This week has been a very exciting week in the Beatty collection. Between unearthing specimens that had been on loan in the 1950s from around the U.S., relocating specimens to their appropriate familial boxes, and finding some really nice drawings, there’s been much to enjoy. I would like to start this new segment of our blog, Outstanding Odonates, with a wonderful specimen of Perilestidae. As we continue to image the Beatty collection, there will most certainly be many more finds to share.
This dainty damselfly is from 1917! Not all specimens remain intact for 98 years. Some have fallen prey to other insects getting into the collection, changes in humidity, and just being in a collection that’s moved around a little bit with each Frost curator. It’s truly a feat that this damsel is all in one piece.
This specimen was collected in a the Williamsons’ Colombia expedition of 1917, which they described as a rarer species than many of the others encountered in Colombia. Before this expedition, three species of Perilestes had been described; they went on to describe 6 more from this 1917 expedition in this paper, published in 1924.
This species is what they considered Group I of the Perilestes, as they are found in the northernmost area of the genus’s range, which spans from Costa Rica to Rio de Janeiro. Furthermore, for this genus, Perilestes magdalenae is on the larger end of the spectrum. They are found around forest streams in this Amazonian region. The Williamson & Williamson paper has many interesting notes about this species and is definitely worth a quick look over the weekend.
Stay tuned for many more curiosities from the Frost!
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