The Odonata or Dragon flies of South Africa. 267 



7. Origin of .4* at Cuq or very slightly proximal, scarcely more than the 

 length of Cuq. Females without a vulvar spine at the sternite of 



segment 8 S. 



Origin of A* considerably proximal to Cuq, more than the length 

 of Cuq 9. 



S. No transverse ridge at the frons. Most of the species with light-coloured 

 postocular spots. Colour scheme mostly blue and black. Superior 

 appendages of most species bifurcate. Most females with two small 

 styles on the posterior border of prothorax . . . Pseudagrion. 



Frons with a transverse ridge parallel to the suture anteclypeus-post- 

 clypeus. No postocular spots. Colour scheme orange or reddish. 

 Superior appendages of male not bifurcate. No styles on female 

 prothorax .......... Ceriagrion. 



9. Arculus a long way distal to the second Anq. M2 in front and hind wing 

 at third postnodal cross- vein. 



Tenth segment of male not elevated at posterior margin. No vulvar 

 spine in female. Smallest forms of family and order . Agrioenemis. 

 Arculus at second Anq or only very slightly distal. Females with 

 vulvar spine ............ 10. 



10. M'2 in front wing mostly at fifth, in hind wing at foiirth postnodal cross- 

 vein. Tenth segment of male not or very slightly elevated at posterior 

 margin. Pterostigma of male similar in front and hind wing. 



Enallagma. 



71/2 in front wing mostly at fourth, in hind wing at third postnodal cross- 

 vein. Tenth segment of male raised at posterior margin. Pterostigma 

 of male black and white in front wing, of one colour only in hind wing. 



Ischnura. 



1BA. SUBFAMILY LESTINAE. 



The cosmopolitan genus Lestes together with some smaller allied 

 groups, not represented in the present fauna, are considered unani- 

 mously as a rather widely different stirps from the rest of the family 

 Agrionidae. The authors of the present time do not agree ou the 

 other hand about the systematic position to assign to this group : we 

 find it, for instance, paralleled to Calopteryginae and 'Agrioninae under 

 a family Agrionidae (P. P. Calvert, ' Biologia Ceutrali Americana '), or 

 paralleled to the various other Selysian " Legions" of Agrionidae (de 

 Srlys, E. J. Tillyard, 1913). The question cannot now be settled 

 when we remember the greatly unstable condition of generally 



o / / 



accepted views on zygopterous venation (see p. 256, ante). Probably 

 Dr. Calvert's view will eventually prevail with the difference of 

 families instead of his subfamilies ; but for the moment and for the 

 needs of the present paper the author thinks best to adopt a view 

 which still subordinates the Lestes group to the family Agrionidae, but 



