| This family includes 3 genera in Costa Rica. We have recorded three species in the Monteverde region. These are the largest damselflies in Costa Rica and Megaloprepus caerulatus is the largest species in the world. The are called helicopter damselflies in Costa Rica, perhaps because of their large size, slow wingbeat frequency, and tendency to hover while looking for prey. Megaloprepus is also claimed to have the lowest wingbeat frequency of any insect. The adults are easy to identify by this characteristic alone. Most also have colored wing tips, except when very young. In Mecistogaster, the wing tips darken with age. The pseudostigmatids live independantly from streams by breeding in natural water-holding containers such as tree holes and bromeliad tanks. |
