XI. A LIST OF THE D R A Ci ( ) N F L I E S 



RECORDED FROM THE INDIAN EMPIRE 



WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO 



THE COLLECTION OF THE 



INDIAN MUSEUM. 



Part IV.— Suhorcler AniSOptera. 



The .Subfamily Aeschninae. 



Bv F. F. Laidlaw, ;1/..-1. 



This dominant subfanaily has an almost universal distribution 

 and many of its species range over vast areas. 



The Aeschnines are for the most part large insects often of 

 brilliant colouring, and with powerful and long sustained flight. 



Probably some of the species are of great economic impor- 

 tance both in the larval and in the adult stages. A single indivi- 

 dual in the complete course of its life-history must destrov an 

 enormous number of Diptera. 



Some of the species show migratory tendencies, for example 

 A iiax (Hemictiiax) ephippiger , which is one of the commonest of 

 Indian dragonffies. 



At present the subfamily is divided into three 'groups' of 

 which the first ' Petalia-gxo\x\-> ' is not found anywhere in the 

 Orient, and so needs no notice here. 



The second and third groups Brachytron and Acschiia are 

 further subdivided into ' series ' which are noticed below. 



This classification though probably the best available on our 

 present knowledge of the subfamilj- is not altogether satisfactory, 

 as there is a likelihood of series of the Aeschna group, the mostly 

 highly organized section of the family, being pohqjhyletic, and it 

 is possible that some genera of the BV'.uhvtron group may be reces- 

 sive rather than primitive. 



For a general survey of the subfamily reference should be 

 made to Walker's " Monograph of the North American species of 

 Aeschna " (University of Toronto Studies, Biological series No. it, 

 1912) ; to Tillyard's paper "Life-Histories and Descriptions of 

 Australian Aeschninae" {Joiini. Linn. Soc. , Zoo/., XXXIII, 1916) 

 and lastly to Martin's " Monograph of the Aeschninae " (Catalogue 

 systematique et descriptif. Collections Zoologiques du Baron Edm. 

 de Selys Longchamps Fasc. XVIII, XIX, XX, leferred to in this 

 paper as "Cat. Coll. Selys Aeschninae.") 



