| This family includes four genera in Ecuador. These are the largest damselflies in Ecuador and Megaloprepus caerulatus is the largest species in the world. They are called helicopter damselflies, perhaps because of their large size, slow wingbeat frequency, and tendency to hover while searching for prey. Megaloprepus is also claimed to have the lowest wingbeat frequency of any insect. Adults can be identified by this characteristic alone. Both sexes have abdomens that are distinctly longer than the wings. Most also have white or colored wing tips. In Mecistogaster, the wing tips darken with age. The pseudostigmatids live independantly from ground water by breeding in natural water-holding containers, such as tree holes and the leaf axils of bromeliads. |
