Proplatycnemis is a genus of damselflies in the family Platycnemididae. Species of Proplatycnemis are endemic to Madagascar and nearby islands in the western Indian Ocean.
Description Members of Proplatycnemis are slender damselflies with broadened tibiae, resembling species of Platycnemis. Adults are typically associated with streams and other freshwater habitats.
Taxonomic history The genus was established by Kennedy in 1920. Species now placed in Proplatycnemis were historically included in Platycnemis or Psilocnemis. Molecular and morphological studies demonstrated that the Malagasy species form a distinct lineage within the subfamily Platycnemidinae. Dijkstra and colleagues (2014) recognised Proplatycnemis as the appropriate name for this Malagasy radiation.
Etymology The genus name Proplatycnemis presumably combines the prefix pro- with Platycnemis, reflecting its close relationship to that genus.
Species
The following species are currently placed in Proplatycnemis:
Proplatycnemis agrioides (Ris, 1915) Proplatycnemis alatipes (McLachlan, 1872) Proplatycnemis aurantipes (Lieftinck, 1965) Proplatycnemis hova (Martin, 1908) Proplatycnemis longiventris (Schmidt, 1951) Proplatycnemis malgassica (Schmidt, 1951) Proplatycnemis melana (Aguesse, 1968) Proplatycnemis pallidus (Aguesse, 1968) Proplatycnemis pembipes (Dijkstra, Clausnitzer & Martens, 2007) Proplatycnemis protostictoides (Fraser, 1953) Proplatycnemis pseudalatipes (Schmidt, 1951) Proplatycnemis sanguinipes (Schmidt, 1951)
References