The position of the former Neotropical "Protoneuridae" within Coenagrionoidea, a morphological cladistic analysis

Abstract

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 and Pseudostigmatidae. 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, five Platycnemididae (including three of the former Paleotropical Protoneuridae), twelve Coenagrionidaeand 17 Neotropical Protoneuridae species were included as outgroup...