| Austrolestes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Blue Ringtail (Austrolestes annulosus) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Suborder: | Zygoptera |
| Family: | Lestidae |
| Genus: | Austrolestes Tillyard, 1913 [1] |
| Type species | |
| Austrolestes cingulatus | |
Austrolestes is a genus of medium to large-sized damselflies in the family Lestidae. [2]
Austrolestes damselflies sit with their wings folded completely back. [1] Males are usually bright blue and black, the females duller.
Members of this genus are found in Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific islands. [3] [4]
The genus Austrolestes includes the following species: [5]
| Male | Female | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austrolestes aleison Watson & Moulds, 1979 | Western ringtail | south-western Australia | ||
 |  | Austrolestes analis (Rambur, 1842) | Slender ringtail | South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania. |
 |  | Austrolestes annulosus (Selys, 1862) | Blue ringtail | Australia |
| Austrolestes aridus (Tillyard, 1908) | Inland ringtail | Australia | ||
 |  | Austrolestes cingulatus (Burmeister, 1839) | Metallic ringtail | Tasmania, Victoria and eastern New South Wales |
 |  | Austrolestes colensonis (White, 1846) | Blue damselfly, kekewai | New Zealand |
 | Austrolestes insularis Tillyard, 1913 | Northern ringtail | northern Australia | |
 | Austrolestes io (Selys, 1862) | Iota ringtail | south-western Australia and south-eastern Australia | |
 |  | Austrolestes leda (Selys, 1862) | Wandering ringtail | eastern Australia |
 | Austrolestes minjerriba Watson, 1979 | Dune ringtail | northern New South Wales and southern Queensland | |
 |  | Austrolestes psyche (Hagen in Selys, 1862) | Cup ringtail | south-eastern Australia |
The genus name Austrolestes is derived from the latin word auster meaning south wind, hence south; and the damselfly genus Lestes , which is from the Greek word λῃστής meaning a robber. [1] [6] In 1913, Robin Tillyard described the genus Austrolestes as having characters similar to the very large genus Lestes, which, unlike Austrolestes, sit with their wings outspread. [1]
