence in these analyses in considering Coenagrionidae as a paraphyletic clade that would include Neotropical Protoneuridae andPseudostigmatidae. The monophyly of the former is strongly suggested by wing synapomorphies, such as the rectangular discoidal cell and the subarculus position at or proximal to Rp-Ma bifurcation, and its position as a subfamily is suggested by molecular data. In order to analyze the position of Neotropical Protoneuridae within Coenagrionoidea, its monophyly and the relation of its members, we constructed a data matrix of 61 morphological characters and 37 taxa. Philogenia cassandra (Megapodagrionidae) was selected as outgroup, while two Platystictidae, one Isostictidae, fivePlatycnemididae (including three of the former Paleotropical Protoneuridae), twelve Coenagrionidaeand 17 Neotropical Protoneuridae species were included as outgroup. Analyses were conducted using TNT program, a posteriori weighting was chosen using the command "implied weighting". The analysis produced two very similar trees that support the inclusion of Neotropical Protoneuridae withinCoenagrionidae. However, its members are recovered as a polyphyletic clade, with Proneura, Junix, and Phasmoneura nesting within rounded frons Coenagrionidae, and the remaining genera as a monophyletic clade within angulate frons Coenagrionidae. This unexpected result is coincident with previous morphological and molecular analyses that divide Coenagrionidae (plus Protoneuridae andPseudostigmatidae) in two major clades based on the frons shape. Jacknife resamplings do not support most groups. Telebasis willinki and Nehalennia irene are the sister group to core Protoneuridae,and Microneura caligata and Idioneura ancilla the basal Protoneuridae. As in previous analyses, Protoneura appears as a polyphyletic group, while Roppaneura beckeri, Psaironeura remisa, Amazoneura ephipigera, Forcepsioneura sancta and Lamproneura lucerna conform a monophyletic clade and are the more derivate genera.

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